|
How to Establish a Routine
1. BREATHING EXCERCISES (5-10 minutes)
Air is the life's blood of wind instruments and voice and we need to constantly work to make this portion of musicality
more consistent and relaxed. Use the following exercises to develop and maintain a good foundation for your air support.
With each successive breath, try to inhale deeper and fill up the lungs to capacity.
In for 4, out for 4, rest for 4 (repeat 5-6 times)
In for 4, out for 2, rest for 6 (repeat 5-6 times)
In for 2, out for 2, rest for 4 (repeat 5-6 times)
In for 1, out for 1, rest for 2 (repeat 5-6 times)
2. LONG TONE EXERCISES (10-15 minutes)
Start off very slow and easy. No fast rhythms, articulations,or note changes. From the low range to middle range,
use double and triple whole-notes for a rhythm. This helps to get blood to the lips for wind players and to vocal cords so
that they become flexible. Rest 1-2 minutes after.
3. FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES (10-15 minutes)
For brass and wind players, use partials with the same fingerings as often as you can. Vocalists, slur with a nice
rounded O or Ah. Start from a medium-low note and freely slur back and forth, first slowly, then picking up speed. Everything
should be nice and easy, don't force the slurs and transitions between notes. Try to be accurate between the notes, careful
not to hit the partials in between the starting pitch and the note you are slurring to.
4. ARTICULATION EXERCISES (8-10 minutes)
For wind players and vocalists, it is important to get your tongue to work for you and not against you. Pay special
attention to your tonguing as you articulate various rhythms (wind players) or as you practice your solfege (vocalists).
Make sure that each sound is identical to the previous. Always strive for a crisp clear sound or articulation (from legato
to stacatto) and that the pitch or sound quality does not suffer. Take scales or try Clarke Studies and perform them with
various rhythms per note. The idea is to work on the sound of the articulation within the key.
5. SCALE PRACTICE (8-10 minutes)
This is not just for wind players. Scale practice not only develops your ear to hear the individual intervals of
the scale but to also attain the knowledge of scales and familiarity with the many keys. You can use these as long tone exercises,
articulation exercisses, finger dexterity drills, and solfege (moveable or fixed). Work to make scales a part of your daily
routine.
6. Etude Work (15-20 minutes)
Spend time working on problem areas within the etudes assigned to you each week. Try to make them as close to the
tempo indications that the instructor has asked for. Break up the etude into manageable sections for ease of playing and
economy of time. Playing or singing the entire etude over and over again will not improve anything and will also become a
frustrating task. Remember to chunk apart the etude and work for consistency.
7. SOLO WORK (15-20 minutes)
Following the same idea as the etudes, be smart with your practice and break up the practice session throughout the
day. Do not try to conquer the world in 30 minutes. Take time throughout each week to get various sections of the solo more
and more polished or memorized (if neccessary). This will be more beneficial to you and your self-esteem.
8. JUST FOR FUN (at least 5 minutes)
Pick something out that is easy, fun, or you just love and play it or sing it at the end of each practice. This
will not only keep you interested with what you are doing, but boost your self esteem if your practicing didn't go as desired.
Remember, we need to work at our music making, but we do it becuase it's fun and we love it!
9. WARM DOWN (at least 5 minutes)
Warming down is just as important, if not more so, as warming up. Do your long tone exercises backwards, starting
from high notes to low notes. Always leave your practice with warm, relaxed lips and vocal cords.
|
