< 9. The Importance of Listening >


  Band teaching methods and instrument instruction books tend to be biased towards technical explanations, but without musical sensibility, the technique will not be utilized. I think the original approach to practice is for musical sensibility to take precedence and then for technical problems to be solved.
  For example, even if you say "beautiful sound," each student will have a different image of it. If many band members have a clearer, more specific image of the vague term "beautiful sound"is, they can get closer to it more quickly.
  When we say "have an image," it is not easy for anyone to imagine a "beautiful sound" that they have never heard before. I think having an image means thinking about or remembering the best thing they have ever heard. It is impossible to ask a student who has never heard anything to imagine it.
  Even if there is a properly tuned clarinet here, with a mouthpiece and a suitable reed attached, will the student be able to produce a great sound just by being taught how to blow and the embouchure? Will a student be able to produce a clarinet-like sound after practicing alone for a few days?
  First, an instructor shows the clarinet sound that the instructor thinks is good for the students, and the students practice to get closer to that image. I think a good instructor is one who can give appropriate advice when the student is trying to get closer to something.
  A good instructor clearly conveys the image to their students in the words they speak during rehearsal.
  For example, it could be about whose member's sound is closest to the teacher's image.
  When comparing students playing an instrument for the first time at a school where a new band has been formed with new members at a school where a band has existed for long time, the latter seem to be able to make a sound more quickly after starting practice. When students hear older students playing on various occasions, they unconsciously form an image of the instrument's sound in their minds.
  Therefore, a band that is active and produces a good sound is itself nurturing the next members.
  Let the members of the band you are currently practicing listen to a variety of music.
  Especially for students who are just starting out, it is a good idea to first let them listen to several good performances of the instrument they will be practicing before they actually make any sounds.
  Even if we play the same CD to students, the more skilled band members are, the more interested they are in listening to it. Because they care about the details of their own performance, they care about the details of the music they hear.
  Even when listening to the same performance, what we hear differs depending on each person's musical level.
  When we say good sound, it's not just the tone itself, but also how you play the phrases. If the teacher knows a lot of good performances and can play some that will be useful for playing the piece they are currently practicing, it will be possible to convey the image better than just explaining it with words.

< 9. The importance of listening >

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