Marching Band Warmups

euphoniumplayer · Post by **euphoniumplayer** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:03 am

Greetings everyone!

I'm a future music educator (I'll student teach this spring), and I've been working with a high school marching band's flute section. Something I've noticed about the warm-ups the school uses: they're designed for the brass. Is there a warmup process that will better prepare the flutes in my section for a marching rehearsal?

I've done a lot of work developing efficient, energized breaths, but tone and technique are the target spots that need to be developed. If you can help at all, please do!

Matt

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:14 pm

Pull some low, middle, and high excercises from the Trevor Wye Tone Practice Book. The ones that move in successive half-steps, first down, then up, are good to start.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:56 pm

I agree with Melizzard. Theoretically (though not always in practice), a marching group should be a concert ensemble on a field with some movement thrown in. If you think of a marching band as a large wind ensemble, it doesn't make much sense to have separate warmups for marching and concert music. The goal is the same....To get a full, warm sound, warm up the chops so you can control them like you need to, and maybe do a little techical work to get you ready for some of the tougher passages. The Wye exercises would be a great start for that.

sakuramimato · Post by **sakuramimato** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:34 am

You can develop technique by practicing tetrachords with different articulations (usually Bb first with articulations of 4 slurred, 2 slurred, 2 slurred 2 tongued, 2 tongued 2 slurred, 4 tongued) and then change scales when you feel the need for variation.

In my marching band, we play them on 16th notes at 120bps, but you can adjust to accomodate the level of playing in your section because I've noticed that individual flute ability in high school marching bands vary a lot at times.

shortandsilly · Post by **shortandsilly** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:22 pm

my band does one called The Ultimate Warm-up by Gary P. Gilroy..I don't know if it is good for us or not...it does get the fingers warmed up a little though.

drumajorchick · Post by **drumajorchick** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 5:34 pm

Intonation Motivation by Roland Barrett is good for finding the intonation points with the band. Also, the Ultimate Warm Up by Gary P. Gilroy, is a good one for warming up the fingers like what -shortandsilly- said