The Growing Band Director Ep 301 Successful Beginner Practices with Mike Perez
Dec 15, 2025
Mike Perez, a Fort Collins middle school band director who specializes in beginning band pedagogy, shares practical classroom systems and fun engagement ideas. He covers instrument placement routines, small-room adjustments, using mirrors to fix embouchure, starting percussion on mallets, pacing the first weeks, and creative motivators like Band Wars and a summer carnival.
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Begin With Rhythm, Not Instruments
- Start class work with rhythm exercises before instruments to level the class and focus on notation skills.
- Use Darcy Williams' Teaching Rhythm Logically scripts to guide consistent rhythm instruction.
Pace Excitement With Small Milestones
- Pace milestones as small, celebrated steps: announce 'tomorrow we'll open the case' to build sustained excitement.
- Avoid apologizing for slow progress; present every small step as important and intentional.
Use Competitions To Break The Winter Lull
- Counter the January slump with a themed class competition and tangible rewards like pizza parties.
- Use objective metrics (practice records, playing tests) posted publicly to drive engagement.
