Posted by John Cradler on June 15, 2000 at 17:28:31:
In Reply to: Sight reading posted by Matt on June 15, 2000 at 11:40:07:
Tony, Tracy and Jay all have great points; and if I may add just a bit more incentive; practicing sight-reading will make you a better faker(perish the thought!) An approach to practicing sight-reading that worked well for me; take material such as an etude book and play through each etude or exercise once and only once without going back to fix anything. As you progress through the stacks of music(they go by pretty fast this way), you will find that you are getting better at grasping the material at first sight. When I was preparing for the Marine Band audition, Tucker Jolly sent me down to the school's band library and told me to "Start with the "A's". I read each tuba part down one time and put it back. While by no means a comprehensive band literature collection, it helped me to recognize patterns and tendencies. Combined with a knowledge of my scales (!) I ramped up my sight reading skills in a fairly short period of time. I hope this gives you something to work with. As they say , "your mileage may vary"...
John Cradler