April 6, 2026 Rehearsal Recap

Written By Amy Krauss

We started today’s learning session by talking about one of the most important ensemble skills: listening within the band while playing your own part. This is not easy—but it is a skill that can absolutely be developed with practice.

To begin building that skill, we listened to the first five “chapters” of Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev (narrated by Sting). This is a fantastic entry point for identifying individual instruments and following them through a musical story.

As you listen to music this week—especially music you enjoy—try actively picking out different instruments. A great place to start is percussion: listen for and follow the bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, and other sounds.

Digital Music (iPad + forScore)

We also spent some time discussing the use of an iPad for music reading and organization. We reviewed basic setup, equipment considerations, and took a quick tour of forScore, which is our recommended app.

For those interested in exploring music on your own, here are some reliable sources:

Public Domain (Free):

Paid:

Instrument of the Week – Flute

A big thank you to Allen M. for leading our Instrument of the Week!

He walked us through the fundamentals of getting started on flute, including:

  • How to produce a sound using just the head joint

  • The importance of posture and air direction

  • Proper thumb placement for support and balance

Even for non-flute players, these fundamentals reinforce how much of playing any instrument comes down to setup and technique.

NEXT WEEK'S FEATURE:  Trumpet

Rehearsal Notes

Pirates of the Caribbean:  We focused on dynamics and accented notes, especially from measure 63 to the end.

Fandango Festival:  A refresher on navigating D.S. and Coda—great progress here.

The Blue Rock:  A new piece for us! We listened to a recording and worked through it slowly to get familiar.

Shining Moments:  Continue working toward a smooth, flowing style. Use minimal tonguing and take short, efficient breaths.

Beginners Rock!:  Still a fun favorite to close with! We added a drum solo at measure 13 and are now repeating that section three times.  If you’re interested in trying a solo (or learning how), please come talk to me—I’d love to help you get started.

NEXT WEEK'S MUSIC:

  • Celebratory Fanfare

  • New Orleans Strut

  • Alamo

  • Star Spangled Banner

  • Shining Moments

Final Thoughts

Fantastic rehearsal, everyone. The time absolutely flew by!

I’m so proud of the work we’re doing together—keep it up!

Amy Krauss
Next

March 9, 2026 Rehearsal Recap