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Concerts are the most important thing we do as musicians and having solid concert prep sets your students up for success. In this episode, we are diving into everything we do when preparing for a successful band concert. We are sharing the timeline we use in our programs that help us to have amazing concert performances!
Concert prep is so important and should be taken seriously. Today, we are breaking down our 5-6 week concert prep timeline. We are giving tips on when and how to pick music for the concert, the importance of having a mindset talk with your students, why you should break your music into sections, and the importance of being very clear about expectations for the concert ahead of time. We’re also sharing our Concert Reflection FREEBIE for you to use with your students after the concert.
Looking for holiday concert music? We’ve got you covered! Check out the concert band piece, “Just a Minor Christmas.” It’s a minor setting of “Jingle Bells” and “Angels We Have Heard on High” and is the perfect crowd pleaser for your winter concert!
We would love to hear from you! Leave us a review and connect with us on Instagram to let us know what tips you’re going to try or what you found most helpful in today’s episode.
In this episode we cover:
- How and when to pick the music for your upcoming concert
- The importance of having a mindset talk with your students leading up to a concert
- Why you should focus on one section of each concert piece at a time and stop anytime you hear or see something you don’t like
- What we do to explain the expectations for concert night, including a handout, what to wear, when to arrive, etc.
- How to make final preparations the week before the concert
- Why you should do some sort of concert reflection in the following days
Related Resources:
- Concert Band Piece: “Just a Minor Christmas.”
- FREEBIE: Concert Reflection
- Shop the TpT Store
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More about The First Six Notes with Classroom Composers
The First Six Notes Podcast with Classroom Composers is for band teachers and string teachers looking for great information from experienced teachers.
Every other week, we’ll dive into everything about teaching band and string music students. We’re covering everything from pedagogy to fundraising and interviewing successful music teachers, composers, admin, professional private studio teachers, and more to uncover and share their strategies for musical success.
Classroom Composers is a married team of two music teachers, Kevin Hoff and Jessica Frank. Between the two of us, we have experience teaching K-6 general music, elementary 4/5 band/strings, and middle school band/strings/guitar who want to share our knowledge and experience with other teachers.
Grab a chair and stand and join the conversation!