So these students who have been doing well without working very hard (i.e. not practicing very much) are getting frustrated. There's more notes now. It's harder to read. The notes are higher. It's a killer on the confidence and high self-esteem these players had earlier in the year, when the music was, well...not very difficult at all.
There's only one solution to this. No, the solution is not to continue giving them easy music. That's throwing the fat, lazy dog a bone. It won't help them improve their abilities. It will keep them stay confident, sure...but they will soon get bored. No, what they have to do is learn how to work hard. What this really means is that they need to practice...and practice correctly.
And this goes to show that there is no substitute for hard work and practice. None at all. This is true with any performance-based activity: Music, sports, acting, writing, even school & college. Even though you're a natural at pitching a 95 mph fastball doesn't mean you can throw strikes consistently (and there are guys who can hit those, mind you). Just because the subject of math in school comes so easily to you doesn't mean you can ace an algebra test without studying (unless you're a rare freak of nature). And, with music (and particularly with brass playing), just because you can understand the basic concepts of music and instrument playing at the start doesn't mean you're invincible. Soon, the lack of work will catch up to those players and when things get more difficult than nature will allow them, they'll be lost. That's what I'm seeing with some of my students.
So what should those with natural talent do when they're beginners? If all their music is so easy to play for them, what should they practice to instill the habit of hard work and good practice? I would suggest the practice of making every single note sound as beautiful and in-tune as possible. That's not easy, by any means. Natural talent doesn't solve that. There are lots of forces at work to make your notes perfect and in tune, and nature is merely a very small part of that. What does help is constant training, awareness, and repetition of notes to make them sound good.
Remember, someone who can play all the right notes at the right time isn't a musician. Someone who can do that (or almost all of that) and make a beautiful, in-tune sound on their instrument while observing and demonstrating musical details is a musician. Otherwise, you're just a "notist". Someone who can play notes on an instrument. Good for you. Anyone who sits and tinkers with an instrument for 15 minutes can do that.
But it's those who work hard that really benefit in music. My students who aren't as naturally talented but are working hard are thriving right now; they're doing the best with the more difficult music, they're maintaining a good attitude about it, and they're are having fun (some of which are making long-term goals with music in their lives). Those who have natural talent but are rarely practicing are struggling right now, and it's something that I really hate to see. The kids are even unpleasant to be around at times, getting upset in their lessons and because very-short tempered...sometimes even rude. All because they're realizing that things aren't as easy as they used to be, and because of that, they feel lost and helpless.
But, not all hope is lost. I plan to really stress the importance of hard work to these students, more than ever. I'll explain to them that if they don't work hard, nothing will really get better, because time and age will conquer them. In band (as well as in lessons), the music will get harder, because it is expected of those age groups. The reason for that is because hard workers have shown us that.
I just handed a new piece to my Harbor Brass kids last week that we'll rehearse tomorrow. This piece is the hardest we've done, and probably one of the most difficult pieces they've every played. But it certainly isn't out of reach. It just requires some hard work, not only in the ensemble rehearsal, but in their individual practice at home. I've already worked with this piece with my students in their lessons, and those who have not work ethic have been struggling the most with it. It's a shame, because I believe that they can play it, too. And it's a piece that I wrote for them.
So, you may ask, "How credible is this Sean Brown guy? Why the heck should I be listening to him or believing anything he says!?" Well, first of all, that's not a nice thing to say. Second of all, and more importantly, I speak from experience. I have a good deal of natural talent in music. It is my calling, without a doubt. My school band teachers can attest to that. And because of that, I didn't practice much in 5th, 6th or 7th grade. In 8th grade, when the music got really tough, I discovered I couldn't play it all very well. There were other folks in the band who could play my part perfectly, but I couldn't. I also discovered, after listening to recordings of myself at that time, that my tone and musicality were lousy...almost terrible. And, my playing tests weren't graded as well, because I didn't practice them. I got fed up with that, but I didn't get angry, and didn't lament on it. I solved the problem. I practiced. A year later, a spark lit up very brightly inside of me, and I wanted to work hard. I wanted to do well in music. I wanted to make a career out of music. So I developed good practice habits and practiced often. Now, look where I am.
Talent cannot shine unless you polish it.
Take care and value music...and hard work.