[TPIN] baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and trumpet playing

[Achias1 at mchsi.com]

Ah yes. For that reason and just to help the kids really enjoy playing instruments and want to play for a 
long time, I teach my beginners short popular songs along with their regular curriculum.

After they learn five notes, they can play "Let's Go Band!" (Go Big Red) and at the end we (and the whole 
school) yell the name of the school. It's become a tradition at my schools and everyone (band and non-
band) always look forward to it. Shortly after that, we do "Rock and Roll Pt. 2" then it's time for 
Christmas music. When they can play an octave, I teach them "Happy Birthday" and they play it over to 
phone for all their relatives' birthdays. we also play for teachers, secretarys' and principals' birthdays. 
Later on, we do "Land of a Thousand Dances." "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," "Titanic Theme," "The Saints 
Go Marching In," and whatever else that's popular at the time that will work for band instruments.

I always have the kids learn from sheet music so it's not just rote learning. This year, they wanted to do 
"Iron Man," so I wrote it out for them and they learned sixteenth note thythms along with a new flat.

The other people in my department hate this because they think it's not proper music. The incompetent 
department head even tried to have my arrangements officially banned from the district, but more 
intelligent administrators prevented that.

I think it's a great motivation for the band kids as well as a great recruiting tool for the future.

But, hey, I've only been teaching for 29 years, so what do I know?

Dave


----------------------  Original Message:  ---------------------
From:    Glenn Bengry <soundpretty at hotmail.com>
To:      <darndt at oriongate.net>, <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
Subject: RE: [TPIN] baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and trumpet playing
Date:    Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:00:33 +0000

> 
> Thanks Dave,
>  
>     It really is true about how much the trumpet fits into real life.  We don't 
> go to public functions and play the Hindemith.  And we seemingly forget to teach 
> our players how to play some of these important social licks that kids can play 
> for their grandparents and can play at ballgames and spontaneous social 
> gatherings.