Bulletin
Spring 2021 Volume: 62 • Issue: 2
CONTENTS
CBDA Board of Directors ........................................................................................ 2 President’s Message................................................................................................. 3 Jeff Detlefsen, CBDA President
CASMEC Reflections................................................................................................. 4 Ali Gilroy Golden, CASMEC Coordinator
All-State Reflections.................................................................................................. 5 Ryan Dirlam, Student Host
Recruit-Renew-Retain................................................................................................ 6 Steve McKeithen, California State University, Fresno
How to Access Federal Funding for Your Music Program............................... 10 Dr. Dave Gerhart, Yamaha Corporation of America
NCBA Update........................................................................................................... 12 Louise B Jacob, NCBA President
NCBCDA Update...................................................................................................... 13 Casson Scowcroft, NCBCDA Representative
SCSBOA Update...................................................................................................... 15 Jeanne Christensen, SCSBOA President
CAJ Update............................................................................................................... 16 Paul Herrera, CAJ Representative
All-State Auditions................................................................................................... 17
CALIFORNIA BAND DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jeff Detlefsen President
Susan Willmering Vice President
Dan Bryan President Elect/ Treasurer
Phil Vallejo Past President
Trish Adams Executive Administrator
Kristen Pallas Secretary
Danielle Collins Marketing Director
Ali Gilroy Golden CASMEC Coordinator
Ryan Dirlam Student Host
Ashley Shine Ensemble Host
Michael Tackett Exhibit Host
Joe Cargill CMEA Rep
Chovonta Edington CODA Rep
Paul Herrera CAJ Rep
Christina Latham NCBA Rep
Casson Scowcroft NCBCDA Rep
Jeanne Christensen SCSBOA Rep/CBDA Logistics Coordinator
Mike Gangemi Director of Communications
CBDA is a nonprofit association consisting of band directors from all levels of music education. CBDA provides the AllState Jr. and High School honor groups for students and a state convention each February for directors. Join or renew CBDA membership here. The CBDA Bulletin is the official publication of the California Band Directors Association, Inc. Published three times a year: Spring, Fall, and Winter. Subscription price is included in the CBDA annual dues. The opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent an official position of the Association. CBDA does not necessarily endorse any product or service advertised in this magazine. Access emails at cbda.org 2
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
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n March of 2020, schools shut down for what we assumed would be just a few short weeks. Now, as we rapidly approach the end of the 2020-21 school year, many of us are just now getting back into the classroom with students. But nothing is “normal.” It seems that in the blink of an eye our entire philosophy of education was challenged. Trips were canceled, tours postponed, and live performance opportunities all but ceased to exist. We quickly pivoted to online teaching with virtual lessons, video editing, and recordings. The goals of festivals, competitions, and live performances were rapidly tossed aside as we shifted our focus to keeping students engaged and creating videos in an attempt to continue to celebrate our students’ talents and hard work. Most of us have started to welcome students back into classrooms and are adjusting our rehearsals to follow COVID safety protocols and guidelines. If you are struggling with these changes and have seen a drop in enrollment for your classes, know you are not alone. The story is the same throughout our state and country: directors are struggling with dwindling numbers and recruiting has been challenging since many students haven’t set foot in a band room in over a year. At Stand Up 4 Music, rebuilding was the most commonly identified issue when it came to advocacy; not just the steps that we as band directors need to take, but also working to educate administrators and school boards about the difficult road ahead. I would encourage you to lean on your colleagues for support and guidance as we all work through these uncharted waters. Even with a worldwide pandemic, CBDA, along with the leadership from CAJ, CCDA, CMEA, and CODA hosted a phenomenal virtual CASMEC! Those that attended were able to participate in spectacular clinics, many that focused on teaching in this virtual climate. If you missed out, it’s not too late to get access to these wonderful videos. Visit www.cbda.org/account/login. php to register. Thank you to Ali Gilroy Golden, Michael Tackett, Barbara Shinaver, and Willard Larco for helping to create and host such a successful event. We are anxiously awaiting the final videos of the 2021 All-State Honor Bands. Ryan Dirlam was instrumental (pun intended!) in planning and executing the honor ensembles on a virtual platform. After much research and careful planning, we were happy to partner with Virtual Arts, Inc. The students participated in two days of workshops with their conductors, attended master classes with professionals on their instruments, and even had the opportunity to engage in mini sessions designed specifically for students. Although this was a non-traditional way of hosting our all-state students, we were happy to give them such a rewarding experience. Lastly, we would like to thank Matthew Mackey for serving as our NCBA Rep. His commitment to bettering bands in California will be missed and we wish him the best. We are excited to welcome Christina Latham from Santa Cruz HS and Mission Hills HS as the new NCBA Rep. Ashley Shine from Weaver Middle School is also joining the board as the CBDA Ensemble Host. We are excited to have them bring their experiences and opinions to the table as we continue to support the band directors of California.
Jeff Detlefsen President, California Band Directors Association Director of Bands, Sierra Pacific HS
C A S M E C Re f l e c t i o n s
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Ali Gilroy Golden CASMEC Coordinator Associate Director of Instrumental Music and Director of Orchestras, Reagan Educational Center
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he CASMEC coalition, including the California Music Educators Association (CMEA), California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ), California Band Directors Association (CBDA), California Choral Directors Association (CCDA), and California Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) hopes the 2021 Virtual CASMEC conference provided our educators with the opportunity to celebrate music education in California. This year 1,000 music educators from across our state and country enjoyed a two-day virtual experience. We hosted 72 sessions covering a range of topics that will help educators with both online and in person instruction. The CASMEC coalition was also proud to offer several sessions celebrating diversity with new ways to bring our communities together in an effort to end systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice. Attendees also enjoyed a spectacular and uplifting performance featuring the Navy Band Southwest. Registration is still open for the full conference, with recorded sessions available online through June 2021. Thank you to CASMEC Logistics Coordinator, Willard Lacro, Assistant CASMEC Logistics Coordinator, Barb Shinaver, CBDA Logistics Coordinator, Jeanne Christensen and the other team members from all of our collaborative organizations that worked hard to plan and execute our online sessions. Many hours were dedicated to learning how to use our online platform, Crowdcast. Thank you all for your work to provide the highest quality professional learning opportunity for music educators across the state. Thank you also to our CASMEC All-State Coordinator, Ryan Dirlam. Ryan and his team have been enthusiastically collaborating with Virtual Arts, Inc. to present and share our 2021 All-State Ensemble Performances. Our students continue to demonstrate exceptional musical ability and talent through a global pandemic. After just two rehearsal blocks with conductors, a master class, and student conference sessions tailored specifically for All-State students, the final product is sure to impress. The annual All-State Ensembles allow educators to assess, enhance, and adapt their curriculum, not just for this school year, but for years to come. We are excited to share the final product with you all later this Spring. Finally, a huge thank you and congratulations to the one and only Trish Adams. This conference would not happen without her dedication and professionalism year after year. We look forward to welcoming you and your students back to Fresno this next February for the 2022 California All-State Music Education Conference. As always, thank you for all that you do for our students, schools, and communities across the state. Good luck with your remaining weeks of classes. Have a wonderful and restful summer!
A l l - S t a t e Re f l e c t i o n s All-State Students are incredible WHEREVER they rehearse!
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ne year ago, as I started to work with the Ensemble Hosts and CASMEC Board, I could never have predicted how resilient our student musicians truly are. After getting through the audition process, our selected musicians were anxious about seeing how All-State would differ from their daily experiences in their ensemble classes at school. Thanks to the incredible help and organization of our Ensemble Hosts (Molly Peters - CCDA, Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli - CODA, Paul Herrera - CAJ, Galen Lemmon - Percussion Coordinator), we were able to create and facilitate a positive experience for our musicians. Our students were able to have two rehearsals with their conductors and even have some Q&A sessions with the composers of the music they were working on. These rehearsals were able to be successful thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Ensemble Managers and Percussion Managers.
Ryan Dirlam Student Host Director of Bands, Matilda Torres High School
Please join me in thanking these music educators for their non-stop work! Brandon Muhawi Alana Hill Kevin Calvin Greg Conway Tim Bacon Amie Jan Janet Tenpas Danielle Cavazos Oddie Lambert Ashley Shine Katie Starnes
Angelina Fitzhugh Jennifer McGill Kris Ornela Brianna Mowry Susie Martone John Gilchrist Matthew Darling Shota Otaguro Nick Matthiesen Chris Pun Chris Hoefflinger
In addition to the rehearsals, students were given the opportunity to attend student sessions so that they could have a taste of the conference feel. These sessions included topics such as Body-Mapping, Student Leadership, YouTube Musicians, and film/video game composing. Our instrumental students also had master classes with members of the LA Phil and the US Air Force Band of the Golden West. We are so grateful to all of our conductors and guest clinicians for their time and energy in making this experience special for our students. The cherry on top will be the release of our 2021 AllState Performances being put together by Virtual Arts, Inc. We look forward to sharing these remarkable performances with all of you this Spring! Thank you all for your support of our All-State musicians in a year where they needed your support the most. As always, it is an honor to serve our students and our organizations. 5
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Recruit-Renew-Retain L
by Steve McKeithen Associate Director of Bands California State University, Fresno
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ike many of you I have thought, and worried, about the repercussions of Covid-19 and the consequences of missed instruction, missed opportunities to perform, and the absence of experiences that reward our students, both intrinsically and extrinsically. In my unwelcome free time this year I have read a great deal, from a variety of sources, where directors are reporting significant losses in their program enrollment and not just at the public school level. Music Admissions professionals, whose job is to recruit music majors to university programs, are also reporting a 25-35% drop in the number of students auditioning across the country. In one fell swoop, music, and the arts as a whole, have taken a huge hit. While these scenarios are alarming, I also know how resilient, resourceful, and persistent my fellow music educators are, and that we will solve this problem, as long as we are purposeful in our planning, teaching, and interactions with our students. A friend recently posted on social media that there are “Three R’s” on which music educators should be focused, not only this coming year, but for the next four years. He went on to say that in a time of recovery, which we are just now entering, that we all must make sure that the Arts are not diminished. Profound and wise advice from a seasoned and successful director who is also a master teacher. So... let’s examine and flesh out these ideas which I believe are the keys to our mutual success:
Recruit If we are honest with ourselves regarding the current state of our enrollment, we must recognize that recruiting has potentially become the most important thing we can do to help diminish the negative impact Covid-19 has had on music education. Recruiting does (and should) happen on multiple levels. Ideally, a high school program that is fed by one or more middle schools, which in turn are fed by one or more elementary beginner programs are all working together to create a strategy and to articulate a unified vision of what the “Band Experience” is going to be in that community. This unified messaging is the catalyst for a newly established recruiting effort that will greatly help middle school programs in the short term, but also help to address the coming long term effects that will show up in the high school program in 2023-2024. Here are a few recruiting ideas which I have used to great effect in my time as a band director in the public schools:
Instrument Demonstrations and Performances at Elementary Schools
memorable experiences were in the school year, rehearsing and performing with the high school students was always at the top of our recruit’s lists.
Recruiting Non-Band Students I would also recommend that directors take the time to actively recruit non-band students into the percussion program and color guard program as well. Students who may have missed out on the beginning band experience, but may be a “band kid” at heart, can be recruited into the program if time, effort, and resources are engaged. Invite students to training sessions that are hands-on, simple instruction, but which are primarily focused on the message of the “band experience”. Some of my favorite students came from our work in recruiting initially non-band members, who became amazing leaders, and performers in our program. For more information and for more ideas, visit the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and review their extensive section regarding advocacy.
Take the top musician in the high school program, on each instrument, and present a short demonstration to every 5th grader in your area or district, on their home campus. Each high school student should give a brief, and 5th grader friendly, background on their instrument, play a few beautiful sounds or unique things their instrument can do, and then play a short excerpt or piece to demonstrate their musicianship. In my years of doing this sort of presentation, I was always amazed at how incredible my high school students were at sharing and connecting with potential beginners in an effort to recruit them into our program. On the same day, we sent home with each of those students a packet of information regarding signing up for band and resources for parents as well as the instrument placement dates to take place in the spring semester for the coming fall. I found this opportunity to be one of our very best recruiting tools for beginners and the organic nature of a young student seeing and hearing an older student was far more powerful than anything I could do, or say, on my own.
Recruiting Middle School Students into the High School Band For recruiting middle school students to the high school program, a few experiences come to mind that were very influential in our process. One of those was hosting the middle school band at the high school for an interactive rehearsal. I had middle school musicians sit in between the high school students and we spent time playing for each other, interacting with one another, and also rehearsing their middle school music in a clinic setting while using the high school musicians as role models. We also provided a similar experience for Middle School night at a home football game and for a Christmas concert downtown for the community tree lighting ceremony. All of these interactions were very enjoyable to observe older students sharing and mentoring younger students and when asked what their most 7
Retain Of equal importance to recruiting new students should be our focus on retaining the students that we have with us after the events of this past year. Keep in mind that every program and every community is different, and our students are motivated by different things. Each of us should be very purposeful in reconnecting with the “why” our students and our communities bring to the table when it comes to their participation in our band programs. Feeding your program’s “why” will keep your students engaged and provide them with a sense of identity as well as that “home” they are looking for. With that in mind, here are some areas that can have a very positive impact on the experience your students have in your band.
Listen to Your Students Taking the time to really find out what your students want, what they like, what they love, and what motivates them will help you to craft your program’s offerings and experiences in a more meaningful way. Start with your senior class this year and ask them some questions with the mindset that you are going to really listen and not get your feelings hurt when they are encouraged to be really honest with you. Depending on the size of your program, do your best to hear what every student has to say and you will probably notice common areas that they absolutely love about the band, as well as things that they are less enthusiastic about when it comes to their experience. The simple act of listening will go a long way with your students. If they see things change they will be motivated by the fact that you took the time to listen and act.
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Empower Your Students One of the best investments I experienced in my public school teaching days was the complete revamping of our student leadership program. I admit that it took a lot of effort, energy, patience, and trust to design a leadership structure that allowed for students to have more say and control over certain aspects of the program that didn’t involve curriculum. We also had to instill a culture that was more about building each other up and nurturing a positive experience as opposed to the previous culture we inherited which was an authoritarian style of leadership. It took time to reprogram our culture, but the hard work and investment paid off in huge dividends. This coming year is an excellent time to pivot to a leadership team that is more about empowering students to lead through example, sharing, nurturing, and by giving more than you take. Should you be looking for an elevated and powerful leadership program, I highly suggest the folks with SASI - The Leadership People who specialize in cultivating the kind of culture that will absolutely change your program for the better.
Renew When I think about the word renew, particularly as we head toward a post-pandemic world, I reflect on my time as a high school band director and what I would have done differently. We all have had to try our best to turn this situation into the best scenario possible for our students. I have altered my mindset about what it means to be a music educator. In that line of thinking, I would ask that we all reflect upon, and consider a different approach to the following:
Competitions and Festivals Consider that what is most important this fall, and in spring of 2022, is that we connect with our students and get them to fall in love with music and band again. From a competitive standpoint, consider doing a show (or shows) that are more about establishing a culture that is nurturing and focused on developing the individual students as opposed to rolling out version 5.0 of our uber-competitive past. A show that has a lot of fun elements, section features, visual ideas, and programming music that aligns with a more celebratory or fun aesthetic will better serve students as we work to put our curriculum back on solid footing. Think about it, our students have not been in a truly competitive mode for a really long time, so trying to return to a competitive program or mindset will only cause more stress and anxiety in the fall. Keep it fun, keep it approachable, keep it entertaining, and use this time to teach fundamentals in order to get stronger for the future.
Invest in Your Student’s Skill Sets This coming year is a great time to hit the reset button in your program and design an experience that is more about developing your individual students than worrying about putting on a complex and intense marching band show or programming the most difficult wind band music possible with your concert groups in the spring. By investing in their ability to become better musicians and building capacity in their playing you will ultimately be able to take things to the next level much more quickly, and in a more healthy manner, than forging ahead with a return to preCovid experiences. Focus on musicianship, sight-reading, scales, tone production and tuning skills to pave the way for that new level for your program. If you have not done so in the past, this year would be an excellent time to launch an instrumental curriculum that includes short and achievable assessments that scaffold into new levels of performance. For further information on launching a curriculum for your band program, visit the NAfME website.
Consider Chamber Music Experiences
music concert next year. You will not regret it! • • •
Woodwind Chamber Music List Brass Chamber Music List Percussion Ensemble List
Lastly, I hope we all take some time this fall and spring to check on each other and help others in our profession to navigate the coming year. Veteran teachers - our young and less-experienced teachers will need your wisdom, advice, and toughness to get through these challenging times. Please consider taking on a mentor role for someone who needs you and reach out to them...they will hesitate to reach out to you but will appreciate that you are engaging them. Younger teachers - while this coming year will be different and challenging, you can be successful in this environment. You should reach out to someone to share ideas with and seek advice from those you know who will invest in your growth. We all have a unique opportunity to have a tremendous impact on our students and we should embrace new ideas and experiences that can positively impact our students to make them better musicians and humans.
About the Author Steve McKeithen is the former Director of Bands for Seguin High School and served as the Instrumental Music Coordinator for the Seguin Independent School District in Seguin, Texas. Under his direction, the Seguin Band program was recognized for significant performances at WGI, Bands of America, Texas State Wind Ensemble Festival, Percussive Arts Society Convention, UIL State Marching Contest and at the Bands of America National Concert Band and Percussion Festival. Mr. McKeithen also taught for ten years as a brass instructor for the Madison Scouts, the Glassmen, and Spirit of Atlanta. Mr. McKeithen is an active designer, program consultant, clinician, curriculum consultant, conductor and adjudicator of concert bands and marching bands, serves as President of the Central Section CMEA, and is the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at Fresno State.
One of the best ways to invest in students and develop their musicianship as well as their ensemble skills is to immerse them in a chamber music experience. Consider scheduling a chamber music concert where students are performing saxophone quartets, brass quintets, small percussion ensembles, woodwind trios, low brass ensembles, or clarinet choirs. The beauty of chamber music is that we have the ability to include all of our students in a meaningful experience where they must collaborate with other students and stand on their own musical skills, given that they are likely to be one on a part. The research regarding chamber music and the development of students in school music programs is undeniable and just as important for the wind players, your percussionists should perform music that is of a smaller format and which utilizes a variety of instruments, as well as electronics. Below are some initial resources for selecting chamber music to perform and I highly encourage you to schedule a chamber 9
How to Access Federal Funding for Your Music Program
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he COVID-19 pandemic has created unforeseen and unprecedented times that have required intervention from the federal government. This article will provide information and resources related to COVID-19 relief funds, specifically ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding, which has been specifically designated to help support K-12 education.
What is ESSER?
by Dr. Dave Gerhart Assistant Marketing Manager, Yamaha Corporation of America
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There are three COVID-19 relief funds, and each includes ESSER funding for K-12 education: 1. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed on March 27, 2020. 2. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act was passed on December 27, 2020. 3. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was passed on March 11, 2021. The bulk of the federal funding falls under ESSER, which allocates approximately $190 billion for K-12 education. This allotment is new grant money and not part of Title I, Title IV-A or any other grant programs.
Why Should I Care?
How Do I Get Started?
In the state of California, our music programs have been severely affected by school closures this year. These funds can be used to support your music programs. Most educators and even administrators are still learning about how these funds can be used as well as how to access them. ESSER specifies that there are 15 areas of “allowable use” in every state including, but not limited to:
1. Do your homework – go to the ESSER II website located on the California Department of Education Categorical Programs landing page to view the allocations of funds provided to your district. (At the date of this publication, the ESSER III information has not yet been posted so check back often). 2. Meet with other music and arts educators in your school or district and create a plan on how ESSER funds can be used to support your programs. 3. Meet with your school principal or VAPA coordinator to present the plan and secure approval. To ensure a safe and healthy return to school, while addressing learning loss and establishing equity throughout the school district, music educators must get involved in this process immediately to advocate for their programs. Districts can have a variety of policies on how ESSER funds might be distributed to schools so start now and meet with your supervisor to make sure your voice is heard and to determine what deadlines need to be met.
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Additional instruments and equipment (3, 5) Instrument repair, sanitation and maintenance (7) Purchasing masks, bell covers or other protective equipment for classroom use (3, 5) Technology and EdTech (9) Facilities improvements (13, 14, 15) Instructional support (4, 9, 11) Enrichment activities (examples: musical theater, guitar, ukulele, steel drum band, marching band) (11) Programs to address learning loss, including summer programs (11, 12) Teacher professional development and planning for next year (1, 2, 5, 8) Hiring new staff and avoiding layoffs (15)
Please note that allowable use #15 is a catchall that states, “Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operations and continuity of services…and continuing to employ existing.” As you start to develop plans for your program, make sure they align with these 15 areas of “allowable use.”
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I would also love to hear your success stories if your school was awarded ESSER funds.
Want to Learn More? • • • • • •
CARES Act Funding Guidance for Schools/Districts Supporting Arts Education American Rescue Plan Act Fact Sheet, a comparison of all three ESSER funds ESSER I, II and III Funding Estimates: View according to State/District allocations How to Get ESSER (CARES, CRRSA, ARP) Funding for Your Music Program Webinar: Show Me (How to Get) The Money – A Look at New Federal Funds for Music Education California Department of Education Federal Stimulus Funding
About the Author Dr. Dave Gerhart, Assistant Marketing Manager, Education for the Yamaha Corporation of America and Lecturer of Percussion at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU, Long Beach, is a nationally recognized performer, composer, and educator. Dr. Gerhart, originally from Fairfield, California, holds a D.M.A. from the University of Southern California in Percussion Performance with a secondary emphasis in Music Education, Ethnomusicology, and Music Industry & Technology. He received a M.M. in Percussion Performance and Instrumental Conducting and a B.M. in Music Education from California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Gerhart has been featured on CDs with the Robin Cox Ensemble, Steven Hartke, and Gabriela Ortiz.
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NC BA Up d a t e With the Covid-19 Pandemic in full motion we had to make some major changes.
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Louise B Jacob President, Northern California Band Association
ur Fall Marching, Concert and Jazz Season was canceled and a Spring Marching, Concert and Jazz Season was planned just in case we could resume performances. Unfortunately, the Spring Season was canceled as well. We were fortunate enough to have a Virtual Winter Season and Honors Concert. Our High School and Junior High School Honor Band Chairs organized a Virtual Honors Concert. We had students submit their honor band recordings and had two judges per instrument give comments & feedback to all the students. It was treated like a solo ensemble and students were given a rating. Every student who submitted a recording received feedback from the adjudicators. The judges selected 1-2 members from each section that received a Superior rating and were asked to be part of a Virtual Honors Concert. We received a number of compliments from students, parents, and directors, all thankful for the personalized feedback and opportunity to engage in some type of performance & audition for an honor band. The students really appreciated the personalized feedback and knowing what they did well and what they could improve on. Our Vice President of Winter Activities had some time to plan out a virtual season for our guard members, percussionists, and drum majors. Schools and students were encouraged to perform and compete as a soloist, small ensemble, or large ensemble. This allowed the students some type of outlet and was well received by the members and their students in addition to flexibility to accommodate the different situations each school and students are currently in.
As we move forward to the Fall, we are planning to provide a full Fall Season. We don’t know exactly what that will look like with spectators or awards ceremonies, but we believe it is easier to modify or cancel an event rather than put one together. Looking forward to seeing live performances and keeping the music activities alive with a full spectrum of marching, concert and jazz band performances. We look forward to a safer future and hope you are all doing well.
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NCBCDA Update News from the Northstate
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reetings from Northern California. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Northern California Band and Choir Directors Association (often shortened to NorCal) encompasses all the territory from highways 50 and 80 all the way north to the Oregon border. We provide an opportunity for students from many rural and small schools from smaller communities to experience honor ensemble opportunities. We offer chances for honor band, honor choir, honor jazz band and honor jazz choir at three Cal State University campuses, rotating our locations every year between Chico, Humboldt and Sonoma State. This year, like so many other organizations, NCBCDA made a foray into the online world. Yes, NorCal moved it’s honor ensembles to a virtual or “collage concert” format. We used google, social media and ZOOM to hold our auditions, rehearsals and performances. Just like has happened across the board for honor bands during COVID, the number of submissions were down this year for NorCal too. Due to this and the expense and time involved, the decision was made to forego the Jazz Bands and Choirs this year to focus on the concert band and choirs. Though we were unable to hold our events in person, we used this as an opportunity to let our students work with some of the finest conductors in their field. For the virtual honor choir conductor, we were thrilled to have back Dr. Jeffrey Benson of San Jose State University, who brought the gorgeous I DREAM A WORLD by Andre Thomas’ . Dr. Robert Istad of CSU Fullerton, brought his inimitable spirit to bear on his choice of AND THE WORD WAS GOD by Rosephanye Powell. The online “rehearsal” held by both of these directors were surprisingly powerful and effective. Our concert band conductors this year were the lovely and talented Dr. Emily Threinen of the University of Minnesota, who did a stunning job of conducting the moving EVENING SONG (Abendlied) arranged by Shelly Larson. The energetic and VERY funny Dr. Travis Cross of UCLA, led the students to a great take on his own composition, THINGS THAT NEVER WERE. Again, we were so pleasantly surprised with the efficacy and full participation during our ZOOM rehearsals that we may be incorporating online rehearsals as a pre-honor band weekend tool. The final product was edited together over many hours by composer and engineer Alan Koshiyama. Please check out the concert video at our website: www.ncbcda.com.
Casson Scowcroft Northern California Band and Choir Directors Association Representative Director of Bands, Pleasant Valley High School
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All Northern Honor Band Weekend January 13 - 16, 2022 San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton Meet your 2022 Conductors
High School Dr. Matthew Morse CSU Sacramento
High School Jazz Band Patrick Langham University of the Pacific
Junior High School Cathy Ettle Lincoln High School
Thank you for encouraging your students to audition. Applications and audition information are available on our website under the honor band tab. www.ncbaonline.net
S C S B OA Up d a t e
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very music educator has been navigating this new landscape of online teaching, hybrid teaching, and for some in-person teaching. Whichever model you are in or have been through, there’s a new vocabulary of terms. I don’t know about you, but there are now words in my vocabulary that make me…PIVOT! Greetings from SCSBOA in Southern CA. I hope this newsletter finds you doing well. Like most of California, SCSBOA has continued to change with each shift of this pandemic to help support music educators. Until last month, 96% of schools were online only with just a few in a hybrid model. Many educators are now in some form of in-person teaching, but also teaching simultaneous with online students. There are a few school districts who have selected to not come back in-person for the remainder of this school year. Let’s hope we can all come back to a more traditional model this fall! Professional development has been offered for all of our members throughout the fall and spring. Our traditional January Conference went virtual and the SCSBOA Board also decided to divide the conference up into mini professional development conferences. The first conference was held January 23rd and focused on “Engagement, Retention, and Recruitment”. The second conference was on March 13th and was called appropriately “March Madness”. This conference featured sessions by our own members with ideas to use right away in the classroom. Our final two mini conferences will be specific to grade levels and will feature our Honor Groups. They will be held on April 24th and May 1st. We have continued our wonderful tradition of the All-Southern Honor Groups. The honor ensembles include Elementary, Middle School, High School, and Jazz. All twelve groups will have virtual presentations with over 1050 students participating in the ensembles. During this spring’s festival season, solo and ensemble groups have participated virtually. Students have submitted recordings for a clinic-style reflection that includes a rating. All students received audio feedback comments and a medal for their participation. In addition to festival season, the planning for the fall has taken place by our standing committees for field tournaments and band reviews. Town hall meetings occurred in March with our members to discuss what marching programs will need to be successful and what options there will be for evaluation. The marching season will allow programs to select a clinic, rating, or competition when they attend a field tournament or participate in a band review. I am grateful to the SCSBOA Board of Directors for all of their time, energy, and inspiration during these unprecedented times to make sure music education and music educators are supported. Over the next few years, music programs are going to sustain, rebuild, and reshape how they do things. It is essential we keep supporting one another, so that we can support our students. Students come to class, in whatever format we have, for us. We matter in their lives now more than ever. SCSBOA is proud to partner with CBDA and the other associations across our state. Together we are all stronger.
Jeanne Christensen President, Southern California Band and Orchestra Directors Association Director of Bands, Mira Mesa High School
Take care and enjoy your final set of weeks of this school! 15
C AJ Up d a t e Coming Fall 2021:
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Paul Herrera CAJ Representative Director of Bands, Gregori High School
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he California Alliance for Jazz website will offer exclusive members only content. From podcasts to educational videos the website will be an endless resource for educators and musicians alike. In addition to this The CAJ recently launched a “Black Lives Matter” scholarship that will award up to $1,000 each year to one or more deserving applicants. Although the 2021 application deadline of April 1st recently passed, we encourage you to spread the word about this scholarship as it will continue into next year. If you would like to donate to this cause: we encourage you to visit our website and make a donation to keep it going. The 2021 scholarship recipient will be announced next month. The 2022 California All-State Music Education Conference is around the corner. For those who have students auditioning for this ensemble music will be posted on the CAJ and CASMEC websites by May 1st. We are always looking for passionate educators to submit exciting and interactive sessions for the conference. Please consider applying by the June 1st deadline on the CASMEC website. Finally, for our upcoming CAJ Newsletter the board will fill you in our top picks of “the best concerts we never saw.” If you have an incredible concert that you wished you could have seen, post it on our CAJ Facebook Page! Perhaps your selection will be featured.
All-State Auditions California currently offers the opportunity to audition and participate in 15 All-State ensembles. Collaboratively, CBDA, CODA, and CAJ offer a junior high (Grades 7-8) All-State Honor String Orchestra, two junior high (Grades 7-8) All-State Honor Bands, a junior high (Grades 7-8) All-State Jazz Band, 3 high school (Grades 9-12) All-State Honor Bands, a high school (Grades 9-12) All-State Jazz Band, a high school (grades 9-12) All-State Honor String Orchestra, and a high school (Grades 9-12) All-State Honor Full Orchestra. CAJ also offers a high school (Grades 9-12) All-State Jazz Choir. CCDA offers four All-State Choirs. All of these ensembles will rehearse and perform at the California All-State Music Education Conference in February, 2022.
Audition information is posted here: https://cbda.org/all-state-ensembles/auditions/
2022 Scales and Audition Etudes are posted here: Dropbox Link Google Drive Link
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