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The Plateau

Posted by MS on 3/18/2026, 4:43 pm

We've plateaud. I have another month. What are some ways to get the music to still improve and keep them engaged. We will do more sight reading. We will probably start working on Spring Concert music.

They are not at a Division 111---probably 121, so we still have work to do but I can tell they are shutting down.

HELP!

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Try This on 3/24/2026, 9:19 am, in reply to "The Plateau"

However it works best for you, hear every student play every note individually. You may have to use sectional time or full band time, but it pays off in the end!

Some players hide inside the stronger sounds of the band, so this is a great way to hear how each student is (is not) contributing to the overall product of the band.

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Strat on 3/19/2026, 11:39 am, in reply to "The Plateau"

Random chair day, sit anywhere

Silent rehearsal, no director speech used

One a part, switch players on the next run

7th grade only vs 8th grade only

Sight reading, up a level or using Spring Concert pieces

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Syring on 3/30/2026, 5:42 pm, in reply to "Re: The Plateau"

The random chair day is interesting. When I was in school my diector did a mixed up seating where no one was playing by a like instruments. As a low brass player sitting between a flute and an alto sax it was eye opening. It certainly required independance and brought awareness of intonation and balance issues.

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Try on 3/19/2026, 11:20 am, in reply to "The Plateau"

Just some ideas-try a "sit wherever you want"day. They (and you) will have a totally different listening environment. You will hear all kinds of things that you hadn't heard before.
Set them up in a circle with you in the middle. Again, you will all hear things you hadn't heard before.
Both of those are fun for the kids and it might get a few more days worth of work out of them.
They need to be mature to do this one, BUT.... have them go through various sections of the tunes playing only when they have the melody. An individual might rest 2 bars, plays 3 beats and rest another two bars. Or the entire section might play 8 measures, but it gets the kids aware of who has the melody and when. It also forces them to concentrated focus.
Doing the OPPOSITE helps as well. No melody, only play if you are the background voices. When they switch from melody to accompaniment, they need to be aware of their volume and how they fit in to THAT balance of sound.
Have percussion play throughout both of those.

Hope this helps!

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Methods on 3/19/2026, 10:01 am, in reply to "The Plateau"

You could rearrange the seating and have kids sit with instruments that play different parts than them. It'll help their listening and balance, and the change will get their attention. Having them scatter to a different seat will keep the attention, though this would only work for a day.

Maybe bring in admin to come listen? With an audience the kids will focus more and it'll help with their nerves, and I'm sure admin will be impressed with how they sound.

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Clinician on 3/19/2026, 9:47 am, in reply to "The Plateau"

Have you had a clinician out and work with your band?

Even if they say the exact same things you do, sometimes kids just need to hear it from someone else.

What about a pre-UIL performance? I started doing one about 2 weeks out from UIL, and brought out band directors from my area to give comments. It has been great for a number of reasons; it gets nerves out and my kids having a run through that isn’t completely polished yet gets them to lock in for more work. 2, feed back is great, and a huge thing for me is it allows parents to hear the UIL program. Even though UIL is a public performance, my kids’ parents are rarely able to take off work to listen.

Re: The Plateau

Posted by Curious on 3/19/2026, 9:20 am, in reply to "The Plateau"

Definitely add Spring concert music so the kids don't burn out. Bring other directors in to work with your band. The kids may need to hear the same thing you've been saying, but from someone else. You may also want to record your band playing their contest pieces, then playing it back and have them critique it.

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