The First Few Weeks of Music for First-Year String Orchestra and Concert Band
September 5, 2022
Early Ensembles by Taylor Weimer
The first 3-4 weeks of string orchestra and concert band are so important. These first few weeks are also some of the most enjoyable for me to teach because (when taught right) it is so fun to see the beginning instrumentalist students make connections and start to really learn music! In this post, I am going to highlight a few excerpts from my own Early Ensembles method books to show how I teach beginning concert band and beginning string orchestra (they each learn very differently!)
Beginning String Orchestra
In beginning string orchestra, students should focus on learning the parts of their instrument, and how to properly hold it, and that is their first lesson! Here is an example from my curriculum:
Next, beginning orchestra students should focus on quarter notes and open strings first. Teach them the open “D” and “A” strings, and how to switch between them. It is also important to focus on proper left hand positioning and right hand pizzicato. (I strongly believe that no bows should be used until students have mastered pizzicato technique along with each note of a one-octave D major scale!) The right hand can use both the first and second finger for plucking, anchor the thumb at the base of the fingerboard (gently wedged between the fingerboard and the body), and the finger should pluck, while pulling away from the string quickly. Some of the very first tunes a string orchestra learns should look like this:
After practicing open strings and focusing on proper technique, students will be ready for the first three notes in the left hand. E, F# and G should be the first notes that require fingering from beginning orchestra students. Introduce one at a time, and focus on keeping fingers right on the tape while getting a clear sound (much easier said than done!). An example of a first play test for beginning orchestra students could look something like this:
Beginning Concert Band
In beginning concert band, it is important to differentiate the learning between brass/woodwinds and percussion. After all students have learned how to properly assemble and hold their instruments, the wind players should focus on learning one note (for me, it is concert Bb), and the difference between a whole note and a whole rest. Percussion should focus on quarter notes first, and understand how to use their right and left hands. An example of the very first song for a concert band could look like this:
From there, slowly add one note at a time. Focus purely on technique and getting a good sound. This is a chance to talk with all your instrumentalists about embouchure and producing a good quality tone with steady air. For the first few weeks, I don’t introduce any more than three notes! For me, it is concert Bb, concert C and concert D. Here is an example of a first play test for beginning concert band students:
Finally, I will then start to introduce half notes and quarter notes to the wind players (still only using those first three notes). I will also make sure to change up the rhythms in percussion to get them learning rests early on. It is also important for percussionists to get used to playing rhythms that are different than the rest of the band, and this is a challenging concept for some students. An example of a culminating unit for beginning concert band (after a couple weeks of playing) could be this version of the classic Hot Cross Buns:
Check out the full method books and concert series from the Early Ensembles curriculum (with play-along tracks for every excerpt available on YouTube).
