Lesson Planning Guidelines

At the beginning of the school year the student will normally decide on short-, middle-, and long term goals, and, taking a technical and musical inventory of their abilities and knowledge construct in consultation with the teacher a detailed chart of week by week study. Note that daily study content may differ from what is performed in the weekly lesson. A lesson performance is a selection of some of the materials that are being worked on, including particular problems that need the teacher’s advice, as well as pieces that have been largely technically mastered and are entering the phase of musical polish. 

Daily study content may include

•Warm-ups and flexibility (Overtone Series) exercises
• A review of technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, patterns, tonguing, trills, etc) already mastered
• Technical development exercises (as above)
• Work on several etudes in various stages of readiness
• Work on several orchestral excerpts in various stages of readiness
• Work on prospective solos. Normally this will include one or more single-movement works and one (or more) multimovement work (sonata, concerto, etc.).
• Special topics: transposition practice, low range, stopped horn, etc.
• Sight reading, including evaluation of new material of all types for suitability to be included in future study.
• Re-reading through already mastered material (solos, etudes, excerpts) for fun and brushing up.
• Creative playing: personal musical explorations of technique and invention of melodies, either alone or (preferably) with one or more partners or rhythm source (metronome, computer program), playing familiar tunes by ear, inventing cadenzas, etc.

The weekly lesson content will be more focused and may include:

•Possible review of scales, sight reading, improvisation, or other techniques.
•Etude(s)
•Orchestral Excerpt(s); current band/wind ensemble passages
•Solo(s)
•Chamber music

The student should come to the lesson with a thoughtful selection from the more extensive body of material that he/she is working on in daily study and be prepared to discuss progress and problem solving during the time since the last lesson. A list of questions on the materials is very useful; questions reflect careful thought and analysis of strengths and weaknesses and needs. 

Note: come to the first lesson on new material knowing the meanings of all foreign language music terms in the piece. For solos, no later than the second lesson bring in a sheet with one paragraph each of program notes on the composer and the work.
rmance is a selection of some of the materials that are being worked on, including particular problems that need the teacher’s advice, as well as pieces that have been largely technically mastered and are entering the phase of musical polish.