A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, John Whyte has been a band director at the elementary and secondary levels of the Kenosha Unified School District since 1980 and is active as a private trumpet teacher, clinician and soloist. Read More...
So much of what we learn as students is from our teachers tell us… things that often are never written down, such as cleaning the trumpet, structuring your practice, or choosing a mouthpiece. We may learn these things along the way, but… Read More...
Early in my career as a band director, I learned a valuable lesson in the art of disguising intonation in my concert band. While teaching at a small school in the panhandle of Florida, I invited a veteran clinician to work for my concert… Read More...
Check with principal/department head - What is your teaching schedule? | Who sets the teaching schedule for the building? | Who schedules music calendar? | Who schedules facility use? Read More...
Tone and intonation are two aspects of instrumental playing that are most often left to develop on their own. This "approach" comes from the misconceived notion that as long as one continues to play the notes (the more and faster the… Read More...
Every school year I deal with concerts, fundraisers, festivals, trips, sectionals, band boosters and other activities related to my job as a band director. The one element of teaching band I have found most challenging is determining my… Read More...
Obviously, maintaining a music program that is of the highest quality and offers numerous opportunities for involvement is one key to attracting and keeping students. Kids will not develop a long-term relationship with your program if they… Read More...
The tangible result of the instruction in the music classroom is the concert performance. In the preparation of music for a performance, we often overlook the details involved in the logistics to make the concert happen. To make sure your… Read More...
Our nation has undergone vast changes during the past sixty years, and so too has the concert band music written during those years. The repertory from the mid-1950s to today reflects the social and political customs of each decade. As the… Read More...
Band conductors need to constantly look for music that is artistically interesting and of educational value. I have written about this in some detail in the past and would urge readers to consult previous issues of Tempo if interested. Read More...
