Erica Lumsden

Jenison Senior-High Concert Band

10 min. Warm-Up Lesson Plan for 03.29.17

Known:
Students know how to play their instrument to a proficient level.
Students know all of the required fingerings on their instrument, or where to find them.
Students know how to play varied rhythms using whole notes to sixteenth notes.
Students know how to play a range of articulation markings (staccato, marcato, slur).
Students know how to play at different dynamic ranges.
Students know how to play out of their warm-up book.

Objectives:
Students will be able to adapt to changing tempos.
Students will be able to correct intonation when playing in chords.
Students will be able to clearly differentiate articulation markings in their playing.

Materials:
Foundations for Superior Performance: Warm-Ups & Technique for Band
by Richard Williams & Jeff King
Baton

Assessment:
Students will be aurally assessed. Students are expected to be participating fully and to the best
of their ability. They are also expected to listen to each other and work together to create one
unified sound.

Lesson Script:
1. Begin again with playing long tone exercise 1a in book slurred. This will allow the the
students to start getting their air moving, work on moving their lips/fingers, and listening to
intervals. This time I will also try to vary the tempos of the beats to keep them watch-
ing the conductor and also have a better opportunity to listen to each pitch.
• This exercise is more for the students, not me, therefore, I don’t plan on working on
anything with this exercise. I just want them to focus on their own playing.
• However, they must play with a good, supported sound.
2. Tune: Bb. Begin with tubas and bring sections in one by one from low brass up to flutes
last.
• Don’t want to spend too much time on this. Just get approximate.
• If someone/some section is severely out of tune, then we can go back and fix.
3. Move on to Warm Up exercises in the book.
2. Scale work on Eb (pg 28)
- Play scale once up and down together (1 octave) for a base - no repeating the top note.
• Listen for correct notes - If note issues, take 15 seconds to converse with your neigh-
bor and figure them out.
- Play scale again with pattern: staccato, normal/unarticulated, staccato, normal, etc…
• 4 beats per note.
• Using a “t” attack sound - vocal model what I am expecting
- Have snare drummer demonstrate short notes on snare if needed after first run-
through of sequence.
 Erica Lumsden

• Section Battle for for shortest note length - play scale up once, stopping at the top
- woodwinds vs brass? or random sections?
- “Which section thinks they can play shortest?”
- “What does everyone else think? How did they do? Thumbs up for nice short crisp
notes, and down for noted being too long.”
- “Which section thinks they can do better?” - pick no more than 3 or 4 sections to try.
- “Excellent! Now keep that same focus and attention to note length and play the orig-
inal exercise again (stacc., nor., stacc., nor….).”
- Be ready to cut this activity short in case the class gets too unfocused and
rambunctious.
- Play scale in round
• “Now everyone switch your thinking. Play the scale with the most beautiful, and con-
nected sound.”
- 1: Back row: Tuba, Euphonium, Trombone.
- 2: Middle rows: Horn, Trumpets, Sax.
- 3. Front rows: Clarinet, Flute
• Focus on balance and blend of the band. The lower sounds should be more prominent
to create a strong bass/foundation. Have the students build a note from bottom voices
to top. Listen to the sound. Switch to higher voices being more prominent. “Hear the
difference? Which one has a fuller/richer/deeper sound?” Then play note again with
correct balance and blend.
- Scale in Thirds sub-exercise on page 29
• Use for short sight-reading exercise to end warm ups with.
- Students will not have played the scale in this pattern before, or are not comfortable
with it. However, they have been playing all the notes needed for the past 5ish min-
utes. Therefore, they have all the tools they need to be successful at it.
• Start at slow speed first and then repeat once or twice a little faster.