Hey everyone, here is the homework for this week. Hope you all have a great holiday and I will see you guys after the break :) Those of you who are doing a make up lesson, I’ll see you next week!

Susan:

  • Keep working through your corresponding major/minor scales with the metronome. Remember to give extra focus to the trickier ones (D and E harmonic/melodic minor) and focus on differentiating the natural/melodic/harmonic scales and memorizing which notes change within each scale.
  • Review your band music so we can spend some time on it next week.
  • Keep working on Fantasy Piece. Remember to play it as “beautifully” as possible, like we talked about! Light articulation, and evenness in tone throughout all registers of the clarinet. Pay special attention to the more chromatic passages where you’re using the side keys, and also the larger intervals throughout the piece.
  • Watch out for your finger/hand positioning. Be wary of “the claw”. Also, a reminder to support the air in the upper register as much as possible!

Jonathan:

  • Try working on your long tones this week. Start off each note as quietly as possible, crescendo, and then decrescendo back to nothing. Make sure you don’t go through this exercise too quickly – take your time on each note and try to make it sound as nice as you can.
  • Keep working on your major scales and arpeggios. Think about your sound while working on your scales as well, and try to make everything as even as possible.
  • Continue on with “Spring”. Make sure to work with a metronome to ensure you’re in the right place rhythmically, and you’re not falling behind/speeding up. Correct posture/air support/embouchure will ALL help with tuning and will make the piece sound as musical as possible. Remember to articulate lightly, but precisely.

Aubrey:

  • Experiment with practicing everything at three different volumes like we talked about – quiet, medium, and loud. This is especially pertinent in the altissimo register (where playing quietly is incredibly hard).
  • Keep working through your major scales and arpeggios – you can think of applying the idea above.
  • Review your band music over the break in preparation for the concert.
  • Spend some time sight reading over the break. Look at the Nutcracker piece, or some of the material in your Beatles book.

Camille:

  • Scales – chromatic scale, C, F, G and now D major (plus arpeggios). Make sure these are “full range” of the saxophone.
  • A couple of reminders – make sure Camille is keeping her fingers/hands closer the saxophone! Her fingers can actually be resting on the keys or at least very close when she’s not using them. Also, she can still be using more air on the D with the octave key on – this is why it doesn’t come out all of the time.
  • Keep working through Doe – a Deer. This is sounding really good! If anything, she can practice more with the metronome, and make sure she’s holding each note as long as it should be and not speeding ahead or falling behind.