by Lance LaDuke | Feb 4, 2015 | Motivating Students
I first experienced quintet playing when I was in a tuba/euphonium quartet in high school. I didn’t do all that much in college, mostly tuba quartets. Once I got into the Air Force Band, I ended up playing a lot of chamber music. We had a tuba/euphonium quartet (with...
by Lance LaDuke | Nov 20, 2014 | Bandroom Tips
Having musical role models is important for every musician. They got us interested in music in the first place and can be a constant source of inspiration and motivation when we lose our way or get frustrated. We learn about tone, phrasing, melody and emotion by...
by Lance LaDuke | Nov 20, 2014 | Motivating Students
These exercises can take you out of your comfort zone and force you to face your fears. Three of the most common fears are fear of failure, fear of success and fear of the unknown (insert your own favorite spooky sound effect here).FEAR OF FAILUREThe fear of failure...
by Lance LaDuke | Nov 20, 2014 | Motivating Students
The fastest way for us to progress is to spend the majority of our time working on the things that don’t sound very good. Ideally, we should spend 80% of our practice time on the 20% of our playing that is the weakest. If we do, we will make enormous strides in our...
by Lance LaDuke | Nov 19, 2014 | Bandroom Tips
Professional musicians use the term “chops” as a general word describing their physical and/or musical abilities. It’s a good, all purpose word, so you’ll see it throughout this section. Physical chops are similar to conditioning and strength building exercises...