8-Week Summer Reading Music Challenge
In the eight weeks between The Fourth of July and Labor Day, I offer you this Summer Music Challenge. I just visited my local library this afternoon and saw their Summer Reading Challenges; one for adults and the other for high schoolers.
How about a Summer MUSIC Challenge?
As I walked through the neighborhood back to my studio, I came up with these eight challenges. You could do one per week or a few at a time, especially if you’re vacationing without your clarinet or sax.
☐ Play something by JP Sousa. Record the title.
☐ Time yourself playing any 5 major scales ascending and descending, back to back. Record your time.
☐ Memorize any major scale playing it in thirds ascending and descending. Note which scale.
☐ Find a composer who shares your birth month. Record their name.
☐ Play a song/piece of music by the birthday composer. Record the title.
☐ Play the head (melody) of a jazz standard. Record the title. Extra credit for memorizing!
☐ Super challenge. Take an easy song or exercise and transpose it to another key in real time. That is, don't notate the transposition. Read and play the transposed notes from the original sheet music.
☐ Bonus challenge. Choose a piece of sheet music from your collection and turn it upside down and play. (Due to the limited lower range of the saxophone, saxophonists will need to skip over some notes or take them up an octave.)
Is There a Prize?
Since I just came up with this list hours ago and the eight-week period begins on Monday, I haven’t come up with any prize for meeting the challenge. For now, the prize is the knowledge you will learn and the skills you will gain from completing these eight or nine challenges.
Good luck!
Drop me a line with your titles and other notes <email> when you complete the challenge. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
