Structuring Rehearsals for Creating and Performing

Thomas (2013) described singing as “the first and most important step to encouraging creative musicianship” (p. 48). He believes students who are afraid of singing overcome that fear when it becomes part of their daily routine. In warm-ups, the students sing a tuning note before matching that pitch on their instrument. As students gain familiarity with solfege, Thomas suggests simple call-and-response activities, where the students sing the solfege and then play the melody or pattern they sang. The process expands to singing scales and simple songs and melodies from method books and band literature. Eventually, they move to two-, three-, and four-part singing and playing, transposing the given lines for their particular instruments in the moment.

Hartz (2015) described an award-winning Texas band program that begins each year learning children’s tunes by singing and using Curwen hand signs. Every day the band uses warm-up time to hone aural skills, build simple arrangements by ear, and chant and clap rhythms using function-based rhythm syllables. The students’ progress from studying and performing children’s songs to melodic source material from the literature they are performing in band.

The teachers use improvisation as an educational tool, and improvisation and composition as a means of assessing student understanding.

Shewan (2009) describes singing as “paramount to becoming a fine musician.” He suggests a warm-up procedure whereby students learn to sing and then play melodies from their band literature by ear. The objective is to develop deeper understanding by “connecting the brain and the ear via the voice.” This aural understanding forms a basis not only for composing but also everyday rehearsal skills. Shewan summarizes the importance of aural skills:

All the student has in front of them is their own part, so [they] can’t look at a score [or] line up all the chords and figure it all out visually. They have to figure it out aurally. So, they’re listening to the other parts and making their comments and their observations based on what they hear, rather than what they see.

Each of these teachers spend considerable time building aural, analytical, and creative skills that are fundamental to the pedagogical approach that each teacher uses when teaching composition. While much of this work begins in warm-up activities, the concepts are made more concrete by connecting them to the literature being performed. This is not a “one off” task. Concepts such as melodic development, harmonization, and form are reinforced at every opportunity. Intonation problems are corrected by singing passages, adjusting intonation vocally, and then matching that procedure with instruments.

These teachers and the processes they use are compelling because in addition to prioritizing musical creativity, all three programs have received national recognition for outstanding performance. When done well, teaching the necessary skills to create, to improvise, and to compose, enhances music curricula with deeper student understanding, higher-quality performances, and meaningful opportunities for students to develop their own independent musical voice.