What does FF mean?
In a piece of music, it means “fortissmo,” Italian for “very loud.” In the Donna Shepard Band, FF also means “FUN FACTOR!” This is the incredibly powerful feeling of joy and success that can ONLY be experienced when you and/or your teammates have played a piece of music to the very best of your ability. This also refers to the attitude in which we approach anything we are going to play. You can make the FF happen even if you are playing only one note in class; the FF can be inside a single note. And if it’s inside every note, then it can happen anytime you play. Your Band Directors will also add FF “special” items to your performances throughout the year. Be ready for them by playing perfectly. • “When do we get to play a song?” As soon as we can! There are very basic mental and physical processes need to play any note or series of notes. As soon as we have learned these fundamentals, we will be ready to play a song: • Basic counting, foot tapping and verbalizing (singing) with a stead
