There is absolutely NO way a musician can be successful without some kind of practice routine. Beginners should work at least 20 minutes four nights per week. Intermediatestudents should work 30-60 minutes at least five nights per week. Advancedstudents should shoot for 45-60 minutes at lest five to six nights per week. This routine must be YOUR routine. You set it up and you stick with it in order to be the best you can. If you don't practice, it will show. People in your section (and your director) will begin to doubt your character. Get a copy of the play along or sing along accompaniment music. Here are some items to include in your daily practice routine:
Instrumental Routines: breathing/long tone exercise (hold single note for 30+ seconds), scales, rhythmic exercises in the back of the band book, new music (repeat problem measures), and some piece you already know. Try some of these warmups:
1. scale notes up and down on whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes
2. practice arpeggios - first, third, fifth, and top note of the scale
3. practice a song with just the mouthpiece to work articulation (tonguing)
4. practice a scale in this pattern: 121314151617181 (skip around)
5. hold a single note for 20, 30 or 45 seconds with no wobbling of the tone
6. practice tonguing the scale on tah, dah, doo, dot, zah
7. pick a note and play it repeatedly on "hah" to work the diaphragm muscle
8. advanced band can use the warmup exercises in the technique book
9. beginning and intermediate band can use the warmups on band book pages
10. practice holding a note and changing the volume (crescendo & decrescendo)
