Ideas For Practicing
Warm ups: Focus on waking up mind, fingers and air
· Half note scales up and down
· Playing a melody you like
· Chromatic scale
· Patterns, starting on each note of a scale you know well
· Really long notes
· Breathing Gym
· 1, 1-2-1, 1-2-3-2-1
Technique: Focus on training the fingers and air to respond instinctively
· Scales: memorising and making them flow so you don’t have to think
Can do different patterns, start on different notes
Expand your range - take 5 notes from a scale in your very low or very high range and go 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 repeatedly to make smooth
Play with a fun backing rhythm (smart music)
· Lip Slurs (brass) – when you change notes but don’t move your fingers. Use the combination 0, then 2, 1, 12, 23, 13, 123
· Long tones – how long can you go? 32 seconds? Do high and low notes
· Arpeggios – notes 1-3-5-8 of a scale, going multiple octaves
· Articulation – staccato, tenuto, accent etc
· Etude – an exercise on smart music or from scale packet
Band Music: So we can be ready for a virtual band!
· March from Holst Suite in Eb
· Bohemian rhapsody
· Trumpeter’s lullaby
Choose your own adventure
§ Find a solo tune to perfect on smart music
§ learn how to operate musescore - write a tune
§ record a duet with yourself on garage band or audcity
§ improvise to a backing track
§ play along with your favorite school appropriate song
§ watch a video of someone explaining how to play your instrument
§ learn how the piano keyboard works