SBO Magazine by SBO School Band & Orchestra

January 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ $5.00

Laura Mulligan Thomas

of Charlottesville High School

An Orchestral

Oasis

Report: El Sistema in the U.S. Survey: Hazing in Music Programs

JANUARY 2012

18 Laura Mulligan Thomas

“

The community needs to know about the wonderful things happening in their school music programs.

”

Physical abuse

Humiliation/Mental abuse

Yes

11%

21%

Harmless pranks/rituals

76%

89%

Yes

35% No

65% No

98%

Survey: Hazing

This past fall, a drum major for the Florida A&M University Marching Band died of injuries incurred during hazing on a school bus following a football game. While word of serious incidents among music students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels hasn’t been making the national airwaves of late, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t occur among younger students. With that in mind, this survey seeks to ferret out the current trends on this topic among younger students, in terms of both prevalence and teacher response.

How Widespread is

Hazing

Contents

in Music Programs?

SBO reports on the progress of El Sistema-inspired music education programs in the United States.

It’s an ongoing issue.

It used to be a problem, but it isn’t any more.

22%

Physical We’ve never had aabuse problem with hazing 3% Physical abuse

Yes

11% Yes

11%

pranks to harassment, humiliation, and even physical No

abuse of newcomers into a group. Although more com-

89%

monly associated with fraternities and sports teams, hazing is also a

problem facing school bands and orchestra programs.

Report: El Sistema

89%

Involve parents/admin

76%

12%

Suspension from program

10%

No steps taken

In an interview with SBO in January

El Sistema

Physical2010, abuse Mark Churchill, dean emeritus of Yes

2% Yes

2% Yes 11%

35%

the 3%

New England Conservatory (NEC) and founder of an organization called El

Sistema USA, was pushing for that group Yes Humiliation/Mental to become the primary resource to help abuse 35% support and encourage the individual No

65%

in the United States

21%

programs, often called “Nucleos,” in communities across the country. However, Churchill’s hopes took a blow earlier this year, when the NEC opted to disassociate

65%

under consideration, a nationally unified 76%

association or organization has yet to take shape as of December 2011. What, then, is the future of this movement in the United States? “It continues to grow,” sayswith MarkisChurchill 43% in a recent “The closest thing I have had deal Make consequences known interview. andtoenforce them However, kids being silly and playing pranks on one anoth- “the situation is that “We recognize the unique and often fragile personthere’s no set with definition of what it means er. When that occurs, I immediately deal it 43% Make consequences known and enforce them 15% alities of the students in our music and drama usicprograms education programs to beprank an Elthat Sistema-inspired program,” as Involve parents/admin It’s an ongoing issue. and inform the kids that the same may Yes throughout and we make it clearly known and evident of yet. a moment where the movebe taken in good spirits one Yes day can“This causeis major modeled after El Sistema, 2% 15%itself the school that the entire arts area is a ‘safe ment has what chosen not to define itself 2%haven’ for all Involve parents/admin It’s an ongoing issue. problems nextprogram because you13% never know Expulsionthe from students in our program. We would never so 35% tooinmuch, intime orderofto allow for inclusivethetolerate Venezuelan movement kind of mood someone may be at the 2% much as a verbal slur or derogatory glance which may ness, which will hopefully lead to greater It used to be a problem, 13% the prank.” from program 12% social empowerment through classical Expulsion result in someone’s feeling of threatened.” intensity and more and more programs.” but it isn’t any more. Involve Student Leaders Ron M. No R. aWilder Mark indicates that even though no ItJonathan used to be problem, music, continue to multiply and flourish Franklin High School 22% 12% Salamanca City Central High School single institution has so far indicated a 65% Leaders 10% Franklin, La. but it isn’t any more. Involve Student from program willingness to take on the burden of orgain the United States. maSalamanca, N.Y.Affiliated withSuspension 22% nizing and maintaining a central national 10% School Band and Orchestra • January 2012 31 jorhad orchestras, universities, schools,Suspension and We’ve never a from program office, there is still hope for an umbrella Alert Police 4% No problem with hazing organization to materialize. “There is an arts and cultural centers from Florida to We’ve never had a 98% 4% evolution that has been taking place, and 3% 76% Alert Police Maine and Southern California to Alaska, No steps taken problem with hazing some false starts and turns in the road in terms of building a central support organithere are now more than 50 individual 3% 76% No steps taken zation for the individual programs. Rather programs that share a mission of improvthan incorporate independently and build 43% a self-standing organization and enforce them that would ing communities through the rigorousMake consequences known provide networking, services, and a voice teaching of children and young people for the movement, 15% which El Sistema USA Involve parents/adminhas been doing, we entered into a differIt’s an ongoing issue. to play orchestral music. While most reent conversation. We are moving towards 2% creating13% a 501c(6) rather than 501c(3), ports on this exciting and widely heraldedExpulsion from program which is an association of organizations, It used be a problem, movement in thetoUnited States indicate a rather than a freestanding organization 12% but it isn’t any more. Involve Student Leaders that operates independently. rapid-fire expansion, the future of an um“We’ve had discussions where leaders 22% 10% from all of the different El brella organization or national governingSuspension from program and personnel Sistema-inspired programs come together body for El Sistema-inspired programs in to learn about the advantages and the proWe’ve never had a Alert Police 4% thiswith country problem hazingis still unclear.

Foothold found, but creating a governing body is elusive

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

14 Guest Editorial: Grant Writing Music educator, advocate, and speaker Danny Rocks provides a number of tips for finding and securing funding in the form of grants.

76%

No steps taken

ORCHKids. Photo by Bill Denison.

cesses of building an association. We’ve just started that process, and I’m very excited about it because I think this will be the next stage of El Sistema USA. A board will be elected from the people who are running the centers themselves, and bylaws will be drawn up. That would provide the authentic voice of this movement, as it develops and matures. The first priorities will be set by the group itself, rather than some external influence. For me, the

Mark Churchill with students at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston. Photo by Tony Scarpetta.

itself from El Sistema USA. Although still Harmless pranks/rituals

No 98% No 89% 98%

If you have encountered hazing within your music program, what form has it taken?

Is hazing among music students Yes a problem at your school?

15% 13%

Involve Student Leaders

Alert Police

Humiliation/Mental abuse Humiliation/Mental 21% abuse “When I first took over the high school program, there21% were ‘traditions’ which were borderline hazing. I worked hard to eliminate any quesHarmless pranks/rituals tion that may be placed on the program.” 76% J. Perez Harmless pranks/rituals Leighton Elementary School 76% Aurora, Ohio

43%

Make consequences known and enforce them

Expulsion from program

Do you consider hazing to be a common practice in high school music programs?

azing is a term that includes anything from harmless

Features

10 Report: El Sistema

How would you classify hazing within your music program?

We’re all very interested in learning from each other. first priority would be to set the criteria for what it means to be an El Sistema-inspired program, which would lead to the potential for funding from public and private foundations, national corporations, and so on.” This concept is still in the very early stages, with the next steps to be taken at a symposium hosted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic scheduled for the end of January. “There’s a lot of young leadership emerging,” continues Churchill. At the symposium in Los Angeles, “we might be able to establish by-laws and all of that, so I would hope for an incorporation in the Spring of 2012.” One of the most exciting El Sistemarelated developments in this country is a recent partnership of Longy School of Music, Bard College, and the L.A. Phil,

which will lead to the creation of a Master’s of Arts in Teaching degree program based on the tenets of El Sistema. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which is lead by internationally acclaimed fiery young musical director Gustavo Dudamel, himself perhaps the most notable success story of El Sistema, started its El Sistema-based program, YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles) in 2007, in anticipation of Dudamel’s arrival. Since then, they’ve expanded to two sites and now reach about 600 students in the L.A. area,

(YOLA at HOLA) Young students participate in the L.A. Phil’s YOLA program. Photo by Mathew Imaging.

School Band and Orchestra •Janaury 2012

School Band and Orchestra • Janaury 2012

18 UpClose: Laura Mulligan Thomas The Charlottesville (Va.) High School Orchestra is booming. In this recent SBO interview, longtime director Laura Mulligan Thomas details what she has done to create and sustain a veritable oasis for orchestra students.

30 Survey: Hazing Following the recent death of a drum major due to hazing by his fellow members of the Florida A&M University band, this survey explores the prevalence and severity of hazing among bands and orchestras at the high school level.

36 Technology: Digital Recording John Kuzmich details the many advances in portable recorders and their application to music educators and students.

42 Staff Selections: Beginning Orchestra Repertoire 2

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Columns 4

Perspective

53 Playing Tip

Headlines

54 Classifieds

46 New Products

56 Ad Index

Cover photo by Michael Bailey, Charlottesville, Va. SB&O School Band and Orchestra® (ISSN 1098-3694) is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310, publisher of Musical Merchandise Review, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JAZZed. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: one year $24; two years $40. Rates outside U.S.A. available upon request. Single issues $5 each. February Resource Guide $15. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to School Band and Orchestra, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Copyright © 2012 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

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Perspective

Believe the Hype “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” or, in this case, take it over. Laura Mulligan Thomas, this month’s spotlight director, was in an interesting situation in that she couldn’t get the publicity she wanted in her school’s newspaper. So rather than try to change the system, when there was an opportunity, she volunteered to take over the helm. The result of this effort was multifold – not only does it show her great initiative and desire to build her program, but it specifically helped her gain the well-deserved publicity that her music program deserved, while also providing invaluable insight into what other programs were doing in the school, allowing her to use that information to dovetail her program’s activities with other happenings in the school. The advice she gained from the established band director when she was hired to run the orchestra was that you have to “toot your own horn” and let everyone know about your group’s accomplishments, no matter how small they might be. It’s a rare situation today that a person takes over a program right out of college and stays with it for nearly 30 years, but that’s exactly what Ms. Thomas “You have to ‘toot has done. Today’s society seems to stress instant your own horn’ and let gratification, short-term stints at different jobs and schools, and rarely a consideration for the longeveryone know about term outlook. However, this type of societal shift your group’s often doesn’t allow for the type of long-term strateaccomplishments, no gic thinking that would allow a program to grow in matter how small they a methodical, step-by-step process. The seeds that might be.” need to be planted to grow a school music program may take years to take root and begin the upward momentum necessary to build a successful program. Additionally, part of the success of Ms. Thomas’ program is built on her philosophy of stressing how much fun it is to play and perform on a stringed instrument, as opposed to the more traditional viewpoint of the prestige and cerebral benefits. Her students seem to understand this approach, as her recruitment efforts have improved to the point where over 10 percent of the student population in her school performs in the orchestra program – a significant accomplishment for a string program indeed! In fact, these numbers approach or surpass many more marching band programs. Another consistent theme of Laura’s approach is her willingness to get out into the community and perform as much as possible. As opposed to marching bands, which gain tremendous visibility at football games and parades, string programs don’t usually have that “built-in” exposure. In order to build the necessary publicity, she accepts numerous invitations to perform locally to gain attention, provide performance opportunities for students, and also to gain support from the community. As we enter the New Year, there are still tremendous economic hurdles that our profession is facing, so it is even more critical than ever to focus on the small things that will go a long way in solidifying the place of music education within our school systems.

Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com 4

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Janaury 2012 • Volume 15, Number 1 GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial Staff EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Matt Parish mparish@symphonypublishing.com Art Staff PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Advertising Staff ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com Business Staff CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com

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this once-in-a-lifetime experience with an exclusive badge of honor. So, if you think your instrumental group has Ears for the Arts, then there is no better time to plan your next Disney Performing Arts trip. For more information, contact your travel planner or call toll-free 1-866-715-4095.

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Headlines Eagle Regiment Gives & Receives In Foster Children Village Painting Project

Tech-based education program VSCHOOLZ.com recently made a $2,000 donation to the Eagle Regiment marching band program in Pompano Beach, Fla. VSCHOOLZ president Rick Angelone and director of marketing Angelina O’Brien presented the check to band director John Rusnak to pay for the painting supplies they used during the Eagle Regiment Gives Back service project at the SOS Children’s Village in Coconut Creek. More than 200 band students and parents painted and pressure washed five homes at the foster children’s village and ended the day with a band concert for the residents.

www.vschoolz.com www.douglashigh.edu

Burkart Flutes and Picccolos recently released an entirely new website geared towards engaging flute and piccolo players around the world. The new site boasts added features along with a modern and more interactive design, including vivid pop-outs and descriptions as users scroll over a page. A visitor can study the G# facilitator of a piccolo, view options for the flute in detail and get an up close view of key engravings. This pop-out feature is found throughout the new website when scrolling over certain highlighted items and pictures.

The new site is designed to be a resource for players. Piccolo fingering tips are listed, C# trill applications are revealed, resources relevant to the flute enthusiast are offered, and there is an article by Burkart’s headjoint maker on how to go about choosing a flute headjoint.

www.burkart.com

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

France’s Magnifica Brass Quintet Coming to TMEA

France’s Magnifica Brass Quintet at the upcoming 2012 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention, thanks to sponsorship from Pender’s Music. The Magnifica is scheduled to lead a master class and perform in concert at TMEA on Friday, February 10th. They will also be providing master classes and/or performing in concert at Texas Christian University (TCU), Texas Woman’s University (TWU), and the University of North Texas (UNT) just prior to their appearance at TMEA. A premiere performance group from France, the Magnifica tours internationally on a regular basis, and frequently attends various French music festivals annually. The ensemble is commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coach the Tunisian Symphony Orchestra, where it routinely organizes master classes. Pender Music Co. is a large sheet music company with locations in Denton (Texas), Dallas, and Oklahoma City, in affiliation with French music publisher International Music Diffusion (IMD), and full line Texas music retailer Music 1st.

www.penders.com www.magnifica.net

Burkart Launches New Website

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Headlines Sabian Celebrates 30 Years

Over its 30 years in production, Sabian has become home to many of the finest drummers in the world – artists as diverse as Jojo Mayer, Neil Peart, Jack DeJohnette, Chad Smith and Dave Weckl. To honor the tight bond between the manufacturer and its endorsers, Sabian has launched “Obsessed”, a new advertising and brand campaign that celebrates 30 years of the finest drummers, and the cymbals that inspire them. As Sabian enters its fourth decade as a leading cymbal manufacturer, new challenges lie ahead, challenges that founder Robert Zildjian likely did not foresee when he launched Sabian in 1982. “30 years. Been there, done that – twice”, he writes. “But the last 30 years at Sabian have passed by like 30 days.”

www.sabian.com

‘Advanced Method’ Pioneer Himie Voxman Dies Music education pioneer and livelong teacher Himie Voxman recently passed away at the age of 99. Voxman was an Iowa City resident who had taught at the University of Iowa until his retirement in 1980, after which he continued to foster a busy teaching schedule. Voxman co-authored a series of instructional books for woodwind and brass players called the “Advanced Method” that was used in junior highs and high schools across the country for instructing students. The books were published by Rubank and later by Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation). He wrote the books with William Gower, who was Voxman’s band director growing up in Centerville, Iowa.

Voxman moved to Iowa City in 1929 and became a renowned clarinetist and music professor. Voxman also became known for his archival research in European libraries. During his studies, he discovered hundreds of rare manuscripts that he later used for arrangements that he published. These manuscripts are now stored and maintained at the University of Iowa. Awards given to Voxman include an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Iowa Bandmasters Association, honorary doctorates from Coe College, DePaul University, and VanderCook College of Music, the International Clarinet Association’s lifetime achievement award, and he had the music building at U. of Iowa named after him.

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

I wanted to thank you for your e-newsletters, especially this last issue. Your stories are relevant, timely and helpful to me in my research and understanding of what is going on within our industry. A few months back it struck me while reading a story that your staff writing skills make me jealous! Over the last few months it has also occurred to me just how much you all support NAMM and our many programs. For example, your recent story on the passing of Dr. Voxman included a link to the local newspaper article, which featured a link to his webclip from the NAMM Oral History program. That was very much appreciated! Do our industry a favor and keep up the great work! Yours, Dan Del Fiorentino Music Historian NAMM

Report: El Sistema

El Sistema

in the United States Foothold found, but governing body still undefined

usic

education

programs

modeled after El Sistema, the Venezuelan movement

of social empowerment through classical music, continue to multiply and flourish in the United States. Affiliated with major orchestras, universities, schools, and arts and cultural centers from Florida to Maine and Southern California to Alaska, there are now more than 50 individual programs that share a mission of improving communities through the rigorous teaching of children and young people to play orchestral music. While most reports on this exciting and widely heralded movement in the United States indicate a rapid-fire expansion, the future of an umbrella organization or national governing body for El Sistema-inspired programs in this country is still unclear.

A student from Baltimoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ORCHKids. Photo by Bill Denison. 10

School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ Janaury 2012

In an interview with SBO in January 2011, Mark Churchill, dean emeritus of the New England Conservatory (NEC) and founder of an organization called El Sistema USA, was pushing for that group to become the primary resource to help support and encourage the individual programs, often called “Nucleos,” in communities across the country. However, Churchill’s hopes took a blow earlier this year, when the NEC opted to disassociate itself from El Sistema USA. Although still under consideration, a nationally unified association or organization has yet to take shape as of December 2011. What, then, is the future of this movement in the United States? “It continues to grow,” says Mark Churchill in a recent interview. However, “the situation is that there’s no set definition of what it means to be an El Sistema-inspired program,” as of yet. “This is a moment where the movement itself has chosen not to define itself too much, in order to allow for inclusiveness, which will hopefully lead to greater intensity and more and more programs.” Mark indicates that even though no single institution has so far indicated a willingness to take on the burden of organizing and maintaining a central national office, there is still hope for an umbrella organization to materialize. “There is an evolution that has been taking place, and some false starts and turns in the road in terms of building a central support organization for the individual programs. Rather than incorporate independently and build a self-standing organization that would provide networking, services, and a voice for the movement, which El Sistema USA has been doing, we entered into a different conversation. We are moving towards creating a 501c(6) rather than 501c(3), which is an association of organizations, rather than a freestanding organization that operates independently. “We’ve had discussions where leaders and personnel from all of the different El Sistema-inspired programs come together to learn about the advantages and the pro-

Mark Churchill with students at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston. Photo by Tony Scarpetta.

“We’re all very interested in learning from each other.” first priority would be to set the criteria for what it means to be an El Sistema-inspired program, which would lead to the potential for funding from public and private foundations, national corporations, and so on.” This concept is still in the very early stages, with the next steps to be taken at a symposium hosted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic scheduled for the end of January. “There’s a lot of young leadership emerging,” continues Churchill. At the symposium in Los Angeles, “we might be able to establish by-laws and all of that, so I would hope for an incorporation in the Spring of 2012.” One of the most exciting El Sistemarelated developments in this country is a recent partnership of Longy School of Music, Bard College, and the L.A. Phil,

which will lead to the creation of a Master’s of Arts in Teaching degree program based on the tenets of El Sistema. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which is led by internationally acclaimed fiery young musical director Gustavo Dudamel, himself perhaps the most notable success story of El Sistema, started its El Sistema-based program, YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles) in 2007, in anticipation of Dudamel’s arrival. Since then, they’ve expanded to two sites and now reach about 600 students in the L.A. area,

Young students participate in the L.A. Phil’s YOLA program. Photo by Mathew Imaging. School Band and Orchestra • Janaury 2012

teaching after school music every day, up to about 17 hours per week. In January of 2011, Karen Zorn, the relatively new president of Longy School of Music, met with representatives from the L.A. Phil, where she expressed an interest in revising the thinking about the way in which musicians are trained at the conservatory level, understanding that the landscape for professionally trained musicians has evolved dramatically in the past 20 years. “Longy has always had somewhat of a philosophy of giving back to the community, but there is very much a formal track for thinking about teaching and learning, and innovative ways of bringing that back to the community as part of the curriculum,” explains Gretchen Nielsen, the director of educational initiatives for the L.A. Philharmonic. “Longy had just merged with Bard College, which itself has a deep interest in changing public education. Bard College has been establishing charter schools and regular public schools around the country and doing interesting things around higher education and getting students on the pre-college track. One of those schools was started in the Cental Valley of California, and fresh off the Bard-Longy merger, Longy was interested in starting a Nucleo as a part of that school. So Longy approached the

“My music education looked a lot like what we’re doing in our El Sistema programs.”

Gretchen Nielsen of the L.A. Philharmonic. Photo by Mathew Imaging.

LA Phil to discuss setting up the program in Central Valley, about the best practices from YOLA, and that conversation eventually turned to ‘helping the field at large.’ We’re all very interested in learning from each other. Although there is all kinds of

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School Band and Orchestra • Janaury 2012

wonderful music education happening all over the U.S., this kind of intensive music education with the social imperative at its core is somewhat new.” Nielsen sees the annual El Sistema symposiums, which began in 2010, as a way to bring educators together to learn from each other and share best practices. There are also discussions of setting up smaller regional conferences, which would take place in addition to the annual national gathering. As for knowledge sharing, the L.A. Phil is leading the push on that front, as well, publishing videos and documents cataloguing helpful tips, best practices, and other relevant information for – and from – educators, directors, and parents on the YOLA resource center, www.laphil.com/yola/yola-resource.cfm. “We’re finding that people involved in these program are really generous,” notes Nielsen, in terms of sharing information and experiences. As El Sistema-based programs continue to multiply and gather strength, Nielson suggests that they don’t necessarily represent a radical change in music education, especially as compared to many of the flourishing school music programs across the country. “Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, my music education looked a lot like what we’re doing in our El Sistema programs. Music education used to be accessible to all, in all schools, and available every day. In many cases that has been threatened by budget cuts, standardized testing, and scheduling challenges, but also because, in some cases, of a lack of understanding about what it means to be competent in music or the arts at the administrative level. We can use El Sistema-style programs as a demonstration to communities and school administrators to help them find time – whether in the school day or in the after school setting – and understand the value for intensive music education.” Proponents of El Sistema-inspired programs insist that the more these programs continue to grow, the more the benefits reaped by both the individual students and secondary impact on their communities at large will become plainly evident. For now, though, the second act of this movement has yet to be written.

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Guest Editorial: Grant Writing

Need A Grant For Your Program?

Learn To Build Community Support! By Danny Rocks

hen itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to plan for the new school year, most teachers

probably worry about obtaining the funding necessary for all of the things they want to do: add a private lesson program; purchase new computers for the music lab; take the band or orchestra to a festival at the other end of the state; and so on. There are concerns that budgets will be cut or class sizes will be increased. For many educators, this means raising extra funds, but the thought of starting yet another bake sale gives some a case of the hives.

School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ January 2012

If you are wondering if there is better way to obtain the funds their programs need, maybe you have heard about grants and perhaps even know a colleague who has obtained a grant. You want to know how to get started with the grant process. Let’s begin! The first step is to move away from saying, “I want _____,” and learn to identify and articulate the needs of your students and your community. Try it! Change the wording from what you want to do by filling in the blanks: “Twenty percent of the students in our middle school band program will be unable to continue because they lack _____; they will need _____ in order to continue _____. Participating in this program has enabled them to _____.” Do you see the difference? Do you want to make a difference? Learn to shine the spotlight on the people that you will help and not on yourself or your program. As you learn to identify and express the needs of the people you serve and how your program will address these needs, keep this in mind: Be timely, be specific, and be brief! Use accurate and up-to-date statistics. Focus on specific needs and the people who will benefit from a grant. Learn to write and speak succinctly – focus on one strong point. The second step in a successful grant application is finding the right donor for your program. There really is no shortage of donors – The National Center for Charitable Statistics (nccs.urban.org) reports that in 2010 there were more than 120,000 private foundations in the USA. The Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter. org) estimates that those groups gave over $45 billion in grants to programs of all shapes and sizes. Remember, that this does not include grants from state and federal agencies. And these private foundations must spend at least 5 percent of their investment assets each year or face penalties from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), including loss of their non-profit status.

Why grants get denied Now, don’t get over-confident. With so many potential donors and so much

money needing to be spent, finding the right donor – for your program and the needs in your community that your program will address – is actually the most difficult step in the grant seeking process. The number one reason that a grant application is denied is because the people requesting the money did not take the time to see that the interests, mission statement and scope of the foundation (those who have the money) matched up with the goals of the program (that will address the needs). Most foundations clearly state the geographic, demographic, and economic limitations that they will consider in a grant application. You can easily find this information on a foundation’s website or in its printed materials. Some key advice: Keep your search local. With few exceptions, foundations prefer to make grants to people and programs in their community or their region. Here’s a proven way to find potential benefactors for your Fine or Performing Arts program:

As you start filling out grant applications, you will notice that most follow a very similar pattern. In fact

“Focus on specific needs and the people who will benefit from a grant.”

■ Attend a performance by your local orchestra and bring home the program. ■ The program will list all of the corporations, individuals and foundations that have provided support for the symphony. This is your target list – people who have money and use part of it to support the arts! ■ Assemble a team to start researching these potential donors. Go to their websites and learn about their history of charitable giving: who received funding, how much funding they will consider, what time of year they consider grants, et cetera. ⁕ You should also add all of these arts patrons to your mailing list. Invite them to your next concert. Send them news about your program and how the community benefits as a result of it. State your goals.

most foundations use a “Common Grant Application Format.” Follow this link to download one - www. cmu.edu/develop/infoser v/prop/ cgaf.html. You will improve your chances of obtaining a grant if you remember: ■ Grant writing is not a “cookie-cutter” process. Don’t practice “spray and pray” – filling out one application and mailing it to every foundation in your area. ⁕ Be as selective in trying to match your application to a donor as you are in choosing the proper piece of music for your group to perform at a contest. ■ Follow all of the rules exactly! This is the number two reason that a grant application is denied. ⁕ Do not miss a deadline, even by one hour. ⁕ Use the terminology that they request. Speak their language. ⁕ Use a dispassionate proofreader; if you are sloppy with grammar, you indicate that you will not be a careful steward of the foundation’s money. ⁕ Provide all of the forms requested. Do not exceed the length they specify.

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Who has the money and who gets funded? In addition to an IRS mandate that foundations spend at least 5 percent of their investment assets each year, the government publishes the foundation’s tax return as a matter of public record. This is Form 990 and www.grantsmart.org has a wonderful search engine to find potential grantors. You can search the tax returns of over 100,000 private foundations and charitable trusts. Search by state, zip code, size of assets, and more, and see an itemized list of all the programs and individuals who received a grant from that foundation. Contact these recipients to learn more about who they serve, what they have accomplished and ask for their help refining your grant search. Typically, grants fund: ■ Program grants to start a new program or expand an existing one. ■ Expensive instruments and equipment (sound reinforcement, risers, and so on) ■ Technology – to incorporate it or update and expand it

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■ Uniforms and tours ⁕ Community outreach and enrichment: to bring music to the community and to involve the community in music. ■ To start or expand a private lesson program – especially for “at risk” children. ■ Professional Development – includes attending in-service conferences. Some other helpful websites that I have used include: The Nonprofit Resource Center - www.not-for-profit.org and School Grants (founded by a former grant writer for the Dallas, Texas school district) - www.schoolgrants.org. Of course, you also need to become very familiar with Advocacy materials when you are building your case to support your grant application, so your first stop should be Support Music (www.supportmusic.com).

Clarity of purpose While searching the web, I discovered these seven questions – asked in sequence – that neatly define the grant writing process and will help shape your thought process. As you honestly answer each question, you will make a successful transformation from the “I want _____” (material goods) stage to the “We need _____ in order to _____ so that _____” goal. And in the process, you will make yourself more attractive to philanthropists and truly make a difference in your community. The seven questions that I found at www.schoolgrants.org are: 1. What do you want to buy? 2. What will you do with it? 3. Why do you want to do that? 4. What good will it do? 5. What makes you think you’re the one to do it? 6. How will you know whether you really did it? 7. How will you keep doing it? As I have reflected on these questions, I have found them to be a successful blueprint for undertaking any project. They really get to the heart of what we teach as music educators and why we continue to teach music in the face of many difficult odds. The artist Joan Miró said, “More important than a work of art itself is what it will sow. Art can die. A painting can disappear. What counts is the seed.” Philanthropists understand the importance of

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

nurturing the seed. They realize that their money partnered with capable people and organizations can make a tremendous positive change in our society.

Music is collaborative – so is grant writing A successful grant application requires a team effort. Foundations do not like to fund “lone rangers” – that is, individuals with an idea. They realize the importance of collaboration in order to get a program started on the road to self-sufficiency. Funders need to see evidence of real community support and involvement in your program. Who are your volunteers (band parents, PTA)? Who will create and monitor your budget? Who will run the program? Do they require training? What other arts organizations can or will share your resources? Are you thinking too narrow in scope? Who will help keep your organization focused? Who will create the assessment reports many foundations require? This article is by necessity an overview of the grant writing process. I have provided links to some useful websites where you can gain additional resources to help you in your search. Other articles are available to focus on specific steps in the grant writing process. However, no grant application will ever be successful unless there is a true match between the needs and strengths of your organization, the needs and support of your community and the goals and resources of your funders. Each needs to see that the other partners share their values and are united in their goals. It is wise to heed the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “People only see what they are prepared to see.” Be prepared to succeed. Be prepared to make music. And be prepared to make a difference in your community. Danny Rocks founded The Company Rocks in 2006 after completing a distinguished 30-year career in music publishing. Danny is a highly regarded keynote speaker, moderator, and trainer. He consults for NAMM, The International Music Products Association, in the area of Professional Development and is the author of seven educational DVDs.

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School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ January 2012

Laura Mulligan Thomas

An Orchestral

By Eliahu Sussman

aura Mulligan Thomas considers herself fortunate, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see why. For starters, she is now in her 30th year at her first job out of college, the orchestra director at Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charlottesville High School. And her program is positively thriving: over ten percent of the student body plays strings, and most of those take private lessons; her groups have toured nationally and internationally; and the orchestra program is the beneficiary of a wonderful support system comprised of both school administration and private donors.

School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ January 2012

However, it wasn’t always like this. When Thomas joined the music department at CHS, she inherited just eight string players. With the help of a healthy pairing of determination and enthusiasm, that number quickly grew, peaking near its current 150 students. While some might say that Thomas was simply born with a purpose – her mother alleges that Laura declared that she would be a music teacher at age seven and never wavered – she has also undertaken a consistent and forceful campaign to trumpet the successes of her students and performing groups. In a recent SBO interview, Laura Mulligan Thomas details the specific steps she has taken to build her program into orchestral oasis that it is today. School Band & Orchestra: How did you end up at Charlottesville High School? Laura Mulligan Thomas: I was very fortunate to come into this situation [at Charlottesville High School] because there were only eight students, and it’s amazing that the program wasn’t cut entirely. There was a gentleman at the central district office who really wanted to see the program flourish. He felt like if he brought in the right person, the program would grow and thrive. SBO: What were your thoughts upon accepting a job where you had so few students in the high school? LMT: First of all, I was only four years older than some of my students, so that was a little odd. And the players were good, so while it was a struggling program in terms of numbers, the few students we had all studied privately, and they were also excited about the opportunity of growing the program. We started with some good energy. I have to admit that some of them were not excited about getting an inexperienced 22-year-old orchestra director, but they’re all excited and proud of what’s become of the program since that time. SBO: What were the first steps you took to increase the number of students in the program? LMT: When I started out, I taught at three elementary schools and at the high school; that was my full-time job. The numbers that had been recruited for me were pretty small, only three students from one school, five from another, and eight from a third. So I knew that the first thing to do was get kids excited about playing strings and show how fun it could be. Rather than approaching it from the standpoint that orchestra is a prestigious and lofty art that only the best can ascribe to, I really look at it from the angle of how much fun it is. I started recruiting in the elementary schools, and I think I recruited about 50 beginner students the following year and every year for several years, until the point when I became full time here at the high school, I think in 1990. The growth we have experienced was beyond my wildest dreams when I started out. I just taught music that I love and shared my love of music with the students. I said yes to every invitation to play, whether it was for the school board, a store opening, or at the mall. We just went out, played a lot, and got some 20

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

CHS orchestra students perform at the Charlottesville Rotary Club in December 2011.

John W. Parks IV, D.M.A. Associate Professor of Percussion, The Florida State University

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attention. People were noticing that we winning competitions, which also LMT: We have the string ensemble, were pretty good and we started having helps. As I’ve said many times, the which is 52 of the top kids who are ausome students join the regional orchesgoal was never to win competitions. ditioned based on the all-state requiretra, as well. The goal was to perpetuate this fanments. The rest of the students are in I learned from my band director at tastic heritage of orchestral literature the concert orchestra, which is split the time, who had already been here that we have, and to pay it forward. into three classes. That’s more of an for ten years, how important it is to I had some fantastic music educators intermediate ensemble. The only thing tell people what you’re doI do is hand-move some of the ing right. He would always bass players so I don’t have 10 write up a press release. Even one class and two in another. “Rather than approaching it from the in if it was only a trophy they’d We’ve got 150 string players earned at a marching band standpoint that this is a prestigious this year, which is more than 10 competition, he would write percent of the school. We have and lofty art that only the best can about 1,200 students total, so it up and sell it. In those days it was probably typed on a to have 150 is great. They are ascribe to, I really look at it from the the best and the brightest, no purple Ditto – that was a long time ago! He would walk it to doubt! angle of how much fun it is.” the local newspaper and say, “Hey, look at this great piece SBO: What are the big chalof news we have,” and maybe lenges that your program hand them a photo, too. Newspapers who influenced me, and I come from faces and that you face as a music love that. They want to put good news a family of string players: my older educator? out there. We’re the only high school in brother plays in the Baltimore SymLMT: I’ve been told by my friends the Charlottesville schools system, and phony, my sister is also an orchestra that I live in La La Land, because of the there are only a total of 4,000 students, director, and my younger brother community support we get here. We so it’s not as if our paper would have to sings with the Tanglewood chorus. really have faced very few challenges. publish the achievements of 15 differIt’s in our blood, there’s no doubt The school division is so proud of our ent orchestras. about that. fine arts program. This community has Being in the small division in a sent us to Europe three times. We’ve moderately sized town probably SBO: Let’s talk about your program raised an incredible amount of money helps. We’ve certainly received a lot now. The orchestra group is broken to send teenagers overseas to be amof media attention. And we started up into two ensembles, correct?

Ms. Thomas and her students at the Royal Academy of Music in London, 2007. 22

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

bassadors of the city of Charlottesville. We also have a great collaboration with Boyd Tinsley, the violinist from the Dave Matthews Band, who actually graduated from this program two months before I got here. SBO: So he must’ve been one of the last in a dying program? LMT: He was, but he was a rock star even back then. Everyone talked about him when I first got here. He was very much adored and idolized. He had that big personality, even back then. Boyd actually supports our program in a tremendous way, and I’d like to give him credit because what he does is pretty much unheard of: He gives us $25,000 a year to pay for private lessons for students that can’t afford it, for grades six through 12. We have a lot of kids in the school system that are getting private instruction early on, so that is a huge key to our success. We have a good amount of money for instruments and to purchase literature and so on, and I felt like we were well funded before Boyd Tinsley came along nine years ago. But what his gift does is even the playing field. Because the University of Virginia is located here in Charlottesville, this town spans huge social and economic strata. We have AP students and we have a lot of kids who are on free and reduced lunch – in fact, nearly 50 percent. It’s a really urban high school. So what this gift does is level the playing field for the kids who don’t come to the program with same level of financial support. SBO: How did that gift happen? LMT: Boyd Tinsley called a meeting out of the blue, and we met with the superintendent. Boyd is such a generous person. He was actually very emotional when he talked about all the support that he received when he was in high school from an organization that was called the Wednesday Music Club. They had supported lessons for him at the university. He felt like it was greatly due to everyone’s faith in him that has been able to become, dare I say, the millionaire rock star that he is today. He got a chance, and others supported him. SBO: There aren’t too many violinist rock stars, either. LMT: Right! Absolutely. Can you imagine how inspiring this is for our students? We have signed autographs of Boyd and Dave Matthews Band posters all over the orchestra room.

At a Glance

Charlottesville High School Orchestras

Location: 1400 Melbourne Rd., Charlottesville, Va. On the Web: chsorchestra.org Students in Orchestra Program: 150 Students in School: 1,200 Director: Laura Mulligan Thomas Program Highlights • Performed at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference five times. • Earned superior ratings at every District Orchestra Festival performance since 1984. • Was the only high school orchestra invited to participate in Lorin Maazel’s inaugural Castleton Music Festival (July 2009). • Alumni of the CHSO perform with professional orchestras, as well as the Dave Matthews Band, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, Adele, and Michael Buble. • Traveled to Europe for competition and performance three times since 1998. Most recently the CHSO String Ensemble performed at the Florence International Youth Festival (July 2011).

• 2011: Won two Superior Ratings, First Place in Division V, First Place in Division VI, and Instrumental Grand Champions, Virginia Beach Fiesta-Val. • 2010: Won two Superior Ratings, First Place in AA Division, and First Place in AAA Division, Overall Orchestra Award, Adjudicators’ Award for top scores, and Festival Sweepstakes (Grand Champions), Boston Heritage Festival of Music. • 2009: Won two Superior Ratings; First Place in Division V, and First Place in Division VI, Myrtle Beach Fiesta-Val. • 2008: Won two Superior Ratings, First Place in Division V, and First Place in Division VI, New York, NY Fiesta-Val. • 2007: Won the Grand Championship of the London Heritage Festival of Music in 2007. • 2006: Won two Superior Ratings, First Place in Division V, and Second Place in Division VI, Atlanta Fiesta-Val. • 2005: Won two Superior Ratings and Overall Grand Champions for Orchestra, Caribbean Cruise Music Festival (Bahamas). • 2004: Was one of eight finalists to win $2,000 in the first-ever National Orchestra Festival, sponsored by the American String Teachers Association and National School Orchestra Association in Dallas.

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Of course, that band was founded here. Actually, their drummer, Carter Beauford, is also an alum of the music program. He took music theory and played in the band program here. SBO: Also a very accomplished musician! Getting back to your program, what are some of the other practices that you’ve adopted to really put your program out in the limelight? LMT: We’ve played at University of Virginia sporting events. I put 100 kids on the basketball court, and they played the National Anthem, which they had memorized. It was a pretty unusual event, and we received lots and lots of positive response from that. And also, there was a tremendous audience! When else can high school music students play for thousands of people at once? I send string quartets out to store openings, any kind of holiday functions, we play for the rotary club – we accept any and all opportunities to perform. The more these kids are out there, the better the community support will be for us. Developing relationships with private teachers is really important. You can ask them to judge or coach sectional, for example. SBO: The private teachers are also eager for a connection to your program as well, right?

ing the school newsletter here since 1990. At one point, I couldn’t get any news in our own school newspaper, so I offered to take it over. I learned a layout program, and I’ve been doing it for a zillion years now. That helps me learn so much about what’s happening in the school, and it makes our administration want to support us because we support them. Another thing we do is invite local government officials to concerts. For example, we hosted the all-state orchestra and bands last year, and we had the mayor open up the program. Building good relationships in the community are really critical. SBO: Getting the good news out there and making connections really fosters opportunities, doesn’t it? LMT: The good news is important – goodness knows people hear enough bad news out there!

SBO: Do you ever meet with them to try to coordinate that sort of thing? LMT: Oh, I’m friends with most of the private teachers in this area. I would say that I’m solicitous of them because I understand the importance of what they do to the success of my program. I’m very respectful and very appreciative of the private teachers my students work with. But I also develop strong relationships with the teachers and administrators in our building. For example, I’ve been do-



... and know your students are ready to learn.

The CHS String Ensemble in Poggio, Italy in the summer of 2011.

LMT: Absolutely. What you don’t want is to have your students in two different worlds, where the private teachers have a way of doing things that conflicts with technique that I’m trying to teach.

 ®

SBO: For sure! Speaking of, what do you think when you hear about all of the challenges facing music and arts programs in public schools these days? LMT: It makes me sad. I wonder if we’re not just in a down cycle right now. I hope that that’s the case, and that the cycle will turn around for the better. I hope that more people figure out that the focus on technology and testing is not the answer; that we have to feed these kids’ souls and nurture their spiritual side. And music is a fabulous way to do that. I teach in a very enlightened community – this is the only job I’ve ever had, and I’m in my 30th year here – so I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to teach in such a supportive commu-

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

nity. It’s hard for me to imagine what it would be like to teach in a community where the axe drops every year and people really have to fight for their programs. SBO: However, it sounds like you’ve been fighting for your program from very beginning, with all of the advocacy and marketing efforts you’ve undertaken. LMT: Perhaps I’ve just been proactive about it without realizing it.

SBO: What are your greatest teaching rewards these days? LMT: The little daily rewards are things like this young lady telling me that a piece we’re working in is her favorite piece of music ever, which just happened. I also have had some huge rewards. For example, I got to see one of my former students play with Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards. He was playing an upright bass with a beautiful German bow hold that I taught him. That was one of the most extraordinary moments of my life. I feel, as I said, very blessed and fortunate

because the goal here is to great music and to foster great relationships with these students so that they want to be here. My students spend lunchtime with me, they hang out after school, they want to play in string quartets – they can’t get enough of the music, and that’s my great reward. I should also mention that we have an extraordinary elementary and middle school program, as well. We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are if it weren’t for this tremendous feeder program we have. SBO: You were the feeder program for a while! LMT: I was, that’s right! SBO: Since then, what sorts of activities do you do to foster and maintain a healthy amount of incoming students? LMT: The Charlottesville High School string ensemble always plays at the Buford Fall Concert, where do a piece with the middle school students, which I get to conduct. That’s wonderful. The middle school director invites us down, and we play a piece on our own and then do one in conjunction with their top middle school ensemble. SBO: Conducting the middle school students gives you an opportunity to demonstrate what they have to look forward to at high school, right? LMT: Sure enough. It’s a rare thing that a middle school music student won’t sign up for ninth-grade orchestra. They’re pretty excited about coming to this program. SBO: What advice would you give to someone who might be reading this article and thinking about how to get their program moving in the direction that your program has gone? LMT: Sell it. You’ve got to sell it to anyone who will listen. Take the kids out and be visible. Prepare performances. Chamber music, National Anthems, get the kids out there. Take them out of the concert hall and out into the community. The School Board and all the taxpayers in the community needs to know about the wonderful things happening in their school music programs.

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

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Survey: Hazing

How Widespread is

Hazing

in Music Programs?

azing is a term that includes anything from harmless pranks to harassment, humiliation, and even physical abuse of newcomers into a group. Although more com-

monly associated with fraternities and sports teams, hazing is also a problem facing school bands and orchestra programs.

School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ January 2012

How would you classify hazing within your music program?

Make c

Involve

It’s an ongoing issue.

Expulsi It used to be a problem, but it isn’t any more.

Involve

22%

Suspen Physical We’ve never had aabuse problem with hazing 3% Physical abuse

76%

Alert Po

No step

Yes

11% Yes

11%

89% No

89%

If you have encountered hazing within your music program, what form has it taken?

Physical abuse

Is hazing among music students Yes a problem at your school?

Yes

2% Yes

Yes

11%

35%

Yes Humiliation/Mental abuse 35% No

65%

21%

65% Harmless pranks/rituals

No No 98% No

89% 98%

“We recognize the unique and often fragile personalities of the students in our music and drama programs It’s an ongoing issue. Yes throughout and we make it clearly known and evident 2%is a ‘safe the school that the entire arts area 2%haven’ for all It’s an ongoing issue. students in our program. We would never tolerate so 2% much as a verbal slur or derogatory glance which may It used to be a problem, result in someone’s feeling threatened.” but it isn’t any more. R. aWilder ItJonathan used be problem, 22% toHigh Salamanca City Central School but it isn’t any more. Salamanca, N.Y.

22%

We’ve never had a No problem with hazing

76%

“The closest thing I have had to deal with is Make consequences known and enforce them kids being silly and playing pranks on one another. When that occurs, I immediately deal with it Make consequences known and enforce them 15% Involve parents/admin and inform the kids that the same prank that may be taken in good spirits one Yes day can cause major 15% Involve parents/admin 13% problems the next because you never know what Expulsion from program 35% kind of mood someone may be in at the time of 13% the prank.” from program 12% Expulsion Involve Student Leaders Ron M. No

43% 43%

Franklin 12% High School

65% Leaders 10% Franklin, La. Involve Student Suspension from program Suspension from program Alert Police 4%

10%

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Harmless pranks/rituals

76%

89% “We did have a form of hazing years ago. Freshmen and ‘Newbees’ had to set field up before rehearsals or carry equipment out. This has changed; now it is the responsibility of upperclassmen to take leadership roles, teams are chosen to carry out different tasks, and everyone pitches in.” Yes Kenneth F. Vignona 2% South Manor Eastport Monorville, N.Y. “We don’t allow hazing in our program. The only current tradition we have is normally giving the new students harmless, funny nicknames – which they are ok with and embrace. If they don’t like the name, we simply change it. I often find myself not learning their full name Nothem by their nickfor a while because I simply know name. Many of them go on to having 98% their band nickname embroidered on their senior jackets.” Randy Chiasson South Lafourche High School Galliano, La.

It’s an ongoing issue.

Did you ever experience hazing in your music programs when you were a student?

Yes

35% No

65%

“We had hazing in band when I was in high school. It was pretty harmless and used primarily to get every band member into the traditions of the school and band.” Make consequences known and enforce them Mark Wayer Frankfort School 15% District Involve parents/admin West Frankfort, Ill.

Expulsion from program It used to be a problem, but it isn’t any more.

22%

We’ve never had a problem with hazing

76%

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

13%

Involve Student Leaders

12%

Suspension from program

10%

Alert Police

No steps taken

43%

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If you have encountered hazing within your music program, what steps did you take to stop it?

Make consequences known and enforce them

15%

Involve parents/admin Expulsion from program

13%

Involve Student Leaders

12%

Suspension from program

10%

Alert Police

43%

No steps taken

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

next night at a meeting. That stopped it. The parents and I drew a hard line and kept it.” Todd Toney North Garland High School Garland, Texas “I first pull all involved in and have a conference explaining the problems with hazing. If it continues we take the next step with administration and parents involved. After that the students are removed from my program.” Mack Golden Jennings High School Jennings, La. What is the best way to prevent hazing from starting in the first place?

“Head it off before it happens and clearly explain why it shouldn’t happen and the consequences if it does. The new kids are our future. Why run them out so someone can think they are superior? You want Superiors? Get them on the field and on the concert stage.” Terry R. Rush Lincoln Southwest High School Lincoln, Neb.

“I instituted a nice program we call ‘band buddies.’ The idea is to assign new people/freshmen with a senior or upperclassmen who is responsible to guide that person. Our culture is that no freshman or new person should feel left out or neglected in any way, but immediately become a part of our musical family.” Kevin Hartse Shadle Park High School Spokane, Wash.

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“The upperclassmen need to understand that new members are vital to the continued wellbeing of the program and must act as roll models, not tormentors.” Dr. Don Deal Whitewater High School Whitewater, Wis. Additional thoughts on hazing in school music programs?

“There must be some type of welcome to the band program from the upper classmen to the new members. But in today’s schools with many activities available to students, the ‘welcome’ must be a positive event, not something that would turn students away.” Russ Hawvermale McClain High School Greenfield, Ohio “There is no place for it. We spend so much time together, that often, by the end of our marching season, the students say that they have become a second family. After our last marching performance, the students start sharing with each other and it gets deep and emotional. It’s a beautiful experience. That end result comes from the setting up of clear expectations and goals at the start of each season.” Richard Wong American High School Fremont, Calif. “Hazing divides the group into those with power and those without. The best performances come from groups that are united. When students feel welcome and valued, they are more likely to join and stay in the program.” Rick Brimmer Lake High School Millbury, Ohio

Bachelor of Fine arts Master of Music advanced Music studies certiFicate artist diploMa The Starling Honors Quartet—four full tuition scholarships along with performance stipends and travel expenses will be awarded to one exceptionally talented graduate string quartet. The Starling Honors Quartet is supported by the prestigious Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation.

CARNEGIE MELLON SCHOOL OF MUSIC music.cmu.edu School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Technology: Recording

New Best Practices

with Digital Recording by John Kuzmich, Jr.

attery-powered hand-held and mini digital recorders are capable of making professional-quality recordings anytime, any-

where. When routinely and regularly recorded, students listen, analyze and respond with more perfect practice results. Kevin Mead, Band Director at Churchville-Chili High School in Churchville, N.Y. has observed, “My students have learned that I listen and analyze their SmartMusic assignments very carefully. This has taught them to listen to their own performance more critically and make improvements before they submit their recorded assessments.”

“Short, real-time rehearsal recordings can perk up ears, direct instant focus, and motivate an ensemble like nothing else.”

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

I’d like to share five ways in which I have effectively applied recording technology in my teaching: audition recordings; rehearsal recordings; concerts recordings; podcasts; and lesson assignments and instruction.

Audition Recording I’ve discovered that stress levels are reduced when I regularly record students in preparation for their auditions. They become accustomed to self-assessment strategies and develop a natural ability to shine in the moment of accountability that an audition recording requires. Honor bands, summer camps and colleges routinely request recordings for their screening auditions. I have my recorder, headphones, and speakers set up and ready to go at the touch of a button. This easy, convenient, non-threatening feedback is a regular feature at every lesson. I recently recorded a student’s honor band audition, which he analyzed and compared to recordings made a week later to see what needed further improvement. Once I can get students to regularly make and listen to digital recordings, both their practice sessions and lessons are more productive.

Wiley notes, “Not only do I regularly make recordings of my students, I also slow down the recordings so they can easily and accurately hear their musical and technical flaws. Often, students ‘think’ they are performing correctly, when, in fact, a recording will reveal timing problems, lack of dynamics, or poor tone or intonation problems. Recording a student’s performance, along with periodic evaluations, is key to developing good technique and practice habits.”

Concert Recordings Concerts represent the climax of goals achieved and efforts validated. A concert need not be forgotten in pursuit of the next one. While most directors play a recording of the concert during the next class rehearsal, the ease of a digital recording can take the learning experience and ownership to a higher level. With little effort, a professional level recording can be posted as a student assignment to

For hundreds of years, verbal reflection was the primary assessment tool from teachers. Not anymore. Short, realtime rehearsal recordings can perk up ears, direct instant focus, and motivate an ensemble like nothing else. Rehearsal time is maximized beyond mere review. Now add the option of slowing down the recording, and students can clearly identify what needs attention. Wiley Cruse, band director of Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, regularly records segments of his band and orchestra rehearsals with a Superscope PSD450 recorder plugged into his classroom sound system in his classroom for instant playback. His digital recorder lets him selectively alter the playback tempo in a split-second to add clarity to his rehearsals. This instant playback adds vital color commentary to his rehearsals and his students respond well to this rehearsal technique.

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Everyone benefits from creative lessons and adjudication comments. Take a revolutionary leap and make them available via podcasting on a computer or smartphone. Something as simple as a good interview can make a great podcast. A few months ago, I spoke with noted jazz historian Kevin Whitehead and recorded the conversation on a Marantz D620 recorder connected to the telephone. This excellent audio quality podcast entitled, “Why Jazz?” (online at: tinyurl.com/cs7fwzw) makes an excellent in-service or curriculum enrichment. At a recent solo & ensemble festival, I digitally recorded my student’s performance and the adjudicator’s comments.

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These comments were worth saving for future improvement. I also slowed down the recording a bit so the student could clearly hear his intonation and vibrato inconsistencies.

Revolutions & Innovations My students range from pre-school to adult. I’ll share how I have integrated recording technology with several students. It has been a remarkably seamless inclusion of easy-to-use technology for both lesson and practice innovation. On this article’s web supplement at www. kuzmich.com/SBO0112.html, you will find posted a number of URLs for each student to better understand how I integrated digital recorder technology to enhance individual practice. Natalie is a semi-professional clarinet player who is looking for ways to showcase her performance at a higher level. At each lesson, I record scale exercises plus excerpts of etudes and a solo. Natalie responds to the recordings identifying what she likes and what needs improvement. She had a perplexing reed choice issue. Listening to these recordings, she more fully appreciates how quickly reeds respond, yet have darker sound. She now adjusts her reeds with reed rush to match the preferred sound with the best response. Each lesson recording becomes a blueprint for the sound she builds as she practices. Asher is a four-year-old learning how to play the trumpet. Each week, I give his mother a recording of some important things to do while supervising Asher’s

home practice. Each week, he continues to make impressive progress. Using a method book with CD accompaniments allows Asher to accurately match pitches with each exercise accompaniment. Tempos are not an issue right now, but eventually the method accompaniment will go at speeds that may need to be slowed

The

– something that can be easily accomplished with a digital recorder that has speed control. Robert recently came to me as a potential college tuba major who needed help to prepare for his college audition. He was playing below the level needed to reach his goals. Lesson recordings helped pinpoint what needed to be accomplished each week. To his credit, within six lessons, he qualified for two high school district honor bands and made demo recordings for four state colleges that are interested in recruiting him. His ownership of his practice is impressive to behold. Josh is a talented high school musician who thrives on preparing for his weekly clarinet and alto sax lessons in both classical and jazz music. Following each lesson, I send him home with an attached file of specific recordings from him to analysis and improve. His progress has been substantial and he earned first chair clarinet in his school’s symphonic band. Four days before a concert was the first time I had a chance to work with both

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Josh and his pianist on the Weber Concertino. I spent two hours coaching them and made two recordings resulting in a substantially improved performance without any further interaction with me. Cliff is a middle school alto saxophone player who has never played jazz. He had no concept of performing swing rhythm patterns, which he needed to learn for a school jazz band audition. I made a recording demonstrating how to authentically play the middle school jazz

band audition music with swing. Cliff listened to it and attempted to vocalize the swing rhythms correctly. His older sister, Sabrina, could sing the rhythm patterns accurately and was able to help Cliff perform. The audio recording was a good listening model. Cliff was instructed to listen, sing and then practice with the recording. Cliff made remarkable progress and, a week later, successfully auditioned for his school’s jazz band. Sabrina is a freshman in high school

but has been playing only a year. Because of her limited experience, she benefits best by listening to me perform her band parts, so she can more quickly learn the rhythms. She brings the music from school and I record it and e-mail it to her for her to practice with. Surprisingly, she earned first clarinet in her high school concert band. Michael recently had his solo & ensemble performance. Listening to the recording of his performance and the adjudicator’s summary comments, he was able to improve his vibrato and intonation limitations. Joey is a member of a local high school band program in which his band director regularly has students transcribe a jazz solo for a grade. They must notate the solo and play along with it. One particular Miles Davis solo was extracted from the original recording and I recorded it at a slower tempo to help him transcribe and play-along with it, which actually turned the exercise into a fun experience.

What’s Hot in Portable Digital Recorders The market has dramatically improved since my last article on this subject, which appeared only two years ago. Hand-held digital recorders are better and cheaper. Microphones are also improving at an incredible pace. Many new devices now include features like looping, larger VU metering, and an array of possible audio file recording formats included, generally for less and less money. Most portable digital recorders can record with two channels in uncompressed digital WAV or a compressed MP3 or WMA file format, which I recommend for web postings because the files open quicker and required less storage space. Because of technological advances, there are no significant differences between consumer and pro-quality digital recorders; it’s their playback options that you’ll want to check out. The less powerful amplifiers in the portable digital vocal recorders can be overcome with external speakers or a PA system if and when you need to playback for large groups to hear. For a good voice-oriented recorder, look at the Yamaha and Sony recorders. Olympus, Sony, Edirol, Zoom and Marantz offer excellent music-oriented hand-held recorders. Superscope, 40

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Tascam, and Roland make the best mini-size portable field digital recorders for using XLR and quarter-inch microphone cables and ultra high audio quality. I prefer one with a harddisk drive for more storage and transfer data capabilities. The Superscope PSD450, for example, has three ways to exchange data from their internal hard disk drive: USB port, built-in SM card (SD card), and via a CD burner. These options are very handy and fast for data transferring to a computer for post-production editing. Their 400 series models also have battery capabilities giving you more options as well as remote control to record and manage the recorder from the podium. The compact R-05 by RolandUS is easy to use, affordable, and packed with big-ticket features that raise the bar in its price class. You get crystalclear 24/96 capture, enhanced recording and editing features, and extended battery life (over 16 hours per charge). On stage, in rehearsal, at school, or on the street, R-05 captures music at pro levels. Sony has introduced some powerful voice recorders that challenge professional level handhelds. The ICDUX512 has significant improvements, like the micro SD card for expanded RAM memory and adjustable microphones. The maximum recording time is three hours using the built-in 2GB flash memory, and battery life when recording in Linear PCM is 21 hours. It comes with a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery that can be charged with a USB connector and a computer, both PC and MAC. The PCM-D10 by Sony is a 96 kHz/24-bit recorder stereo microphones, 4GB flash memory and a Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo slot. It is made out of rugged, lightweight aluminum and can record up to six hours. The recorder includes a USB high-speed port for simple uploading/downloading its native .WAV format files to/from Windows PC or Macintosh computers. For more details, go to http://tinyurl.com/bogd8v9.

Recording from Computers Can desktop and portable computers substitute for portable hand-held and min-size recorders? Yes, if you don’t mind going through a few more steps

with the software, plus transporting more equipment such as notebook, microphone stands, microphones, power cords. The advantage of computers is that post-recording editing capabilities are significantly superior to what you will find on dedicated digital recorders. At a recent family recording session, my son-in-law recorded performances using a Macbook Pro with Garage Band 6.0. He then enhanced the recordings with some very basic and standard reverb and compressor effects. When I asked why he choose to use reverb and compressor effects, he stated “There were slight flaws in the live recordings. With Garage Band 6.0, I was free to do a number of other things in the postproduction to enhance the quality of the original recordings.” For examples of these recently recordings, go to www. kuzmich2.com/music/2011.html.

Closing Comments There is no limit to how you can apply the revolutionary technology of digital

The

recorders at all levels of instruction with vocal, strings, band, and general music. More remarkable is the ownership and progress students will experience. The incredible convenience of these devices lets users record anytime, anywhere. Assessment is a plus toward motivating students when they can instantly hear and critique their performance. Have fun motivating your students and building ownership of their performance. Digital recording is a dynamic teaching tool for upgrading your instruction. Dr. John Kuzmich Jr. is a veteran music educator, jazz educator and music technologist with more than 41 years of public school teaching experience. He is a TI:ME-certified training instructor and has a Ph.D. in comprehensive musicianship. As a freelance author, Dr. Kuzmich has more than 400 articles and five textbooks published. As a clinician, Dr. Kuzmich frequently participates in workshops throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and South America. For more information, visit www.kuzmich.com.

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Staff Selections: Orchestra Repertoire

Inspiring Works for Beginning and Mid-level String Orchestras Music for First-year string students After doing many unison songs and pieces in rounds and canons, it can be hard to select a successful first â&#x20AC;&#x153;realâ&#x20AC;? orchestra piece for beginning students. Rhythmic unity can be difficult for young string players, not because they cannot keep time, but because there is so much that has to get put together with their posture, bow, and right hand for them to keep accurate poly-rhythms in the context of an ensemble. It is important to find works that will provide success in ensemble unity and tap into their natural sense of rhythm. The following pieces for this level are approachable and rewarding for a first orchestra experience, and all recommendations have excellent parts for each section.

By Soma Pierce-Smit

inding music that is educationally sound and inspires students to work hard and play well is a real challenge. Music that creates motivation in our students is an important factor

in learning at any age, but it is a must for the young orchestra. Se-

lecting pieces that students naturally love is essential to keep young orchestra students learning, practicing, enjoying orchestra, and inspired to play their instrument for years to come. Here are some works that students will love playing so much that they may not even notice they are learning! 42

School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ January 2012

1st Scale March Mark Williams Alfred Publishing Grade 1 Duration 2:15 If you are looking for a piece that only uses the notes of a one-octave D scale, this is the one for you. The re-occurring ascending and descending scale is a good anchor for struggling students who are still developing note reading skills. The convenient and easy piano accompaniment helps with rehearsals and can be used for the concert. Developing

bass players will appreciate that the scale in the song takes them to the A string rather than shifting to the G string. Students like the challenge of the harmonies, having different instrumental parts, going from arco to pizzicato, and the final surprise foot stomp. Publisher link:www.alfred.com/Products/First-ScaleMarch--00-18288.aspx Audio Link:www.alfred-music.com/player/AlfredStrings1998/18288/player.html?osCsid=3e34a3d802211 3d92fad11b83bdf68f6

Eagle’s Pride

at this level, which makes it great for building stamina. There are also great opportunities to work on dynamics as well. Your students will enjoy working on this impressive sounding piece and feel great that they can play something that uses so many

Susan H. Day Highland/Etling Publishing Grade: 1 1/2 Duration 3:15 This piece sounds much more difficult than it is, and students love playing it. It is somewhat long for a piece

Burgundian Carol Traditional French Carol, Attributed to Bernard de la Monnoye Arr. Sandra Dackow Alfred Publishing Grade: 1 Duration 1:15 This is a short and rewarding challenge for first year students. Although a piece traditionally played at holiday time, it is fun and appropriate on any concert. There are optional percussion parts that your string players can cover; though not essential, adding any of the percussion parts greatly enhances the performance. The work is in D dorian, and students will have to be able to play on the G string and use an F natural. Be aware that the viola players have notes on the C string, but the cellos do not.

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Flying Proms Symphonic Air Show Spectacular Paul Murphy

Arr. Robert W. Smith Belwin –Mills Publishing Grade 1 Duration 1:45 This traditional Australian sheep shearer’s song is a lovely little piece. The memorable melody gets passed to all sections (including the bass) accompanied by lively knocking on the instruments. The second violin part is the same as the viola part which provides flexibility for your ensemble. Since all sections play basically the same part in different combinations, it is an easy one to keep all sections active in rehearsal and goes together with a small amount of rehearsal time.

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special techniques (tremolos, double stops and pizzicato). This one is a real keeper!

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Secret Agent 440 Carrie Lane Gruselle Alfred Publishing Grade 2 Duration 2:00

Slurs, B flat and F natural are featured in this rewarding piece that immediately gives the feeling of a spy movie. 440 refers to the A, which is the heartbeat of the piece. It is rated a Grade 2, but it is also suitable for firstyear students at the end of the year. It has good dynamic opportunities and an excellent bass part as well. There are snaps and the occasional “shh”; guaranteed to please! You will not have to convince them to practice this one.

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Here are some pieces that that my high school students have reported to be their favorites from middle school. In each piece, all sections get great parts and feature contagious melodies.

Danza Robert W. Smith Robert D. McCashin String Editor Belwin-Mills Publishing Grade 2 1-2 Duration 2:00 Middle school string students love to play music that is fast and in a minor key. Danza is in A minor with some easy solos for violin and cello. The viola parts are superb – violists will not be disappointed! There is some 3rd position for the 1st violins and a bit of shifting for the cellos. There are great opportunities for working on accidentals, and it has expressive elements as well as exciting fast parts.

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

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Doug Spata Highland-Etling Grade 2 Duration 2:45 Again, fast and minor! For some of my students, this is their all-time favorite. It is in D minor and starts with a driving and ominous pulse in the cello and bass sections. The viola part starts off with the melody and their part is independent and rewarding. The sneaky thing about this piece is that although it is mostly fast there is a lyrical section with interesting harmonies and suspensions that can be used to work on vibrato and playing with feeling. Playing this piece is an excellent way to motivate students to play F naturals… in tune! Publisher link: www.alfred.com/Products/Gauntlet--00-18853.aspx Audio Link: www.alfred-music.com/player/AlfredStrings1999/18853/player.html

Japanese Lullaby Keiko Yamada Carl Fischer Grade 2 Here is a sweet, lyrical piece that will inspire all students. It requires strong cello players and two violins, a 1st violin section duet, as well as short violin and cello solos. This is an artful and satisfying composition that is as enjoyable to listen to as well as play. All sections get the melody except the bass. It can be played with or without piano and if you have a harp player the piano part is adaptable for them. A challenging cello part and independence from all sections makes this work on the more difficult side of Grade 2.

Grade 3 Duration: 3:00 This arrangement of the second movement of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata maintains the integrity of the original work while providing an excellent pedagogical tool. Students enjoy playing it because they can show off how beautiful they can sound. There is an optional cello solo (doubled by the viola section) shifting into fifth position in the third measure, which makes it a nice cello feature. The first violins also get a brief section in third position. This is a lovely work that is satisfying for students when they use sustained bows and vibrato. The fingerings listed in the parts are consistent with the Essential Elements fingering method.

Publisher link: www.carlfischer.com/fischer/2006_young_ string_orchestra.cfm Audio Link: www.carlfischer.com/mp3/12%20Japanese%20Lullaby.mp3

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Elliot Del Borgo Kendor Music Inc Grade 2 Duration 3:40 Here is one of those great oldies that I keep using. Published in 1989, the lively unison opening in D dorian offers a dramatic start to this dynamic piece. The lyrical section in D minor provides a wonderful contrast to the youthful power of the opening and ending. This is a good “rite of passage” piece for developing orchestras. I love the way the rhythms interlock. Violins get to do rolled chords while the cellos, and violas and basses get the melody. It is compositionally exciting and the harmonies are as interesting as the main melody. The tricky runs for violins and violas and challenging shifting for basses are short and provide a great opportunity for “mini” playing quizzes. Good mixture of playable and challenging sections. Publisher link: www.kendormusic.com/store/index.php?_ a=viewProd&productId=2642

Adagio Cantabile L.V. Beethoven Arr. Carrie Lane Gruselle Highland/Etling

Shirl Jae Atwell Neil A Kjos Music Company Duration: 2:20 Grade 3 Four melodies are woven into this creative work published in 1997. All sections get some upper position parts except the second violin part. It is refreshing to find a piece where you can work on shifting in almost every section. Each melody is memorable and the way Atwell combines them is fun and interesting. What makes this piece a Grade 3 is not only the brief shifting in the violin part but the rhythmic and melodic independence of each part. It is a short piece, but it packs in a lot of learning. The parts that are in upper positions are structured well to facilitate getting up and down. The given bowing and fingerings in the parts are done very well. The four melodies are all masterly written and memorable. Publisher link: www.kjos.com/detail.php?division=4&table =product&prod_id=SO143C

Soma Pierce-Smit is in her tenth year of teaching 6-12thgrade orchestra students in the Eau Claire School District. A violinist, she currently performs with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra and the Chippewa Valley Symphony. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

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Tradin’ With The Greats with George Garzone and Kenny Werner

JodyJazz’s new Tradin’ with the Greats CD Series puts jazz listeners and performers in the band with high level, professional musicians. “Trading” is the time-honored tradition where musicians improvise back and forth, inspiring each other to play at higher levels of artistry than they normally reach. The CDs are set up as a play-along concept, with artists handpicked by JodyJazz president Jody Espina. In these first volumes, saxophonist George Garzone and pianist Kenny Werner perform their trademark high-

New Products 100 (110-41789). This work starts with a piano setting of Schubert’s wellloved “Heidenröslein,” followed by 10 variations and a coda, revealing Liebermann’s fascinating imagination and inventiveness, as well as his love of piano textures. For advanced players. www.presser.com

quality solos while leaving space in choruses in between for fans to trade in their own improvisations at home. www.jodyjazz.com

Premiere Performance Series from Carl Fischer

Premiere Performance Series for Beginning Band features all-new works at Grade ½. All pieces use only the first six notes of the B-flat scale, and the instrumentation is limited to one instrument on each part, with the bass line covered by all low brass and low woodwinds. The Premiere Performance Series includes alternate parts for horn in easier ranges, trombone parts that do not go past fourth position, a bass clarinet part that can also function as euphonium T.C. part, and clarinet parts below the break. Each piece has simple rhythms made up of whole, half and quarter notes, and if eight notes are used, there are only two repeated. With active percussion writing, the timpani part is optional, and the pieces are kept short in consideration of young embouchures. www.carlfischer.com

Variations on a Theme of Schubert, Op. 100 from Lowell Liebermann

Schubert comes alive with this new piano solo from Lowell Liebermann: Variations on a Theme of Schubert, Op.

AHEAD Latin and World Percussion Cases

AHEAD Armor Cases offer protection for a wide range of Latin and

World Percussion instruments and accessories. The top-quality, soft cases incorporate many of the advanced features found on the top-selling AHEAD Armor drum, cymbal and hardware cases, such as “DX-Core” dual-foam interiors with Sherpa Fleece lining and a virtually indestructible, water-proof exterior. The AHEAD Armor Percussion line includes cases for congas, bongos and djembes as well as multi-purpose bags for small percussion instruments (shakers, bells, blocks, etc.), holders and accessories. In addition, AHEAD School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

New Products Armor offers a choice of cases for the increasingly-popular cajon, including a convenient Dyna-Zip bag and a unique backpack-style model. www.BigBangDist.com

Gatchell Violins Parola-designed Strings The Nicolas Parola shop has introduced its NP5 violin, AP5 viola, and CP5 cello. All of the instruments in the Nicolas Parola 5 series are handcrafted from well seasoned tone wood harvested from the northern reaches of China. They exhibit the fine quality and handcraftsmanship that is uniquely Nicolas Parola. www.gatchellviolins.com

D’Addario Kaplan Orchestral Double Bass Set

Kaplan Orchestral strings offer a rich tonal color palette and superb bowing response All Kaplan Bass strings utilize a stranded steel core. The Kaplan Bass G string is titanium wound, and the A and D strings are nickel-wound. The E and C-Ext-E strings are stranded steel core/tungsten-wound strings. This set produces a full and clear tone that offers a rich and beautiful sound. Kaplan Bass set and singles are available in light, medium and heavy tension, ¾ size only. The Kaplan Bass Set is available in ¾ size, medium tension and comes with standard E string. C-extension string is sold separately. The silking is silver with black stripes. www.daddario.com

Cecilio Musical Instruments 3Series Saxophone

The new 3Series alto saxophone is made out of brass and comes in a lacquered rose-brass color with gold lacquered keys. It comes with metal tone boosters, stainless tone boosters, stainless steel springs, hand engraved bell decoration, and free accessories such as plush lined nylon cases with backpack strap, neck strap, cleaning rod and extra 10 reeds. All of the features described above are combined to make for an ideal student introduction to the instrument. www.ceciliomusic.com

Vic Firth New & Improved M146 Orchestral Series Keyboard Mallet

The Orchestral Series Keyboard Mallets were designed for the discriminating orchestral and symphonic band performer. The inclusion of this new and improved mallet for bells and crotales affords the player an even greater range of sound possibilities. The M146’s medium-sized round aluminum head creates a full and shimmering sound on crotales and bells. Also great on bell trees and other metallic effect instruments. Head = 7/8”, L = 14 3/8”. www.vicfirth.com

The Golden Age of Conductors from Meredith Music

The Golden Age of Conductors presents an interpretive analysis of musical masterworks by 20 great maestros from Arturo Toscanini to Carlos Kleiber. Also included are interviews on the art of conducting with Pierre Boulez, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt, and Richard Hickox, as well as interviews with professional musicians who reminisce about playing under the batons of these great Maestros. The author’s comprehensive analysis and interpre-

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

New Products and how to be the best sectional player possible by learning how to properly play each role in an ensemble. The approach is a useful tool for all aspiring and professional trumpet players. Also included are sectional quartets by Steve Guttman and two CDs with recordings of Colette himself performing all of the parts in the quartets. www.dan-colette.com

tive suggestions of the great maestros will truly inspire musicians at all levels. www.meredithmusic.com

Notes from an Accidental Band Geek from Penguin

Middle-grade novel Notes from an Accidental Band Geek is a realistic and heartfelt while still quirky and comical. Writer Erin Dionne presnts another feel-good, funny story about a young girl following in her family’s footsteps but marching to the beat of her own drum. In the book, thirteen-year-old Elsie Wyatt plays the French horn just like her father and grandfather. When she learns that she can only qualify for the prestigious orchestra of her dreams by joining the high school marching band, all she can think of is an impending musical death in a polyester uniform. Will Elsie survive her first year of high school playing in the marching band, make it into the prestigious orchestra, and follow her dreams? The lessons learned along the way are more than Elsie bargains for, and definitely ones she will never forget.

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Comfort, Command & Control in the Trumpet Section from Advance Music

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

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Reading Symbols “When we are reading a new piece of music and there is a sustained chord (major or minor), I ask my band and orchestra students to draw a triangle above their note if it is the major third of the chord (a triangle with an ‘m’ if it is a minor third), a five sided star above the note if it is the fifth, and a dot below the note if it is the root. When we return to that music in a future rehearsal, those symbols can quickly remind the students of what chord member they play and which way they’ll need to adjust for better tuning of that chord. I draw the symbols in my score before that first rehearsal.” Robert Spence Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, Pa. Submit your PLAYING TIP online at www.sbomagazine.com or e-mail it to editor Eliahu Sussman at esussman@symphonypublishing.com. Winning entries will be published in School Band and Orchestra Magazine and contributor will receive a prize gift compliments of EPN Travel Services, Inc.

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Classifieds

www.sbomagazine.com

Arrangements

Help Wanted

Custom Arrangements

Music Man is a family owned and operated Band and Orchestra dealer located in West Palm Beach, FL with over 30 years’ experience serving the music education community of South Florida.

For All Instrumental / Vocal Ensembles Tailored to Your Specific Groups Contact Al Newman (505) 681-1213 amnewman@earthlink.net 1424 Sara Way SE Rio Rancho NM, 87124

Free Marching Band Arrangements Contact or email International Education Service P.O. Box 15036 Alexandria, Virginia 22309 703-619-6268 IES9@msn.com

Instruction

Seeking: Educational Sales Representatives who are friendly, knowledgeable, professional, creative and dynamic to build and maintain long-term relationships with existing customer base through the use weekly sales visits. 2+ years of sales experience or instrumental music related degree desired. Repair Technicians w/ 5+ years of repair experience or degree from an accredited Band Instrument Repair program desired. Salary: Negotiable based on experience

Accessories

All inquiries will be kept confidential. Send resumes to: John Jarvis Music Man 2309 N. Dixie Hwy West Palm Beach, FL 33407 or via email to john@musicmaninc.com

Merchandise

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Gifts

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Advertise in the Classifieds!

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Call Maureen 1-800-964-5150 ext. 34

Or Write mjohan@symphonypublishing.com 54

School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

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Classifieds Merchandise

The NPS8210 Melody Chair

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Repair Tools

Show Design

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Online or On Campus

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www.warren-creative-design.com One stop dealer for Show Design, Musical Instruments, Guard & Band Uniforms, Supplies, & Concertwear ed.warren@comcast.net 800 947-5877 • 517 592-3997

    

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Advertise in the Classifieds!

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School Band and Orchestra • January 2012

Ad Index

www.sbomagazine.com

COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

Alfred Music Publishing

www.alfred.com/dealer

American Way Marketing LLC

www.americanwaymktg.com

Antigua Winds

www.antiguawinds.com

Band Today LLC

MarchingBandPlumes.com

Bari Woodwinds

www.bariwoodwinds.com

Berklee College of Music

www.berklee.edu

Bob Rogers Travel

www.bobrogerstravel.com

Burkart-Phelan

www.burkart.com

Cannonball Music Instruments

www.cannonballmusic.com

Carnegie-Mellon

www.cmu.edu/cfa/music/

Cascio Interstate Music Company

www.interstatemusic.com

Charms Office Assistant

www.charmsoffice.com

Chicago Review Press

www.chicagopressreview.com

Disney Performing Arts OnStage

www.DisneyPerformingArts.com

EPN Travel Services

www.epntravel.com

Festivals of Music/

www.educationalprograms.com

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GraceNotes, LLC

www.sightreadingfactory.com

Good for the Goose

www.chopsaver.com

Hunter Music Instrument Inc.

www.huntermusical.com

iVasi

www.iVasi.net

Magnolia Music Publications

www.magnoliapublications.com

MusicFactoryDirect.com

www.musicfactorydirect.com

Pearl Corp.

www.pearldrum.com

Peterson Strobe Tuners

www.petersontuners.com

RS Berkeley Musical Instruments

www.rsberkeley.com

Sheet Music Plus

www.sheetmusicplus.com

SKB Corp.

www.skbcases.com

St. Olaf College

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/music/

Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.

www.cavanaughcompany.com

Universal Melody Services LLC

www.universalmelody.com

Universal Melody Services LLC

www.universalmelody.com

Universal Melody Services LLC

www.universalmelody.com

Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc.

www.sonarewinds.com

Vic Firth Company

www.VicFirth.com

Vic Firth Company

www.VicFirth.com

24 , 25

Virginia Arts Festival

www.vafest.org

Woodwind & Brasswind

www.wwbw.com

Avedis Zildjian Co.

www.zildjian.com

School Band and Orchestra â&#x20AC;˘ January 2012

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Save The Date!

Jazz Education Network 4th Annual Conference Networking the jazz arts community... local to global!

Atlanta, Georgia January 2-5, 2013 The Jazz Education Network

is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. For complete membership information/beneďŹ ts please visit us at: