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Double Tonguing With Middle School Bands

Robert E. Foster, Jr. | February March 2022


 

    Each day in my middle school band room, 20-30 students arrive about 25 minutes early to practice before our first hour begins. I hear Beethoven, Star Wars, double stroke rolls, Clarke studies, long tones, rock beats, and scales. Additionally, some kids work daily on their high notes, and multiple tonguing. It is loud but also rewarding to hear young players working to develop their musicianship. It is a safe place for students to push themselves and explore musical skills with the security of knowing that through perseverance, hard work, and even failure, they can become great young players on their instruments. Although the classroom has looked different during the pandemic, my approach to teaching multiple tonguing has not changed. 
    I have a large percentage of students on all instruments who cannot afford to study with a private teacher. Years ago, I realized that if my middle school band students were going to succeed in high school, I needed to teach double tonguing. By incorporating multiple tonguing exercises into daily band warm-ups, I can accomplish this.
    Most directors include long tones, lip slurs, scales, balance and blend exercises, tonguing, articulations, and dynamics into their daily routine, but few work on multiple tonguing with their younger students. This is likely because grade 1-3 music rarely requires this skill. I try to think about what my students will need down the road, as well as what skills will help them play the grade 2 song in front of them now.
    I want to give my band students the background and foundation to play advanced literature in middle school band and also at the high school level. I added double tonguing exercises and short, fun teaching pieces for all woodwind and brass instruments.
    My middle school fight song is the Notre Dame Victory March, and the De Soto High School fight song is Wildcat Victory. Both songs have measures that require double tonguing. The options were to play these songs at a slower tempo and have everyone single tongue, simplify the parts (which I did for my first five years as band director), or teach double tonguing technique necessary to play the songs at the correct tempo.

Double Tonguing in Middle School
    On the whiteboard in the front of my band room, I wrote:


Tu-Ku-Tu-Ku / Tuuuuu
and
Tu-TuKu Tu-TuKu / Tuuuuu

For optional low brass, I wrote:

Du-Gu-Du-Gu/Duuuuu
and
Du-DuGu Du-DuGu / duuuuu


    My advanced 8th grade players are always honing their double tonguing technique in the mornings which the younger players can hear while putting their instruments away in band room lockers. This exposure to older students’ playing is the best motivator I have. The younger players are intrigued and want to play like the veteran musicians. Watching and listening to my older kids inspires lofty goals for double tonguing.
    Peer teaching, with older kids helping less experienced musicians, is also beneficial. I have had students throughout the years come to band class and ask me to listen to them play a double tonguing exercise. Much to my surprise, it frequently sounds terrific, and I did not know even know they had been working at home on multiple tonguing.
    Many years ago, I talked with Jodie Lin, one of the top local bassoon teachers, about one of my bassoon students who had a solo with double tonguing in it. As a trumpet player, I developed this skill in 9th grade, but as a director I had never thought about woodwind double tonguing or how to teach it in middle school. This conversation changed my approach to multiple tonguing as I learned that all wind instruments are capable of this skill.

6th Grade – Introduction
    During second semester, I show all wind players how to double tongue and illustrate the articulations on the whiteboard. Currently, I have two 6th grade baritones and a trumpet player as private students, and all have succeeded at learning double tonguing and can even double tongue the concert Bb scale up and down. I regularly invite these students to demonstrate and show the other 6th grade students what they can do. Keep in mind, I have not taught this to my 6th grade band classes.

7th Grade – Warming Up
    At the beginning of the school year, my daily warm-up includes scales, Remingtons (half notes starting on concert F descending by half step and back to concert F), long tones, lip slurs, balancing chords, and single tongued exercises. During the first month of school, I add call and response double tonguing exercises on concert F with the entire band.
    The double-tonguing articulations, are on the white board, and I begin by speaking the different rhythms with students repeating them back to me. Then, I play rhythm patterns while the band repeats them back to me. I demonstrate how the Ku syllable when alternating with the Tu syllable sounds different. (I tell the students it will sound different when played slowly because of the K syllable if they are playing it correctly). I emphasize that they have to walk before they can run. Once they figure out the patterns and get their tongue working, we go faster and the double tonguing sound evens out and sounds good.

Double Tonguing Rhythm Patterns: Call and Response/Slow to Fast

    Because most middle school level music does not require players to double tongue, I wrote out an original tune called Warp Speed with double tonguing for each instrument. This helps students connect their work on double tonguing to real music. We start very slow and gradually work it up as fast as we can. It is fun, and the faster it goes, the more challenging and exciting it is for them.
    During second semester, I introduce double tonguing scales. By this time, most of my students can play most of their major scales. I start by having students play the first four notes of their concert Bb scale at a slow tempo. Then I have them double tongue it, repeating several times.

     Next, I have the students start on the 4th scale degree (Eb) and play up to the high Bb. We repeat this step several times.

     Finally, I have them play all the way up their scale. I repeat this same process descending by playing the first four notes, then adding on the bottom half of the scale. Then, we play from top to bottom. By dividing the scale into smaller sections, students can handle four and five notes at a time. When you combine these to double tongue the scale, it does not seem intimidating or impossible.

8th Grade Band
    I start the year with our normal warm-up and include all instruments playing long tones, Remingtons, lip slur scales, balancing chords, and single tongue exercises. With more experienced students, I am able to push them a little harder, and they can play everything faster. (I have an 8th grade clarinet, tenor sax, trumpet, euphonium, and trombone student who can double tongue as fast as I can play.) I use the call and response exercises on concert F with the entire band. I introduce additional fun double tonguing songs that we play in band class.
    Midway through the first semester, I give them The Happy Farmer, which I wrote out in unison so every instrument in the band plays the melody. It starts with the theme followed by two double tonguing variations.
    Eventually, I introduce triple tonguing to the 8th grade band. I use call and response on concert F and have  students speak the patterns and then imitate my playing. For more advanced and motivated triple tonguing students, I encourage them to perform the solo, The Musketeer Polka by Herbert L. Clarke for the solo/ensemble festival. This is a great one-page piece with triple tonguing that is playable by younger musicians. I have found most solos that include triple tonguing are way more advanced, several pages long, and are one of many variations.
    In 29 years of teaching band, I have learned that students enjoy being challenged and can multiple tongue at a young age if it is presented to them in a way that they can understand. I want to prepare my students for success by including multiple tonguing into daily band warm-ups. Teachers just need to start slow, explain how to multiple tongue, demonstrate what it should sound like, and encourage them to try it. You will be amazed at what twelve-year old musicians can accomplish.   

For links to music and examples referenced in this article, please go to: https://theinstrumentalist.com/pages/The-Instrumentalist/Foster-Links/