2017-2018 Georgia Music News | Spring by Georgia Music Educators Association

ASSOCIATION NEWS | DIVISION NEWS | CONFERENCE RECAP

GeorgIa music news THE FUTURE OF OPUS Evelyn Champion, GMEA President

TEACHER BURNOUT Elysia Smith

5 CHROMEBOOK APPS Amy M. Burns

all-state

A L L- S T A T E B A N D | A L L- S T A T E C H O R U S | A L L- S T A T E O R C H E S T R A A L L- S T A T E J A Z Z E N S E M B L E | A L L- S T A T E R E A D I N G C H O R U S | A L L- C O L L E G E C H O R U S STATEWIDE ELEMENTARY HONOR CHORUS|SIXTH GR ADE STATEWIDE HONOR CHORUS

VOLUME 78 | NUMBER 3 | SPRING 2018

spring 2018 // georgia music news

NEW Inspired Design

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It sounds amazing. So clean and natural.â&#x20AC;? Setting out to design a dynamic new electric violin for performing artists of all skill levels, Yamaha composed six types of wood, a lightweight body and a strikingly beautiful infinity loop design into the award-winning YEV-104 (four string) and YEV-105 (five string). With a natural touch, elegant curves and smooth, organic tones, they allow you to effortlessly move between the YEV and a standard acoustic violin, and between classical and modern music. Try them today at your local Yamaha Strings dealer.

YEV-104 YEV-105

Visit 4wrd.it/YEVGMN2 for complete details

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GMEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Evelyn Champion

District Chairs 1 - Kenza Murray 2 - Andrew C. Bell 3 - Jonathan Carmack 4 - D. Alan Fowler 5 - Stephen Lawrence 6 - Samuel Miller 7 - Blair Callaway 8 - Alan Carter 9 - Pat Gallagher 10 - Gene Hundley 11 - Todd Howell 12 - Paula Krupiczewicz 13 - Erik Mason 14 - Dion Muldrow

Immediate Past President Dr. John Odom Vice-President for All State Events Amy Clement Vice-President for Performance Evaluation Events Jon Cotton Past Presidents’ Representative Frank Folds

12 ALL-STATE 2017-2018

Editor, Georgia Music News Victoria Enloe

Executive Director Cecil Wilder

For the complete list of Board Members please visit:

Band Division Chair Dr. Matt Koperniak Choral Division Chair Kim Eason

DIVISION NEWS

CONFERENCE RECAP

ADVICE FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS GARY GRIBBLE

24 TEACHER BURNOUT ELYSIA SMITH

College Division Chair Dr. Keith Matthews Elementary Division Chair Emily Threlkeld

GMEA Staff Dr. Bernadette Scruggs Aleta Womack Brandie Barbee Ryan Barbee Advertising/Exhibitors Cindy Reed

Orchestra Division Chair Dr. Bernadette Scruggs

-ADVERTISER INDEXBREEZIN' THRU INSIDE FRONT COVER GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY PAGE 31 LEE UNIVERSITY PAGE 7 SLATE GROUP INSIDE BACK COVER

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL PAGE 34

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PAGE 11 YAMAHA PAGE 2 YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE PAGE 1

TO ADVERTISE

APPLY TODAY WWW.GMEA.ORG/ADVERTISERS/

5 CHROMEBOOK APPS AMY BURNS

All pieces reproduced in this issue are under prior copyright of the creators and publisher by the contractual arrangements. Nothing shown may be reproduced in any form without obtaining the permission of the publisher and any other person or company who may have copyright ownership. Photos provided by Andy Edwards of Ace of Photos Visit aceofphotos.smugmug.com

spring 2018 // georgia music news

ASSOCIATION NEWS

THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS EVELYN CHAMPION, GMEA PRESIDENT

The weather is warming, and we have finished our busy season of conference, LGPE, and All State events. We are all working toward the end of another successful school year. It’s a great time to look back upon our successes with gratitude! The In-Service Conference in Athens would not be possible without the yearround contribution of our office staff and officers, specifically the Division Chairs and Appointed Board Members who planned and managed the clinic sessions and performances.

There were numerous standing-room only clinic sessions on a wide range of topics that appealed to our membership. I sincerely appreciate the hundreds of you that contributed to the conference by presenting a clinic session.

Thank you all for attending the Opening Session, and for the standing ovations for our most awarded and respected music educators! I would like to personally thank Scott Lang for his inspirational keynote address, Quentin Goins and Calvin Morris and the Stephenson High School Trombone Choir for their Star-Spangled Banner, and Nicole Thompson and the Taylor Road Middle School Orchestra for their performance at the President’s Luncheon.

If you were honored as a selected performing group at the In-Service Conference, you provided an incredible service to our organization. I am grateful for your months of planning and preparation, not to mention the pressure of traveling with your group to perform at a difficult time of year due to the holidays and then unexpected snow days! Music educators across Georgia were inspired by your performances and returned to their own groups with renewed energy. Thank you! I hope that if you were able to attend the conference, that you returned to school renewed and inspired. As GMEA members, we all participate and benefit from our organization in different ways, but we should occasionally be reminded of our common purpose and mission statement. Article II of the GMEA constitution is as follows:

Nicole Thompson conducts the Taylor Road Middle School Orchestra for the President's Luncheon

4 4

georgia music news // winter 2017 georgia music news // spring 2018

Scott Lang presenting at the 2018 GMEA Conference Opening Session

Stephenson High School Trombone Choir, under the direction of Quentin R. Goins and Calvin L. Morris, Jr., performs the national anthem at the 2018 GMEA Conference Opening Session

A B C D E

To promote professional growth among its members and support their efforts; To assist and promote the advancement of music education through the schools and other educational institutions or organizations;

and the staff at LogicSpeak for their many years of development and support of OPUS. Although LogicSpeak is still our current IT company, we recently contracted with Helium Services to take over the OPUS platform. This is another huge step forward for GMEA, as Helium will be able to provide us further development of OPUS and support for our changing needs. You will see many positive changes in the coming months, including a new name, an updated look, and easier-to-find information. As we move forward in the process of refining and rebranding OPUS, we will be actively seeking your input, as members, to define the future of GMEA. Joe Norton and Terrence Edwards are the team leaders who will take our platform to the next level!

Evelyn Champion and Cecil Wilder, visiting with the staff at Helium Services

To encourage music activities among the schools of the state by means of performance evaluations, clinics, and other related events; To secure greater recognition for music as an integral part of the school curriculum; To develop music outlets in each community that will provide post-school opportunities.

“Encouraging music activities” refers directly to our All-State and Statewide events. Although GMEA is an organization for educators, our students also benefit from the events we provide for them. For three weekends in February and early March, GMEA teachers and students take over Athens for enriching musical experiences at All-State Chorus, Elementary and Sixth Grade Statewide Honor Chorus, and All-State Band and Orchestra. Through these events, we are reaching thousands of enthusiastic young musicians and their families. These events would not be possible without our Division Chairs, numerous ensemble organizers and accompanists, and office staff. Thank you all for your contribution to the 2018 All-State events! I am sure many of you remember the days when all GMEA business was conducted through postal mail. In 2007-2008, GMEA officers created and began using the electronic platform known as “OPUS.” Going electronic with OPUS was one of the best decisions ever made for GMEA. OPUS has allowed us to streamline our event registration and planning, keep annual data, reduce the number of necessary office staff, communicate effectively, and move our organization forward technologically. We are the only state in NAfME with such a comprehensive platform, and it serves us well. I would to thank Jason Ethridge

Left to right: Joe Norton, Terrence Jackson, Evelyn Champion, Cecil Wilder, David Kim, and Will Huizenga

I am pleased to report that GMEA is financially stable and moving toward an even safer position as we build our operating reserve. It takes several hours twice a year for the executive committee to go through the annual budget, as every line item is analyzed and discussed, and plans are always made for future years based upon those figures. Our Executive Director Cecil Wilder does an outstanding job of detailing every profit and loss, a summary of each event, and any unusual circumstances that may occur from year to year. Understanding the big picture from the published budget is daunting, so if you’re ever have questions regarding our finances, please do not hesistate to ask an officer. Every detail is available to every GMEA member, and even to the public, because we are required by law to post our financial information online. As a not-for-profit organization, our funds are used for our common purpose and objectives. Some of our most important events may lose money, but we are an umbrella organization representing all areas of music education in our state, whether they are individually profitable or not. Thank you all for the incredible work you are doing all over our state. GMEA is a successful organization because of YOUyou are one of our 3000+ members who exhibit outstanding musicianship and professionalism every day. I am honored to be President of a strong and vital organization. If you have questions, ideas, or suggestions, please reach out to me at president@gmea.org. spring 2018 // georgia music news

GMEA HISTORY 1964 vs 2018 ISC ATHENS IN-SERVICE CONFERENCE - THEN AND NOW HISTORIAN Derik Clackum Without a doubt, the 2018 GMEA In-Service set records for the number of clinic sessions offered and the number of outstanding performing groups. Most everyone that attended agreed that it was a tremendous event. The Classic Center is meeting our association’s high expectations as our In-Service Venue. One member wrote in a recent Facebook post: “I still miss Savannah, but the Classic Center Facilities are far superior to anything we had down there.” During a recent visit to our GMEA Archives, I ran across a copy of the Program for the 1964 GMEA In- Service Conference, held in Athens at the Continuing Education Center on the University of Georgia Campus. 1964 was a critical year for GMEA. We were in the throes of breaking away from our parent organization, the Georgia Education Association, and realigning ourselves with the Music Educators National Conference (now NAfME). We had also just lost our beloved president, Jerry Newman, who died in 1963, while in office. In a special election, UGA Band Director, Roger Dancz, was elected to finish out Dr. Newman’s term of office. His first major challenge was hosting the 1964 GMEA In-Service Conference. But, Roger had a dedicated GMEA Board to help him, that included Boyd McKeown, Joe Kirschner, Jack Broucek, and Maggie Jenkins. In addition, he was assisted by Division Chairs: Lucy Underwood, Elementary; Sandy Campbell, Instrumental; Aurelia Campbell, Piano; and Madison Short, Vocal. Many of these folks went on to become GMEA legends in the coming decades. As we step back into 1964, the GMEA was organized into 4 Divisions: Vocal, Instrumental (included band & orchestra), Piano, and Elementary. The Convention was organized similar to our recently completed In-Service, but there were noticeable differences. One difference was that the 1964 ISC had a General Session every evening. They were the main performing events for everyone. Thursday night’s Opening General Session was: “University of Georgia – A Night of Music”, presented by Dr. Edwin Gerschefski. Friday night’s General Session had a Guest Speaker, Dr. Wiley Housewright from Florida State University. Friday night also featured the famous East Atlanta Elementary Band, under the direction of Charles Bradley. Saturday night’s General Session featured performances by the College Park Chorus, Miss Ruth Barron, director, and various advanced piano students of GMEA members. 6

georgia music news // spring 2018

Another major difference was the “Tape Rooms.” Today’s directors, with their access to almost unlimited recordings, might be surprised to know that in 1964, recordings of school instrumental and choral music were scarce and those that were available were mostly on vinyl records. During this period, publishers released their new selections with no recordings. Since GMEA was trying to widen the list of Approved Instrumental and Vocal Festival (now LGPE) Music, the Chairmen of the Instrumental and Vocal Divisions arranged for several colleges and advanced high school groups to make cassette tapes of new selections on the list. As these recordings were usually done with just a few hours rehearsal, the quality of the performance was not top-knotch; the cassette recording equipment available in 1964 wasn’t great either. But, the point was to give directors an idea of how the piece sounded, if they were considering performing it. When the Tape Rooms were open, directors would come with their own plug-in cassette tape recorders and make a cassette tape recording of the cassette tape recording while it played. You can imagine how reduced the music quality would be. I was in the Redcoat Symphonic Band during this period. I remember us making several of these “Tape Room” recordings, and I can attest that we did not spend a lot of time preparing them for recording. Usually, a couple of readings, some reminders by Mr. Dancz, and then we taped them for better or worse. Boyd McKeown remembered his Marietta High School Band doing some of these recordings, also. In the Vocal Tape Rooms were recordings by Dr. James Dooly’s Georgia Singers, as well as many notable high school choral directors such as Margaret Swain, Robert Eakle, and Don Robinson, who later became leaders in the GMEA. The Piano Division had “Listening Rooms”, where members of their division did live performances of new publications. In 1964, the Elementary Division held only three clinics on music instruction in addition to attending the General Sessions. This could have been due to the scarcity of music instructors in the elementary schools at this time. As the number of professional elementary music teachers increased over the years, the clinic offerings for them at ISC have increased proportionately. In addition, the Instrumental Division had a Reading Band and Reading Orchestra staffed by members of the Atlanta Musicians Union. These groups of professional players read through new music selections that weren’t on the Festival (LGPE) Approved List. With the advent of publisher recordings and internet sources like YouTube, the need for these Reading Sessions and Tape Rooms gradually faded, allowing GMEA to allocate more ISC time to instructional clinics and performing groups. Those who attended the 2018 In-Service can certainly attest to this.

MUSIC MUSIC WITH PURPOSE

A Christ-centered university in southeast Tennessee with faculty, curriculum, facilities, and opportunities to prepare you for your goals as tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s musician. Audition Dates: NOV. | JAN. | FEB.

| MAR.

| APR.

LEEUNIVERSITY.edu/music spring 2018 // georgia music news

DIVISION NEWS BAND DIVISION Dr. Matt Koperniak What an amazing school year for the GMEA Band Division! Thank you to every band director statewide for your hard work and dedication to your students and school community. Best wishes as we all sprint to the finish, amidst Solo & Ensemble festival, jazz band performance evaluation, marching band preparations, spring concerts and awards nights, and more. Earlier this semester, we had a wonderful All-State weekend in Athens. Thank you to directors who served as organizers and percussion coordinators, supporting our students and conductors. Congratulations to all students and directors who participated in Large Group Performance Evaluation, Solo & Ensemble festival, and jazz band performance evaluation. Thank you to every host, organizer, and adjudicator for these events. Special thanks to our fourteen district band chairs who are completing their two-year terms this semester. Volunteer leadership and service is the backbone of our organization. We are fortunate to be in a profession in which so many colleagues step up and pitch in. In April 2017, we announced a two-year plan to review our Band LGPE Music List. During the past year, a special committee reviewed every piece on the Grades 1-3 Band LGPE Music List. All fourteen GMEA districts were represented on this committee. Thank you to all committee members for their diligent work. The work of this committee resulted in numerous adjustments to the Grades 1-3 music list, effective April 1, 2018. All changes required a vote of this statewide committee. Please take some time to review these updates to our Grades 1-3 music list. If you see a piece that changed levels, or if you see a piece that is no longer on the list, please remember that decision was made carefully by representatives from all fourteen districts. We now embark on the second year of this process with a statewide committee to review Grades 4-6. Each district will have two representatives on this committee, with names submitted by the current (outgoing) district band chair. Any adjustments to the Grades 4-6 list will not take effect until the 2020 LGPE season. During a recent judging gig, I spent time with Gary Gribble, Director of Bands at Pope High School. Gary is preparing to retire after a successful 34-year teaching career in Georgia. Countless teachers and professional musicians were once his former high school students, and he has mentored over twenty student teachers. Gary shares his advice for new teachers, found later in this magazine. Whether you are a new teacher or not, check it out. Gary’s words of wisdom are both practical and inspirational for us all, regardless of the place in our career.

georgia music news // spring 2018

I have highlighted a new teacher in each column this year, and close this column by highlighting first-year teacher, Lawrence Williams, assistant band director and Music Technology teacher at Summerour Middle School in Gwinnett County (District XIII). Lawrence is always busy, working closely and collaborating with all directors in the Norcross cluster, as well as working with the Norcross High School marching band. Although it is not easy, Lawrence expressed that he is very fortunate to work with over 250 band students and 90 music technology students every day, in a community that is supportive of the arts, and in a cluster that has a healthy relationship between the middle and high schools. Let us continue to support and mentor all new teachers in the coming year. Support them in their challenges, and celebrate their successes. Best wishes to all for a wonderful end of the school year!

CHORAL DIVISION Kim Eason Happy Spring! I can’t believe we’re nearing the home stretch of another school year! I’m excited to report that In-Service Conference, All-State Chorus, and Sixth Grade Statewide Honor Chorus all went very well this winter. ASC second auditions experienced some scheduling difficulties due to the snow, and I really appreciate your flexibility and patience so that all students were heard in a timely manner. Thank you also to our fantastic choir organizers at both All State and Sixth Grade Statewide for their tireless and enthusiastic work before and during those events: Dr. Kristen Donaldson, Dr. J. Scott Smith, Greg Hucks, Marla Baldwin, Joy Dumas, Ryan McKendrick, Violet Pledger, and Dr. Brian Williams. I love the partnership we have as a choral division with GA-ACDA! They are wonderful to provide our six-year All State Chorus students with the opportunity of a scholarship each year, as well as sponsoring the reading sessions for middle school and high school directors during All State. ACDA also sponsors the conducting master class during In-Service through the All College Chorus, and these experiences are so valuable to both our directors and our students. Check out their summer conference June 21-22 at Spivey Hall! As I am writing this article, Large Group Performance Evaluations are just beginning around the state, and I know you and your students have worked so hard to prepare. I hope the experience is valuable for your choirs, and that your event runs smoothly! Thank you also to our LGPE organizers for all their hard work, in addition to preparing and performing with their own students!

There are so many ways to get involved in GMEA, and you grow so much professionally not just from participating but also from leading in various capacities. Please make it a priority to attend your district spring planning meeting so that you can offer input as we look toward the 2018-19 school year, and think of other ways you can contribute so that GMEA will continue to get better and better. As always, I am here to support you and your choral program however I can, and I hope you have a wonderful end to the 17-18 school year!

COLLEGE DIVISION Dr. Keith Matthews Greetings and happy spring! If the weather in Columbus is any indication, the groundhog got it wrong this year. I for one, however, am not complaining. The 2018 GMEA In-Service Conference was a huge success in many ways. The College Division brought us several wonderful sessions, and I certainly enjoyed meeting everyone involved. A special THANK YOU goes out to my fellow college division colleagues for the help and support that you provided. As we close out the semester, my charge to you, specifically those who are involved with the College Division, is to help me explore ways to expand the scope of our role in GMEA. As I have been in this position for a number of months now, it seems as though there is some lack of identity in terms of how the College Division fits into the overall scheme of GMEA. What is its function, and more specifically, what population within the general membership do we serve? I mentioned in the Fall 2017 issue the importance of recognizing all the many people who play an important role in music education in our state (community members, patrons, legislators, etc.). The success demonstrated in every level and discipline at the GMEA conference is evident. A positive step moving forward is to identify, highlight, and expand the interconnectedness of these endeavors. That may give you some sense of what I think and am also interested in your thoughts and ideas. For starters, how should the College Division best be represented at the In-Service Conference? Please contact me at Matthews_keith@columbusstate.edu. Thanks and best of luck to your and your students.

ELEMENTARY DIVISION Emily Threlkeld Greetings! My rejuvenation cup is still full, from our In-Service, in January. I couldn’t have been happier with our experiences. The Spivey Hall Young Artists performance, led by Craig Hurley, was stellar! Their tone, their expression, their musicality: indescribable. I would have to say that my soul melted a little bit as I listened to them sing “Path to the Moon”. There were so many beautiful moments. And the clinicians! As I think of the highlights, for me, I relish the memories of drumming with colleagues in Jim Solomon’s sessions, creating movement in rondo form to “Yellow Submarine” in Kelly

Mraz’s session, choral singing with Rick and Angee McKee, canons with Cheryl Lavender, and so much more! I have to say that connecting with some of the best music teachers from around the wonderful state of Georgia, is the best take-away from the event. Scott Lang. Scott Lang. Wow. His speech in the Opening Session. He spent time acknowledging everyone in the crowded auditorium by their teaching area: band, chorus, orchestra, etc… Just as I became indignant at the omission of elementary music teachers, he more than recognized us. He spent a large portion of time not only acknowledging us, but describing what we do with such detail and praise. His words were just what this tired elementary music teacher needed to hear. As I submit this article, we are getting ready for Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus in Athens. I can’t wait to report on this for the Summer issue. I know that my students are prepared and excited about this opportunity for them. I hope that you will join us at our in-service in 2019. If you are considering presenting a session, or would like to bring a performing group, submissions will be accepted soon, beginning in March. As Scott Lang said, Georgia is one of the top states in music education. Our in-state presenters and performers proved that this year. Have a wonderful spring as you go forth and teach our most precious resource, musical children!

RETIRED MEMBERS Fritz Sieler “Driving Miss Daisy” on the road to sound financial retirement: Retirement City! (Note: if you haven’t seen “Driving Miss Daisy” this is a good time to do so...) Many thanks to Alicia Lipscomb from Social Security, Mike Zarem from TRS, and Chase Burkhart from Captrust Financial Advisors, LLC, for the incredible amount of information shared with the attendees at the GMEA In-service. They will become our drivers and partners in our journey to a sound financial retirement. Did you ever play the game of “let’s pretend…” when you were growing up? I hope so. I hope you still do. There are lessons to be learned through that game: lessons involving imagination and creativity. Let’s pretend we are going on a “road trip”, and at the end of that trip is the comfortable place known as “Retirement City”, a happy place where at least the worries of financial security are non-existent. I wish I had taken courses in personal finances when I was in school. Maybe it should be required in high school, or built into an already existing course. Our drivers will trade off during the long journey, and at times you will be driving. The main driver will be Mike from TRS. He is the main provider of funds after you determine you have gone as far as you want to go in teaching. There are times that Alicia from SSA will step in to give Mike a break when he has driven as far as he can go legally. Chase is not driving. He is your partner in determining where to buy

spring 2018 // georgia music news

DIVISIONNEWS RETIRED MEMBERS (continued) your gas, how to avoid roadblocks, and how to find a shortcut. When you drive it is your responsibility to stay awake, get out of the car and exercise from time to time (stay healthy and alert), and make decisions about where you go next. It is also your job to maintain the running order on the vehicle. Keep your job! That’s your vehicle! If you attended the sessions with Alicia, Mike, and Chase you may have found some interesting facts about where you are going financially. Not all educators are vested in Social Security. If the only job you have experienced in your life is in a school system that opted out of Social Security, you are not vested. But, you only need 40 points or 10 years of work paying Social Security taxes to be vested. To see if you are vested, open a MySocialSecurity account at www.ssa.gov to view your annual Social Security statement. Social Security Retirement benefits are meant to be a supplement to your main retirement income. That last sentence is key to understanding Social Security Retirement Benefits. TRS is your chosen pay amount from the State of Georgia upon your retirement. TRS is very sound financially. There are options in your pay for you and your designated loved ones to make regarding your pay received upon retirement. Each person decides the amount and deductions based upon option choices. Contact TRS about five years before your planned destination: Retirement City. Be aware that once decisions made are actually put on paper as a contract, the contract is iron-clad after your first check. Personal financial planning is determined by each of us. Seek good professional advice. The financial planners have a vested interest in your being successful. Know what is going on with your personal finances. When you arrive at Retirement City you are going to need some cash for ever-present expenses to enjoy what you like in your life. There is a good chance there will be health surprises for you or family members that will require more money for solving those problems. Chase advises to be prepared for that by having an additional “emergency fund” set aside each pay period, not to be touched unless there is an emergency. This is not the same as a savings account. He also advises investing some of the income. The goal is a balanced portfolio that will exist longer than your lifetime. He also advises that each person should follow the finances one month, then review the findings. How much money is going to Starbucks, for example? How much for “eating out” is spent each month? What is happening with moneys earned? Are you are responsible steward of your income? We all hope to be able to reach Retirement City without financial worries. It is possible to live on less income, but we must manage our finances wisely along the road as we travel with knowledge coupled with sound advice. Most of us are not aware of what our incomes will be when we retire. If we ask the right people, the information is available. Next year, there will be more sessions on Retirement to help all who are in attendance plan for their financial security. If you think about it, planning for retirement should start on “day 1” of work. For most of us, our drive started in a second-hand car that we hoped we could “make do” until we could afford a new one. The destination point

georgia music news // spring 2018

was far away when we started this drive, and the teaching trials and tribulations along our road might make us want to take another route. Some will do that. But the goals of retirement remain the same. If you see this road of teaching to the end, maintain your vision of arriving at Retirement City. Be ready for it when you arrive. There’s a party waiting for you there. It’s your life again! So, who are the Retirement Sessions intended to reach? All who are in attendance at the In-Service! Happy Travels! CONTACT INFO: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia – trsga.com (You will need your member number.) Social Security – ssa.gov (You will need your Social Security number.) Chase Burkhart (Captrust Financial Advisors) – chase.burkhart@ captrustadvisors.com 813-218-5000 (You will be asked questions about your financial status. Have questions of your concerns to ask as well.)

ORCHESTRA DIVISION Dr. Bernadette Scruggs I have to admit that having our events in Athens does not offer the same sort of ambiance as looking over the river in Savannah between sessions, but this year, for the first time since we have completely moved locations, I am starting to enjoy our “new” conference/ All-State site. The restaurant and hotel selection is great and almost everything is available within walking distance. I suppose the key is familiarity and we’ve now been in Athens long enough for me (a non-UGA graduate) to develop some of that. Now that the largest tasks of the GMEA yearand all of my associated travels- are behind me, my next step is to take time to reflect over the year to determine what was effective and what might need an overhaul before next year. Conference is always one of my favorite times of the year. This year, I loved having the opportunity to observe Dr. Nathaniel Parker work with the conductors from our sight-reading orchestra. I’m so impressed at everyone who was brave enough to put their conducting skills on display in front of peers. At our schools, we ARE the experts, but in front of a room full of music educators, it certainly demonstrates a desire to improve technique if you allow someone to observe and make comments. Though I thought all of the conference sessions were excellent, I particularly enjoyed the interactive element of Dr. Richard Bell’s session. Being in a small discussion group with teachers of varying experience levels from around the state not only helped me know some of the faces I see but could not identify, but also gave me such differing perspective on the situations we debated. A number of string and full orchestras apply to perform at conference each year. The groups who perform are chosen by a (blind) selection committee. It’s rather disappointing to me to see that, despite all the work it takes to bring a group to perform at our conference, the

audience section of the theater is fairly empty for performances. One of my colleagues suggested that a conference performance might be a good field trip for a middle school or high school orchestra class. No badges are required to enter the theater for performances at conference. Since many directors are too busy with their own orchestras to have time to hear other groups at LGPE, this would be an admirable way to have both you and your students hear what sort of playing is going on outside your classroom. The only disadvantage is that there is no bus parking on site, except for those who are performing, so your transportation would have to park off site. That seems like a minor problem to solve for the many advantages this field trip (free of admission) could bring your students.

grace and hard under a great deal of stress!), we will restructure the sight-reading for the violin panels next year.

Having our uber systemized president, Evelyn Champion, as organizer for Statewide All-State Orchestra certainly alleviates a vast number of prospective problems before they occur. I want to thank her for the amazing leadership she has provided the String Division over the past ten or so years. All-State final auditions went really well, thanks to the many incredible volunteers who donate their time for their students’ benefit. I want to thank Linda Cherniavsky, Bo Na, and their wonderful home, The Westminster Schools, for giving us a lovely place to work, countless hours of set-up and tear down time, and providing us with a lunch that everyone adores. Though things mostly ran like clockwork, due to the lengthy delay in 9-10 violin panels because of OPUS scheduling bugs (bravo to those judges and monitors for your

I realize you are probably sick of seeing my name on emails and I promise that they will be rare until we all gear up again next year. Remember, however, to send literature suggestions, as well as any mistakes you may have noticed, to me so that the list may be amended before next August. It has been my honor to work with all of my colleagues in the string division and I look forward to 2018-2019.

The All-State event went beautifully thanks to the outstanding management of organizers Frank Folds, Rosie Riquelme, Lori Gomez, Patricia Cleaton, Bo Na, and Carl Rieke. The time and effort these volunteers put into getting the music ready for your students, communicating with the conductors, scanning parts, sending emails, and handling the myriad of other details required to help things run smoothly cannot be overestimated. I thank all of you for everything and applaud you for a job very well done. I hope many of you had the chance to attend the concerts and enjoy your students’ performances.

WE’RE COMMITTED TO YOUR INSPIRATION.

Choose the area of emphasis that inspires you and earn your master’s degree online from UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Summer Application Deadline: April 1

EARN YOUR MASTER’S IN MUSIC EDUCATION ONLINE online.uga.edu/mmed 11

georgia music news // spring 2018

2018

all-state A L L- S T A T E B A N D | A L L- S T A T E C H O R U S | A L L- S T A T E O R C H E S T R A STATEWIDE ELEMENTARY HONOR CHORUS|SIXTH GR ADE STATEWIDE HONOR CHORUS A L L- S T A T E J A Z Z E N S E M B L E | A L L- S T A T E R E A D I N G C H O R U S | A L L- C O L L E G E C H O R U S

spring 2018 // georgia music news

all-state band

georgia music news // spring 2018

all-state chorus

georgia music news // spring 2018

CONDUCTORS MIDDLE SCHOOL TREBLE | MADELINE BRIDGES MIDDLE SCHOOL MIXED | LAURA FARNELL 9 TH & 10 TH G R A D E M I X E D | B R I A N G A L A N T E SENIOR WOMEN | JULIE YU SENIOR MEN | DR. ANDREW CRANE 11 TH & 12 TH G R A D E M I X E D | D R . A N D R E W M I N E A R VIEW THE PROGRAM ONLINE spring 2018 // georgia music news

all-state orchestra

georgia music news // spring 2018

CONDUCTORS MIDDLE SCHOOL | TERRY SHADE MIDDLE SCHOOL | SARAH ANGELES 9 TH & 10 TH G R A D E S T R I N G | J E R E M Y W O O L S T E N H U L M E 9 TH & 10 TH G R A D E F U L L | J A Y D E A N 11 TH & 12 TH G R A D E S T R I N G | D R . N O V Ã&#x2030; D E Y P A L A N 11 TH & 12 TH G R A D E F U L L | D E A N A N G E L E S VIEW THE PROGRAM ONLINE spring 2018 // georgia music news

statewide honor chorus elementary & sixth grade

georgia music news // spring 2018

CONDUCTORS ELEMENTARY | DR. CRAIG DENISON ELEMENTARY | KAREN B. NICOLOSI SIXTH GRADE | KURT CERESKE SIXTH GRADE | GRETCHEN HARRISON VIEW THE PROGRAM ONLINE spring 2018 // georgia music news

all-state jazz ensemble

CONDUCTOR JIM WARRICK

all-state reading chorus CONDUCTOR

DR. DANIEL BARA

all-college chorus CONDUCTOR

DR. KEVIN FENTON

georgia music news // spring 2018

BOYD McKEOWN SEPTEMBER 25, 1924 - APRIL 8, 2018

spring 2018 // georgia music news

ADVICE FOR FIRST YEAR MUSIC TEACHERS GARY GRIBBLE

DIRECTOR OF BANDS, POPE HIGH SCHOOL

georgia music news // spring 2018

Accept the fact that you do not have all the answers or teaching tools to do everything at once. Your degree(s) did not give you all the necessary tools to deal with every situation. Try not to get overwhelmed or discouraged. Things will improve. Find a mentor teacher who can share their experience with you and offer advice to get you through the rough spots. With experience comes wisdom. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Veteran teachers are eager to share.

Be patient. You will not change the face of music education in your first year. Learn about your school, students, and community. Make changes gradually. It is like trying to turn an ocean liner… a gradual process!

Be yourself. You are not your college band director. You are not your high school band director. The way they taught was dictated by their unique circumstances. Trying to do things as they were done elsewhere only works if the demographics are identical. Rarely is that the case.

Find out what motivates your students. For some, they thrive on challenging music. Others are more social and seek the opportunity to be around other students. Find out how they learn, what they enjoy, and meet them on their level. Once you earn their trust, you can guide them in the direction you want for your program.

Don’t program music because it sounds good on a website or because you remember playing it in school. Study the strengths and weaknesses of your group and select music accordingly. Challenge them, but never overwhelm them. Another valuable tip: Don’t select music that features instruments you do not have in your ensemble!

Be visible in your school. Make friends with staff and other faculty members. Gain the trust and respect of the office personnel, custodial staff, and cafeteria workers. You never know when they can help you out of a tough situation. Talk with other teachers and you can find out a lot about the school and the students.

Communicate, communicate, then communicate even more. Use every available resource including social media and distribute detailed and accurate information. Too much is just enough. Parents, students and administrators get frustrated when they don’t know what is happening or are missing important details about events.

Never give up. We have all faced difficult situations, had things go wrong, and questioned ourselves and our abilities. If teaching were easy, everyone could do it. You got into the profession because of your desire to help students…keep that as your focus and just keep going!

spring 2018 // georgia music news

TEACHER

BURNOU BY ELYSIA SMITH

Reprinted with permission from INform, A Quarterly Publication from the Indiana Music Education Association, Volume 72, Issue 1

ver 15% of teachers leave the profession every year—that’s over half a million teachers.[1] Although teacher qualification is stringent, and their education does everything possible to prepare them for what to expect, teachers still have to deal with a fair amount of complicated, unknown factors from year to year. For example, class sizes continue to swell, meaning teachers must facilitate for many more students than time might allow. They are often forced to take work home with them, because the school day is for teaching students not for planning and prep work. Teachers aren’t paid for the hours they spend outside the classroom and often have to buy their own classroom supplies. If you’re a teacher, you’ve experienced this firsthand and may even be currently struggling with burnout in your professional life. Despite how difficult it might be to seek out support within your profession, there are ways you can better support yourself and prevent teacher burnout from inhibiting the work you’re so passionate about.

1. USE THE MORNING The first two hours upon waking up are the most productive hours of your day according to behavioral scientist, Dan Ariely.[2] Try to budget some time in the morning before class begins to set priorities and plans for the week so you can spend your prep period tackling all the assorted problems that spring up during your average work day. Getting that extra work done in the morning before you have to clock in means you can better compartmentalize your day. When the school day ends for your students, it can also end for you. 26

georgia music news // spring 2018

UT......... 2. CREATE FUN FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR STUDENTS When the work is boring, you’ll feel bored and so will your students. The more you can incorporate games, hands on learning, and group work, the more engaged your students will be. According to Reading Horizons, students participate more fully when they must actively engage with their peers.[3] When you build these types of activities into your teaching day, you also create more excitement for yourself. You know what it looks like when students read textbooks, but experiential learning allows for more organic dialogue and analysis between the students’ experience and the context of your lesson, keeping you on our toes as well.

3. LEAVE WORK AT SCHOOL Don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself when it comes to the work you can actually accomplish in a day. If you’re going to be taking work home to check everything off your to-do list, you might consider reorganizing tasks and giving yourself firm deadlines to stop working. The fact of the matter is: a teacher’s job is never done but you can’t cease taking care of yourself to work on something that will be waiting for you when you come into your classroom the next day. Stress from overwork can shadow your classroom and build resentment towards work that you previously felt empowered to do. It’s incredibly difficult to shut your brain off when you know your students’ success depends on all the work you do, but doing that work for free during the hours perhaps better suited to self-care routines can be frustrating and will affect your mentality about teaching.

public education infrastructure, that they’re overworked and underpaid. Still, according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, teachers enter the profession selflessly; 85% of teachers say they began teaching because they wanted to make a difference in children’s lives.[4] When you’re that passionate, you’ve got to empower your self-care simply to keep moving forward and doing the work you believein. Put succinctly by Scott Lang, “Teachers often leave the profession not because of what they do, but because of how they feel. The pursuit of external validators; i.e. ratings and awards, can sometimes eclipse the joy associated with the internal process of teaching and learning. It’s important to remember that ours is a profession of personal connections, and a sustainable career requires the ability to find joy in meeting with our students and our peers in a meaningfulway.”

REFERENCES

1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/much-morecommon-core/201611/the-teacher-burnout-epidemic-part-1-2 2. http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/11/dont-waste-yourtwo-most-productive-hours.html 3. http://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/14-classroom-activities-that-increase-student-engagement 4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/ wp/2015/01/18/why-so-many-teachers-feel-so-bad-somuch-of-the-time/?utm_term=.aca9de8ca22a

Teacher burnout is a real issue of the profession and poll after poll reveals that teachers feel unsupported by the spring 2018 // georgia music news

Chromebook Apps for Elementary Music Class

by Amy Burns

Reprinted with permission from Tempo, The Official Magazine of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, March 2018

ecently, while performing research for an upcoming book, I find that more and more schools are using Chromebooks over iOS. In 2014, it was reported that Chromebooks were the best selling device over Apple’s iPads. In 2015, it was projected that 50% of K-12 schools would be 1:1 (defined as one device per student) (Molnar, 2015). In my current teaching situation, grades PreK- 2 are 1:1 iPads and grades 3-8 are 1:1 Chromebooks. WHY ARE SCHOOLS GOING TO A 1:1 PLATFORM? Many reasons stem from the 21st Century Learning initiative that can be found in numerous articles about current education. However, when researching this, the term has a variety of definitions from 1:1 devices to makerspaces and learning labs. In 2013, Alan November wrote an excellent article titled, “Why Schools Must Move Beyond One-to- One Computing” where he takes the 1:1 term and shifts it to 1:world. His research showed that schools were implementing 1:1 devices without training, support, or resources. When one shifts the term from 1:1 to 1:world, “it changes the focus of staff development from technical training to understanding how to design assignments that are more empowering—and engage students in a learning community with 24-hour support” (November, 2013).

georgia music news // spring 2018

WHY USE CHROMEBOOKS IN AN ELEMENTARY MUSIC CLASS? This question comes up often on many music educator networking groups and it is an excellent one. In the elementary music class, students should be actively making music, moving to music, learning about music, appreciating music, singing, and performing music. With time limitations and students connected to technology at home, finding a reason to have students using technology in the music classroom can be debatable. With that said, there are valid reasons to effectively integrate technology into the elementary music classroom. There is the obvious one of that technology shows up on some music educators’ evaluation forms. However, aside from that, here are five Chromebooks apps/websites (with one bonus) that an elementary teacher could use to increase active music making in their classrooms. As I have stated in many presentations, treat this list like a dessert buffet: try one or two items that appeal to you and would work in your atmosphere. Do not eat every dessert. As my 6-year-old always states, “Mommy, you will get a bad tummy ache!”

web-based version. I have used incredibox for the students to create a background accompaniment for a poem/rap/lyrics they have written in music or in their own classrooms. I have also used it on one device for students to create a background accompaniment for a “Say Your Name” first-day-of-school chant. It has also been used to reinforce discussions about beats, effects, melodies, and voices.

INCREDIBOX (incredibox.com) Incredibox is a website where the students can use beat-boxing cartoon characters to create music. The music is divided into beats, effects, melodies, and voices. There are four versions with the

Incredibox hooks my students and they love to go home and show their parents another way to create music. I recommend Version 1 if you do not like that the cartoon characters are shirtless. Finally, it is flash-based and if your school is gear-

JOYTUNES

in a station or in a one-computer classroom projected onto a screen with the laptop connected to decent speakers (either hardwire or Bluetooth).

ing away from anything flash-based, then the site might not work. However, check out the “Bonus” section below for how to place Android apps (which incredibox has an Android version) on Chromebooks. ALTERNATIVES: There is also the iOS incredibox app for iPads and iPhones and the Android app on Google Play. To take this up one more step, my students use Soundtrap (soundtrap.com) to record themselves and create musical accompaniments. They also can connect to other students from around the world to collaborate in music-making. In addition, my two favorite web-based notation apps are Noteflight (noteflight. com) and Flat (flat.io). Both of these apps are free, but the paid versions do a lot more for the students. The students can compose and easily share their compositions with other students and place them in apps like Soundtrap to further their music making. JOYTUNES WEBSITE FOR RECORDER (joytunes.com/master) A free website for your budding elementary recorder players is Joytunes. When your students go to joytunes.com/ master, they can click on the “One time pass”, then “Connect”, then “Allow” (so the internal microphone will work), and perform some fun, recorder games. Though it is easier to use headphones in a 1:world classroom, this can also be used

The students then click on a picture on the map to enter a world of recorder games. The first world focuses on the note B. It encourages the students to memorize the fingerings and to blow quietly as their performance directs the airplane to stay in the sky without hitting any trees that are in the way. As they continue, they unlock more worlds, learn more fingerings, and eventually learn how to play a simple melody. ALTERNATIVES: This website is flashbased, so to use it on an iOS device, you would need a flash- based web browser app like Photon Flash Player EDU or Puffin Web Browser. With some patience, both of these apps work well. In addition, they are both priced between $4-6. VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS (virtualmusicalinstruments.com) All students should be able to experience music making in the music classroom. However, not all students have the ability to play an instrument in a traditional way. I find virtual instruments to be a great alternative. I am more of a fan of iOS virtual instruments because the students can hold and touch the screen

to play the instrument. If the student has access to a Chromebook, then there are several virtual instrument websites that encourage active music making with the stroke of the Chromebook’s keyboard, mouse, or touchpad.

Virtualmusicalinstruments.com is just one of many websites that host virtual instruments. With this website, a student can make music on a virtual guitar, piano, pan flute, drumset, or bongos. By hooking up the Chromebook to a decent pair of speakers, the student can launch the bongos, use the touchpad, or the “1” and “2” keys to play rhythm patterns along with the rest of the students in the class. Technology like this opens doors for all students to actively make music. ALTERNATIVES: There are numerous iOS apps that have virtual instruments built into them. The most popular one would be GarageBand. I personally love the virtual Chinese instruments found in the app. During the celebration of the Chinese New Year, I have my students create music using the virtual Chinese instruments since we do not have access to acoustic ones. SEESAW (web.seesaw.me) Seesaw has been a game changer in my classroom. It is a digital student portfolio where students can add their work from audio recordings of solo singing, to video recordings of orffestrations, to writing out pitch explorations, to so much more, for their parents to see. We use the paid version of Seesaw for Schools, which allows unlimited classes and some other additional items. However, the free version allows you to have ten classes and can do a lot. Seesaw is a wonderful way to showcase your students’ musical works and your curriculum for parents to access from their mobile devices. You can also create assignments for students to submit from home. Students can also use Seesaw to reflect on higher order thinking questions about the process of their musical creations. Early childhood music teachers could use it to post the lyrics and spring 2018 // georgia music news

record themselves singing the “Song of the Month” for parents to use at home. These are just small examples of the large realm that Seesaw can support. It is not required to have a 1:world classroom to use Seesaw. For my first year, I used it with one iPad. Seesaw is also very versatile as it can be used on multiple devices from iOS, Chromebooks, web-based, and Android. The challenge is finding the time to sit down and learn the program and to encourage the parents to join. However, it is very intuitive and your young students will be able to use it from day one. Seesaw has numerous webinars and social media accounts through Facebook and Twitter so that when you are experiencing a challenge, there are many educators who can assist you and help you solve the problem. Finally, as a parent using Seesaw, I absolutely love it! It is so nice to be able to ask my child, “I saw this on your Seesaw journal today. Please tell me more about it.” This makes my third grader go into a narrative about the activity. This is so much better than, “What happened at school today?” with the answer of “nothing.” ALTERNATIVES: There are other programs out there that are similar. One is Class Dojo. If you are currently using Class Dojo, check out how to share a class story. This is very similar to Seesaw’s journal. KAHOOT! (kahoot.com) Though this is not encouraging music making, Kahoot! is a free assessment tool in the form of a game. Once you create your free account, you can search for numerous music games or create your own. These games can be used to assess the students’ knowledge o¬¬n their concert music, lyrics, note names, rhythm names, and so much more. You can use Kahoot! as a fun way to assess almost anything you have been teaching in music class. And, the students love it! 30

georgia music news // spring 2018

ask your IT to purchase Staff Wars from Google Play. To do this:

Kahoot! can be used on Chromebooks (kahoot.it turns the Chromebook into an answering device), iOS devices, Android, desktops, etc. It can be used in a 1:world classroom as well as a classroom with limited devices (set the game to group mode). The students do not need email addresses to participate in a Kahoot! game. You can also send a “Kahoot! Challenge” to your students’ devices for them to participate from home by a certain date and time. ALTERNATIVES: Socrative (socrative.com) works as well and I tend to use it for more formative assessments. If you only have one device in a classroom, Plickers (plickers.com) uses one device and plicker cards that you can download and print for free from their website to track assessment.

BONUS

STAFF WARS Staff Wars can be downloaded for free from the website, themusicinteractive. com. Staff Wars is a note naming game that has a Star Wars feel to it. My students adore Staff Wars. Since Staff Wars can be downloaded onto a desktop computer or can be purchased for an iOS or Android device, how can this be used on a Chromebook? Even on their website, it reads that “Chrome Version 57 and above effectively blocks Flash…”. If your Chromebook accepts Android Apps, then you can purchase or

1. Update your software. 2. Click your Chromebook account photo. 3. Click Settings 4. In the “Google Play Store” Section, turn on Enable Google Play Store on your Chromebook. 5. In the window that appears, click Get Started and continue through the prompts. This only works on Chromebooks that work with Android apps.

There are many more apps/websites that one can use in an elementary music classroom. These are just the tip of the iceberg. I hope that this article inspires you to try one of the ideas that is presented. Please let me know if you need any assistance with these ideas. In addition, please check out the webinars offered for PD credit for NJMEA members at amymburns.com/webinars REFERENCES

Taylor, H. (2015, December 09). Google is crushing Apple, Microsoft in US schools. Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/03/googles-chromebooks-make-up- half-of-us-classroom-devices.html Molnar, M. (2015, December 07). Half of K-12 Students to Have Access to 1-to-1 Computing by 2015-16. Retrieved January 1, 2018, from https://marketbrief.edweek.org/ marketplace-k- 12/half_of_k-12_students_to_have_access_ to_1-to-1_computing_by_2015-16_1/ November, A. (2013, February 10). Why Schools Must Move Beyond One-to-One Computing. Retrieved January 15, 2018, from http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for- educators/teaching-and-learning-articles/ why-schools-must-move-beyond-one-to-one- computing/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amy M. Burns (amymburns.com) is a PreK-4 general music teacher and directors of the Philharmonic and Conservatory at Far Hills Country Day School. She is also an author and clinician on how to integrate technology into the elementary music classroom. Recently, she was awarded the 2017 NJ Non-Public School Teacher of the Year Award.

spring 2018 // georgia music news

THE

VETERAN 10 Questions for Experienced Teachers

DR. WILLIAM E. FRY

Dr. William E. Fry graduated from Columbus State University (GA) in 1975 and received the Masters of Music Education from Georgia State University in 1981. He obtained the Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting from the University of North Carolina/Greensboro in 1991. Prior to his recent retirement as an orchestra director in the Muscogee County School District (Columbus, GA), Fry held conducting positions at Columbus State University and Susquehanna University (PA). From 1975 to 1987, Fry was coordinator of all instrumental music activities at Redan High School, Stone Mountain, Georgia, and held an assistant conductor position with the Yaarab (Atlanta) Shrine Band. Fry has appeared as a feature conductor at the Georgia Music Educators State Convention, Florida State University "Tri-State" Conductors Symposium, CBDNA/NBA Southeastern Regional, and the Carolina Conductors Symposium. He has authored several articles on conducting and is a noted authority on the band music of Don Gillis. Fry resides with his wife, Anne, in Columbus, Georgia, where he held adjunct music instructor positions at Columbus Tech College and Georgia Military College- Columbus. He has been conductor of the Columbus Community Orchestra since its inception in 1999. He is also a saxophonist with the "DNR Band," an all-doctor rock group that performs volunteer benefits throughout the Columbus area.Fry has three grown children. Michelle Fry, his oldest daughter, is a 2011 graduate of FSU and is beginning her 6th year as an orchestra teacher in Brevard County, FL. Fry’s son, Eric, graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi and is beginning his 3rd year as a middle school band director in Hancock County, Miss. Adrienne, Fry’s youngest daughter, is a 2015 Valdosta State graduate and is currently working for Charleston’s Post & Currier newspaper.

PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT OUR MUSICAL BACKGROUND AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE.

I started my career in 1975 after graduating from Columbus College (now Columbus State University) and retired 36 years later in 2011 after teaching on all levels of education. For my first twelve years, I worked in DeKalb County while also earning a Master of Music degree from Georgia State University (1981). I began as an assistant band director at Columbia High with Edward Bouie for one year. Then, I started the band and orchestra program at Redan High in 1976, where I stayed until 1987. I went on to be a teaching assistant while earning a DMA at UNC-Greensboro (1991) and then taught at Susquehanna University (PA) for two years, before returning to Georgia to teach at Columbus State University for four years. In 1996 I accepted a high school and elementary band position for four years in the Muscogee County (Columbus, GA) School District and then transferred to an itinerant middle school/high school orchestra job, from which I retired in 2011. In retirement I have served as a substitute teacher, which has included service as the temporary interim band director at the new Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts for the first semester of this school year.

WHAT FIRST DREW YOU TO MUSIC EDUCATION?

My grandparents were amateur musicians and my father was a 20-year U. S. Army Bandsman, so I grew up in a musical family. In sixth grade, I joined my school band and eventually became the student conductor of my high school band during my senior year. I enjoyed my musical experiences so much that I decided to major in music.

georgia music news // spring 2018

WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR TEACHING CAREER? WHAT LESSONS DID THAT PERSON TEACH YOU?

The most important by far was Dr. William Prescott, my Russell High School band director who turns 95 this April. He took a personal interest in me and offered encouragement first in high school, then in college, and ultimately for most of my teaching career. On one level, I learned how to run a band program and observed the dedication and work ethic required to be a music teacher. On another level, he engendered a passion and high level of professional ethics/standards needed to be a successful teacher. On yet another level, he taught me a philosophy of life that included a commitment to service and to making a difference in the lives of others.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGES TO MUSIC EDUCATION IN THE COURSE OF YOUR CAREER?

Technology is probably the obvious answer. FINALE in particular transformed my music teaching with respect to handouts, exercises, learning concepts, arrangements, etc. When I first started teaching in 1975, I remember having a Selectric typewriter and a mimeograph to utilize. When I retired in 2011, I had every kind of electronic and digital device you can imagine, including a 14-station music tech lab in my rehearsal room that I incorporated for class, small group, or individual instruction.

Secondly, as for the nature of students today, a greater percentage are more difficult to engage owing to factors such as dysfunctional backgrounds, poor family situations, and negative media exposure. These students in particular need music as an artistic outlet and opportunity for success. In general, connecting with contemporary students presents a unique challenge, one which requires a dynamic, passionate, and caring teacher.

HOW HAS YOUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY EVOLVED THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?

Initially, I viewed my primary role as a drillmaster or instructor of technical musical matters. Over time, this attitude became less important. While still insisting on high performance standards, I came to focus on and appreciate another role, that as “head of a large family,” or one who put an emphasis on the impact I was making with students. In a 2009 letter to the editor of Georgia Music News, I described this philosophy as a “Second Check,” or nonmonetary payoff that describes the joy and satisfaction of service that comes with making a difference with your students.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR TEACHING CAREER?

There have been many wonderful musical moments and successful individual student stories over time; but my special retirement weekend stands out as a particularly proud moment. About 150 former Redan High band/orchestra students spanning my early DeKalb County teaching years met for three days in a north Atlanta Hotel for a Reunion and to celebrate my retirement late July 2011. Many of these students I had not seen, nor heard from, in over 25 to 30 years. For many of these former students, their reminisces focused less on particular musical performances but rather on positive testimony concerning their overall feeling and impact of their total music experience at Redan High. For students who were unable to attend, Facebook postings sent to a site set-up specifically for this event echoed the same sentiments. The weekend stands out as an especially proud moment and a validation of the “Second Check” philosophy mentioned in #5 above.

WHAT WISDOM/EXPERIENCE/ SKILLS DO YOU HOPE STUDENTS GAIN FROM THEIR TIME IN YOUR PROGRAM?

As students progressed through my program, I worked on developing their musical talents to the highest degree possible to allow them to contribute their best to the ensemble, to earn membership in special honor organizations, and to participate in life-long musical pursuits. Additionally, I was vitally interested in students understanding and conveying the extra-musical ideas, stories, emotions, and realities reflected in the music of various composers.

IS THERE A PARTICULAR MUSICAL WORK OR COMPOSER TO WHICH YOU FEEL ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE EXPOSED?

Suite in E Flat for Band by Holst (Kalmus orchestra arrangement by Chris Hazeel) is one selection that every student should experience. Fredrick Fennell said the work is the cornerstone of band literature. If all three movements cannot be performed, the first movement, Chaconne, works well as a stand-alone piece that offers a good teaching and performance vehicle.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TEACHERS BEGINNING CAREERS IN MUSIC EDUCATION?

Balance your professional and personal life. Some teachers make the mistake of having their job define them. Also, your job can be overly time consuming if you allow it. Learn to say no if you have already contributed your part. Make time for yourself away from the school. Travel, read, enjoy friends, play your instrument, or start evening or on-line graduate courses. Most importantly, be an active part of your family, especially if you are a spouse and/or parent.

WHAT STILL INSPIRES YOU ABOUT TEACHING?

“Retirement” has allowed me to stay busy as a music sub, a guest conductor, and member of the Columbus Community Orchestra, which I have conducted of 19 years. Regardless of which of these capacities I am working, I am still inspired by this feeling of making a difference in the lives of students and in making Columbus a better place.

HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED ADVICE?

ASK A VETERAN VISIT THE LINK ON THE

"APPLICATIONS & FORMS" PAGE

OPUS spring 2018 // georgia music news

Elementary, Middle, and High School Band, Choir, and Orchestra

2018: April 20-21 April 27-28 May 4-5

2019: April 12-13 April 26-27 May 3-4

www.SMMFestival.com or call:1-855-766-3008

georgia music news // spring 2018

facebook.com/GMEAorg

RECAP

JANUARY 2018 | ATHENS, GEORGIA

spring 2018 // georgia music news

georgia music news // spring 2018

spring 2018 // georgia music news

georgia music news // spring 2018

spring 2018 // georgia music news

MAKE MEMORIES SHARE WISDOM LEARN FROM PEERS BE A PART OF SOMETHING

GeorgIa music news CONTRIBUTE TO THE

WWW.GMEA.ORG/MAGAZINE

georgia music news // spring 2018

you work hard at

soundinggood sounding good we work hard at

looking good SLATE GROUP SUPPORTS MUSIC EDUCATION

THROUGH WHAT WE DO BEST.

CONTACT IAN SPECTOR TODAY 800.794.5594 | ian@slategroup.com slategroup.com

PUBLICATION DESIGN PRINT DISPLAY GRAPHICS

Georgia Music Educators Association 245 Country Club Dr., Bldg. 300A Stockbridge, GA 30281

THANK YOU FOR SERVING THE STUDENTS OF GEORGIA WITH SELFLESS DEDICATION AND PASSION.