Playing Tip of the Month

School music educators who submit their Playing Tips to School Band and Orchestra online will be eligible to win an embroidered SBO polo shirt. To enter, music educators can register their playing tips on the SBO Web site. One playing tip will be selected as the winner each month and, in addition to being awarded the prize, the winner’s performance tip will be published in a subsequent issue of School Band and Orchestra magazine. Register your playing tip today!

Here’s the tip from this month’s winner, Karen Hooper, Sam Rayburn Middle School, Bryan, Texas:

“If you like to include scales as part of your daily routine, try letting your students dictate how the scales will be played. Beginners can be asked to create a rhythm in a certain meter using quarter, half and eighth notes or rests. Make certain they can clap it, count it and draw it. Then have the whole class clap and count it together. Finally, play their scale to that rhythm. Advanced students can add more complex rhythms as well as dynamics and articulations. This exercise can be used to assess students’ understanding of rhythm and meter. It can also encourage students to discover creative ways of practicing at home.”

The editorial staff at School Band and Orchestra would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the directors who submitted their playing tips throughout January and February. Please continue to visit our Web site for important information for school band and orchestra directors.