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Playing tests for marching band-what are they, what to expect, how to help?
What are they?
Starting next week, all section leaders for the brass and woodwinds are asked to test their sections on what is called pre-game music. This is the music we play for the football games (school song, national anthem and the fight song). This music is the same every year. For the new members, this first round of testing can be anxiety inducing because it seems like an impossible amount of music to master in a very short time. Rest assured this is a normal and typical response from the 9th graders each year.
Because the music is the same each year for pre-game, once they've learned it, they've got it down for 4 years! Each student pairs up with one other student on their same instrument and plays each piece privately for 2 section leaders. The section leaders are charged with providing a rubric as a feedback tool for your student and also assigning them either a pass or a fail. The section leaders are coached to be positive and to give constructive feedback when appropriate to help improve each musician.
What to expect: Understanding the grading
Any piece of music that your student passes on their first try earns them an "A" for that playing test. If they fail, they do not earn an "F". It just means they have to take that part over. Make-up tests are done with the section leaders much later in the fall; I do not enter any grades for playing tests until near the end of marching season.
So...if your child comes home and tells you that they failed their playing test, don't panic. It doesn't mean they are failing band or that they have even earned a failing grade; it just means they need to play again. They have more time to practice and we will have played it more in class, too.
If a student were not to pass their make-up test on the 2nd try, they would play for me as an assessment and grade beyond just pass or fail.
Last year out of over 200 musicians, I listened to less than 10 students on make-ups. Most pass on the 2nd try if they don't pass on the first.
I would say that in any given season, many freshmen don't pass their pre-game music on the first try. It's not unusual and not an immediate cause for concern.
How to help
Memorizing will come very quickly to some students and for some it will be challenging. If your child is expressing that they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed with trying to practice all of the music, have them focus on just 1-2 of the 3 pieces. This will allow them to feel successful about their efforts to complete at least 1 of the pieces. My advice would be to direct them to focus on the music in this order as a priority for success:
1. Amador Hymn
2. Star Spangled Banner
3. Fight Song (Notre Dame Victory March)
This was also discussed with those students in the symphonic band class, so many of your kids heard this advice and information from me, too. All of this is provided to give you some insight into what you might be seeing and hearing at home over the next several days. Make sure they are practicing, but that it is not coming at the detriment of their other studies. Most, if not all, will be ok in the end!
Mr. Grantham
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