There is a lot of attention on teaching instruments, and even at seminars the focus is often on how to blow or hit the instrument. However, being able to teach students how to read music is a major factor in whether or not you can manage a band easily, and this alone will clearly show the instructor's way of thinking about bands and their leadership ability.
  When you think about it throughout the year, the level of music reading ability is a bigger problem for managing a band than the level of playing the instrument.
  There are schools where it takes months to be able to play even simple pieces, but if you think about it objectively, it is not because it takes time to practice the piece, but because it takes time to read music (or because student cannot read music).
  In the past, there were bands in junior high and high schools that could not read music very well and spent a lot of time practicing only a few pieces to be played in competitions, but recently, more and more schools are holding regular concerts, and it has become common to practice many pieces at once.
  It seems that many teachers who teach band are not able to read music fluently, so they may think that they cannot teach students how to read music, or that even if they are taught, students will not be able to read music.
  However, even if teachers cannot read music, elementary school students can learn to read music. Just as students practice an instrument, please spend time practicing reading music.
  Some elementary school students have a good sense of pitch, and when they see musics, the sound immediately comes to their head and they can sing accurately. Many of these students seem to have practiced piano and other instruments from a younger age, but there are also students with good ears who have never had such experience.
  I'm sure there are some teachers who have had good hearing since childhood and have never had any trouble reading music.
  First, check whether each student has a good sense of pitch and can read music, and give them the necessary instruction according to each student.
  From the perspective of a band instructor, think about how easy it is to distribute musics, set aside some time for individual practice and part practice, and then be able to play a piece just by conducting.
  Here are five points to improve music reading skills.

  If students practice while paying attention to the above points, they will definitely gain the ability to read music.
  Just like learning a language, anyone can learn to read music if they have to, regardless of their age and it seems that elementary school students can read it more easily than adults.
  Also, just like memorizing the alphabet and not being able to read it smoothly unless students actually come across a lot of text, even if students know how to read music, they will not acquire the ability to read music unless they actually read a lot of music.
  Try playing a lot of easy songs as a way to practice reading. Instead of only practicing the pieces that a band will play in the actual performance, try to play a simple chorale, even if it's just a part (even just the first note) at the beginning of each practice, and it will become natural to play while looking at the music.
  If students only look at the music for a few pieces a year, it's hard to learn how to read music.
  I wrote a collection of "brass band arrangements" for sight-reading practice. Each song is 1-2 minutes long, so please use it at every band practice.
  I think students will understand the necessity to read music if they practice not 1 or 2 pieces, but 10 or 20 pieces one after another. I wrote most of the pieces on a single page of score, so you can download and copy it and play it as is. I wrote "I stepped on a cat" in the same key(6 flats) as playing it on the piano, but I've received emails from teachers saying that since it was a song they knew, it was surprisingly easy to play.
  Even if a band that plays from sheet music and a band that simply plays from memory are able to perform the same level in a live performance, what each student will feel and gain will be very different.
  I would like teachers to immediately stop this pointless practice of spending a year or two only to learn two or three pieces.
  Only when students have acquired a good balance of playing an instrument and reading music can they play musically in an ensemble, and this will create an opportunity for each student to enjoy playing an instrument even after graduating from elementary school.