tpter1

As a hs band director, I have to teach it, even though it is far from my strong point. As Breklefew said, anything you CAN do to get them to play is going to be helpful.

What I'd like to see as a director for my kids is maybe how to organize your thoughts; how to plan ahead, or that it's not just blindly picking up the horn and wiggling fingers; how to interact and converse with the other members of the band in a musical sense. Using the Aebersold recordings is a great sub if no rhythm section is available. (For young pups vol. 1 and the Nothin' But Blues books are great). Getting as many people playing is key, in my kids' eyes. Playbacks, call-response sessions, collective improvising (less fear or intimidation in numbers) are some things I've seen done that have had positive results in the kids' reaction. Even a bit of scales...going over the basic ones such as blues, major, minor and dom 7 can take kids quite far and give them a good vocabulary to start off with.