I am curious as to what kind of emphasis people put on teaching music vs. technique in their band classes or rehearsals. I know that some tend to teach technique as something separate to the repertoire. How do you relate the two, seemingly unrelated topics in your work?
Personally, I tend to pick repertoire that is appropriate to the level of ensemble that I'm working with and much of my technique work is directed toward the repertoire. Having said that, there are some aspects of technique that I teach that are not directly connected to the days music. I teach scale technique and rhythmic concepts as almost a separate curriculum to ensure that what I cover is comprehensive. There is also a sliding balance point depending on the experience level of the students. Beginning students aren't going to get much by diving right into a piece of music without spending time on tone production and basic rhythm and fingering concepts. The upper level students can spend less time on technical exercises and more time on repertoire.
What works for you?