So, you have decided to learn to play a musical instrument and join a band. Welcome!
Below are descriptions of each band, including some suggested prerequisites and learning goals.
For complete beginners, we invite you to view the informational video clips at the bottom of the page.
Description: The Initiation band offers basic instruction in music (notation and sight-reading, theory, instrumental techniques) to prepare musicians for the Largo band.
Format: Rehearsal time is dedicated to answering questions, repetition of basic concepts, and individual support. Learning of new concepts happens in rehearsal with the support of your instructor and is supported by short, regular, at-home practice sessions.
This band is for: anyone who does not know how to read music and/or does not know how to play a traditional wind band instrument.
Prerequisites: No prior knowledge of music is required. Owning or renting your instrument is required (for percussionists, you must have drumsticks and a practice pad).
What will be worked on: Reading music, assembling your instrument, basic instrumental technique, maintaining an internal pulse, breathing and breath support.
Description: The Largo Band welcomes musicians who have basic knowledge of their instrument and who can read music with minimal support. It focuses on developing confidence playing in an ensemble and strengthening fundamental instrumental techniques.
Format: Members learn one to two pieces of beginner repertoire over the semester with a focus on applying the fundamental musical concepts learned in rehearsals. Considerable time is still dedicated to repetition, questions, and individual support. Learning of individual parts and concepts happens largely with direct support from instructors in rehearsal and is supported by regular at-home practice.
This band is for: anyone who has never played in an ensemble or anyone who has played music in the past and wants to rediscover it, or those who wish to focus on strengthening fundamental instrumental techniques.
Prerequisites:
Be able to play and identify simple written rhythms including whole notes, half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes and corresponding rests
Be able to identify notes on the treble clef, bass clef, or percussion clef (as appropriate for your instrument)
Be able to produce a consistent tone on your instrument (woodwinds and brass) or a steady, even sound on snare drum (percussionists)
Be able to play the Bb concert scale
What will be worked on: The basics of performing in a wind band ensemble, including:
Following a conductor
Maintaining a consistent internal pulse
Playing in polyphony/harmony - playing different rhythms and notes from your neighbour
Developing tone quality and sound control through proper breathing techniques for wind instruments
Score literacy – interpreting and naming all markings in written music
Articulations – learning to identify them and interpret them
Active listening – listening to how your part fits in with the people around you, and learning to listen to others instead of only focusing on your own part while playing
Expanding playable range on instrument in high and low registers
Developing ease and fluency in basic rhythmic passages and introducing more complex rhythms including 16th note and triplet rhythms
Developing tools and strategies to learn pieces of music independently
Description: Adagio offers ensemble playing for musicians who have mastered the fundamentals of music reading and ensemble playing on a traditional windband instrument, focusing on developing musicality beyond the notes and rhythms.
Format: Learning of parts happens mostly independently at home with some support from instructors during rehearsals. Rehearsal time is mostly allocated to ensemble playing rather than individual development.
This band is for: Anyone who can read and play music confidently in an ensemble setting, can confidently follow a conductor, can learn their part mostly independently in at-home practice sessions, and is looking to develop their skills and technique.
Prerequisites:
Familiarity with conducting patterns and confidence in following a conductor
Be able to reliably play at least one octave with a consistent tone (woodwind and brass instruments) OR reliably perform common rhythms on a variety of percussion instruments including snare drum, bass drum, mallets, and auxiliary percussion (percussionists)
Be able to learn one’s part in a piece of music with little help from an instructor
Have little to no issue maintaining an internal pulse and counting beats/rhythm
What will be worked on:
Prioritizing active listening over individual playing
Continuing developing tone quality and sound control through proper breathing techniques for wind instruments
Continuing score literacy – interpreting and naming all markings in your part
Continuing articulations – learning to identify them and interpret them
Basic aesthetic principles of music performance – how to create an expressive performance, balancing different parts of a piece of music based on their relative importance
Hearing problems and mistakes in rehearsal and learning to fix them independently
Interpreting music of various styles
Learning to strategize, collaborate with, and rely on other members of your section for questions of musicality and ensemble playing
Description: Allegro is an ensemble for those who have mastered the fundamentals of reading and playing music and are looking to broaden their understanding of musicality and of more complex works of music. Its members are expected to learn their parts independently to allow for a greater focus on the minutia of music performance in rehearsals.
Format: Members come to rehearsals being able to confidently play their parts, with any questions about their parts noted ahead of rehearsal to ask conductors. Rehearsal time is mostly centered on the aesthetic and collaborative aspects of ensemble playing.
This band is for: Anyone who reads music and plays a traditional wind band instrument confidently and is looking to improve their musicality in more challenging pieces.
Prerequisites:
Be able consistently maintain an internal pulse and perform rhythms accordingly
Be able to play at least one and a half octaves with consistent tone (two octaves for woodwinds), OR perform rhythms with a consistent tone and steady rhythm on percussion instruments
Be able to recognize your role in an orchestral texture and adjust your playing accordingly
Be able to respond and adjust to a conductor’s directives with confidence
Be able to commit to regular focused practice to maintain the pace of rehearsals
Be able to detect one’s mistakes quickly and know how to fix them
Be able to come back in quickly when one gets lost
What will be worked on:
Complex rhythms and syncopation
Unifying a musical performance around a common understanding of phrasing and purpose
Learning the full standard chromatic range of the instrument
Interpreting music of different styles
Reacting accordingly to what is heard in the band, for example, changing the style of an articulation to match the rest of the ensemble or adjusting the quality of one’s sound to fit the expressive purpose of the music in real time
More extensive collaboration between members of the ensemble for questions of musicality and ensemble playing
The information document shown in the videos is available here.
Introduction
How to choose your instrument
How to acquire your instrument
What you should know:
Schedule, cost, registration
For all other questions, we offer information sessions in person or on-line, in general a week before the beginning of rehearsals.
We encourage
all new members,
returning members who have been away for a while,
anyone interested in joining Largo,
and anyone unsure of which group to join
to attend the Orientation session.
Information meeting for the fall session:
TBA
Département de musique, UQAM.
People with some or no musical background may join at anytime. Don't hesitate to contact us for more details.
It is essential that you familiarize yourself with our code of ethics, which contains useful information in addition to our various policies, before the first rehearsal.
