5 replies to this topic

[joshg357]

I'm a percussionist so I know what it's like back there. If you double the students up on parts that'll atleast give them something to be doing (it'll also make the group sound larger, though you'll have to make sure that they keep the dynamics down. They don't even have to be playing the instrument, just counting through the parts. For instance, if you have a younger kid who is wanting to play snare or tenors on the marching line next year, you could have him counting through the snare part ((let them know that doing that is going to better their chances for actually getting on the instrument next year)).) The major thing about the talking is that once they start a discussion they'll keep it going throughout the entire practice, once they're in that mind set it's extremely hard to turn that off, so it's best to put it out before it ever get's a chance to start, so if you give them each little jobs before the practice starts, such as setting things up like the chairs and stands or the percussion instruments themselves then that'll keep their hands busy and hopefully the discussions from ever starting. Keep 'em moving, don't let them have more than a few minutes, seconds preferably, around eachother. Another thing that I've seen to work for the entire band is that you could tell the students that if they work diligently throughout the entire practice, no talking whatsoever between the pieces, then you'll let them have the last 5-10 minutes of the practice to talk with eachother. And if none of that works perhaps you could play up the maturity expectation: I bet if you told them that they were acting like children then they'd probably jerk out of whatever they were doing quickly, because some kids that age are trying to be adults and those are the one's that you have to put in charge of the section. Also play up the point that when they talk they are letting all of the other band members down, I know that works really well. But, all in all, you have to let them talk a little bit or else they're going to feel that band isn't any fun and they're just going to quit, so just be careful to not become a tyrant, but maybe do be a bit more firm with them (not in a way that makes them feel that you are angry with them, but just let them know that you want the best for them, you want them to have fun and be a successful group and that talking is not the way for them to achieve that. Just talk to them about it. My director never did that, but it might honestly have helped if he took away the student/teacher relationship and leveled with them about how destructive their behavior is to the band. Good luck. Hope everything works out.