While it’s still summer, it’s also a great time to start getting back in shape for fall music! Whether you’ll be in band, orchestra, or taking music lessons at home, we have three tips for an August Tune-Up that prepares you for the structure of back-to-school music.
Tip 1: Sight Read Every Day
Try to sight read a little bit each day as the summer winds down. It can be as short as reading one line of music from a method book. Just make sure you’re reading and playing something that you don’t already know so that you’re working on the skill of reading music!
Tip 2: Play Your Scales
A great way to get back in “shape” for fall music is to work on your scales. Once you know them, work on playing them FAST and CLEAN. Also, try expanding your range to include more notes in the scales. You can start by adding just one note at the top to play a 9-note scale, then another for a 10-note scale, and so on until you get to to full two octaves or more!
Tip 3: Play What You Know
Get back into the groove for school by playing something you already have memorized. Just like sight reading helps you work on the skill of reading, playing something you know can help get your head out of the book so that you can concentrate on your memory, expressiveness, and musicality!
