Posted by why are you....... on January 26, 2004 at 14:15:45:
In Reply to: MemorizetheBroughton? posted by Student on January 25, 2004 at 22:49:50:
playing such an easy piece in eighth grade?!!!! tell your teacher you want to play the penderecki cappricio instead of a cheesy fifth or six grade piece. this is what i have all my middle school students play before they enter high school. in fact,they learn all the major tuba rep before they leave middle school. once they're in high school they learn to transpose music of other instruments. they have to prepare a bach cello suite every week for the first six weeks. if it's not perfect, i drop them from lessons. if they really want to stay, i may let them back in but they must first play the dvorak cello concerto in one week from memory. also, they have to learn the heads to all the major jazz standards in the newest real book and the changes for each. before i let them take lessons as a senior they must play coltrane's giant steps. not so bad you say? they play the changes as they multiphonically hum improve over the top while playing a bass drum with their left foot, high hat with the right foot, and snare drum and crash cymbal with their left hand. i learned this from a guy who played lead sousaphone in the one o'clock band at north texas and it's paid off for all of my students except one and he really sucked. he could only play the first three cello suites by his junior year of high school! once they've mastered all of this, i send them to a good college teacher who has them play long tones in different dynamics and ranges to develop a good full sound which can be played steadily and in tune.
james