The Rehearsal Toolkit
During rehearsals it is often effective to employ special strategies, or “tools.” Tools frequently use a mini Macro-Micro-Macro process to isolate a specific issue and get students to feel what it is like to first play a passage musically, and then incorporate that feeling into its original context. The below videos are a starter “toolkit” of rehearsal ideas and tools, filmed with high school, college, and adult ensembles. Eventually experience, creativity, and professional development will be your greatest sources for new techniques.
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The Rehearsal Toolkit
Practice Pedagogy
Credits
The Rehearsal Toolkit Credits
1. Active Intonation
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
2. Air Guitar
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Mitchell Lutch, conductor
3. Balancing the Third of the Chord
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
4. Bopping
Hoover High School Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
5. Bowing for Wind Players
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
6. Bringing Out the Inner Lines
Hoover High School Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
7. Building Chords
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
8. Buzzing as a Brass Section
Johnston High School Wind Symphony, Johnston, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
9. Call and Response - Pentatonic Scale (Jazz Ensemble)
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA with conductor David Kobberdahl
10. Call and Response (Band)
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Mitchell Lutch, conductor
11. Call and Response Using Scat Syllables (Jazz Ensemble)
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA with conductor David Kobberdahl
12. Changing Color
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Cynthia Johnston Turner, guest conductor
13. Changing the Rhythm to Fix Runs
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Myron Peterson, conductor
14. Count - Scat - Play
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA with conductor David Kobberdahl
15. Cut and Paste for Improvisation
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, David Kobberdahl, conductor
16. Describing Dynamics via Miles Per Hour
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
17. Drones (with Jazz Ensemble)
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
18. Drones for Scales
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
19. Drones for Tuning
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
20. Eighth-Note Subdivision Exercise
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Myron Peterson, conductor
21. Entering Accurately after Rest
Johnston High School Wind Symphony, Johnston, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
22. Externalize the Subdivision
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
23. Following the Conductor Exercise - During Warm up
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Myron Peterson, conductor
24. Following the Conductor Using an Example from the Repertoire
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Cynthia Johnston Turner, guest conductor
25. Hissing Exercise for Breathing
Johnston High School Wind Symphony, Johnston, IA, Patrick Kearney, conductor
26. Human Metronome with Snare Drum
Johnston High School Wind Symphony, Johnston, IA, Patrick Kearney conductor
27. Human Metronome
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Mitchell Lutch, guest conductor
28. Importance of Individual Accountability
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Mitchell Lutch, conductor
29. Improving Pitch with Mouthpiece Buzzing and Singing
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Myron Peterson, conductor
30. Improvisation and Imitation
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Mitchell Lutch, conductor
31. Improving Accuracy of Tied Rhythms
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
32. In and Out Tuning Exercise - Contrasting Out of Tune and In Tune
Johnston High School Wind Symphony, Johnston, IA, Patrick Kearney, conductor
33. Internalizing the Pulse
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Mitchell Lutch, conductor
34. Interpretation through Democracy
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
35. Isolate and Vamp
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Myron Peterson, conductor
36. Isolating Note by Note
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, James Skretta, student guest conductor
37. Jazz Articulation
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, David Kobberdahl, conductor
38. Learning to Control Pitch with Embouchure
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
39. Lows Ring Last
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
40. Moving Notes Only
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
41. Numeric Dynamics
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
42. Parody and Satire - Example 1
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
43. Parody and Satire - Example 2
Hoover High School Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
44. Percentage Dynamics
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Savannah Veenstra, guest conductor
45. Performing a Fortepiano
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
46. Playing Legato by Imagining Slurs
Hoover High School Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Mitchell Lutch, guest conductor
47. Play the Skeleton - Example 1
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Cynthia Johnston Turner, guest conductor
48. Play the Skeleton - Example 2
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
49. Playing the Opposite
Urbandale High School Wind Ensemble, Urbandale, IA, Mitchell Lutch, guest conductor
50. Preset Dynamics
Hoover High School Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
51. Rehearsal Excerpt with Cynthia Johnston Turner
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Cynthia Johnston Turner, guest conductor
52. Remove Slurs to Improve Rhythmic Accuracy
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Mitchell Lutch, conductor
53. Scale by Numbers
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
54. Silent Rehearsal
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
55. Scatting for Style and Rhythm
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, David Kobberdahl, conductor
56. Slow and Accurate to Fast and Accurate
Johnston High School Wind Symphony, Johnston, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
57. Stop and Go
Hoover High School Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Randy Hoepker, conductor
58. Strength in Numbers
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
59. Subdividing Dynamics
Pella High School Symphonic Band, Pella, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
60. Sync the Rhythm Section
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, David Kobberdahl, conductor
61. Tuning Exercise - Rearticulate to Hear Pitch
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
62. Tuning in Trios
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Ari Contzius, guest conductor
63. Tuning with Humming
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Des Moines, IA, Cynthia Johnston Turner, guest conductor
64. Understanding Triads through the Overtone Series
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
65. Using Drones in Context of the Repertoire
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
66. Using Student Input
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Cynthia Johnston Turner, guest conductor
67. Vamping
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, John Roloff, student guest conductor
68. Vocalizing
Central College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pella, IA, Evan Feldman, guest conductor
69. Using a Fixed Melody for Improvisation
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, David Kobberdahl, conductor
70. Using a Fixed Rhythm for Improvisation
Valley High School Jazz II, West Des Moines, IA, David Kobberdahl, conductor