2019 October TEMPO by William McDevitt

OCTOBER 2019 NJMEA February State Music Conference Moves to Atlantic City February 20-22, 2020

Boston Brass

Featured Performers

Denise Gagne Featured Presenter

The Amidons

Featured Presenters

Joanne Lipman Keynote Speaker

John Feierabend Featured Presenter

The Official Magazine of the New Jersey Music Educators Association a federated state association of National Association for Music Education

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Volume 74, No. 1 http://www.njmea.org

OCTOBER 2019

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS AND NJMEA BUSINESS

NJMEA Early Childhood Music And Advocacy Highlighted On Caucus NJ With Steve Adubado, Amy Burns

Advertisers Index & Web Addresses....79

NJMEA Member Spotlight: Missy Strong

Board of Directors................................76

Knowing The Difference, As You Make A Difference With Special Learners, Maureen Butler

Editorial Policy & Advertising Rates...78

NJMEA Chorus, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Honors Jazz Choir at Atlantic City and NJPAC

The 2020 NJMEA State Music Conference Moves To Atlantic City: February 20-22, 2020

Coding + Composition + Chiptune Music, Shawna Longo 48 Clean. Musical. Tom & Jerry or Ben & Jerry, Eric Lynch 52 Advocacy News From The President-Elect, Lisa Vartanian 57

NJMEA Year End Financial Statement, Deborah Sfraga

An Interview With John Flora, Jayson Martinez

New Jersey Young Composers Competition, Andrew Lesser

Division Chair News........................ 6-25 In Memoriam........................................75 Past-Presidents......................................78 President’s Message................................2 Resource Personnel............................. 77 Round the Regions......................... 70-74

FORMS AND APPLICATIONS See NJMEA.ORG

Click on the Desired Activity for downloadable copies of all their forms & applications

Jazz Ensemble Requirements..........62-63 ATTENTION MEMBERS Please go to nafme.org to record email and address changes. TEMPO Editor - Thomas A. Mosher 80 Jumping Brook Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701 Phone: 732-367-7194 e-mail: tmosher@njmea.org Deadlines October Issue - August 1 January Issue - November 1 March Issue - January 15 May Issue - March 15 All members should send address changes to: mbrserv@nafme.org or NAfME, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 22091 Printed by: Spectrum Printing Inc. 1-717-569-3200 https://www.spectrumprintpartner.com/

Honors Jazz Choir Requirements.........64 NJMEA Honors Guitar Ens.............65-69

The New Jersey Music Educators Association is a state unit of the National Association for Music Education and an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association. It is a nonprofit membership organization. TEMPO (ISSN 0040-3016) is published four times during the school year October, January, March and May. It is the official publication of the New Jersey Music Educators Association. The subscription rate for non-members is $20.00 per year. The subscription for members is included in the annual dues. A copy of dues receipts (Subscriptions) is retained by the NJMEA Treasurer. Inquiries regarding advertising rate, closing dates, and the publication of original articles should be sent to the Editor. Volume 74, No. 1, OCTOBER 2019 TEMPO Editor - Thomas A. Mosher, 80 Jumping Brook Drive, Lakewood, NJ 08701 Periodicals Postage Paid at Lakewood, NJ 08701 and additional entries POSTMASTER: Please forward address changes to: NAfME 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 20191

NJMEA Music Conference Atlantic City February 20-22, 2020

president’s message Patrick O’Keefe

patrickaokeefe@gmail.com Website: http://www.njmea.org

elcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I hope that this issue of TEMPO finds you settling in after an exciting start to the new year, one that is sure to provide exciting opportunities and memories for all of our music educators and students throughout New Jersey. As I begin this first message as NJMEA president, I must acknowledge and thank Jeff Santoro for his service as our president over the last two years. Jeff worked tirelessly to move the organization forward through a bold, innovative and inclusive lens. I have great respect for him as a leader and know that I will continue to learn and grow under his mentorship. Although now recently off the board as immediate past president, it is also the perfect time to again thank and congratulate Bill McDevitt for his work during the last 6 years, a total of 12 in that role. I thank him for his dedication and surely know that we are in a better place as an organization as a result. With this year underway and a new NJMEA board assembled and working, I would like to take time to update you on new and ongoing efforts by the organization. First I would like to welcome our new president elect, Lisa Vartanian, who was introduced to our membership in the May issue. Lisa currently serves as the Supervisor of Fine, Performing and Practical Arts in Paramus and is sure to be an asset to our organization, as she brings with her a wealth of valuable experience and enthusiasm. If you have kept up on some of the initiatives coming out of our strategic plan, you are aware of the focus work being done in the areas of inclusiveness, diversity, equity and access. Committee work is underway in gathering data on past and current practices of NJMEA, from communications, conference work, etc. to best understand what needs to be done to align not only with the strategic plan, but our mission statement: to advance and improve the quality and accessibility of music instruction statewide. This, in many ways, serves as our own version of TEMPO

a study currently being done by NAfME on unconscious bias. As has been previously discussed, IDEA references many aspects of what we do - from being inclusive to all students in our own programs, to affording opportunities to all programs as an organization, to recognizing and celebrating diverse music practices beyond band, choir and orchestra, and so much more. Thank you to the members of this committee for all of their efforts thus far, as this work is vital in helping NJMEA continue to evolve as a relevant and impactful professional organization that holds space and value for all members. As I step into the role of president, there is one venture in particular I am very excited about, and that is our move to Atlantic City for the February Conference. While always working to diversify our offerings throughout the year, the February Conference continues to serve as our largest professional development offering to our membership. There has already been a lot of communication with regard to the conference, so I encourage you to look for continuing information as it is announced. The planning team is working diligently to make sure that we take advantage of the many new opportunities afforded to us in this space. We are lucky to have many leaders in our field as presenters, speakers and performers, and I hope that you are able to join us. Some of those details are included in this publication, and will continue to be announced as the conference draws closer. I am honored to be given the opportunity to work for you and your students in this role over the next two years. It is my hope that we can build on the work that has been done over recent years and continue to strive to create new opportunities for you as educators and for your students as they benefit from having music education as a part of their general education. I encourage you to reach out to me or any board member with concerns or new ideas, as we draw our strength from the experience and imagination of our whole membership. 2

OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019

The New Jersey Association for Jazz Education presents the 15th Annual

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Friday, November 15, 2019

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DIVA Jazz Orchestra presenting Rhythm Rules: FUNdamentals to inspire and inform improvisers, rhythm sections and drummers

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TEMPO

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs President-Elect

Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org

2019 NAfME National Leadership Assembly and Hill Day

happen: advocacy. It is critical that we continually communicate to our leaders in government the importance that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality music education taught by qualified music teachers. This is just what our delegation from NJMEA was able to orchestrate this past June.

state senators and representatives in Congress advocating for the continued preservation and expansion of school-based music programs as well as advocating for a well-rounded education, programs within the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). During our meetings, we asked for additional cosponsors for the GAAME Act.

NJMEA Representatives for Hill Day

There is great joy in bringing music to the lives of students. Whether it’s helping young children explore and experience music’s expressive qualities or helping members of our high school choirs, orchestras, and bands bring harmonized beauty to the world through their joyful sounds, we music teachers rediscover our calling as our students fall in love with music, the way we did long ago. However, there is another side to making this wondrous work TEMPO

On June 19th, more than 200 music educators gathered in the Rules Committee Hearing Room of the Dirksen Senate Building. During the opening meeting, we heard a moving testimony from Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), former elementary music educator and trumpet player, who attested how music made a positive and profound impact on his life and the lives of his students. NAfME presented Senator Tester with the Music Education Champion Award for his introduction of the "Guarantee Access to Arts and Music Education" (GAAME) Act. After the rally, the New Jersey team spent the day in meetings with New Jersey 6

Pictured above: The NJMEA Team and U.S. Congressman, Christopher Smith

More specifically, the NJMEA team asked U.S. representatives for New Jersey to support the following: •FY20 Appropriations: Title I-A, Title II-A, and Title IV-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These funding streams, particularly the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grant authorized at $1.6 billion, continued on page 8

OCTOBER 2019

NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY

Rendering of NJCU’s exciting new Center for Music, Dance, and Theatre-CMDT and the University Performing Arts Center-UPAC, which will include a 500-seat theater, recording, dance and rehearsal studios.

YOU. MUSIC. NJCU. CAROLINE L. GUARINI DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC, DANCE & THEATRE Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs: Music Education, Classical and Jazz Performance, Music Business, Multiple Woodwinds, Musical Theatre, Composition Community Music School Dr. Amparo Fabra, Department Chair www.njcu.edu/mdt

OCTOBER 2019

TEMPO

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs are programs with bipartisan support, and are critical to ensuring equitable access to music education for all students. •Guarantee Access to Arts and Music Education (GAAME) Act: The GAAME Act amends Title I, Part A of ESSA to clarify that schoolwide and targeted assistance dollars can be applied toward music and arts programming as part of ensuring access to a well-rounded education. We encouraged our representatives and senators to sign on as cosponsors of the GAAME Act (H.R. 1676 or S. 885). •Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization: We asked our representatives to reauthorize HEA so that it is compatible to the K-12 policies created under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Funds authorized to support student aid, loan forgiveness, and teacher preparation programs. Advocacy Matters! Together, we saw firsthand that advocacy matters! While we were in Washington, DC, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to raise education spending. Outcomes included increased funding for Title IV-A in the FY19 Budget, and the introduction of The GAAME Act in the Senate. Although the Hill Day event is behind us, the NJMEA leadership team will continue advocacy efforts for the rest of the year. We will TEMPO

strengthen the relationships formed with members of Congress in order to ensure that all students in the State of New Jersey have access to high-quality music education. The 2019 NAfME Collegiate Team

Ashlee Wilcox Photography, ashleewilcoxphotography.com

We were fortunate to have an incredible collegiate team, sponsored by the NJMEA, join us in Washington, DC. Stories of how music positively impacted their lives and how a quality music education shaped their career choices spoke volumes to our representatives. Collegiates representing the State of New Jersey included: Allan Daleus, Montclair State University; Jessice Dalrymple, Rider College; Kira Paul, Rider College; J. Martha Wachulec, Montclair State University; Layne Mossop, Rowan University; Kevin Gehringer, Rowan University; Dylon Haviland, New Jersey City University; and Theodora Horowitz, New Jersey City University.

During the NAfME Awards Ceremony and Commemoration that took place on Thursday evening, we celebrated as J. Martha Wachulec from Montclair State University received the NAfME Collegiate Professional Achievement Award and the 2019 Shannon Kelly Kane Scholarship Award. In addition, Dylon Haviland and Theodora Horowitz, representing New Jersey City University, received the NAfME 2019 Collegiate Chapter of Excellence Award. We are so very proud of the entire NJMEA Collegiate Team! During the National Leadership Assembly meetings, the NJMEA Collegiate team attended a series of workshops in order to learn about federal policies impacting education. They also received valuable advocacy and leadership training to share with their chapters during the 2019-2020 school year. I asked NJMEA Collegiates J. Martha Wachulec, Jessica Dalrymple and Dylan Haviland to reflect on their experience on the Hill. Student Testimonials • The 2019 NAfME Hill Day and Collegiate Advocacy Summit has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my college career. The roundtable discussions, brainstorming sessions, and presentations that we attended all raised important issues regarding public education and specifically, continued on page 10

OCTOBER 2019

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs access to music education. Collegiate members were asked to grapple with difficult questions, dealing with matters of inclusion, representation, cultural relevance, and ethical practice within the music classroom. While these questions will surely follow us into our professional careers, it is encouraging to know that other music educators across the nation are also working diligently to answer them. To get to know so many like-minded, driven, and dedicated soon-to-be professionals was invigorating, to say the least. I am very grateful for the connections and ideas that this experience has given me. Namely, it has brought me a new sense of awareness - of the dire situations plaguing classrooms beyond New Jersey, of the importance of our statewide and national professional organizations, and of the multiple avenues through which we can effectively advocate for our profession and most importantly, for the students and communities it serves. I look forward to continuing this work on both local and national levels, and during future Hill Days to come. (J. Martha Wachulec) • This was my first year attending the NAfME Collegiate Advocacy Summit and Hill Day, and I truly had an unforgettable experience! It was so amazing to meet music educators from all over the state of New Jersey and the country, and talk about the importance of music education in public schools. I had the privilege to share my story about why the music education I

received while in high school made me realize how much I wanted to pursue a career in music education, and why music education is so important for so many students. I am so grateful to NJMEA for giving me the opportunity to advocate for something so important to me! (Jessica Dalrymple) • My Hill Day experience was very eye-opening. It helped me feel recharged about music education after speaking to so many other passionate people and hearing so many heartwarming stories. It was such an amazing opportunity to collaborate and advocate with so many other music education students from all over the country. I have found a new confidence within myself after speaking with different representatives. After this experience, I have pursued all of my recent musical and teaching endeavors with all of my heart, energy, and passion because I know there are more people fighting the good fight. It has made me extremely excited to get into my student teaching and do all I can for music education. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to tell our stories! (Dylon Haviland) I would like to leave you with a quote from Leonard Bernstein when he testified in 1977 before the House Subcommittee on Select Education regarding a bill calling for a White House Conference on the Arts. “I propose that the reading and understanding of music be taught to our children from the very beginning of their school life; that they learn to

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participate with enthusiasm in the study of music from kindergarten through high school. No child is tone deaf; every child has the natural ability and desire to assimilate musical ideas and comprehend their combinations into musical forms. Every child can be taught to read music as he or she is taught to read words; and there is no reason why both kinds of reading cannot be taught simultaneously. Children must receive musical instruction as naturally as food, and with as much pleasure as they derive from a baseball game. And this must happen from the beginning of their school lives.” Leonard Bernstein, New York City, 1977 Advocacy resources found in this article were taken directly from National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)

continued on page 12

OCTOBER 2019

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs Administration & Advocacy Dennis Argul Jazz House Kids dennisargul@gmail.com

Administration The New Jersey Music Administrators Association (NJMAA) would like to welcome you all to the 2019-2010 academic year and hope that this will be a benchmark year for you all in terms of professional growth and student successes! The NJMAA Executive Board is working hard to offer relevant and important topics for us to learn and grow together as a community. Please share this information with your current Music Supervisor and other administrators, so that they can take advantage of these opportunities to come together and continue the progress of music education in NJ. We are pleased to announce our upcoming meeting schedule and topics for 2019-2020 academic year: • October 4 - Coaching Conversations: Support for Veteran Teachers Facilitator: Joe Akinskas • December 6 - Roundtable Discussion: Nontraditional Music Electives Facilitator: Robert Hamm • February 7 - Social Emotional Learning in the Arts Facilitator: Shawna Longo • April 3 - Engaging the Community: Ideas for Building Community Support Facilitators: Lisa Vartanian and Donna Sinisgalli • June 5 - Arts Across the Curriculum Facilitator: Lincoln Center Staff Note: The Rutgers Club is closed on this date. Location: TBD NJMAA meetings, which begin at 9:00 am, are held at the following location: Rutgers Club Livingston Dining Commons 85 Avenue E Piscataway, NJ 08854 (The club is on the second floor) Please visit us at www.njmaa.org or for further information, please contact our Treasurer/Membership Chairman, Lou Quagliato, at: lquagliato@westorangeschools.org (973)-669-5400 ext. 20570 Let’s all do our best to stay connected, stay informed and have a terrific year! continued on page 14

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OCTOBER 2019

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs Advocacy

Advocacy can be a tricky word. It has many meanings to many people. Its origins, from late 14th century, in either Old French avocacie “profession of an avocat”, from Medieval Latin advocatia, or as an abstract noun from the Latin advocate or advocare “to call, summon, or invite.” The standard definition of the term today is “the act of speaking or writing in support of something or someone.” As music educators, administrators, and musicians, is this definition of advocacy enough? Is this application of the term enough? NAfME states “Advocacy, is essential to every music educator’s career and to the profession as a whole. Every music educator needs to be a strong advocate for viable, sequential, enduring music programs for all students. Advocacy can take many forms and is not limited to formal presentations to decision makers such as boards of education or legislators. One of the best forms of preventative advocacy is a strong, vital, quality music education program. Music educators become advocates for their programs at concerts and public performances by relating to the audience the musical content of the music being performed and the musical challenges students have met and mastered. This informal form of advocacy can yield significant benefits by building support for the program and demonstrating in a very real way the unique educational value of a music education to students. Inviting an administrator into the music classroom or rehearsal to see students engaged in active learning is another of many informal forms of advocacy that can build beneficial and even essential support when a crisis situation arises. Although it may not be part of the “job description,” many music educators actively engage themselves and others as advocates for music education on behalf of their students, schools, and communities. Some music educators may feel they are in an awkward position when it comes to directly “lobbying” decision makers within their school district. Others are passive or even inactive because they do not recognize the importance of advocacy or the necessity of taking a personal, active role in it. Music educators who do not feel their program is in immediate jeopardy may not be motivated to become advocates. Even if music educators value advocacy, their efforts may be less effective than they could be because they are unaware of advocacy tools readily available to them. They may not understand how to conduct advocacy activities efficiently and effectively. Finally, they may believe that they alone must initiate and be responsible for advocacy efforts.” A thought I would like us all to consider… let’s not think about how you define advocacy, but rather, how does advocacy define you. Where do you and your music program fit into the spectrum described by NAfME in the aforementioned statement? Are we comfortable in these roles, or do we find ourselves in the awkward positions described above? The NAfME statement continues with advice for us to become, or continue to be, leaders: “Within the limits of local law and custom, the music educator can lead community efforts to delineate and articulate the benefits of music education for every child” and collaborators: “In advocacy efforts, the music educator plays the role of a collaborative leader with those who support music education.” This seems to work fine for those confident in playing the role of advocate and going beyond job description. However, not all of us are equipped with this skill set and have trouble with the steps to take for a meaningful, focused and fact based advocacy program. If you are not yet aware, or have used the resources of the following, I would like to direct us all to https://artsednow.org/project/arts-ed-advocacy-classroom/ This site will assist you in gathering resources to effectively advocate for music education. It provides steps for the following: Getting Started; Using Social Media; Activating your Commucontinued on page 16

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OCTOBER 2019

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8/7/19 2:29 PM

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs

nity; Getting Your Stories Told; as well as providing us all with tool kits and gear to use with our stakeholders. In addition, if you are having a unique challenge in your school or district, you can contact the staff at https:// www.artsednj.org/request-assistance/ and they will help with strategies on handling your specific needs or challenges. Let us all work together in this effort. Again, as the NAfME position statement concludes: “Music educators and music education supporters can and indeed must take in situations where a music program is threatened with reduction or elimination. Students in our schools are depending on us. We must not, we cannot, let them down.”

Choral Performance Wayne Mallette wayne.mallette1@gmail.com

Welcome back and Happy New School Year! As you look forward to the 2019-2020 school year, I hope you had a chance to relax and recharge this summer. While we know the work we do is important, we must also remember that our families and our own personal health must remain at the top of our priority list. Take the time to think back on the conferences you attended this summer and the time you spent with your family. Let this motivate you as you shape your vision for the upcoming school year. Please keep your memberships current in both ACDA and NAfME for the most up to date information for you and your students. Our All-State Choruses (Mixed and Treble) are already rehearsing. We are excited to have Sandra Snow of Michigan State University as the conductor of our Mixed Chorus this year. Her program is exciting and the students are responding well to the literature. Our Treble Chorus began rehearsing in September with their conductor Nicole Snodgrass of Cherokee High School in Marlton NJ. The Treble Choir performance will take place as part of the NJMEA convention in February 2020. This year, while the convention and Treble Chorus rehearsal will be in Atlantic City, their performance will be on Sunday, February 23rd at NJPAC in Newark. Please attend the rehearsals and/or performances, you will not be disappointed! I would like to say a few words about our 2019 audition process. This was the first time that we used our new video audition system. When the first attempt at the video auditions did not work, I can say that I was not sure if this new process would work. But when we were able to figure out the glitches, we were able to have a successful audition process. We have learned a lot from this first attempt, and are prepared to do it again this year with back up files to ensure a successful audition process! While there were understandably many trepidations as we pushed forward into this brave new world, the hard work and steady hands of the choral procedures committee made this a success. Many thanks to Barbara Retzko, Cheryl Brietzman, and Julianna LoBiondo for organizing the auditions and helping to manage all the video submissions. A special thank you to Barbara Retkzo and Ridge High School for hosting the directors for the video auditions. A million and one thank yous go to Rick Retzko for his genius in creating this online system through Audition Forms, but also for his calm and steady hand in assisting the choral directors of New Jersey in submitting continued on page 18 TEMPO 16

OCTOBER 2019

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs

their videos. Thank you to the entire choral procedures committee in assisting in this new process. Steven Bell, Tom Voorhis, Jamie Bunce, Hillary Colton, Julianna LoBiondo, Matthew Lee, Helen Stanley, and Mike Doheny all worked behind the scenes to make the process and the audition day as smoothly as possible. Their input was invaluable and their dedication is made this new video audition process possible. A heartfelt thank you goes to all the directors who went through this process with us. From your initial upload to the video audition day, we can’t do it without your commitment; please know you are appreciated! This year we will be releasing the audition information early so you can begin to prepare your students for the video audition process. This year we will bid a fond farewell to several of our long-time choral procedure committee members. From Region I, Tom Vorhis and Jamie Bunce are stepping down from the committee. From Region III Helen Stanley will be stepping down as well. They have each contributed so much to the All-State Choir over the years and we are grateful for their years of service. Joining our committee from Region I will be Libby Gopal from East Orange Campus High School and Viraj Lal from Newark Academy, and from Region III Romel McInnis will join us from Clearview Regional High School. We are excited to have their perspective and input in shaping the future of the New Jersey AllState Choir! Rounding out the committee will be our returning members, Historian Barbara Retzko, Region I and Steve Bell, Region II; Matthew Lee and Hillary Colton; and Region III Michael Doheney and Cheryl Breitzmen. While your students are getting a fabulous choral experience from you and your program, everyone will benefit more when you participate in your County, Region and All-State Choral groups. I have found that my students came back with more passion and a deeper appreciation for music due to their participation in the Honor Choir Experience. Your students will share a quality musical experience with other singers, make new friends, and come back to your choir with Choir Fire! Please continue to check the NJMEA website for updates, www.njmea.org. Mark your calendar for deadlines. They are 5-8 weeks BEFORE the actual audition. I hope to see you at these events, and please introduce yourself to me. We are always looking for help in the choral procedures world. Best of luck as you embark on this new school year. When you feel like you need that inspiration or find yourself stuck in the silo of your classroom don’t forget there is a state full of choral conductors like yourself... don’t be afraid to reach out.

continued on page 20

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs Early Childhood Education Amy Burns aburns@fhcds.org

Welcome back! I hope that your summer included relaxation as well as professional development. I am currently working on my International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Certification which includes a two-day workshop (this past summer in Philadelphia before the annual conference), an eight-week online course (which was from July 1st-September 1st), and now a six-month edtech portfolio. It has been an exhausting but fulfilling professional development. With that in mind, I have added more webinars for NJMEA members to receive PD hours. The two that were added this summer were Flipgrid in the Elementary Music Classroom and an updated Seesaw webinar. In addition, you can find webinars on Chromebooks, teacher tech tools, ice breakers, Conversational Solfége, and more. These are found at amymburns.com/webinars. Take a listen, write up a summary, answer the questions at the end of the webinar, and email them to me at aburns@fhcds.org. You will receive PD hours, as well as learn something new or review a tool or technique that you have studied previously.

Guitar Education Jayson Martinez Jmarti37@webmail.essex.edu

Greetings fellow music educators! My name is Jayson Martinez and, as the new chairperson for Guitar Education, I am honored and humbled to serve in expanding guitar education throughout our music classrooms in New Jersey. In my two decades as a music teacher, I have taught general music, choir, band, and elementary strings to all grade levels, while collaborating with the finest music teachers and supervisors in Essex and Passaic counties. Currently, I teach Guitar Studies and AP Music Theory at Arts High School in Newark, the nation’s first public high school specializing in the visual and performing TEMPO 20

OCTOBER 2019

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs

arts. I also serve as concertmaster for the New York City Classical Guitar Orchestra, which made its Carnegie Hall debut this past June. The 2018-2019 school year was filled with many achievements, both personal and professional. Although I am humbled to win the "Teacher of the Year Award" for my school and perform at Carnegie Hall with the NYCCGO, my greatest accomplishment was conducting the Honors Guitar Festival in May. Wow! Our guitar students rock! Oh, what a joy it was to hear them play and see the end result come to fruition! This event was only made possible by the guitar educators throughout the state who worked tirelessly to prepare our guitarists to perform the selections of such advanced caliber. A special thanks goes out to Thomas Amoriello for leading the event and advocating for guitar education throughout the years. Tom, I am truly humbled to follow in your footsteps as the new chair and I promise to make you proud of us all! The festival performance took place on May 4, 2019 at New Jersey City University and opened with the NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble. They performed Concerto in Re by G.P. Telemann, “Rumba” by Stephan Rak, an arrangement of Pavane by M. Ravel, and Olga Amelkina-Vera’s Nebulae. Thank you to the performers: Rachel Krumholtz, Julian Castaneda ,Dylan Ling, Siddhant Mane, Zachary Soricelli, Dhruv Iyengar, Bela Khanna, Emily Huang, Maha Kanakala, Marianne Galsim, Jian Carlo Ledesma, Lucy Gomez, Stanley Barragan, Matthew Fajardo, Ananjellis Ramirez, Jon’tera Ashburn, Zaihyr Catus, Jonathan Maeng, Sara Morgan, Tyra Cruz, John Simone. Next, we featured the Bergen Academy Guitar and Mandolin Orchestra, led and conducted by Micheal Lemma. Thanks to the performers: Neeka Bahrampour, Ishaan Chawla, Christopher Dugan, John Ferrante, Alice Ipekci, Thomas King, Abhinav Kumar, Kincent Lan, Nahyun (Jennifer) Lee,Jonathan Maeng, Ana Mata Payerro, Therese Patrosio, Mamiko Swanson, Monica Yoo, and Ye Zin Cho The NJCU Guitar and Piano Duo performed a riveting rendition of Erik Marchelie’s Dialogue and featured Chris Joseph on guitar and Joanna Ramirez on piano. Lastly, our feature performer this year was Tengyue (TY) Zhang, winner of the 2017 Guitar Foundation of America Competition. Zhang’s set included works from Roland Dyens, Sergio Assad, Astor Piazolla, Mario CastelnuovoTedesco, and Alexandre Tansman. We were even privileged to experience a double encore performance! The following NJ guitar educators and stakeholders made a tremendous impact on our activities surrounding the NJMEA Honors Guitar events, from sectional rehearsals, program and flyer design, adjudicating, and above all, serving our guitar students and communities: Michael Lemma (Bergen Academy); Michael Newman (TCNJ); Jorge Caballero (Kean University), Patrick Callahan (Franklin High School), Andrew Jaworski (Edison High School), Raul Huaman (JP Stevens High School); Steve Sabet (Elizabeth/Thomas Jefferson); Thomas Amoriello (Flemington Raritan School District); Loren Fortna (Newark Public Schools); Jayson Martinez (Newark Public Schools); James Day (TCNJ); Keith Calmes (Wall High School); Jeffrey Boga (Red Bank Public Schools); and Ana Maria Rosado (NJCU). Please follow our Facebook page (NJMEA Guitar) for all information and resources pertaining to guitar education and events.

continued on page 22

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs Orchestra Performance Susan Meuse susanmeuse@gmail.com

I hope everyone is having a good start to the school year! The All State Orchestra is currently preparing for the upcoming concerts in November. Conductor Adam Glasser has picked a great program that the students are working on with help from the rehearsal conductor, Jim Millar. The first few rehearsals have gone very well. It should be a great concert, so we hope to see you in Atlantic City or NJPAC! Last May, the All-State Intermediate Orchestra performed an exciting concert at Community Middle School in Plainsboro. Conductor Joane Erwin did a fantastic job working with these talented students to perform a challenging program. On behalf of the Procedures Committee, I would like to thank Bethany Louie and Theresa Kemp for managing the group and Chris Jones for hosting. The Middle/Junior High School Orchestra Festival will take place at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School again this year on March 11 with a snow date of March 16. Check the NJMEA website for registration information. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email!

Retired Music Educators Kathy Spadafino kspadeb@aol.com

Another fall is here, and we retired members of NJMEA say "ho hum, no stress, and relax" into the wonderful weather (and great travel prices!) that the fall brings. But many of us stay active in the music community, teaching privately, performing and attending many music events, often times cheering on former students. We do run into each other often, but we need to write down some important dates to continue to get together: this year the NJMEA convention is in Atlantic City. Our General Membership meeting is Friday morning, February 21, 2020 at 10:15 a.m. Please join us! Last year we had a representative from "Aetna" to help with questions about the possible switch to Medicare Advantage. We promise an interesting, stimulating speaker this year as well! Our second General Membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6 at 10:15 a.m. Place TBD. Check future issues of TEMPO for details. Please come to either, or both of these meetings to socialize with your professional buddies. We welcome our new president, Joyce Richardson, who took over in July. Joyce was selected as a Master Music teacher and brings tons of experience as well as great organizational skills to lead our group for the next two years. Kathy Spadafino continues as the liaison with the NJMEA board. Enjoy your fall, and we hope to see you in Atlantic City in February! TEMPO 22

OCTOBER 2019

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs Special Learners Maureen Butler mbutler@mlschools.org

By now the school year is in full swing and you’ve had time to get acquainted with your special learners. If you are looking for strategies to more successfully include them in your classes, here are some options: Network with your related services colleagues in your building or district. This includes physical, occupational and speech therapists; special services personnel, and fellow “special subject” teachers. Contact the Special Learners committee, at my email address. This group includes Steve Braun from the Center of Lifelong Learning and the Academy Learning Center, Lucia Marone from Vineland, Trina McCarthy from Holmdel, Glennis Patterson from Roxbury, Brian Wagner from Brooklyn and Barbara Weiner from Saddle Brook. Members have written articles, presented workshops, served on conference discussion panels, and are willing to network to provide more outreach and support to music teachers throughout New Jersey. Start planning now to attend the annual conference in February where there will be a variety of informative sessions on this topic.

Summer Workshop Joe Akinskas akinskas@rowan.edu Summer Workshop Coordinator

This is the twelfth installment of our Summer Workshop history, but regrettably not the same update as in previous years. Due to conflicts with other PD events, we were unable to develop a significant enrollment, and did not want to host an event that would not measure up to past years. That being said, a significant amount of time in brainstorming, communication, and planning still took place across the year that needs to be addressed. Commendations and thanks are in order for the members of the Summer Workshop committee, who for all twelve years, have shared the workshop vision and commitment to the benefit of their statewide colleagues. The committee members include: Maureen Butler, Joe Cantaffa, Rachel Klott, Betsy Maliszewski, Susan Mark, Nick and Barb Santoro, and Dr. Rick Dammers. continued on page 24 OCTOBER 2019

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs

Likewise, the individuals listed below all spent time creating/proposing/planning sessions, and were fully prepared to share their expertise with the membership. We thank them for their interest and commitment to the annual event: Marge LoPresti, Rob DeSantis, Christina Restine, Kira Rizzuto, Dawn Stegner, Ardith Collins, Anqi Tang, Maureen Butler, Glennis Patterson, Lucia Marone, Brian Wagner-Yeung, John Palatucci, Rachel Michel, Dr. Adrian Barnes, Loni Bach, Betsy Maliszewski, Jayne Weiner, Dave Rimelis, KK Jackson, Laura Ferguson, Matthew Swiss, Joe Cantaffa, Brian Ackles, and Burjis Cooper. In closing, I must publicly thank several members of the TCNJ Music Department, and Event staff, who were wonderful hosts and always supportive. They include: Alanna Gutchigian , Richard Kroth, Mark Kalinowski, and Kyle LoPinto. Their patience and hospitality is truly appreciated. Stay tuned to TEMPO for updates on Summer Workshop Development.

Technology

Andrew Lesser andrew.lesser@yahoo.com

Greetings! First of all, I would like to share my wholehearted appreciation for Marjorie LoPresti and the work she has done as Technology Chair for NJMEA during her many years of service. Her dedication and energy for providing opportunities for both students and educators to increase our knowledge and best practices is something I aspire to accomplish as her successor. As the new Technology Chair, I would like to continue her tradition of excellence by exploring resources for all teachers interested in teaching with technology. Speaking of which, planning has begun for our 10th annual "New Jersey Student Technology Expo," which will be tentatively held in May 2020. Last year, we showcased student work from over a dozen school districts from all around the state, and this year we plan on increasing the amount of registrations so even more districts can participate. Details will be forthcoming, but please check back frequently on the Tech page of the NJMEA website at https:// njmea.org/classroom/technology/. In addition, you may wish to get involved with other events that will be occurring in the near future, such as the NJEA Conference in Atlantic City on November 7th and 8th at the Convention Center, and of course the NJMEA Conference, which will also be held in the Atlantic City Convention Center during February 20-22, 2020. Even if you don’t teach with technology, feel free to explore the following resources as they contain a wealth of creative material. • NYC Musedlab @ https://musedlab.org/ • Music Tech Teacher by Karen Garrett @ https://www.musictechteacher.com/ • TI:ME – Technology in Music Education @ https://www.ti-me.org/ TEMPO 24

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THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION

News From Our Division Chairs

• The I Teach Music Technology group on Facebook • Midnight Music Tech Resources and Training @ https://midnightmusic.com.au/ • MusicFirst software @ https://www.musicfirst.com/ Even if you don’t teach a technology class, there are plenty of ways to incorporate tools into your teaching practices. In addition, if you have any resources you would like to share, please contact me anytime! Any stories, anecdotes, or inquiries are also welcome on the forum as well. Technology is a vast resource that has become an ever-present part of not only education, but society in general. The years ahead promise to be full of new innovations that have the power to engage and amaze, so take advantage of these opportunities and I hope to see you at one of our many upcoming events.

Kirkpatrick Chapel

Let your sound be heard! Conduct your next music event in this beautiful venue on the Rutgers University campus. Kirkpatrick Chapel’s acoustics rival the great music halls of Europe and offer the perfect setting for choirs and choruses as well as strings and brass.

OCTOBER 2019

kirkpatrickchapel.rutgers.edu/ Call 848-932-7808 or email jjcooper@mgsa.rutgers.edu

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Announcing the 11th Annual

New Jersey Young Composers Competition There are wo separate divisions: Middle School (Grades 6-8) High School (Grade 9-12, graduating June 2020) Submissions are accepted in the following categories: Compositions for Solo player (including piano) Small Instrumental/Vocal Ensemble (2-10 performers) Large Instrumental/Vocal Ensemble (11+ performers) Rules and guidelines available at: https://njmea.org/young-composers-competition/ Contact Andrew Lesser, NJ-YCC Chairman for questions at andrew.lesser@yahoo.com Finalists will be invited to participate in a critique held at the New Jersey Music Educators Conference Atlantic City Convention Center February 22, 2020

In collaboration with the National Association for Music Education TEMPO 26

OCTOBER 2019

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NJMEA Early Childhood Music And Advocacy Highlighted On Caucus NJ With Steve Adubado Amy Burns Far Hills Country Day School aburns@fhcds.org

ast fall, I was contacted by the producers of Caucus NJ with Steve Adubado to appear on the show to discuss the benefits of exposing infants to music and the benefits of technology in music education. After speaking with the administration at my school and researching more on the topic through Missy Strong’s articles and resources she gave in the course, First Steps in Music by John Feierabend, I decided to participate. I took part in a solo discussion and a panel discussion about the importance of music in early childhood education, as well as the benefits of technology in music education. The Importance Of Early Childhood Music Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967), a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, educator, and the inspirer of the Kodály Approach to music education, was asked at what age music education should begin. “Nine months before the birth of the child”. Later he refined his answer: “I would go further: the musical education of the child should start nine months before the birth of the mother”. (Kokas, 1970; Salbert, 2015) When reading articles and works written by Zoltán Kodály, John Feierabend, Missy Strong, Lili M. Levinowitz, and more, there is a strong case for the

importance of early childhood music, especially ages 0-9 when the brain is developing rapidly. When reading Missy’s article titled, Neuroscience and Music Education: Why What We Do Is So Important published by SmartMusic, we learn that “a baby is born with about 100 billion neurons, each with approximately 2,500 synaptic connections. By the time a child is three years old, it is close to 15,000 per neuron.” (Strong, 2019). The neurons are basically the cells for communication and the synapses are the connections between the neurons. By the time a child is five years old, the brain “reaches approximately 90 percent of adult size…unless cells form complex neural networks and negative blocking is avoided, unused cells are pruned and not recaptured. Peak times for learning are diminished.” (Gordon, 2013) Why is it important for music educators to know this? Due to the facts that nurturing stimulates synaptic growth in the early years, synaptic connections among neurons are vital and significant, and repetition during these early years develops habits, exposing music to infants is essential for their musical aptitude to grow (Feierabend, 1995; Gordon, 2013; Strong, 2019). According to Edwin Gordon, music aptitude is a measure of the potential to learn music. When children reach a certain age, around nine, children’s musical aptitude peak. After that peak, the loss of creating a musical foundation of learning cannot be rewritten (Gordon, 2013). However, this does not mean that students cannot learn or appreciate mu-

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sic. It means, as Feierabend states, that “there is an irreversible loss of that musical potential” (Feierabend & Strong, 2019). As Missy points out from Stefan Koelsch’s research, all children are inherently musical. In her podcast with John Feierabend, they speak to the fact that just as schools do for subjects such as math, art, reading, etc., children need excellent instructors of music to draw out their musicality (Strong, 2019; Feierabend & Strong 2019). The benefits of music education in early childhood are numerous. As stated above, children’s musicality will develop greatly during that period of time. In addition, learning music from the ages of 0-6 is similar to how children learn to speak a language at that age. As with the language babble stage, children learn music through a sequence which includes singing in tune and marching to a beat (Levinowitz, 1998). Exposing children to music has also shown an acceleration in brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills (Bright Horizons Education team; Gersema, 2016). Steve often invites experts in the field of early childhood brain development onto his show to show support for the Right From the Start NJ Campaign (https:// rightfromthestartnj.org). Right From the Start NJ is a public awareness campaign created to educate the public at large and New Jersey policymakers about the critical importance of the early years of child development, from birth to three.

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Fostering A Positive Musical Environment When Steve asked me about how we can expose the youngest of children, even those who are not born yet, to music, I answered that a parent can do many things to expose their young children to music. They could find a Caregiver and Me type of music class. There are many to choose from offered throughout the state. In addition, music educators can offer a class in their own community or at their school for their own staff. Four years ago, I approached the administration at the school I teach, Far Hills Country Day School, to ask them if I could give a Mommy/Caregiver and Me music class once a month to those in the community that wanted to attend. I started off with one 45-minute class at the beginning of the school day using materials that I had gathered over the years. The class had a few families with children ranging from twelve months to three years old. It was mostly comprised of younger siblings of students who attend the school. Currently, the classes have grown immensely. I have had to split the class into three classes: Crawlers (ages four to twelve months), Waddlers (ages one to two years), and Toddlers (ages two to four years). I host these classes once a month on a Monday morning at the beginning of the school day. I now use Dr. Feierabend’s First Steps in Music for Infants and Toddlers program. One of my most joyful moments occurred during a class this past summer. I was playing a songtale on my flute and as the parents and caregivers were slowly rocking their children, I heard them quietly sing to their children. I was in awe of these parOCTOBER 2019

ents. They were truly becoming musical for their children. This brings me to what we can do to foster a positive musical environment. For parents, I tell them that the classes are a great start. However, the best thing they can do is sing to their young children. Their children love them unconditionally at this age. No matter what the parent thinks of their own voice, they should sing. The more they do, the more the children will listen and learn about music and their aptitude will grow. As for music educators, we know that young children’s brains are developing rapidly during these first three years of their lives. Therefore, repetitive and positive, high-quality musical experiences are important for this age level. Constantly sing, move to, listen, and respond to fun, authentic, wonderful music with your young children and students. The Benefits Of Technology In The Music Classroom Steve continued the interview by asking about the benefits of technology. I always emphasize when I give workshops about integrating technology into the elementary classroom that, I am an elementary music teacher. Therefore, my students sing, perform on instruments, move to music together, create music, listen to music, respond to music, and most importantly, do music. If technology can assist in a way for students to successfully do this, then I will utilize it. However, I feel that active technology, one that engages the student on the musical task at hand, is more effective than passive technology, one that research reports on where a child is watching YouTube for exuberant amounts of time per day. When I utilize technology, it is in an active way. Technology is best used when it can enhance the music classroom in a way that traditional methods cannot. There are several examples that have been very

effective in my music classroom. One is when a traditional instrument cannot be successfully played to make or create music or the music program lacks funds to own enough instruments for each student to play. I then bring up a virtual instrument on a device and plug the device into a decent pair of speakers. The student that could not make music with the traditional instrument, can now perform with their classmates by tapping and playing a virtual instrument. Virtual instruments can be found in numerous apps, such as GarageBand or Timothy Purdum’s Orff Xylophone iOS app, or at virtual instrument websites found with a Google Search on a Chromebook. Other examples include using a music composition program such as Noteflight (noteflight.com) to help students who are challenged by composing with the traditional methods of paper and pencil. Finally, the students sharing their work with an authentic audience empowers them. For example, students create music and then want to share it with another music class in school, or in the state, or around the globe. Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) such as Soundtrap (soundtrap.com), give students the opportunity to collaborate, create, and share music online with other students from various countries. Digital student portfolios and engagement tools such as Seesaw (web.seesaw. me), ClassDojo (classdojo.com) or Flipgrid (flipgrid.com), empower students by giving them a voice and the chance to reflect and share their work with a larger audience. These programs also encourage the practice of digital citizenship skills by commenting on each other’s works. This helps them realize that when they communicate with other students from around the world, that music is not something that is just in their classroom, or just in their town, or just in their state. It is something that is global and universal. continued on next page

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PBS aired the episode of Caucus NJ with Steve Adubado last February. However, the solo interview is found at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc3wk4quDd0. In addition, the roundtable panel discussion about how the arts are essential to a complete education and to the overall healthy development of communities is found at https://www.thirteen.org/programs/caucus-new-jersey-with-steve-adubato/arts-educationand-its-impact-on-child-development-ipy2eo/. The panel included Lauren Meehan, Matt Ross, and Lawrence Tamburri. I was proud to represent NJMEA and to advocate for music education for early childhood. Amy M. Burns (aburns@fhcds.org) has taught PreKgrade 4 general music for over 20 years at Far Hills Country Day School. She has authored three books on how to integrate tech into the elementary music classroom. She has presented many sessions on the topic, including four keynote addresses in Texas, Indiana, Saint Maarten, and Australia. She is the recipient of the TI:ME Teacher of the Year, NJ Master Music Teacher, Governor’s Leader in Arts Education, and the NJ Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Awards.

Gersema, E. (2016, June 24). Children’s brains develop faster with music training. Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://news.usc.edu/102681/childrens-brains-developfaster-with-music-training/ Gordon, E. E. (2013). Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children: 2013 Edition. Gia Publications. Levinowitz, L. M. (1998). The Importance of Music in Early Childhood. General Music Today,12(1), 4-7. doi::10.1177/ doi:104837139801200103 Kokas, K. (1970). Kodály’s Concept of Music Education. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education,22(Fall), 49-56. Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/40317114 Right From the Start NJ (2019). Retrieved from https:// rightfromthestartnj.org/ Salbert, D. (2015, July 14). Collecting Repertoire for Kodály-inspired Music Lessons in Dutch Elementary Schools. Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www. researchcatalogue.net/view/154479/154604 Strong, M. (2019, July 22). Neuroscience and Music Education: Why What We Do Is So Important. Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www.smartmusic.com/ blog/neuroscience-and-music-education-why-what-wedo-is-so-important/?utm_content=buffer7d5e1&utm_ medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_ campaign=daily_post&fbclid=IwAR2MEtgz-rYuFlYBgAIe RhGfBVdI9XElJWiq0CgqoddVB85Ot2CMBAgPh64 What is Kodály Music Education? (n.d.). Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www.loyola.edu/school-education/ academics/graduate/kodaly-music-education/about

Resources: Bright Horizons Education Team. (n.d.). Children and Music: Benefits of Music in Child Development. Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www. brighthorizons.com/family-resources/music-and-childrenrhythm-meets-child-development Feierabend, J. M. (1995). Music and Intelligence in the Early Years - Feierabend Association for Music Education: A tuneful, beatful, artful learning community. Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www.feierabendmusic.org/ music-and-intelligence-in-the-early-years/ Feierabend, J. M. (2000). First steps in music for infants and toddlers: The curriculum: Birth through 36 months. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications. Feierabend, J. M. & Strong, M. What is First Steps in Music: The Infant/Toddler Curriculum, Part 1 [Audio blog interview]. (2019, June 20). Retrieved August 9, 2019, from https://www.feierabendmusic.org/what-is-first-stepsin-music-the-infant-toddler-curriculum-part-1-s1e11/

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OCTOBER 2019

NJMEA Member Spotlight Missy Strong Mount Laurel Township, NJ School District

hen you hear the words First Steps and Conversational Solfege, the first person you think of is John Feierabend, the developer and author of both of these approaches. If you live in NJ, the next person you think of is Missy Strong because NJ music educators flock to her classes and sessions when she presents on the topics. Whether you know her through her articles about Feierabend’s work, or have attended her many sessions from folk dancing to neuroscience, or know her as a teacher of elementary general music, one thing is very clear: Missy is passionate about music education and an expert in her field. So much so, that when a recent survey on a music education network asked elementary music educators whose classroom they wanted to visit to watch them teach, Missy Strong was one of the most frequent answers. For over two decades, Missy Strong has been teaching general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary and middle school levels. Missy earned her Master’s in Music Education with a minor in vocal health from Rowan University in 2003, and her Doctorate in Music Education with an emphasis in early childhood development from Rutgers, New Brunswick, in 2012. She currently teaches Elementary General and Vocal Music in the Mount Laurel Township, NJ school district. Missy is also an adjunct professor at Montclair State and Colorado Mesa Universities. She was the Music Education Consultant and Curriculum Writer for the OCTOBER 2019

Rafiki Foundation and formerly served in the early 2000’s as the Senior Research Assistant for Music Together, LLC. For 10 years, Missy was also the Director of Children’s Music Education at the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Missy is a founding member of the Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME, https://www.feierabendmusic.org/). She is an Endorsed Teacher Trainer for First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege. For the past two years, Missy served as the President-Elect of FAME. In addition to her work as a clinician in districts and conferences around the U.S., Missy has also been able to work with music educators in different parts of the world, leading workshops and courses in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, on a cruise to Bermuda this past July, and there are plans for her to teach a First Steps in Music Course in Thailand in April 2020. To bring the work and philosophy of John Feierabend to a larger audience, in 2012 Missy founded the Facebook group, Feierabend Fundamentals with just 50 members. Her hope was that anyone interested in Feierabend’s work and resources could join and ask questions while also sharing tips and ideas. This group has been a lifesaver to many music educators and has grown to over 10,000 members. In addition, Missy is a contributing author and, along with Feierabend, co-editor of the book Feierabend Fundamentals: History, Philosophy, and Practice from

GIA Publications and a contributing author to a book soon to be published by Oxford University Press. This past year, Missy started, hosted, and is the executive producer of a podcast titled, “The Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Music Teacher” (bit.ly/TuBeArtfulPodcast). This podcast is an in-depth look into the Feierabend approach interviewing teachers who use the approach successfully, as well as interviewing John Feierabend himself on a variety of topics. Missy Strong is a music educator that is adored by the youngest to the oldest of students. If you have taken one of her classes, then you know that you came out of the class joyful, with more knowledge and confidence, and if you are like me, a bit more tuneful, beatful, and artful. When attending one of her workshops or sessions, I always hear numerous music educators beam, “Missy is one of the best!” or “Wow! She has taught me so much. I cannot wait to implement it all this year!” If you get the chance to read one of her articles or books, attend her sessions, take one of her classes, or listen to her podcast, jump at the chance because you will be learning from one of the best! If you know a teacher that we should spotlight, or a music program doing great things, let us know at patrickaokeefe@gmail.com and we can feature them on social media or in a future TEMPO! We would love to hear about the diverse and passionate practices happening throughout the state!

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Knowing The Difference, As You Make A Difference With Special Learners Maureen Butler Mountain Lakes School District mbutler@mlschools.org

ithin the field of education, it can be difficult to stay current with changes in terminology as new trends emerge. This is also the case with special education, as new research informs and changes the way we think and teach. There may even be some terms we’ve encountered along the way that we find confusing. Here are some explanations to clarify terminology as you navigate through the world of special learners. ADD or ADHD More experienced teachers will remember when students were diagnosed with either Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADD is now considered an outdated term, and ADHD is in current clinical use, since it refers to the two key behaviors of inattention and hyperactivity. Additionally, there are three subtypes of ADHD: • Predominantly Inattentive Type: Students have difficulty maintaining concentration and attention, exhibit a lack of focus and organization, and are easily distracted. • Predominantly HyperactiveImpulsive Type: Students seem to be always moving, frequently talk at inappropriate times, and exhibit lack of impulse control.

• Combined Type: Students exhibit a combination of both inattentive and hyperactiveimpulsive behaviors. Knowing these classifications will help you make accommodations for all three types of students. In our classes, it may be easy to determine which students are hyperactiveimpulsive, and not as easy to determine which students have attention deficits. If students are already diagnosed, this information can be found in their IEP or 504 plans. Since we see students for much less time than the classroom teacher, we have to be on the lookout for the behaviors that may suggest undiagnosed attention deficits, and respond accordingly. Additionally, network with your colleagues (the other special subject teachers, classroom teachers) when you suspect students of having these deficits, and contribute to your school’s referral plans. Understanding the challenges our students face will improve the likelihood of positive musical experiences for them. Auditory Processing Disorder or Hearing Loss A diagnosis of an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) does not mean a student has a hearing loss. Rather, this term refers to the inability of the brain to correctly process and interpret sounds. A student with APD

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has normal hearing but has difficulty with such tasks as discriminating between similar speech sounds, tuning out background noise, remembering what was heard (including song lyrics) and following directions. It may seem that the child cannot hear you or has not been paying attention, but in reality they have difficulty processing what they’ve heard. There are two main types of hearing loss: sensorineural, in which the auditory nerve and cochlea do not function; and conduction hearing loss, in which something (an incorrectly formed middle or outer ear, for example) physically blocks sound from traveling to the inner ear. Students with sensorineural loss may be completely deaf, may exhibit a range anywhere from a mild to a profound loss, and may use hearing aids or cochlear implants to access sound, with varying results. Students with a conduction loss hear near normal levels with a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA). Students with APD and those with hearing loss may all need accommodations and modifications; knowing the difference will help you structure your learning environment to maximize their learning potential. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) Although AS was first identified OCTOBER 2019

by Hans Asperger in 1944, it was not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 1994, in the fourth edition. Since 2013, however, the fifth edition includes Asperger Syndrome along with other conditions in the umbrella term of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Although children may no longer be given this diagnosis, many people with Asperger Syndrome identify with this term, and several national and international groups still utilize it. Students with ASD may exhibit deficits in social interaction, communication, and sensory processing, and may engage in restrictive, repetitive behaviors. These characteristics are currently categorized as: • Level 1 “Requiring support” (includes highly functioning children and children formerly diagnosed with AS) or • Level 2 – “Requiring substantial support” or • Level 3 – “Requiring very substantial support.” Understanding diagnostic criteria in this case is not as important as understanding that no two children on the spectrum will be exactly alike. You will see a variety of behaviors exhibited by students, and understanding their behaviors will help you provide them with enriching musical experiences. You might have noticed that similar behaviors are somewhat present in children with different diagnoses. Consider students who seem to be easily distracted in your classes. Is it because they are unable to tune out background noise? Or do they have attention deficits, and cannot maintain focus? Are they on the autism spectrum and the sensory input is overwhelming? How do we OCTOBER 2019

respond appropriately? Becoming informed by reading students’ IEP and 504 plans is a helpful practice, which may lead us to the question: What is the difference between those two documents? Individual Education Program or 504 Plans These plans for students with disabilities fall under two different laws. An IEP is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that allows for special education for children with one of thirteen specific disabilities. 504 is a section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which guarantees civil rights to children with any disability. For students to qualify for an IEP, their disability (such as autism, visual impairment, emotional disturbance) must have an adverse effect on their learning, requiring special education, with any related services that are necessary. For students to qualify for services under the broader 504 plan, their disability (such as reading, communicating, ADHD) must affect their learning in the general education classroom, requiring services as well as changes to that learning environment. The IEP process is much more formal and complex, and includes annual education goals and timelines. Teachers are required by law to learn what accommodations and modifications they must provide to their students as outlined in either plan. Some schools show teachers the full reports; others are shown only a list of accommodations and modifications they are responsible for implementing. But what is the difference between an accommodation and a modification? Accommodation or Modification An accommodation is used when

a student can participate and accomplish a task, but needs extra support – more time, peer assistance, afterschool instruction, larger font, etc. Expectations for what the student will learn are the same as for the rest of the class. A modification is used when the students’ disabilities prevent them from fully participating and accomplishing a task. In this case, an assignment might be modified by reducing a complex rhythm to a “skeleton” rhythm, changing an essay test to short answers, or substituting playing a rhythm instrument for dancing. Our goal is to create realistic expectations for the student to participate and be successful in a meaningful way. If you have any questions about your special learners, be sure to network with your colleagues. Music teachers can feel isolated from other staff members for a variety of reasons. There are professionals in your building and district who are experts in their field and are willing to help. As you learn more about your special learners, you will be able to make more of a difference – for all your students. For more information: https://www.autismspeaks.org h t t p s : / / w w w. n i m h . n i h . g ov / health/topics/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-adhd/ index.shtml https://www.asha.org/public/ hearing/understandingauditory-processing-disordersin-children/ Adamek, Mary S., and Darrow, Alice-Ann, Music in Special Education, Second Edition, Copyright 2010, The American Music Therapy Corporation

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Sandra Snow, Chorus New Jersey All-State Chorus and Orchestra The Eighty-Eighth Annual Program THE NATIONAL ANTHEM Chorus, Orchestra and Audience Conducted by Patrick O’Keefe, President New Jersey Music Educators Association

Adam Glaser, Orchestra Conductor Launch........................................................... Glasser Hansel und Gretel: Prelude................. Humperdinck Capriccio Espagnol........................ Rimsky-Korsakov Orchestra PRESENTATION OF PINS TO THE CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA Marie Blistan, President New Jersey Education Association

As conductor, pedagogue, and scholar, Sandra Snow is widely acknowledged as one who brings singers of all ages and abilities to artful performance through an understanding of the music and its context in the world around them. As Professor of Choral Conducting and Music Education at the Michigan State University College of Music, the MSU Women’s Chamber Ensemble has appeared as featured performers at American Choral Directors Association conventions at state, regional, and national levels. As guest conductor, she travels extensively in North America and abroad. In 2017 Snow created "mirabai," a project-based professional women’s chorus. "Mirabai features alumna associated with the MSU Women’s Chamber Ensemble. mirabai" was a featured ensemble at the Texas Choral Director’s Association conference in 2018. The inaugural recording, "Ecstatic Songs," was released in 2018. Snow is author of the DVD “Conducting-Teaching: Real World Strategies for Success” published by GIA (2009), a resource for conductor-teachers at all levels of teaching. She edits the choral music series "In High Voice" published by Boosey & Hawkes. Snow is the Artistic Director of the American Institute for Choral Teacher Education produced annually at MSU. She is a recipient of the Michigan State University "William J. Beal Award for Outstanding Faculty," the MSU "Teacher-Scholar Award," and the "Dortha J. and John D. Withrow Award" for Excellence in Teaching.

Sandra Snow, Chorus Conductor Ubi Caritas.................................................. Ola Giello Awake the harp (from Creation)........................Haydn Adoramus te, Christe....................................... di Lasso Lass Dich Nur Nichts Nicht Dauren................Brahms O meu maracatu..........................................arr. Afonso My God is a rock.......................................... arr. Gibbs Two treble trios/SATB divisi Chorus

Combined Orchestra & Chorus I am in need of Music....................David L. Brunner

Friday, November 9, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Atlantic City Adrian Phillips Ballroom Boardwalk Hall and Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. NJPAC Prudential Hall Newark, NJ

Adam Glaser, Orchestra Adam Glaser is one of the most engaging and versatile conductors on the music scene today, equally at home in the core symphonic and operatic repertoire as well as contemporary and pops. His most recent appointments include two newly-created positions: Principal Conductor of the NYU Orchestras, and an expanded role as Music Director of the professional-caliber Juilliard Pre-College Orchestras, which he has conducted in over 50 concerts at New York’s Lincoln Center. As the Director of Orchestras at Long Island’s Hofstra University, Adam conducts the Hofstra Symphony Orchestra and Hofstra Chamber Orchestra, and teaches graduate-level seminars in score analysis. In the summer, he conducts the Interlochen Philharmonic at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, and serves as Artistic Advisor for Long Island’s Usdan Center for the Arts. Commissions include Launch, a concert piece for orchestra and chorus commissioned and premiered by the Lake Forest (IL) High School Orchestra and Chorus, and an arrangement of Hatikvah for string orchestra and children’s chorus, commissioned and premiered by the Usdan Center for the Arts to commemorate Israel’s 60th anniversary. A lifelong jazz pianist and songwriter, he is a founding member of Phil Orch Jazz, the renowned group comprised of members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Performing together since 1999, the band has appeared at such venues as Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live and the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Stage, the Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center in New York, and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival in Colorado. A former marketing executive and consultant to Fortune 500 companies, Glaser maintains a keen interest in commercial music, audio branding and the use of music and sound throughout the business world. He is the founder of Glaser Music, Inc. (GMI), which specializes in the creation of original music for film, television, advertising, corporate/retail and new media.

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Ned J. Rosenblatt, Jazz Choir Director The New Jersey Music Educators Association proudly presents The 2019 New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble and Honors Jazz Choir Ned J. Rosenblatt, Jazz Choir Conductor Program to be selected from: Tight..................................... Betty Carter, arr: Matt Falker Lilás..................................... Djavan, arr: Ned J. Rosenblatt To You....................... Thad Jones, arr: Manhattan Transfer Got To Get You Into My Life..............................arr: Rosenblatt

Dennis Mackrel, Honors Jazz Ensemble Conductor Program to be selected from: Blues in the Two Percent.....................Dennis Mackrel Yesterdays............................. Jerome Kern/arr. Mackrel Don’t Fence Me In.................Cole Porter/arr. Mackrel I Got it Bad......................Duke Ellington/arr. Mackrel And That’s That..................................Dennis Mackrel Nor Frills.............................................Dennis Mackrel

Finale NJ Honors Jazz Choir & All-State Jazz Ensemble I Thought About You........Jimmy Van Heusen, arr. Rosenblatt Thursday, November 7, 2019 Claridge Hotel Celebrity Theater 7:30 p.m. and Friday, November 15, 2019 NJ-PAC Chase Room 7:00 p.m.

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Ned J. Rosenblatt currently holds the position of Associate Professor in the Voice Department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory. As a freelance musician and director, Rosenblatt has accompanied and arranged for the Connecticut Music Educator’s Association Middle School Chorus, managed and accompanied the Massachusetts AllCape and Islands Festival Chorus, founded and served as manager of the Massachusetts AllCape and Islands Jazz Festival from 19992003, has served as a vocal coach, and has arranged for both instrumental and vocal ensembles in the Jazz, Classical, Pop, Contemporary, and Broadway Show idioms. He has served as Director of the Vermont Music Educator Association District VI Festival Jazz Choir; AllCape and Islands Jazz Festival Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Festival Chorus; Maine All-State Vocal Jazz Choir and the New Jersey Honors Jazz Choir. Rosenblatt frequently serves as an adjudicator for Classical, Jazz and Show Choir festivals. His high school Vocal Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Ensembles have won numerous awards including thirteen wins at the highly acclaimed "Berklee Jazz Festival" (Boston, MA); have been featured on television, have performed at the Massachusetts and Florida All-State Conferences and the Arts Schools Network Conference. The Berklee Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble is the current Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble Undergraduate College Level winner of the 2019 DownBeat Student Music Awards.

Dennis Mackrel, Jazz Ensemble Director Dennis was born, April 3, 1962. A child prodigy, he began playing the drums when he was two; and became a professional musician at the age of ten when he performed in the Anchorage Community Theatre’s production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. Developing his craft in various playing situations, his Broadway credits include “The First” and “A Chorus Line”. In January of 1983, Dennis joined the Count Basie Orchestra on the personal recommendation of Joe Williams. After leaving the Count Basie Orchestra, he returned to New York and soon became the drummer of choice for a number of large ensembles. Dennis’s transition from sideman to leader continued with his frequent trips to Europe as a guest conductor, arranger and/ or soloist for such outstanding ensembles as the "Kluvers Big Band" in Aarhus, Denmark; the "Danish Radio Big Band" in Copenhagen, Denmark; and the "WDR Big Band" in Koln, Germany. In 2010, he returned to the Count Basie Orchestra where he served as its leader and chief conductor until 2013 and on November 7th 2015, he was named chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the "Concertgebouw" in Amsterdam, Holland. As an educator, he continues to conduct master classes, seminars, and workshops thoughout Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA. From 2002-2003, Dennis served as a guest professor at the Royal Conservatory in Aarhus, Denmark and from 2012-2013, he was the Visiting Artist in Jazz Studies at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He is currently a professor at Queens College in Flushing, NY and a member of the jazz faculty at the Birch Creek Summer Jazz Camp in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin and the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY. 35 TEMPO

The 2020 NJMEA State Music Conference Moves to Atlantic City February 20-22, 2020

Why Move The Conference? After many years at the East Brunswick Hilton, we have outgrown the space both in the physical and philosophical sense. By moving the conference to Atlantic City, we have an opportunity to re-imagine what our state conference can and should be. A committee made up of veteran conference staff, and NJMEA members who have experience attending and presenting at conferences all around the country has been meeting during the year to decide how we can modernize and improve the conference experience for our members. While we know this change may seem unexpected to some, please know that we’ve been discussing this since we hosted the 2017 NAfME Eastern Division conference, and it wasn’t a decision we rushed into. We are confident that this move will be a positive step forward for our conference. The list

of all of the factors that lead to this decision are too numerous to put in this message, however we would like to highlight some parts of the conference experience that we feel will be improvements in Atlantic City. Entertainment and Dining One common complaint about East Brunswick, and something our members liked about the Eastern Division conference in Atlantic City, was the availability of things to do outside the conference. As anyone who has been to the conference in the past knows, evening activities are limited without the necessity of a trip to a nearby town like New Brunswick. In Atlantic City there are numerous choices for evening entertainment once the conference sessions and concerts are over. Another limiting factor in East Brunswick was food options, especially for lunch and dinner. Similar to the en-

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tertainment options, finding a quick bite or enjoying a full meal will be much easier in Atlantic City. Parking Not much elaboration needed here. The parking situation will be much better with this move. Exhibits You may not know this, but we typically sell out our exhibit space and often have a waiting list for exhibitors. Using the AC Convention Center will allow us to accept more exhibitors, and make moving through the exhibit hall much more comfortable. Lobby Concerts For those who were able to attend the 2017 Eastern Division conference, you may recall that the lobby concerts were a very prominent feature for that conference. By OCTOBER 2019

virtue of where they were located, they were heard by many more attendees. Additionally, we received numerous comments from the employees of the convention center who shared how much they enjoyed being able to hear our student performers while they worked. And isn’t that why we do this? Conference Structure One of the benefits of hosting the 2017 Eastern Division Conference was having the opportunity to try a new conference schedule. We added dedicated concert hours, general assembly sessions with keynotes, and were able to accommodate more performing groups and sessions. Not all decisions have been made yet, but we’re looking to bring some of these features to our 2020 conference. All-State Those of you who send students to the All-State Bands and Treble Chorus may be wondering how those ensembles will be impacted by this change. The rehearsal structure and performance schedule will look very similar to what we offer our Orchestra, Chorus, and Jazz students in November. The All-State Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Treble Chorus will rehearse in Atlantic City during the conference, just as our November

ensembles rehearse during the NJEA conference. Our plan is to make these rehearsals open to directors, and to make them easily accessible within the conference center. Students will then travel home after the conference and report to NJPAC on Sunday, February 23rd for their concert. Additionally, our plan is to run buses from locations in central and northern New Jersey so parents don’t have to drive their students. This is what we do for our November All-State students and it works well. More information regarding this will be shared as details are finalized. Next Steps Planning! We spent the past year working to put this all together so when we arrive in Atlantic City in February of 2020 we’ll be walking into a revamped conference that will continue to provide high-quality professional development for music educators. Thank you for your continued support of our conference over all these years. We hope that those of you who are regular conference attendees will continue to support our conference. For those who have never been, or have not attended recently, we hope you’ll consider joining us in 2020.

Keynote Speaker: Joanne Lipman Joanne Lipman is the bestselling author of That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together. One of the nation’s leading journalists, she most recently was chief content officer of Gannett, and editor-in-chief of USA TODAY and the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprising the flagship title and 109 other news organizations including the Detroit Free Press, the Cincinnati Enquirer , and the Arizona Republic. In that role, she oversaw more than 3,000 journalists and led the organization to three Pulitzer Prizes. Lipman began her career as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, ultimately rising to Deputy Managing Editor - the first woman to attain that post - and supervising coverage that earned three Pulitzer Prizes. While at the Journal, she created Weekend Journal and Personal Journal and oversaw creation of the paper’s Saturday edition. She subsequently was founding Editor-in-Chief of Conde Nast Portfolio and Portfolio.com, which won National Magazine and Loeb Awards. Joanne is a frequent television commentator, seen on ABC, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CNBC, and CBS, among others, and her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Time, Fortune, Newsweek and Harvard Business Review. She is also co-author, with Melanie Kupchynsky, of the critically acclaimed musical memoir Strings Attached. A winner of the Matrix Award for women in communications, Lipman is also a member of the Yale University Council, the Council on Foreign Relations, and is an International Media Leader for the World Economic Forum as well as a member of the Knight Foundation Commission on Truth, Media and Democracy. OCTOBER 2019

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Featured Performers: Boston Brass

or 30 years, Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience. From exciting classical arrangements, to burning jazz standards, and the best of theoriginal brass quintet repertoire, Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of entertainment, which captivates all ages. The ensemble’s lively repartee, touched with humor and personality, attempts to bridge the ocean of classical formality to delight audiences in an evening of great music and boisterous fun. The philosophy of Boston Brass is to provide audiences with a wide selection of musical styles in unique arrangements, provided in a friendly and fun atmosphere. Through over 100 performances each year, the members of Boston Brass play to audiences at concerts, educational venues and jazz festivals. In addition to solo performances, Boston Brass regularly performs with orchestras, bands, marching bands, organ, jazz bands and avariety of other ensembles. They have performed in 49 states and 30 countries and have conducted master classes around the world including sessions and residencies at the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Peabody Conservatory of Music, University of North Texas, Royal Academy of Music in London, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore and Mahidol University in Bangkok. Boston Brass along with Jupiter Band Instruments are ambassadors for the “Give A Note Foundation,” giving musical instruments to schools in need. They have been featured educators and performers at the MidWest Band and Orchestra Clinic, World Association for

Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Music Educators National Conference events, American Bandmaster Association Conference, The American Band College, Western International Band Clinic and at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. Since 2006, Boston Brass has served as Artist/Educational Ambassadors for XO Professional Brass Instruments. Boston Brass has been featured on The CBS Early Show, National Public Radio’s Performance Today, The Great American Brass Band Festival and has recorded several diverse albums. Their newest recording, Rewired, features new and exciting classical and jazz arrangements. Latin Nights, features a collection of some ofthe greatest classical and jazz works by Latin composers and performers and features the legendary drummer Steve Gadd, the beautiful voice of Talita Real, percussion and guitar. Other albums include Ya Gotta Try, featuring music from Horace Silver, Chick Corea and Dizzy Gillespie, produced by legendary jazz recording genius Rudy van Gelder andWithin Earshot, featuring classical works by Shostakovich, Ginastera, Dvorak, Lisztand others. Boston Brass has two holiday recordings, Christmas Bells are Swingin’,and The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols, featuring the Boston Brass All-Stars Big Band playing the truly phenomenal charts made popular by the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Boston Brass tours a vibrant holiday show each year featuring many of the charts from these two albums, combined with a variety of solo and combo selections and some fun surprises, which has quickly established the show as a perennial audience favorite. 2011 marked the 25th Anniversary of Boston Brass and was celebrated with the “25 Fanfares Project,” wherein 25 fanfares were premiered by composers from all over the country. Boston Brass also premiered a new major commission by noted wind ensemblecomposer Brian Balmages and new arrangements by the legendary Sam Pilafian. Additionally, Boston Brass was very excited to have the opportunity to collaborate in the 2010/2011 season with the fabulous Imani Winds in a program entitled “Sketches of Spain,” featuring the music of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. In the 2012/2013 season the quintet began touring their “Notes from the Balcony” program with the Enso String Quartet. The program features music based on “Romeo and Juliet.”

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Featured Presenters (as of August 9, 2019) Peter and Mary Alice Amidon

eter and Mary Alice Amidon are versatile and widely respected as performers and teachers who have dedicated their careers to traditional song, dance, and storytelling. They are in demand throughout the United States as clinicians leading Orff and Kodály elementary school music teacher workshops on traditional dance, song and storytelling. The Amidons have been headliners at several AOSA and OAKE national conferences and are honored to be members of the AOSA Advocacy Council. They are founders of “New England Dancing Masters,” publishers of traditional dance materials for children and communities. The Amidons’ choral arrangements for adults and children are being sung by choruses throughout the U.S. and the U.K. The Amidons are both former elementary school music teachers.

John Feierabend

ohn Feierabend is considered one of the leading authorities on music and movement development in childhood. He is Professor Emeritus and former Director of Music Education at the University of Hartford’s “The Hartt School” and is a past President of the Organization of American Kodály Educators. He has given presentations in all 50 states and many other countries. He is the author of over 80 books, recordings, and DVDs, several of which served as the inspiration for the award winning PBS children’s television series “Lomax: The Hound of Music.” John continues to be committed to collecting, preserving and teaching the diverse folk music of our country and using that folk music as a bridge to help children understand and enjoy classical music. John’s creativity and research has resulted in two music methods: First Steps in Music, a music and movement program for infants through elementary-aged children; and Conversational Solfége, a music literacy method suitable for elementary through college-aged student. His teaching has provided thousands of teachers and their students with the materials and techniques to help build community through music by evoking enthusiastic participation of all people. To that end his approach strives for all people to become tuneful, beatful and artful through research based and developmentally appropriate pedagogies while promoting the use of quality literature.

Denise Gagne

enise Gagne has taught instrumental, choral and classroom music from babies and preschool to college levels. She has degrees in music and education, as well as Level 3 certification in both Kodály and Orff. Denise is the author or editor of more than 100 publications for K- 6 music teachers. She has been a workshop presenter in every Canadian province and territory and all 50 states. She presents regularly for Orff and Kodály workshops, preschool and kindergarten conferences in Canada, the USA, Asia, and Australia! Her workshops are fun, practical, and activity based!

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2020 NJMEA State Conference Registration for the 2020 February Conference is OPEN! Prices for 2020 will remain the same as 2019!

Full Conference - Members- $170 Full Conference - Collegiate and Retired Members - $50 Single Day -Members- $135. Full Conference - Non-members- $350. Clinicians- $85. (All clinicians MUST register.) Add $10 for On-site registration. (There will NOT be a membership luncheon on Friday and the Friday Gala Concert is free, as usual.)

To Pre-Register

The Pre-Registration process will also be the same this year as last. You can follow the link below to our website and the Eventsquid page. You will need to know your NAfME log-in to start the registration process. Your NAfME membership must expire no earlier than 2/20/20. Please renew prior to registering to avoid problems!

Payment

There are three forms of payment. You will see forms of payment listed and you check one.

You may pay by: Credit Card - Upon completion of the form you will be asked if you want to “Finish and pay later or Pay Now. For credit card you select, Pay Now and you will be directed to the payment page. A $10 process fee will be added to all credit card registrations. If you need a receipt, either for you own records or to show your school, please print out the invoice page upon completion of registration.

Check – Upon completion of the form, you will choose the “Finish and Pay Later” button. You will not be charged the $10 processing fee. Print out the invoice, and send a check, made out to NJMEA, for the correct amount, with a copy of the invoice to:

NJMEA 1806 Hwy. 35, Ste. 201 Oakhurst, NJ 07755 Purchase Orders – You MUST register online first, choose the “Finish and Pay Later” button. Print out the invoice, give it to your Board Office and then have your school send the PO w/the invoice to the above address.

Pre-registration will end on Friday, February 7, 2020. The site will SHUT DOWN on that date. ALL PO’s MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE OFFICE NO LATER THAN Friday, February 7, 2020. There will be NO REFUNDS after Tuesday, February 11, 2020. To register: Go to njmea.org, click on the Conference Header, then Conference Information. You will find the link to the registration page there! TEMPO 40

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Don’t Just Play. PERFORM AT YOUR HIGHEST LEVEL.

Take your musicianship to new levels through the continuous study of theory, practice, and performance. ON-CAMPUS AUDITIONS

REGIONAL AUDITIONS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2019 SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2020 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2020 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Dates and Locations Available Online at  ithaca.edu/music | music@ithaca.edu

Application Deadline: DECEMBER 1

FALL OPEN HOUSES MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2019 and MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019 Learn more at ithaca.edu/open-house.

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MAY 2018 OCTOBER 2019

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Coding + Composition + Chiptune Music Shawna longo Hopatcong Middle School shawnalongo@gmail.com

he latest hot-button topic that many school districts are focusing on is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Whenever a “new” initiative or topic is introduced to me, I always try to find a way that connects that initiative to my content area – music. By making natural connections to music, I am showing my support of district/school initiatives or goals, advocating for the arts, and making deeper learning connections for my students. This is definitely the higher road to take, rather than throwing your hands in the air and waving it off. There’s always going to be a “new” initiative coming down the pike and supporting these initiatives can go a long way with your administration. What is SEL? In case you have been wondering what this latest trend is all about – CASEL defines Social-Emotional Learning as “the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” Within schools, SEL is used as an educational process through which skills for life effectiveness are intentionally taught and modeled in a safe, supportive, and culturally responsive environment. Casel’s Core Competencies Almost every SEL initiative is grounded in CASEL’s five core competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision Making. These five core competencies have many authentic connections to the skills we teach and standards we cover in music classes.

www.casel.org/core-competencies/ Self-Awareness is defined by CASEL as occurring when students/teachers: • Identify emotions. • Are aware of their self-perception/identity. • Recognize their strengths. • Have a sense of self-confidence. • Have self-efficacy. In music class, the self-awareness SEL competency can be found when: • Students are taught music skills and how to apply them to their lives. • Teachers promote growth through the creative process where students are developing and refining their work/performance. • Teachers assist students in identifying and processing emotions.

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• Students are required to accurately assess their strengths and limitations with a sense of confidence, optimism, and a growth mindset.

• Students are put in the places of other people in other times and cultures to increase their understanding of the composer’s intent.

Self-Management is defined by CASEL as occurring when students/teachers exhibit: • Impulse control. • Stress management. • Self-discipline. • Self-motivation. • Perseverance. • Goal-setting. • Organizational Skills.

Relationship Skills are defined by CASEL as occurring when students/teachers: • Communicate. • Engage socially. • Build relationships. • Work collaboratively. • Resolve conflicts. • Help others and/or seek help when needed.

In music class, the self-management SEL competency can be found when: • Students listen to music to regulate their emotions or identify their emotional response. • Students exhibit self-discipline in their practice to increase their performance precision. • Students find motivation in themselves and set personal goals. • Students are organized (time management) and utilize stress management (regulation of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors) through the performance of music. • Students are invested in the outcome when they perform music together (reflected in the student’s work, efforts, and strengths). Social-Awareness is defined by CASEL as occurring when students/teachers: • Practice perspective taking. • Practice empathy. • Appreciate diversity. • Show a respect for others. In music class, the social-awareness SEL competency can be found when: • Students interact with others through group performance. • Students work through the artist process, which is innately individualistic and also naturally collaborative. • Students see new perspectives that support and challenge their own by determining commonalities and appreciating differences when performing and interacting with others. OCTOBER 2019

In music class, the relationship skills SEL competency can be found when: • Students build relationships while creating, performing, and/or enjoying music together. • Students are touched personally by music and are connected with others in the same moment. • Students are exposed to new ideas and given time to explore. • Students practice relationship skills in an authentic way. • Students work with others, communicate, engage, and work as a team to create or perform a piece of music. Responsible Decision-Making is defined by CASEL as occurring when students/teachers: • Identify problems. • Analyze situations. • Solve problems. • Evaluate. • Reflect. • Show an ethical responsibility. In music class, the responsible decision-making SEL competency can be found when: • Students are creating, presenting, performing, responding to, and connecting with music, as they are constantly making decisions. • Students work in a safe environment for themselves and with others while working on making responsible decisions. • Students self-regulate and take on the perspective of others to promote responsible decision-making. continued on next page

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SEL in Music When I first read CASEL’s definitions of the SEL five core competencies, I immediately recognized that these are embedded and easily evidenced in every music classroom – general music, choir, band, orchestra, jazz band, etc. The creative process IS a learning process. Through the creative process, one has an idea, works through the idea, perseveres through mistakes and difficult patches, creates something in the end, and reflects and revises throughout the cyclical process. SEL is naturally embedded throughout the creative process, as you can’t create or perform without making responsible decisions. As music teachers, we just need to highlight the SEL competencies that we are teaching simultaneously during our “normal” music instruction – align the music standards with the SEL competencies. I promise you the small effort will more than likely go far with your administration and colleagues. The role of the music teacher in SEL For numerous reasons, music teachers tend to connect with their students on a different level than the other teachers within a school. Music teachers: • Determine their students’ needs on an individual basis (differentiated instruction). • Encourage students in order to meet their needs that may not be met at home. • Care for students enough to make that change in their own mind. • Connect with students in ways that only the arts can do. • Provide opportunities for students to work cooperatively and collaboratively with others. • Provide methods to express and understand emotion. • Provide opportunities to practice social situations and how to act and react to others. • Make natural connections to empathy. • Provide a safe and supportive learning environment where students are allowed to explore themselves and the world around them (diversity) through music. • Allow for a creative outlet for students, so that they can discover what makes them happy and encourage them to do more of that! • Connect with their students to teach them socialemotional learning and/or soft skills.

Social Emotional Learning + Music truly comes down to The 3 C’s – Caring, Connecting, Creating. Start with the Teacher In order for teachers to authentically make connections to social-emotional learning in their classroom, adults first need to recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate their own emotions. This is essential in order to: • Demonstrate patience and empathy. • Encourage healthy communication. • Create a safe learning environment. With record numbers of teachers leaving the profession, a shift to focus more on our own social-emotional well being through mindfulness and SEL is essential. Brackett, Mojsa, Palomera, Reyes, and Salovey report in 2008 that, “teachers skilled at regulating their emotions report less burnout and more positive affect while teaching.” The more resilient the teacher, the less likely they are to suffer from burnout and the more affective they will be in their classroom. For more information on this topic, the Cult of Pedagogy has a useful article titled, “12 Habits that Build Resilience,” that can be found at https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/resilience/. Connecting SEL with the Arts Elizabeth Peterson of The Inspired Classroom has spent years educating teachers about SEAL – Social-Emotional Artistic Learning. Through her work with SEAL, she has made natural connections between and among arts forms (visual art, music, dance, theatre) and CASEL’s social-emotional learning competencies. When you connect arts integration with SEL, you are essentially working within the SEAL model. SEAL can naturally occur within your music classroom and also be evidenced when you integrate the arts with other content areas through an arts integration approach. Promoting SEL in Your Music Classroom As a music teacher who promotes social-emotional learning in their classroom, you will want to: • Establish a community of musicians that encourages a growth mindset through the creation of a safe space where students can make mistakes, put weaknesses on display as an opportunity to learn, grow, and continually work to become a better musician and person.

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• Guide your students as they reflect on areas for improvement and develop personal and group goals (student-centered learning). • Provide opportunities for students to celebrate their individual success as well as group success. • Build a calm, collaborative learning environment! Resources: Education Closet – www.educationcloset.com The Inspired Classroom – www.teachSEAL.com CASEL – www.casel.org/core-competencies/

Shawna E. Longo is the General Music (Music Technology) teacher and Arts Integration Specialist at Durban Avenue School, Hopatcong, NJ. She also serves as the Arts Integration & STEAM Specialist for TMI Education; Coach for Education Closet; and Ambassador for MusicFirst. She is a clinician and consultant for music education, arts integration, and STEAM. She is also a recipient of the 2019 Ti:ME Teacher of the Year Award, 2019 NJ Governor’s Award for Arts Education, 2018 NJMEA Master Music Teacher Award and 2016 Governor’s Educator of the Year for Hopatcong Middle School.

& w

Bachelor of Arts in Music Bachelor of Arts in Music (combined with a second major) Bachelor of Music Education Bachelor of Music in Performance For Open House and Audition dates, go to: www.gettysburg.edu/sunderman

www.gettysburg.edu/sunderman

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Clean. Musical. Tom & Jerry or Ben & Jerry Erik Lynch Verona High School elynch@veronaschools.org

ost-concert discussion among my colleagues in the band world tends to follow an eitheror framework. Have you ever heard something

like this? “Boy, they were super clean, but really boring! It felt more clinical then it did musical.” “Wow, that slow movement was really, really musical, but the percussion section was sloppy and ruined it for me!” Visual imagery takes me back to a classic Tom and Jerry cartoon, with each iconic character battling for some form of moral superiority. However, my heart really yearns for Ben and Jerry, in particular "Coffee Heath Bar Crunch," where those luscious ingredients work in decadent harmony. Have we been conditioned in the band world to think about performances in a somewhat dualistic way? Are technical considerations and those decisions that gravitate more towards the musical end (phrasing, climax points, tempi, etc.) separate or integrated entities? One would hope that professional musicians/practitioners would lean towards the latter. Additionally, I hope that we see technical precision as a vessel to great music making. But, sadly, this would be a clear case where there is a disconnect between theory and practice. With that said, the purpose of this article is to attempt to balance these tensions from two vantage points: 1. Why does the band world put such emphasis on technical precision, and what are the implications for our students? 2. How can we refine our conceptual paradigm of this delicate, yet pivotal balance point of technical and musical issues? Furthermore, how will this evolved philosophy translate to our students having heightened musical experiences? Competition in the band world can often push us towards safe and clean performances that prioritize technical precision over the intrinsic beauty of the art form.

This is especially apparent in the marching band world, as the idiom has been intensified with props, electronics, voice overs, etc. This can leave the actual music making as a small portion of the curricula. Furthermore, the remainder of time (often minimal) that goes into music centers around repetition and cleanliness, avoiding so many great parts of the literature: interpretation, theoretical/compositional techniques, and contextual elements, just to name a few. Many music educators would agree that the competitive nature of the marching band world bleeds over to other parts of our program. Whether it is perfecting three selections for the State Jazz Band Festival, or crafting the ideal program for the Concert Band Festival in hopes of making the Gala Concert, competition can breed a mindset that is not musical. Sadly, we as educators (including myself ) often succumb to pedantic and myopic rubrics (aka score sheets) crafted by those people and companies who simply want to make money off of us. It makes me sad that the hyper-competitive nature of the band world is so close to the pervasive testing culture in academia we often criticize, especially when we consider how liberating and emancipating music making can be. It is time that we, including myself, reflect upon these tensions. If we agree, or partially agree, that competition can lead us to prioritizing the “clean and together” over the more abstract elements of the art form, then what does that mean for our students? Some salient points: • We often avoid playing great literature, or play a finite amount of music for the sake of competition. • We often cultivate a learning environment that is more hierarchical then it is egalitarian. • We often reduce our discourse on the podium to a set of tricks (the third is always sharp, etc.) as opposed to teaching in more organic and contextual ways.

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• We, through over-repetition, breed a student mindset that is more passive then it is active, while suppressing, rather then cultivating, autonomy. Moving Forward How do we move towards a more well-rounded mindset that perpetuates the interdependent nature of the concrete and abstract elements of music making? Undergraduate and graduate training programs need to go further to cultivate an ever-evolving philosophy of music education with their students. Some students who come from purely competitive programs will simply replicate that framework in their future programs, unless pushed to challenge traditional paradigms. More emphasis on developing stronger philosophical mindsets in developing teachers would be beneficial in a number of areas. One of the areas that would flourish exponentially from this mindset would be our discourse on the podium. When we are able to balance technical and abstract thoughts (which can happen in the same thought) from the podium, we are imparting more meaningful musical ideas to our students while asking them to think critically. Let’s take a couple of scenarios where we can try this: • Option 1: Clarinets, that is G# in measure 61- please make sure your left pinky is down. • Option 2: Clarinets, that is G# in measure 61 - please make sure your left pinky is down. I would like you to listen to this chord that uses your G#. Now listen if I play the chord with your G natural. What are you hearing? What colors come to mind when I switch notes?

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• Option 1: Trumpets, be sure to pull out your tuning slide a bit when you put your straight mute in, as you are going sharp. • Option 2: Trumpets, be sure to pull out your tuning slide a bit when you put your straight mute in, as you are going sharp. Remember what a great color and shade you give to the sound here - imagine that you are adding really great olive oil to your pasta. Do me a favor: take out the mutes and play the passage again. How does the timbre change? I do understand that some might critique the second options because they lack efficiency. I would contend that teaching music should supersede error detection: are we in the animal training business or striving to teach our students to think critically? The answer is obvious, but the reality is not. In the end, technical prowess and musical maturity are much more like Ben and Jerry then they are Tom and Jerry. Regardless of the nature of our program (competitive, non-competitive, etc.) we all should strive to make the deepest and most significant connections we can with our students, while leaving indelible marks in their transformative years that are truly artistic.

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New Concert Band Music From Carl Fischer James Bast, Wall Twp. Middle School, Retired Director: Greater Shore Concert Band jbast1@verizon.net Eight Nights of Light, by Jonathan Leshnoff Grade 3.5 My first thoughts when I saw the description of this piece was: “Do we really need another rehash of the same pieces which have been arranged many times?” After reviewing the score, my answer is “YES.” This version is much different than the older ones which have been around for many years and it keeps the melodies fresh and interesting. The woodwind section is kept very busy with running 16th notes. It is a lively medley of traditional Hanukkah and Jewish tunes playable by middle and high school concert bands. A nice addition to holiday programs, it includes the tunes O Chanukah; Sivivon Sov Sov Sov; Maoz Tzur; Mi Yi’ malel and Vi’ ya’ datem. Better Angels, by William G. Harbinson Grade 3 In Abraham Lincoln’s first Inauguaral Address (March 4, 1861, he stated: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Harbinson we aves a very interesting composition which starts vivace and eventually slows to a rubato Larghetto during which the solo flute plays in a pseudo free style. There are several tempo changes during the composition and the Vivace at 86 moves quickly through meter changes ( 4/4, 3/4, 5/8, 6/8, 3/8). This is a great piece of music to play and hear, but also present challenges and learning experiences for the students.

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Fanfare: Generation Next, by Zachary Cairns Grade 3 Cairns wrote this piece in honor of Dean Zirkle’s retirement who was a long-time director of bands at Camp Hill High School near Harrisburg, PA. Cairns was his marching band arranger/composer for eleven years and you can feel the marching band influence in the accented rhythms contained in this composition. He built the piece on a rendering of the name “DEAN.” D, E and A are all musical notes, but N is not, so he chose to use a “neighbor tone” G# as its replacement. This interesting piece would make a dynamic opener for any concert. Chasing Mercury, by Travis J. Weller Grade 3 There is some duality to the title of this work. The first is Weller’s impression of what a playful chase of the winged messenger sounds like. The other is the opening motif chasing two themes from Gustav Holsts The Planets: Mercury around the rest of the work. A very playful and interesting composition by Travis J. Weller. Bay Shore Park, by Joseph Compello Grade 3 Actually written for beginning bands, it is appropriate for more advanced groups as well. Interesting melodies created in a traditional concert march style. An Arizona Celebration by Andrew Balent Grade 3 This piece was commisioned by and for the "City of Glendale Summer Band" in Glendale, Arizona. It begins with a bold fanfare and moves directly into a polka section based upon the tune, Westward Ho. A calm middle section represents the “Desert Twilight” and a dynamic celebration brings the piece to a resounding climax. 51 TEMPO

Advocacy News From The President-Elect Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org

his article features Arts Advocacy Resources, Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities, and Ways You Can Connect Your Music Program to Your Communities. Greetings! I am very excited to serve as your president-elect this year! As I travel around the state, I am eager to get to know you, your music programs, and hear about all of the wonderful things you do on a daily basis. I’m here to support you, and serve as a resource and advocate for your music programs. To our NJMEA college students, I look forward to working with you this year; please invite me to your chapter meetings. My contact information is lvartanian@paramusschools.org and 201261-7800, ext. 3063. Arts Ed NOW

Pictured above: Members of the Tri-M Music Honor Society at Paramus High School

I’d like to share one of the most valuable arts advocacy tools that I use on a regular basis. Artsednow.org is a rich resource that I recommend to you as you prepare to speak about the importance of music education during your upcoming concerts and parent meetings. The

website not only contains the latest data on arts education, but also includes campaign tools, articles, and arts advocacy resources found in the Graphics and Gear section. Additionally, there is an interactive calendar where you can post information about advocacy activities of any kind taking place in your school district. Finally, I encourage you to find Arts Ed NJ on Facebook as they send out new articles and advocacy tools all year.

Spending time each year engaging in music education workshops will not only refresh and enhance your teaching practices, but also improve student learning. Here are a couple of upcoming professional development opportunities for you to explore, as well as information about how to enroll in the NAfME academy. Professional Development Opportunities From Arts Ed NJ In the fall, Arts Ed NJ will be offering two workshops: 1. Developing Impactful Arts Integration: from Planning to Practice on October 28th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and on March 2, 2020 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Register at www.njpsa.org/feacalendar 2. Social-Emotional Learning and the Arts: Exploring Connections and Implications on November 11, 2019 from 9:00 to 3:00 pm. Register at www.njpsa.org/feacalendar If you don’t have time to attend a workshop this year, please consider becoming a member of the NAfME Academy. The NAfME Academy offers a full range of

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professional development opportunities for music teachers, including online classes and webinars. This resource is available to NAfME members for $20. https://nafme. org/community/elearning/ The Importance Of Community Partnerships Where Do You Start? Part of the success of any program revolves around solid community support. Below are some ideas and activities that we’ve tried in the Paramus Public Schools and found to be impactful. What’s more, they gave the Tri-M Music Honor Society students ways to join together with the Paramus community to form important partnerships. Volunteer If you can, volunteer to serve on a local community board or a town-wide foundation. Get to know your community in a more personal way by giving up a small portion of your time to help your neighbors. Besides the amazing opportunity to give back to the community and make a difference to the people around you, you will help make those positive, lasting connections with your community. Host An Arts Festival

Pictured above: Student-created poster that was copied and distributed to local businesses to help advertise the Arts Festival

Host an Arts Festival in your school and invite your community to come out for an invigorating evening of arts and culture. The Paramus District Arts Festivals, that are free and open to the public, feature students in the music and arts programs from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

What we did… We proposed the idea to the administrative team. Early in the school year, we chose a date, time and location for the event and filled out the facility paperwork to secure the venue (school). Students spent the year planning for the arts festival. Arts students created posters for the event. Students sent home personal invitations to their families and to the school community. We advertised online and in the local papers.

Its impact…

Your turn…

This enabled teachers to plan ahead, collect art projects throughout the year, and decide on interactive activities and events for the festival.

Speak to your administrative team and share your ideas and plans. Tell them why it is important. Discuss with your arts colleagues the possibility of having an arts festival at your school.

This caused a great deal of buzz and excitement within the school community about the arts.

Speak at the next PTA meeting about your music program and the upcoming arts festival to gain support for your students.

It empowered students to learn the value and importance of advertising for an event.

Invite students to the PTA meeting in order to provide a ‘sneak peek’ Students stepped up to parents of the their commitment to performances and practice and prepare artwork students for the event, and will showcase at the art students created festival. beautiful artwork to showcase to their families.

The entire school celebrated an evening of arts and culture at the District Arts Festival (no cost to attendees).

It raised awareness of the importance of arts education for all children and enabled students to share their talents with the community.

Figure out a performance- or servicebased event through which your students can bring music and art to life.

We included an Arts ED Now Campaign as part of an arts advocacy activity.

Everyone attending the arts festival had a chance to sign up to be an arts advocate.

Go online and gather arts advocacy tools from Arts Ed Now (ArtsEdNow.org). Have your art students take pictures of community members in front of the Arts ED Now sign.

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Instrument Test Drive What we did…

Pictured above: Former Tri-M Music Honor Society Member, Yana Brzovski, assisting students as they try an instrument at the ‘Instrument Test Drive’ event.

Two years ago, we hosted an ‘instrumental test drive’ activity during the Arts Festival where Tri-M Music students and our local music store, Music and Arts, partnered together to welcome all community members to try an instrument of interest to them. Not only was it a fun activity, but students, parents, school administrators, and teachers had a chance to try out musical instruments (some for the first time). That school year, we saw an increase in the number of students who enrolled in the instrumental program.

Its impact…

Your turn…

We partnered with the local music store.

This enabled us to have all instruments represented at no cost to the school district.

Call your local music stores to see how they can partner with your school district. Local music stores are more than happy to participate in school events. They may also be willing to provide free workshops for teachers (i.e. instrument repair clinics).

Tri-M music students volunteered to work at the event in order to demonstrate and model for younger students the correct way to play the instruments.

This broadens our students’ ability to demonstrate correct technique on their instrument and be a role model for younger musicians.

Borrow as many instruments as you can from feeder schools or ask the local music stores for help.

We sent out followup letters about the event, and shared with parents ways they can get their child started on a musical instrument.

It forged new relationships and conversations with parents, the Tri-M students, and the music teachers.

Send home letters to parents at least three times a year and talk about music related opportunities for your students.

One interactive service learning activity in which we participate is the “Senior Prom.” The “Senior Prom” takes place each spring. Jazz Band members interview the senior citizens (prior to the event) to find out what music was popular during the time of their prom. Students then learn and perform the music for the senior citizens at their annual “Senior Prom.”

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"Senior" Prom What we did…

Give Back Program

Its impact…

Your turn…

What we did…

Its impact…

Your turn…

Our students interviewed local senior citizens about the music from their youth.

This opens up a music-based conversation with an important and valued segment of the community. It also teaches our students about musical genres.

Name a segment of your community to whom you can reach out through music conversations.

We advertised the need for used instruments within our community, and collected them.

Formerly practicing musicians felt that their beloved instruments would be put to good use.

Talk to your local community groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Elks to spread the word and join in on the efforts.

Students studied the type of music that was prevalent in the youth of these seniors.

This broadens our students’ music repertoire.

Help your students find examples of music that may have been impactful in your own community. This may be based on era, on culture, or genre of music.

We raised funds to restore the instruments.

Students were innovative and entrepreneurial, and they got to be that way about their passion of music!

Talk to people who are creative fundraisers. It will give you good resources while making them see the connection of their work to the arts.

Students played music at the “Senior Prom.”

It forged a new relationship between our students, our program, and the senior citizens.

Figure out a performance- or servicebased event through which your students can bring new music to life.

We restored the instruments, and redistributed them to other musicians.

Our students felt the value of their service, while we offered access to those who would love to make music, but couldn’t.

If restoration is a challenge, seek out local community groups to see if they are willing to partner with you.

Start an Instrument “Give Back” program How many people in your town own a musical instrument, but do not play it anymore? As part of a service project, members of the Tri-M Music Honor Society held an instrument drive by collecting gently used instruments during the winter holiday concert. After the instruments were collected, they were assessed by the local music store. Students then raised funds to repair the donated instruments. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Tri-M Honor Society, we have the ability to offer rental instruments to students that would like to play an instrument but are not able to do so because of financial constraints. This is the third year we are participating in the program, and I am happy to say that more and more students are able to join the band and orchestra programs due to the “instrument drive” and the efforts of the TriM Music students.

OCTOBER 2019

Pianos In The Parks Project

With March being the launch of “Music in Our Schools Month” and “Youth Art Month,” the Paramus Public School District partnered with the Mayor and the Paramus Municipal Council on a project called “Pianos in the Parks.” The project is similar to the “Play Me, I’m Yours” public art project that debuted in New York City. During the summer of 2019, three donated pianos were placed in parks and public spaces of Paramus for all to view, play, and enjoy. To make the project even more special, young artists from the Paramus Public School District had an opportunity to study artists such as Cristo and Jeanne-Claude, Judy Chicago, and Jeff Coons who are known for their public art installations. Students then decided on a theme for their art installation, submitted the sketch to Mayor Richard LaBarbiera for approval, and then painted the pianos with assistance from the art teachers prior to plac55 TEMPO

ing them in the parks. Students were thrilled to participate in a project where their artwork will remain on display in Paramus for the next three years. The vision for the program is to build community engagement in local parks, to provide students an opportunity to learn about and create public art installations, and to encourage everyone to play a musical instrument. Having “Music in the Air” in the Paramus Public Parks is a welcomed addition to the already pristine spaces. What we did… We solicited the donation of gently used pianos.

Its impact… This puts the importance of music into the air of the community.

Your turn… Start with your students and their extended families. They might have old pianos they no longer use.

We found homes for the instruments in local parks.

This further broadens the visibility of the arts within the community.

Find a public space within your community that can be a safe, free, and engaging home for music and musical instruments, like parks, a library, or community center.

We had an event to launch the use of the pianos.

It brought a celebratory nature to this service learning project for our students, while even further broadening the audience within the community.

Invite students to play at “opening night,” and invite their family and friends.

These are a few examples of activities we’ve tried and found to be impactful in order to share our love of music and the arts with the Paramus community. Feel free to reach out if you would like further information on any of the projects mentioned above. Have a wonderful school year!

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NJMEA Year End Financial Statement Deborah Sfraga Executive Secretary-Treasurer debnjmea@aol.com

Ordinary Income/Expense July 2018 - June 2019 Income Advertising in Tempo 45,260.00 All State Inter. Orchestra 6,755.00 All State Revenues 411,824.30 Composer Competition 423.52 Elem. Honors Choir Fest. 14,636.19 February State Workshop 215,585.98 Guitar Fesitval 1,120.00 Marching Band Festival 11,969.00 Middle Sch. Band Festival 2,700.00 Middle Sch. Choral Fest. 2,650.00 Middle Sch. Orchestra Festival 750.00 NAfME Rebates 58,587.00 Opera Festival 220.00 Smile Donation-Amazon 5.00 Summer Workshop 6,965.00 Technology Expo 1,890.00 Total Income 781,340.99 Expense All-State Band 69,928.62 All-State Chorus 69,820.42 All-State COJ 216,822.11 All-State Jazz Band 2,056.00 All-State Orchestra 9,654.65 All State Interm. Orchestra 2,607.91 Bank Service Charges 4.53 Board Meeting Meals 1,963.14 Board Mileage 6,013.25 Board of Directors 53,056.97 Collegiate Chapters 202.65 Eastern Division Planning Meeting 321.35

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Expense Continued Elementary Honors Choirs Governor’s Awards in Art Education Guitar Festival Marching Band Master Teacher Project Middle School Band Festival Middle School Choral Festival Middle School Orchestra Fesitval NAfME Summer Leadership NJRMEA November Convention Office Space Opera Payroll Tax Expense Reconciliation Discrepancies Salaries and Wages Scripps-BeeBee Scholaarship State Conference Tech Expo TEMPO Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Other Income/Expense Other Income Interest Income Total Other Income Other Expense Credit Card Fees Employer Federal Witholdings Total Other Expense Net Other Income Net Income

12,726.04 200.00 1,000.00 7,802.13 173.81 2,508.74 2,432.73 587.63 7,251.29 117.98 2,301.14 21,533.61 466.00 6,508.63 0.20 32,000.08 500.00 178,719.30 2,336.64 30,313.62 741,931.17 39,409.82 1,264.06 1,264.06 963.68 6,287.98 7,251.66 -5,987.60 33,422.22

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An Interview With John Flora Jayson Martinez Arts High School, Newark jmarti37@webmail.essex.edu

t is my pleasure to interview John Flora for our October issue of TEMPO. As a music teacher for the Jersey City Public Schools, John has garnered countless awards and recognitions in his fifteen year tenure. Morever, he is also running for Congress NJ-10, a district which includes Jersey City, Newark, West Orange, and Montclair. Enjoy! 1) Please tell us about your own personal musical background growing up and your collegiate experience? Growing up with a father who is a blues guitarist and a stepdad who could play the piano and accordion proficiently, it was difficult not to be lured in by the sonorous sounds that they regularly provided. Surprisingly, I chose the scholar-athlete route all the way up until my first year in college. But that is when music saved me...literally. It was during this soul-searching first year of college that I fully realized the effect that music has over human emotions. A Frederic Chopin nocturne in a music appreciation class in Hudson County Community College is to blame for helping me to realize my true calling. A few short years later at New Jersey City University, Ana María Rosado (who is retiring after this year) was instilling the theory and technique which inevitably led to my lasting respect for the classical guitar. Before graduating with a B.A. in Music Education, I also would serve as the MENC Chapter President. 2) What schools have you worked in and tell us about your overall music program? To date, I’ve been employed with the Jersey City Public Schools for fifteen years. When I was first hired in the district, my time was split between several schools (PS#6, PS#38, & PS#42). In this role, I taught pre-K-8 general music, middle school chorus, and elementary school concert band. But it wasn’t until my fourth year that I was assigned to full-time duties at a brand new middle

school, Franklin L. Williams Middle School #7. Over the past eleven years in this building, I’ve taught middle school students general music. The curriculum I utilize is derived from “Modern Band” and exposes students to the guitar (acoustic and electric), bass, keyboard, drums, and singing. The “Little Kids Rock” organization has been instrumental in providing these free instruments, teacher training, and countless performance opportunities for students over the years. With their pedagogical approach, I am able to infuse theory, improvisation, and composition into my instruction. The emphasis, however, is always on experiencing music with students before explaining it to them. At MS#7, after-school programs have ranged from guitar ensembles to performance-based modern bands and traditional choirs. 3) What obstacles did you face when you were first hired at your school? In addition to the obvious logistical challenges of sharing a classroom with another full-time teacher, the main obstacle was assessing the new student body’s musical interests and establishing new after school programs. Many of the students entering our middle school had no prior experience playing an instrument. Seeing that there wasn’t a single feeder program to our school, the students’ levels of musical experience were also very disparate. Making the situation even more challenging was that a high concentration of the students who transferred into our building were acclimating to the United States as newly arrived immigrants. 4) What kind of classes related to the guitar do you teach? Approximately five-hundred students annually are exposed to introductory guitar lessons for a four-week module during general music classes. This includes basic technique and identifying parts of the guitar. Typically, I’ll work with more advanced players before the school

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day begins on reading chord charts, tablature, and classical technique. The most engaging experience for guitarists, however, is when the “Modern Band” meets after school. This group usually is comprised of 3-4 electric guitarists, 5-10 acoustic guitars, 1-2 electric bass players, 3-5 drummers, 5-10 keyboardists, and a small choir. Students in this after school program practice for annual concerts and field trip performances. They drive song selection through a process I refer to as “DeRockracy” and help create the final musical arrangements. 5) What would you like to say to the non-guitarist music educator that is about to or interested in incorporating the guitar into their program? First and foremost, I’m a proponent of the “Little Kids Rock” program and have attended several of their trainings and the national “Rockfest” event. The organization prides itself in making even non-guitarists comfortable teaching guitar. Their approach has taught me the difference between being a guitarist and being a guitar instructor, which entails lowering the affective filter for beginners (my greatest takeaway from attending their trainings). Quality online instructors like Marty Schwartz also provide supplemental digital opportunities for students who would like to extend their guitar learning of popular music beyond the school day. Lastly, I would encourage music educators not to be afraid of making accommodations for their budding guitarists and students with special needs. This includes, but is not limited to, open tuning, placing stickers on the fretboard, and securing three-quarter size instruments or ukuleles. 6) Do you have any success stories you would like to share about students (musical & non-musical) Our modern band program has been visited in recent years by guitar luminaries like Bootsy Collins and Billy Squier. The master classes and lessons that these artists have taught to our impressionable young music makers has been nothing short of inspirational and enduring. Through the “Little Kids Rock” organization, our modern band has also been invited to perform at countless fundraising galas over the years which allowed students to share space with bands and artists like Lady Gaga, Brue Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Steve Miller, Darlene Love, Kirsten Maldonado (of Pentatonix), Alice Cooper, Green Day, and so on. Witnessing these teenagers having these life-changing experiences to play alongside some of their favorite musicians has made me more aware of the importance of also teaching them OCTOBER 2019

about the music industry and all of its challenges and opportunities. 7) What do you tell your talented students who are planning to pursue music or guitar studies in high school and college after they finish with you? I advise them to be well-rounded and open-minded with their approach to music or the guitar. But that is not to say I want them to compromise their specific musical passions or interests. I might expose a student with a natural proclivity for guitar to different genres of guitar music (rock, classical, Latin, reggae, surf ), opposing techniques (pick v. finger-picking), and various approaches to reading guitar music (tablature, chords, standard notation).

8) Do you have any networking or advocacy tools that have worked for you in promoting your program that would help other educators? YouTube has helped the most when it comes to networking and advocacy. I created a channel (John Flora) for our music program several years ago that has amassed over 1,300 subscribers and hundreds of thousands of views. Not only does the channel bring positive attention to the program from outside of the school, but more importantly, it helps the students to self-assess when they are practicing at home and also share with their families what they are learning in school. Inviting elective officials and community leaders to school performances not only flatters them, but it also lets them witness the transformative effects that music has on children. This is important when considering their impact on education policy and future budgets.

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9) What kind of future do you see for the guitar, or music education more broadly in our New Jersey public school system? Technology has significantly altered the way that students engage with music. This has positive and negative effects on how they will engage with the guitar in the future. For instance, more might prefer to watch virtuosic guitar videos or play a guitar video game like Rock Band. On the other hand, there are countless digital tools like apps and YouTube channels to help students of all levels learn. Other careers in music such as becoming a DJ or composing digital music for movies and video games are rising in popularity. Instead of having to understand music theory, music history, or learning how to play an instrument or sing proficiently, many students are gravitating towards these more immediate-gratification applications of music. More broadly, with funding cuts to public education across the entire state due to rising pension and healthcare costs for public education, it’s hard to say that funding for the arts in general will remain at the same levels or improve. This has to be a consideration for anyone teaching music in the classroom. Soliciting donations from websites like “Donors Choose,” and finding ways to be more efficient with instruments and supplies will be paramount. 10) What type of arrangements have you used for school performances? It’s helpful to remember that students like choices. For this reason, arrangements are not only a tool for differentiating instruction, but also for providing students with choices. For example, an after school modern band arrangement can have simple parts that include things like strumming only on the down beat or playing only one first position chord in a progression of four repeating chords. More advanced students in this same setting might take some of the leads or interchange between rhythm guitar and riffs. I’m also a huge fan of transposing songs so that they are in keys that are more friendly to beginning piano and guitarists. Chords like Am, F, C, and G work wonders because they provide an access point for beginners and an easily recognizable foundation for more advanced players to build upon. Finally, our program prides itself in creating mashups of popular songs to explore student creativity and challenging them to identify songs with musical similarities that can be put together for a performance.

11) Do you do any musical performance or activities outside of your public school teaching duties? I teach private lessons to beginning piano and guitar students in the community I live in. Occasionally, I’ll organize a recital for these students to perform in front of an audience of family and friends from their neighborhood. 12) Any last thoughts to conclude our interview? Over the past several years, I have intentionally expanded my role as music educator to one of public education advocate. I have realized through experience and networking that music educators are uniquely qualified to show off their classroom success to the public. Having recently graduated with an M.A. in Politics and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, I also intend to use what I have learned to raise the status of the arts as they intersect with traditional public education. This includes emphasizing the value of teaching to the “whole child” to policymakers and parents alike, in addition to continuing to promote all of the good that students are doing on a daily basis. In the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the protagonist was saved by a former student turned arts-conscious governor who came back to relieve a fiscal crisis that the school district was facing. Sometimes, we have to be our own saviors and find ways to showcase our value and amplify our voices at the local, state, and federal levels of government.

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New Jersey Young Composers Competition Andrew Lesser NJ-YCC Committee chairman andrew.lesser@yahoo.com

’m pleased to announce that registrations are now being accepted for the 2019-20 New Jersey Young Composers Competition. There were a record number of entries during last year’s event, and we look forward to hearing many excellent original works by student composers in both middle and high school, including seniors who are graduating in June 2020. Details and registration directions can be found on the “Quick Links” section of the NJMEA website, located at https://njmea.org/young-composers-competition/. Here are a few guidelines when considering to participate: 1. Applicants must be New Jersey residents and must be sponsored by a current NJMEA/NAfME member. 2. Students may submit multiple selections in each category. However, a $20 application fee is required with each selection. Each entry must be have a separate completed application form and entry fee in order to be considered for eligibility. 3. All compositions must have a title or opus number, and all names must be omitted from the score, program note and audio file so that submissions may be judged anonymously. 4. Students must include a brief program note that includes the composition title with composer name omitted, describing the composer’s intention of the work. 5. All scores must be submitted as PDF’s using a standard notation program, such as Sibelius or Finale. No handwritten scores will be considered for entry. 6. All measures must be numbered in the score. 7. Students must submit an audio recording of their composition in MP3 format, a PDF (digital copy) of their score and PDF of composition description/ program note. Submissions without recordings or PDF score will not be considered for entry. 8. While the applicant will retain ownership of their submission, all submissions will be kept by the NJMEA. No materials will be returned to students. NJMEA reserves the right to use student submissions for publicity and/or display. Finalist compositions will be posted on the NJMEA website. OCTOBER 2019

9. Submissions must be no longer than 7 minutes in length and within the difficulty range of Grades 2-4.

Composers may submit works in the following categories: • Solo Player (including piano) • Small Instrumental/Vocal Ensemble (2 – 10 parts/performers) • Large Instrumental/Vocal Ensemble (11 or more parts/performers) Finally, compositions will judged by a panel of experts by the following criteria: • Originality: Demonstrating a personal/unique style showing individual creativity. • Compositional Technique: Must have identifiable form, structure, and development. • Accessibility: Must be playable by student ensembles on limited rehearsals. • Compositional Maturity: Knowledge of medium, effective use of instruments/voices, and look of professionalism in score and recording. • Overall Appeal: Must be innovative, imaginative, and enjoyable. Previous winners’ works can be heard on the NJMEA NJ-YCC web page at https://njmea.org/young-composerscompetition/previous-ycc-winners-audio-files/. Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview and critique session hosted by one of our judges at the February NJMEA Conference in Atlantic City (date and time forthcoming). The deadline for online application submissions is December 1, 2019. Endorsement page and application fees must be postmarked by December 1, 2019. Questions about the competition may be directed to Andrew Lesser, NJ-YCC Chairman at: andrew.lesser@yahoo.com. If you are interested in joining our team as part of the NJ-YCC Committee, please contact me as well.

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2020 Region Jazz Ensembles Junior Jazz Ensemble Audition Requirements (Grades 7 - 9) All Solo Etudes, Scales, Applications, and Locations may be found on the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org ***IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL REGIONS*** Audition Date: Monday, March 9, 2020 Rehearsals: March 16 & 23 (4 – 8 PM) March 27 & 28 (9 AM - 3 PM) Concert: March 29 (3 PM) ***Audition Requirements for ALL INSTRUMENTS***

•

SOLO - All students are required to prepare the solo listed below in its entirety. All Solo etudes may be downloaded from the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org

•

SCALES / STYLES - Saxes, brass, piano, guitar, and bass students are required to prepare the scales listed below. Scales are listed in WRITTEN pitch. All scales should be played in a swing style. Drummers are required to demonstrate the ability to keep time in the styles listed below. Scale sheets & basic drumset patterns may be downloaded from the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org

•

SIGHT READING - All students are required to perform a short excerpt never previously seen. Students will be given 30 seconds to look over the piece before playing.

All Saxophones: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Saxophone Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Alto/Bari : G & D Blues - 2 Octaves, A Blues - 1 octave. G & A Dorian mode - 1 octave, D Dorian mode - 2 octaves. Tenor : C, D, & G Blues - 2 octaves. C & D Dorian mode - 2 octaves, G Dorian mode - 1 octave. Trumpet: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Trumpet Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Blues & Dorian mode C, D, & G - 1 octave. Trombone: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Trombone Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Blues & Dorian mode C, F, & Bb - 1 octave. Piano: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Piano Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED and 2 HANDS]: Blues & Dorian mode C, F, & Bb - 2 octaves. Guitar: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Guitar Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Blues & Dorian mode C, F, & Bb - 2 octaves. Bass: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Bass Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Blues & Dorian mode C, F, & Bb - 2 octaves. Drums: *Required solo: NJAJE Junior Drum Etude No. 2A *Styles [ALL STYLES MEMORIZED]: Swing (slow w/brushes, medium w/sticks, fast w/sticks), Jazz Waltz, Shuffle, 8th Note Rock, 16th Note Rock (Funk), Latin (Samba). Students must be able to play 2, 4, & 8 bar phrases with a fill at the end of each phrase. *Free Improvised Solo included as part of the solo etude. Students should demonstrate creativity, technique, and musicality.

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2020 Region and All State Jazz Ensembles Senior Jazz Ensemble Audition Requirements (Grades 9 - 12) All Solo Etudes, Scales, Applications, and Locations may be found on the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org ***IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL REGIONS*** Audition Date: Monday, March 9, 2020 Rehearsals: March 16 & 23 (4 - 8 PM); March 27 & 28 (9 AM - 3 PM) Concert: March 29 (3 PM) ***Audition Requirements for ALL INSTRUMENTS***

•

SOLO - All students are required to prepare the solo listed below in its entirety. All Solo etudes may be downloaded from the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org

•

SCALES / STYLES - Saxes, brass, piano, guitar, and bass students are required to prepare the scales listed below. Scales are listed in WRITTEN pitch. All scales should be played in a swing style. Drummers are required to demonstrate the ability to keep time in the styles listed below. Scale sheets for all instruments may be downloaded from the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org

•

IMPROVISATION - All students are required to play an improvised solo demonstrating creativity, technique, & musicality. *Saxes, brass, piano, guitar, and bass students must improvise a solo over 2 choruses of Blues in F or Bb concert using the Jamey Aebersold "New Approach to Jazz Improvisation, vol. 1." Student will pick a card to determine key. *Drum improvisation is included as part of the solo etude.

•

SIGHT READING - All students are required to perform a short excerpt never previously seen. Students will be given 30 seconds to look over the piece before playing. Saxophones: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Saxophone Etude No. 2A NOTE - Bari Sax: Students will play the entire saxophone etude using the bottom lines in the ossia section. *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Alto/Bari: C, G, D Blues - 2 octaves, A Blues - 1 octave. G & A Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 1 octave. C & D Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 2 octaves. Tenor: F, C, G, D Blues - 2 octaves. G Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 1 octave. F, C, D Dorian & Mixolydian - 2 octaves. Trumpet: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Trumpet Etude No. 2A NOTE - Lead Trumpet: Students will play the entire trumpet etude using the top lines in the ossia section. *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: C, D Blues - 2 octaves; F, G Blues - 1 octave. C Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 2 oct.; D, F, G Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 1 oct. Trombone: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Trombone Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Bb, C Blues - 2 octaves; Eb, F Blues - 1 octave. Bb Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 2 oct; C, Eb, F Dorian & Mixolydian modes – 1 oct. Bass Trombone: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Bass Trombone Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: Bb, C Blues, Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 1 octave (begin below the staff.) Eb, F Blues, Dorian & Mixolydian modes - 2 octaves (begin below the staff.) Piano: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Piano Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED and 2 HANDS]: C, F, Bb, and Eb Blues, Dorian, & Mixolydian modes - 2 octaves. Guitar: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Guitar Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: C, F, Bb, and Eb Blues, Dorian, & Mixolydian modes - 2 octaves. Bass: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Bass Etude No. 2A *Scales [ALL SCALES MEMORIZED]: C, F, Bb, and Eb Blues, Dorian, & Mixolydian modes - 2 octaves. Drums: *Required solo: NJAJE Senior Drum Etude No. 2A *Styles [ALL STYLES MEMORIZED]: Swing (slow w/brushes, medium w/sticks, and fast w/sticks), Jazz Waltz, Shuffle, 8th Note Rock, 16th Note Rock (Funk), Latin (Samba). Styles must be memorized. Students must be able to play 2, 4, & 8 bar phrases with a fill at the end of each phrase.

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2020 Region Jazz Choir Vocal Jazz Audition Requirements (Grades 9 - 12) All Solos, Scales, Audio Tracks, Applications & Audition Submission Guidelines may be found on the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org ***IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL REGIONS*** Audition Video Submission Deadline: Sunday, February 23, 2020, BY 11:59 PM Rehearsals: March 16 & 23 (4 - 8 PM) March 27 & 28 (9 AM - 3 PM) Concert: March 29 (3 PM) Audition Video Information

• • •

Auditions are accepted via YouTube only.

•

Complete Instructions for compiling and submitting the audtion video can be found on the NJAJE Website: www.njaje.org.

• •

Applicants must include all components of the audition on ONE VIDEO without edits.

Each application video must contain the following audition materials in the order below: 1. SLATE: student’s full name & school 4. Chromatic Scale 2. Low Major Scale 5. Solo 1 3. High Major Scale 6. Solo 2

Videos and online registration must be submitted NO LATER than 11:59 PM 2/23/20. Low Major Scale:

(sung a cappella on “AH”, q = 80 approx. – starting pitch provided, or use your own pitch source)

ü ü

•

(sung a cappella on “AH”, q = 80 approx. – starting pitch provided, or use your own pitch source)

Solo 1: ü ü ü

•

Soprano – G, Alto – D, Tenor – G, Bass – C

Chromatic Scale: ü

•

Soprano – C, Alto – F (student may choose to descend first) Tenor – D, Bass – G (student may choose to descend first)

High Major Scale: ü

•

***Audition Requirements***

Solo 2: ü ü ü

Soprano/Tenor – G – D (and descending), Alto/Bass – C - G (and descending) (P5 only)

Must be sung in one of the two keys provided. Must be accompanied (Student may use either the track provided online or their own accompanist. If choosing the latter, accompaniment must be consistent with recorded track.) Student may include vocal stylings to demonstrate understanding of jazz style. Must be sung in the key provided. Must be accompanied (Student may use either the track provided online or their own accompanist. If choosing the latter, accompaniment must be consistent with recorded track.) Student may sing the solo in any of the following manners: Ø Sing as written Ø Sing the melody as written with student’s own syllables Ø Sing an altered version of the melody using syllables of the student’s own choosing. Ø Sing an entirely improvised scat solo.

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OCTOBER 2019

2020 NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble Auditions: Saturday December 7, 2019 at The College of New Jersey (Music Dept.) 2000 Pennington Rd., Ewing, NJ 08628 Ewing, NJ 9:00-1:00 pm (snow date Saturday, December 14 @ Arts High School, Time TBA) Audition Requirements for students in grades 9-12 Set Piece: Solo Piece: •Caprice No. 2 by Luigi Legnani Scale Requirement: Choose two (2) out of the four following scales: F-sharp melodic minor, E major, C-sharp melodic minor, E major, edited by Abel Carlevaro. Ensemble Excerpt: May be downloaded from: http://njmea.org/classroom/guitar-in-the-music-classroom/ Sight Reading at the audition. Adjudication: Students will be judged on a rubric system for correct notes and rhythms, tone quality, musicality: dynamics, phrasing, interpretation and overall quality of preparation for prepared solo piece, ensemble excerpt, scales and sight reading. Rehearsal 1: January 2020 from 9:00am-12:00 pm at New Jersey City University, Rossey Hall 101. 2039 JFK Blvd, Jersey City, NJ. (Exact Date and Snow Date, Location TBA) Rehearsal 2: February 15th, 2020 from 9:00am-12:00 pm at Montclair State University, Cali School of Music. 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ (Snow Date, Location TBA) Rehearsal 3: February 29th, 2020 from 9:00am-12:00 pm at Kean University,Enlow Hall. 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ (Snow Date, Location TBA) Rehearsal 4: March 2020 from 9:00am-12:00 pm at William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Rd, Wayne, NJ (Exact Date and Snow Date, Location TBA) Performance Date: Saturday May 2, 2020 @ William Paterson University (no snow date) In conjunction with William Paterson University’s Annual GuitarFest Audition Fee for NJMEA : $15 (non refundable) Participation Fee (if selected): $50.00 Personnel: Raul Huaman, conductor NJMEA Guitar Festival Director: Jayson Martinez Contact info: jaysonimartinez@gmail.com Cell: 973.207.3524 For All Future Updates: Remind App Student Class Code @njmeag Remind App Faculty Class Code @njmeagu Facebook/ NJMEA Guitar

Additional Information On The Next Four Pages

OCTOBER 2019

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2020 NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble Audition Application Form The NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble Audition will take place in person on Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 9:00 - 1:00 pm at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ (Music Building). Those accepted as Honors Guitar Ensemble members (see dates on website: www.njmea.org) must attend all rehearsals and prepare music with conductor Raul Huaman for the Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 festival date at William Paterson University at 11:00 am. Concert dress is semi-formal. The non-refundable Audition Fee is $15.00 per student. All applicants must send a check or money order payable to the NJMEA. Also, enclose a copy of your school music teacher’s current NAfME membership card number postmarked by November 30th, 2019 to Jayson Martinez, Guitar Festival Director, 26 E. First Street, Clifton, NJ 07011. Each participating student must fill out an application and, if accepted, must pay $50 acceptance fee. Be sure to bring your music and footstool! Please Print Legibly Using Ball Point Pen Only

Student Name: ____________________________________________ ___________________________________ ______________ First Last Grade Address: __________________________________________ ___________________________ _____________ _______________ Street City State Zip Teacher Name: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ First Last School Address: _________________________________________ __________________________________ ________ ________ Street City State Zip Director Phone: (H) (________)________________ (W) (________)________________ (C) (________)_____________________ Director Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Checklist: 1) Postmark deadline for all materials is November 30th, 2019. 2) Mail applications, check and copy of NAfME card to:

2020 NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble Audition Jayson Martinez, Guitar Festival Director 26 E. First Street Clifton, NJ 07011 More info, e-mail only - jmartinez@nps.k12.nj.us. Phone for emergencies on December 7th: 973-207-3524. * All students must perform on a nylon string classical guitar (no steel string acoustic or electric guitars)

Audition Requirements for students in grades 9-12: • Solo Piece:Caprice No. 2 by Luigi Legnani- which can be found in this issue and at www.njmea.org • Ensemble Excerpt found on NJMEA.org Website (Guitars in Classroom portal) • Scale Requirement: Choose two (2) out of the four following scales: F-sharp melodic minor, E major, C-sharp melodic minor, E major, edited by Abel Carlevaro. These scales can be found in this issue and at the njmea.org website (Guitars in the Classroom portal). • Students will be judged on a point system for correct notes and rhythms, tone quality, musicality: dynamics, phrasing, interpretation and overall quality of preparation for prepared piece, ensemble excerpt, scale and sight reading.

CONTRACT ENDORSEMENTS: I am aware that I must attend the entire Festival, Saturday, May 2, 2020. STUDENT SIGNATURE: _______________________________________________________ DATE: __________________________________ As parent/guardian, I give permission for my child to apply to the 2020 NJMEA Honors Guitar Festival. I understand that the NJMEA does not assume responsibility for illness or accident. I further attest that I will assist my child with obligations related to this activity. I am aware that any photos of me that are taken at the festival may appear in TEMPO Magazine or on the website. PARENT SIGNATURE: _______________________________________________________ DATE: __________________________________

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Guitar Solo

Caprice No. 2, by L. Legnani

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Guitar Ensemble Audition Scales

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OCTOBER 2019

Guitar Ensemble Excerpt

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CJMEA

Central Jersey Music Educators Association cjmea.org

appy New School Year! I trust you have all had time to relax, reflect, and recharge this summer and are feeling fired up and ready to teach this year! September is a wonderful time to begin anew and focus on the new year ahead of us. This is a year of many “new things” for me and this year the new thing is beginning my tenure as CJMEA President. I feel honored that you all have placed such trust in me. I want to extend my deep appreciation to our Past-President, David Westawski, for his leadership, passion, and vision during the past two years. David has focused the board on supporting music educators around the state as well as making music education accessible for all students. David will continue to serve on the board as our new Treasurer. I would like to thank Jeff Santoro, our former treasurer,

for his unwavering support of this organization. Jeff stepped into the role of treasurer when our dear Sue Belly passed away. His attention to details and his knowledge of the financial rules and regulations have ensured that CJMEA will be compliant for years to come. I would also like to welcome and congratulate our President-Elect Yale Snyder. Yale brings a great deal of experience and passion to our Executive board and I look forward to working with him. All of our board members will be returning this year and I look forward to working with this group of dedicated music educators. All of them are focused on making music education stronger for all of our students. CJMEA will once again offer grants to teachers/music programs: • Grant awards will typically not exceed $750. • Grant awards may be used to partially fund a project in conjunction with your school if we are not able to fully fund your proposed professional development. • All checks will be written to a school account. We are unable to write checks directly to teachers, presenters, companies, music booster clubs, or other individuals/ companies. • Grants cannot be requested for the purchase of equipment or supplies unless it directly relates to the PD session being proposed. The grant proposal form is available on our website. We will

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continue to approve grant requests until the funds allocated for this school year have been spent. In June, we awarded three $1000 scholarships to graduating seniors who had been members of our region ensembles for all four years of high school. I would like to congratulate our 2019 scholarship recipients: • Shruti Tandon - JP Stevens High School • Tarin Clott - Ridge High School • Jade Navarro - New Providence High School The application for our 2020 scholarships will be available after the high school region concerts in February of 2020. Please remember to check the CJMEA website at www.cjmea.org frequently. We post information regarding concerts, audition requirements, application deadlines, and other important information as soon as it becomes available. Also, please feel free to reach out to me or any other Board member if you have any questions or concerns. Our contact information is also available on the website. I look forward to seeing and meeting you at our events throughout the year. Wayne Mallette CJMEA President wmallette@cjmea.org

OCTOBER 2019

NJSMA

North Jersey School Music Association njsma.com

reetings to all of the music teachers throughout New Jersey. All of you, whether you are first-year teachers or “seasoned” educators, have so much to offer the students of our great state. Never underestimate just how important you are to your students. I am proud to be a part of NJMEA and all of the wonderful opportunities it provides for our students. Thank to all of you who volunteer to run or participate in these events! As we begin the new school year, I would like to introduce and welcome a few new members to the NJSMA Executive Board. Jordan Peters and Russ Batsch are our new Orchestra Division Co-Chairs. Thank you to Kim Nimmo and Nate Lienhard for all of your hard work and service to NJSMA! Lyn Lowndes now joins Lewis Kelly and Jennifer Wise as a Band Division Co-Chair. Christopher DeWilde is our region’s new President-Elect. Welcome, all! Finally, I would like to thank Joseph Spina for serving as NJSMA’s President for the last two years. I know that his experience and continued role as PastPresident will continue to benefit the Region. Thank you, Joe! Over the past year, Katy Brodhead (now Katy Cullen) has served as an urban liaison for NJSMA. She will continue in this role and has already been instrumental in helping NJSMA to develop a plan to offer financial assistance for stuOCTOBER 2019

dent registration fees, participation fees, and transportation costs. This assistance will be available to all NJSMA students who qualify. Be sure to look for more information about this in communications as the audition registration materials become available. The Executive Board is excited to offer this assistance in anticipation of making our enrichment opportunities available to more students. Also new this year is a change to the name of some of our ensembles. All “Junior” ensembles will now be called “Intermediate” ensembles. In addition, the structure and audition dates for some of these ensembles have changed as outlined by the divisions below. Throughout our organization, our division chairpersons are hard at work preparing to bring you and your students the very best musical experiences. Please take a few moments to read below to learn about all of the exciting events planned for our region. Finally, if you would like to become more involved or need assistance, please feel free to contact me or anyone on the NJSMA board. We would be willing to help in any way possible. Thank you and have a great school year! Best Regards, Diana May President, NJSMA Elementary Division The NJSMA Elementary Division is proud to offer exceptional events and workshops for elementary general music educators and

their students. We thank all of our clinicians, volunteers and sponsors for the tremendous support throughout the year. Upcoming events: The annual Columbus Day workshop (October 14) will feature nationally renowned clinician: David Frego from Penn State University, who will present “Meaningful Movement.” Visit the Elementary Division page on the njsma.com website for registration information. This exceptional professional development day will include: a full day workshop with Frego, a SWAG bag, great door prizes generously provided by your favorite music companies, a continental breakfast and buffet lunch, PD certificate and more! New this year for participants is a “Swap, Share and Take” table. More details to follow. The “It’s Elementary, My Dear” Saturday morning PD event, co-sponsored with NJYC, will take place mid-winter in Chatham, and feature rotating workshops and an elementary choral reading session. Check back on the NJSMA website for details and registration information in late fall. The Fifth Annual Treble Choral Celebration will take place in Morristown in late May. Details and registration information will be available on the NJSMA website in late fall. NJSMA Membership PD Day on Monday, June 1st: This valuable PD day will include fabulous sessions for elementary music educators. Continued on next page

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NJSMA Elementary Music Division welcomes all elementary music teachers in NJ (and beyond!) to attend our events and workshops. Please consider volunteering as an Elementary Division committee member. All are welcome! Lisa Wichman and Carol Richardi Elementary Division Co-Chairs Elementary@njsma.com Chorus Division We hope that you enjoyed your summer and that you are settling into the 2019-2020 school year! We have some exciting news for our division. Across the NJSMA Board we have enacted to change the name of the Junior High Region Ensembles. Moving forward the Junior High Chorus will now be called the Intermediate Chorus. This year, singers in 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade will be able to audition for the Intermediate Chorus. 9th graders will still be eligible to audition for the Senior High Region Chorus. Please check the NJSMA website for important calendar dates and deadlines for the Intermediate and Senior High Chorus auditions and rehearsals, and our Intermediate and High School Chorus Festivals. It is with great pleasure that we can announce our guest conductors for the 20192020 Region Choirs. Conducting our High School Mixed Ensemble is David Fryling. Lauren FowlerCalisto will conduct the Intermediate Mixed Ensemble. We were so excited to bring back the Junior High Chorus Festival last year and we would love it to continue with the Intermedi-

ate Chorus Festival this year. We would like to have that festival in early December. Before we can contract adjudicators we need to have a site ready to go! If you are interested in hosting, please E-mail us at chorus@njsma.com. We are always looking for people to get more involved; we are especially looking for people to host and manage our Region Choirs. Please let us know if you can step up and do so. As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns that you have. Austin Vallies and Deana Larsen, Chorus Division Co-Chairs chorus@njsma.com Band Division We hope your first days back to school have been rewarding and successful and that you feel renewed for the upcoming year! We would like to take a moment to welcome a new Band Division co-chair to NJSMA, Lyn Lowndes from Butler Public Schools - welcome aboard! Tremendous thanks go to Diana May for serving as band chair as she is now serving our region as President! NJSMA is pleased to announce the conductors for its 2020 honor bands. For High School, Jeffrey Grogan will conduct the Wind Ensemble. Michael Iapicca of Parsippany Hills High School will conduct the Symphonic Band. The high school rehearsals and concert will be hosted at Parsippany Hills High School on Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 3:00 pm.

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As in the past, students choose which ensemble(s) they wish to be considered for using the check boxes on the Audition Application. By signing the application the student elects to participate in the ensemble(s) to which they are selected and they should reserve the dates on their calendars. Once a student is placed in that ensemble, there should be no reason for a student to drop out. Once the ensemble rosters are selected on the day of auditions, if a student declines participation, that student will not be eligible to audition for all-state and/or for an NJSMA ensemble the following year. Students may change their ensemble selection prior to their audition through the audition chair. Once a student leaves the audition site on the day of auditions there is no opportunity to change their ensemble selections. Directors, we ask that you stress to your students the importance of following through with their commitments to participate in their chosen honor ensemble(s). It with great excitement that we can announce that the 3rd Annual NJSMA North Jersey Regional Marching Band Competition will be held at Verona High School on October 26th, 2019! Despite the poor weather, last year’s competition was hugely successful and we are thrilled to build upon that success for another great show this year. Our judges will include: Sal Adamo, Visual Performance, Chris Bernotas, Music Performance, Darryl Bott, Music Ensemble, Marty Griffin, Music Effect, Mickey Kelly, Visual Effect. CompetiOCTOBER 2019

tion Classifications will be based on band size for this year. A big thank you to our Festival Coordinator Erik Lynch, band director from Verona High School. The high school concert band festival will be held on March 17, 18 and 19, 2020. There will again be day and evening times for participation. The Intermediate Band Festival will take place on April 1st at two locations. Please check the website this fall for details and performance application. NJSMA will be continuing the Elementary Band Festival for those students in sixth grade. Students and directors will have an opportunity to participate in this one-day festival to represent the high quality of instruction at the sixth grade level in our region. The festival will be Saturday, May 2, 2020 at South Orange Middle School and will feature two equally balanced 6th grade bands. Directors will be able to nominate their students for participation online and will need to be present the day of the festival. All audition, festival, and concert information (including when each event’s materials will be posted) can be found online at the region website, www.njsma.com. If you would like to get more involved with the organization, there are many opportunities available. We are always looking for schools to host rehearsals, concerts and festivals in addition to individuals to conduct, manage, and volunteer for the many different jobs that need to be accomplished on a yearly basis. Anyone interested in conducting one of the region bands OCTOBER 2019

should complete the application found on the website. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. We look forward to working with you this year. Lewis Kelly, Lyn Lowndes, and Jennifer Wise Band Division Co-Chairs band@njsma.com Orchestra Division We hope you have all enjoyed your summer and are excited for the 2019-2020 school year. Planning for this year’s Region I Orchestra events are already in progress. This year our Intermediate Orchestra will now be grades 7-9 and strings only. Intermediate Orchestra auditions are now on January 4th, the same day as High School Orchestra auditions. Freshmen can audition for both Intermediate and High School Orchestra. Please remember to check the NJSMA website for important calendar updates and deadlines for the Intermediate Orchestra and High School Orchestra auditions and rehearsals. As always, we are looking for volunteers to host, manage, serve as the Sr. Region Audition Chairperson, and coordinate. Please reach out to us if you would like to become more involved. We also try to keep directors up to date with information, so please make sure we have your correct email address by contacting us at orchestra@njsma.com. We are looking forward to collaborating with all of you this school year!

Jordan Peters and Russ Batsch Orchestra Division Co-Chairs orchestra@njsma.com

SJBODA

South Jersey Band And Orchestra Directors Association sjboda.org

ur first membership meeting for this school year will be held on Wednesday, October 2, 2019. This breakfast meeting will take place at Seven Star Diner in Sewell at 9:00 am. Please notify Ken Rafter (609-457-0590 or rafterpghs@gmail.com) if you are able to attend. Audition information and our online registration process will be explained. The new officers elected at our spring meeting were: Lori Ludewig, President-Elect (Collingswood/Oaklyn); Joe Jacobs, Secretary (Ventnor MS, retired); Patrick O’Keefe, Treasurer (Absegami HS); and Phil Senseney, Auditions Chair (Retired). Rich Beckman (Cherry Hill Public Schools) will serve as Past President and Ken Rafter (Penns Grove HS) is our President. Auditions for the 2020 All South Jersey Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Junior High String Ensemble will take place on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at Absegami HS. Patrick O’Keefe will host this event. Applications and directions are available on our website. The first rehearsal for these ensembles will take place on Saturday, December 20th at Cinnaminson HS. Deb Knisely will be our host.

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Our 2020 Orchestra conductor is Mark Kadetsky (Egg Harbor Township Schools). Mike Holak (Leonia MS) will conduct our Junior High String Ensemble. The Wind Ensemble will be conducted by Bill Stowman (Messiah College) and Mike Lynch (Cherokee HS) will conduct the Symphonic Band. Rhea Fernandes (Eastern Regional HS) is our string coordinator and Amanda Porco (Hamilton Twp. Schools) is our high school band coordinator. The Junior High Band auditions will take place on Saturday, January 25th at Southern Regional Middle School. Jennifer Hodgson and Andrew Wright will be our hosts. Audition information is available on our website. Rachel DiPilla (Milton Allen ES) and Joe Jacobs (Ventnor MS, retired) are the Junior High audition chairs. Joe Brausum (Berkeley Township Schools) is our Junior High Band Coordinator. The South Jersey Band and Orchestra Directors Association offers many opportunities for instrumental music teachers to expand their involvement and expertise as music educators. We provide excellent vehicles for professional development including conducting and managing our ensembles. Many teachers have gained wonderful ideas and strategies by observing rehearsals and meeting with colleagues. You can enhance your school music program to include excellent performing opportunities for your students and ensembles. We encourage all music teachers

to take advantage of the wonderful resources offered by SJBODA this year. Please contact Ken Rafter at rafterpghs@gmail.com or 609-4570590 for additional information. We encourage you to check our website, which is maintained by Derek Rohaly, (Mainland Regional HS) for the latest SJBODA updates. www.sjboda.org We wish everyone an exciting and successful year. Joseph Jacobs Secretary, SJBODA

SJCDA

South Jersey Choral Directors Association sjcda.net

he South Jersey Choral Directors Association (SJCDA) Board of Directors worked throughout the summer to plan our activities for the 2019-2020 school year and we are looking forward to a successful year of choral activities in Region III. We will kick off the year with our annual General Membership Meeting and Reception at Villari’s Lakeside Restaurant in Sicklerville on September 16th, 2019. Conductors for our honors choirs will present their programs and the executive board share updates,new members and helpful general information for SJCDA members. In addition, our membership will get the opportunity to network with their colleagues and share ideas about the upcoming school year. Our 62nd Annual South Jersey High School Choral Festival

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will be held at Investors Bank Performing Arts Center at Washington Township High School on January 25th and 26th, 2020. Our Senior High conductor is Andrew Seigel of William Davies Middle School and our Junior High conductor is Jessica Kolody of Highland Regional High School. Auditions for these choirs will be held on Saturday, November 16th at Woodstown High School. Our 37th Annual South Jersey Elementary Festival Choral Concert will be held on March 7th, 2020 and will be conducted by Andrew Lesser of Wilbur Watts Intermediate School. Full concert programs for all three honors choirs as well as bios of our conductors are available on our SJCDA website. The South Jersey Choral Directors Association offers many opportunities for choral music teachers to participate and in doing so, expand their knowledge as music educators. We encourage all music teachers to get involved with the honors choirs and take advantage of the professional development opportunities offered. We look forward to another exciting year working with the teachers and students of vocal music throughout South Jersey and encourage you to check our website for the latest updates. www.sjcda.net Hope Knight, SJCDA President hknight@mtps.com

OCTOBER 2019

This column salutes the lives and careers of recently departed colleagues. It is the way NJMEA and NJRMEA can express appreciation for the work that they have done and the lives that they have touched. We mourn their passing and salute their contributions, which are the basis for music education in the state of New Jersey.

Michael A. D’Andrea D’Andrea, Michael, A. age 72, of Waretown, formerly of Norwood, West Paterson and Palisades Park, passed away on Saturday June 29, 2019. A graduate of Montclair State University. Before retiring in 2004 he was a Music Teacher, Band Director, Choir Director and Wrestling Coach for the Palisades Park School District.

Yvonne Feliciano Yvonne Feliciano, 58, of Passaic, passed away on February 13, 2019. Born in Passaic, she was a lifelong resident. A member of Calvary Temple, Wayne, Yvonne was a Music Teacher for the Passaic Board of Education for 30 years, retiring in 2015, and was a member of the Passaic Teacher’s Union

Thomas G. Patton, Jr. On June 23, 2019, age 88, longtime Haddonfield resident, passed away. Tom was a wonderful musician. He had been the Haddonfield Middle School Music teacher for many years. He was a founding member of the Haddonfield Symphony, played, composed & arranged for the SJ Youth Orchestra & Friends as well as founding & being the conductor of the Haddonfield Pick-up Band. Additionally, Tom proudly served in the Korean War and was a longtime member of The American Legion Post # 38. Tom loved corny jokes & music and enjoyed being a lifeguard for many years at Wildwood & later Crystal Lake.

Virginia Sharp Peters Virginia Sharp Peters Of Cherry Hill, NJ, passed away on July 24, 2019 at the age of 89. Beloved wife of John Ralph Peters, Jr. for 64 years. Virginia was a music teacher in the OCTOBER 2019

Cherry Hill School District for many years. She was also a long-time member and organist at Marlton United Methodist Church and a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Square Circle Sportsman’s Club.

Mary Seaman Mary Seaman, 55, of Columbus, NJ, passed away on Monday, July 15, 2019, at home. Born Ft. Dix, NJ, she was a longtime resident of Columbus. Mary was a retired music teacher from the Hamilton Twp. Board of Education. Mary was a parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Maple Shade. She was deeply devoted to music; she played for Hal Prince when he would visit Philadelphia, in churches in the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Trenton, and composed sacred music. Mary was the chairperson for the National Pastoral Musician’s pianist group. She was involved in the community theatre with Haddonfield Plays and Players, the Walnut Street Theatre Children Education Program and wrote the Pennsylvania Music Curriculum.

Joseph Zienkowicz Joseph Zienkowicz passed away Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at home. He was 72. Born in New Brunswick, he resided in East Brunswick before moving to Spotswood, 40 years ago. Prior to retiring in 2009, he worked as a music teacher for East Brunswick Public Schools, with the goal of always inspiring students to strive toward their goals and success in their life and musical careers. He enjoyed trips to Atlantic City and cruising, near and far.

& 75 TEMPO

NJMEA 2019-2020 Board of Directors Executive Board

Appointed Members

President, Patrick O’Keefe Absegami High School patrickokeefe@gmail.com

Administration & Advocacy Dennis Argul Jazz House Kids dennisargul@gmail.com

Past-President, Jeff Santoro W. Windsor-Plainsboro District jsantoro@njmea.org

Band Festivals/Classroom Music Nancy Clasen Thomas Jefferson Middle School nancydidi@hotmail.com

President-Elect, Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org

Band Performance Nick Mossa Bridgewater Raritan High School nmossa16@gmail.com

Executive Secretary-Treasurer Deborah Sfraga, Retired debnjmea@aol.com

Choral/Opera Festivals Donna Marie Berchtold Retired firesongwed@gmail.com

Communications (TEMPO/Web) Thomas A. Mosher, Retired tmosher@njmea.org

Chorus Performance Wayne Mallete Scotch Plains-Fanwood District wayne.mallette1@gmail.com

Region Executive Members

NJSMA

President, Diana May Randolph Township Schools president@njsma.com

CJMEA President, Wayne Mallete Scotch Plains-Fanwood District wayne.mallette1@gmail.com

Chorus/Orchestra/Jazz Joseph Cantaffa Howell High School jcantaffahhs@hotmail.com

Collegiate/Research/Higher Ed. Colleen Sears The College of New Jersey quinnc1@tcnj.edu

SJCDA President, Hope Knight William Allen Middle School hknight@mtps.us

Conferences Marie Malara, Retired malara97@aol.com

SJBODA President, Ken Rafter Penns Grove High School rafterpghs@gmail.com

Corporate/Industry James Frankel jim@musicfirst.com

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Early Childhood Music Ed. Amy Burns Far Hills Country Day School aburns@fhcds.org Guitar Jayson Martinez Arts High School, Newark jmarti37@webmail.essex.edu

NJ Association For Jazz Ed. Joe Bongiovi Princeton Public Schools jbongiovi.njaje@gmail.com NJRMEA Kathy Spadafino, Retired kspadeb@aol.com

Orchestra Festivals/Performance Susan Meuse Hammarskjold Middle School susanmeuse@gmail.com

Special Learners Maureen Butler Lake Drive School mbutler@mlschools.org

Technology Andrew Lesser Burlington County Schools Andrew.Lesser@Yahoo.com

OCTOBER 2019

NJMEA RESOURCE PERSONNEL Area of Responsibility

Name

Email Address

Administrative Matters..................................................... Patrick O’Keefe............................................ patrickaokeefe@gmail.com All-State Chorus, Orchestra, Jazz Coordinator................ Joseph Cantaffa............................................ jcantaffahhs@hotmail.com All-State Orchestra Procedures Chair................................. Justin Louie............................................. ASOProcedures@gmail.com Association Business......................................................... Deborah Sfraga........................................................ debnjmea@aol.com Choral Procedures Chair................................................... Wayne Mallette......................................... wayne.mallette1@gmail.com Composition Contest......................................................... Andrew Lesser.............................................. andrew.lesser@yahoo.com Editor - TEMPO Magazine.............................................. Thomas Mosher....................................................... tmosher@njmea.org Jazz Procedures Chair......................................................... Joe Bongiovi............................................. jbongiovi.njaje@gmail.com Marching Band Festival Chair........................................... Nancy Clasen.................................................. nancydidi@hotmail.com Membership....................................................................... Deborah Sfraga........................................................ debnjmea@aol.com Middle/Junior High Band Festival................................. James Chwalyk, Jr. .................................... james.chwalyk.jr@gmail.com Middle/Junior High Choral Festival........................... Donna Marie Berchtold.......................................... firesongwed@gmail.com NJMEA Historian............................................................ Nicholas Santoro...................................................... n31b13@gmail.com NJMEA State Conference Exhibits Chair.......................... Nancy Clasen.................................................. nancydidi@hotmail.com NJMEA State Conference Manager................................... Marie Malara.......................................................... malara97@aol.com NJMEA Summer Conference........................................... Joseph Akinskas............................................... joea_njmea@comcast.net NJMEA/ACDA Honors Choir........................................... Pam Crockett...................................................... pcrockett@npsdnj.org November Convention – NJEA.......................................... Nancy Clasen.................................................. nancydidi@hotmail.com Opera Festival Chair................................................... Donna Marie Berchtold.......................................... firesongwed@gmail.com Orchestra Performance Chair.............................................. Susan Meuse.................................................. susanmeuse@gmail.com Research............................................................................. Colleen Sears............................................................ quinnc1@tcnj.edu Students with Special Needs............................................. Maureen Butler................................................. mbutler@mlschools.org Supervisor of Performing Groups....................................... Jeff Santoro.......................................................... jsantoro@njmea.org Tri-M................................................................................ Patrick O’Keefe............................................. patrickaokeefe@gmail.com REPRESENTATIVES/LIAISONS TO AFFILIATED, ASSOCIATED AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS NJ American Choral Directors Association....................... Anne Matlack.......................... anne.matlack@choralcommunities.com Governor’s Award for Arts Education................................. Jeff Santoro.......................................................... jsantoro@njmea.org NJ Association for Jazz Education...................................... Joe Bongiovi............................................. jbongiovi.njaje@gmail.com NAfME............................................................................. Patrick O’Keefe............................................ patrickaokeefe@gmail.com NJ Music Administrators Association............................... Thomas Weber............................................ tweber@westfieldnjk12.org NJ Retired Music Educators Association........................... Frank Hughes.......................................................... flh4hof@gmail.com NJ TI:ME........................................................................... Andrew Lesser.............................................. andrew.lesser@yahoo.com Percussive Arts Society.................................................... Domenico Zarro................................................. DEZarro@optonline.net COMMUNICATION SERVICES/PUBLIC RELATIONS Executive Secretary-Treasurer.......................................... Deborah Sfraga.................................................. debnjmea1@gmail.com Editor - TEMPO Magazine............................................ Thomas A. Mosher..................................................... tmosher@njmea.org Web Master (njmea.org)................................................. Thomas A. Mosher..................................................... tmosher@njmea.org

OCTOBER 2019

77 TEMPO

GENERAL ADVERTISING RATES

Note additional fees will apply if metal plates are required. Ads which exceed the specified sizes will be charged at next ad size.

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EDITORIAL POLICY Articles may be submitted to the editor of this magazine by anyone who wishes to write about topics related to music or music education. All articles which are selected for publication will be proof read for content, spelling and grammatical errors. Authors who submit an article to TEMPO Magazine for publication agree to all of the following 1. the editor may edit all articles for content, spelling and grammar. 2. the printing of the article in TEMPO Magazine, the printing date, and placement are at the discretion of the editor. 3. permission is granted to reprint the same article in any National or State Music Education Association magazine on the condition that the author’s name and TEMPO Magazine are to be mentioned in all reprinted articles. 4. no exceptions will be made regarding items 1 through 3 above. 5. the author of the article may submit his/her article to additional magazines for publication.

NJMEA Past Presidents 1924 - 1926 1926 - 1930 1930 - 1930 - 1931 1931 - 1933 1933 - 1935 1935 - 1936 1936 - 1938 1938 - 1939 1939 - 1941 1941 - 1942 1942 - 1944 1944 - 1945 1945 - 1947 1947 - 1949 1949 - 1951 1951 - 1953

Josephine Duke R.W. Laslett Smith Jay W. Fay Wilbert B. Hitchner Thomas Wilson John H. Jaquish Clifford Demarest Mable E. Bray Paul H. Oliver K. Elizabeth Ingles Arthur E. Ward John T. Nicholson Frances Allan-Allen Philip Gordon Violet Johnson Samuel W. Peck Janet G. Gleason

1953 - 1955 1955 - 1957 1957 - 1959 1959 - 1961 1961 - 1963 1963 - 1965 1965 - 1967 1967 - 1969 1969 - 1971 1971 - 1973 1973 - 1975 1975 - 1977 1977 - 1979 1979 - 1981 1981 - 1983 1983 - 1985 1985 - 1987

Henry Zimmerman Agnes B. Gordown Leroy B. Lenox Elizabeth R. Wood Harold A. Brown E. Brock Griffith Robert C. Heath Edward Brown Rudolph Kreutzer Charles Wertman Stephen M. Clarke Herman L. Dash Buddy S. Ajalat Alyn J. Heim Robert Marince Anthony Guerere Joan Policastro

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1987 - 1989 1989 - 1991 1991 - 1993 1993 - 1995 1995 - 1997 1997 - 1999 1999 - 2001 2001 - 2003 2003 - 2005 2005 - 2007 2007 - 2009 2009 - 2011 2011 - 2013 2013 - 2015 2015 - 2017 2017 - 2019

Joseph Mello Dorian Parreott David S. Jones Anthony Guerere Sharon Strack Chic Hansen Joseph Mello Nicholas Santoro Frank Phillips Joseph Akinskas Robert Frampton William McDevitt Keith Hodgson Joseph Jacobs William McDevitt Jeffrey Santoro

OCTOBER 2019

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79 TEMPO

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2019 October TEMPO

Articles inside

New Jersey Young Composers Competition, Andrew Lesser

An Interview With John Flora, Jayson Martinez

Advocacy News From The President-Elect, Lisa Vartanian

NJMEA Member Spotlight: Missy Strong

NJMEA Chorus, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Honors Jazz Choir at Atlantic City and NJPAC

Knowing The Difference, As You Make A Difference With Special Learners, Maureen Butler

Coding + Composition + Chiptune Music, Shawna Longo

Clean. Musical. Tom & Jerry or Ben & Jerry, Eric Lynch

The 2020 NJMEA State Music Conference Moves To Atlantic City February 20-22, 2020

NJMEA Early Childhood Music And Advocacy Highlighted On Caucus NJ With Steve Adubado, Amy Burns