Basically...what is your good sightreading advice to students??? I usually teach privately, but I am doing a group class at a high school teaching students the all-state piece, all-state scales, and sight reading. The idea is to help prepare students for the audition who are not in lessons and to give them chair placements based on a mock audition. So, since I only have 5 days...and 10-12 per class...I am tring to put together a packet to help with things like sightreading, fingerings and scales.

Thought I would post this and see if anyone wants to chip in with some great ideas!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Sara

I do the following:

Be able to identify the tonality and basic rhythmic structure at the outset...then go through the piece and be able to quickly locate trouble spots..also be able to identify all terms and dynamics and most of all be able to capture the character of the piece...

A suggestion for the teacher, That in order to teach good sight reading, you need to do it individually with them playing alone, otherwise when they play together they are going to follow each other probably with little development in the reading of rhythm.

Some of the most difficult sight reading is in these marching band pieces that are arrangements of pop tunes. I would consider having them read the rhythms out loud. Pick a few tough pieces and have them discuss the important points to go over(if they have time).

Patrick's suggestions are good. Since there is very little on a music page that isn't important to a good performance, you need to scan the page for everything that you can find, from the name of the piece, through the tempo/style indication, Key sig. through the repeat sequences. As mentioned, look for difficult passages and try them out if you have time. Even if the piece has rests, use the time wisel to prepare.
Don't zero in 100% on the fast fingerings, rhythms are often where the mistakes happen and the counting errors will more often be on the larger note values and not the running notes.

For the actual reading, keep going, don't dwell on mistakes.

Fundimentals, such as scales and general music notation reading skills are important. Understanding the foreign language words (Meno Mosso, Andantino) as well as tempo indicators such as MM markings and time signatures are important.
Experience in reading is equally important.
There are a few books like:
150 ORIGINAL EXERCISES IN UNISON FOR BAND OR ORCHESTRA by GROVER C. YAUS, ROY M. MILLER
which throw melodic phrases at the reader where they don't follow predictable patterns but basically, there are very few books for private lessons which challenge our rhythmic reading very well. Most of the Etudes and Studies don't have rhythmic variety .

I agree with Patrick.

Obviously, start by looking at the key signature(s), meter marking(s), and challenging parts (rhythmical or technical).

As for capturing the character of the piece, how about singing it? I usually do this in my head to avoid embarrassment, but for teaching purposes you could have them sing it out loud. It really doesn't matter if they sing the right notes, as long as they focus on getting the rhythms right. Hearing it (either aloud or in their heads) will make it easier to determine the character of the piece.

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I agree with Bilbo, too. We must have been composing our messages at the same time!

Well, I agree with all of those things...I usually do that in lessons. In GA there is a guy who has compiled an all state sightreading book...It is great. 3-4 line pieces that are organized by level, key signature, and time signature.

I will try to do some individual sight reading with them...but I only have 5 days (45-60 minutes with each class) to teach them F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, and E scales two octaves...chromatic C to C...an etude...and sightreading. AND I know a lot of the kids DO NOT know correct high fingerings (I did a Symphonic camp and got to work with them for 2 hours last year). So, I really don't know if I can justify working with each kid on sight reading and letting the others just sit. What do you think about taking in quartets and working sightreading with 4 people at a time??? That was the only thing I could think of to conserve time AND get people only 1 per part. I have printed off some articles that I found online and out of Flute Talk about good sightreading advice that I could have half of them read while I work with the others.

Just an idea...I am very open to suggestions since I am really batteling how to best approach this!!!

Thanks!

always better to start small groups, that way they can hear each other better...