SBO January 2009

JANUARY 2009 $5.00

Carol Doemel

and the Lassiter High School Orchestras

A Family Affair

UpFront: Macy’s Great American Marching Band Performance: Rehearsal Strategies

Music In The Parks No Matter Where You Want To Go, We Are There...

Giving You A Choice To Experience More.

UÊÊ{ÎÊ V>Ì ÃÊ/ À Õ} ÕÌÊ / iÊ1-Ê `Ê > >`> Our newest locations.

UÊÊ-«i `Ê/ iÊ >ÞÊ"ÀÊ-Ì>ÞÊ/ iÊ } Ì We give you the choice of one- or two-day festivals.

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/ ÊV iV Ê«iÀv À > ViÊ`>ÌiÃÊ> `Ê«À ViÃ]Ê ÀÊ Ì ÊÀiÃiÀÛiÊë>ViÊv ÀÊÞ ÕÀÊ}À Õ«]ÊÛ Ã ÌÊ ÕÀÊÜiLà Ìi

www.musicintheparks.com

We Make It Easy To Choose, View, Change And Update Your Information Online.

UÊ iV ÊÞ ÕÀÊ>VV Õ ÌÊ> `Ê«>ÞÊ i You can check what performing groups you have registered or see if payment has been received.

You can download…

UÊ*iÀv À > ViÊÃV i`Õ ià UÊ*iÀv À > ViÊÃi iVÌ Êà iiÌà UÊ ÃÌÀÕ i Ì> ÊÃiÌ Õ«ÊV >ÀÌà UÊ* > }ÊV iV ÃÌà UÊ > }iÊÞ ÕÀÊ Õ LiÀÃÊ> `Ê«À ÌÊ ÕÌÊ>Ê iÜÊÃÌ>Ìi i Ì° Performing Groups Performing Group Concert Band Jazz Ensemble Mixed Choir

Participant 72 20 40

Division Concert Band I Jazz Ensemble Mixed Choir I

Competition Yes Yes No

Grade Level High School (9-12) High School (9-12) High School (9-12)

Class AA AA AA

When Things Change, As They Often Do...

You Have A Choice Of Options.

UÊ vÊÞ ÕÀÊÌÀ>Ûi Ê« > ÃÊV > }i]ÊÞ ÕÊV> Ê ÛiÊvÀ Ê iÊ`>ÌiÊÌ Ê> Ì iÀÊ ÀÊ iÊ V>Ì ÊÌ Ê> Ì iÀ* With 43 locations throughout the US and Canada, there is a Music in The Parks festival where you want to go.

UÊ9 ÕÊV> ÊV> Vi ÊÞ ÕÀÊi Ì ÀiÊ}À Õ«Ê> ÞÌ iÊÕ«ÊÕ Ì ÊÎäÊ`>ÞÃÊLiv ÀiÊÌ iÊiÛi ÌÊ> `Ê ÀiVi ÛiÊ>ÊvÕ ÊÀivÕ `° As fellow teachers, we know that things change. Fuel costs go up, tournaments are moved, students drop out. With Music In the Parks you have the flexibility of canceling your entire group up until 30 days before the festival. Just send us a written cancellation and we will refund any festivals and park admission fees. You may cancel individual students up until two weeks before the event with no penalty. *based on space being available at the new location at the time of your change.

Contents 14

January 2009

Features 14

FROM THE TRENCHES: DEAR MR. PRESIDENT Bob Morrison writes an open letter imploring the newly elected President of the United States to expand access of music education to children everywhere.

18

UPFRONT: MACY’S GREAT AMERICAN MARCHING BAND SBO reports on Macy’s Great American Marching Band, an ensemble made up of high school students from all 50 states that recently participated in its third consecutive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

22

UPFRONT Q&A: CHARLOTTE DION The director of the Foundation Center’s New York City library provides tips and resources for educators interested in learning about the grant writing process.

26

UPCLOSE: CAROL DOEMEL SBO gets upclose with Carol Doemel, director of the Lassiter High School (Marietta, Ga.) Orchestras, who, fresh off of an appearance at the Midwest Clinic, talks about the development of a successful orchestra program as a family-building process.

36

PERFORMANCE: REHEARSAL STRATEGIES SBO contributors Robert Garofalo and Frank Battisti, co-authors of such books as Guide to Score Study for the Wind Band Conductor and Lead and Inspire: A Guide to Expressive Conducting, share thoughts on leading effective rehearsals.

40

TECHNOLOGY: LESSON PLANNING TECHNOLOGY John Kuzmich presents books, software, and Web resources that can assist educators with lesson planning.

36

Columns 4 6 43

Perspective Headlines New Products

45 46 48

Playing Tip Classifieds Ad Index

Cover photo by Jennifer Thomson, Sugar Snaps Photography, Marietta, Ga.

26 2 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

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 © 2009 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

The Best $1600 a Student Will Ever Spend.

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Perspective

The Presidential Inauguration Parade

T

he Presidential Inauguration Parade in the United States has a long and storied history that can actually be dated back to 1789, according to the US Senate inaugural Web site. The first parade actually took place in Federal Hall in New York City, where George Washington took the first oath of office. It wasn’t until 1801 and the inauguration for Thomas Jefferson that the parade was held in the new Capital of the U.S., Washington D.C. For Jefferson’s second Presidential inauguration, in 1805, the United States Marine Corps Band accompanied the procession and it has been involved in every “This event will inauguration since that time. In 1865, during Abraham provide thousands Lincoln’s second election, African Americans participated in the parade for the first time, including four companies of young musicians of troops, as well as an African American Mason and Odd with a truly memora- Fellows lodge. Astonishingly, women weren’t involved in ble life-experience.” the parade until 1917!

This year’s 56th inaugural event is a watershed year as a record 1,382 bands applied for the presidential inaugural parade, showing a significant increase from the 340 bands that applied to be in the 2005 parade.

The bands chosen for 2009 represent a wide diversity of groups and cut across a varied swath of demographic backgrounds to include such notable and historic ensembles as Howard University Marching Band, Punahou School Marching Band (Obama’s Alma Mater in Hawaii), University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band, Grambling State University Marching Band, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment Company A Band, and the Espanola Valley High School Mariachi Band from New Mexico, among dozens of others. The Marchingsport.com site quotes Howard University Showtime Marching Band director John Newson as saying “This is exciting for us at Howard University. We are truly honored to participate in this historic inauguration.”

This event will provide thousands of young musicians with a truly memorable life-experience, as well as a reminder of the significant benefits of being involved in music. The University of Delaware’s director, Heidi Sarver, said it best to her students in an interview on the school’s Web site, “You are part of history today, part of the American way of life. Savor every moment of it because you may never have such a magnificent opportunity ever again.”

®

January 2009 Volume 12, 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 Denyce Neilson dneilson@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 WEBMASTER Sanford Kearns skearns@symphonypublishing.com Symphony Publishing, LLC

CHAIRMAN Xen Zapis PRESIDENT Lee Zapis lzapis@symphonypublishing.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rich Bongorno rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300 Westlake, Ohio 44145 (440) 871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com Publishing, Sales, & Editorial Office 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1 Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 FAX (781) 453-9389 1-800-964-5150

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Member 2009

Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com

4 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

RPMDA

Macy’s Band Selection Committee is currently seeking the best high school, college and professional bands in the nation to be part of the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®!

Check out www.macysparade.com

Download an application today! All entries must be submitted by March 1st, 2009.

Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group H 11 Penn Plaza, 11th Floor New York, NY 10001

Keepin’

HeadLines 2009 Rose Parade President’s Trophy

N

Travel with the country’s top student travel planner.

Performance Tours s Festivals Parades s Cruises s Bowl Games Clinics s International Disney©

AMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, announced that its float in the 2009 Rose Parade was awarded the President’s Trophy for excellence in floral use and presentation. The 108-year-old organization returned to the parade for the sixth year and once again showcased its message to the general public about the powerful and proven benefits of playing music for people of all ages.

The NAMM float was created in collaboration with “Sesame Street” and Music for All. Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind “Sesame Street” and a well-known advocate for integrating music into its program to help children viewers learn and grow. This is the fourth year that “Sesame Street” has collaborated with NAMM on a float for the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Music for All’s mission is to create, provide and expand positive life-changing experiences through music for all. In honor of celebrating music, the organization has formed its Bands of America Honor Band comprising more than 300 high school band members hailing from across the nation, which marched alongside this year’s NAMM float.

To learn more, visit www.wannaplaymusic.com.

Honens International Piano Competition

M

ore than 35 pianists from around the world will perform individual 40-minute solo recitals as part of the preliminary round – called Stage One – of the sixth Honens International Piano Competition.

These performances will take place March 27 through March 30, 2009, at New York City’s Peter Norton Symphony Space (2357 Broadway at 95th Street) in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater. Similar Stage One sessions will take place in Calgary, Munich, and Shanghai in the spring of 2009. Ticket prices are as follows: $25 for a four-day pass, $10 for a one-day pass, and $5 for a single session.

Passes may be purchased by calling (212) 864-5400, online at www.symphonyspace.org, or at the door.

KoSA International Percussion Workshops, Camp & Festival 2009

Official Sponsor of

email: info@bobrogerstravel.com

www.bobrogerstravel.com (800) 373-1423 6 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

KoSA will host a week of intensive, hands-on classes with professional worldclass drummers and percussionists. Students of all ages and levels, will live and work with their mentors, perform with rhythm sections, and attend concerts featuring the faculty.

Past faculty has included: John Riley; Dafnis Prieto; Steve Smith; Glen Velez; Dave Samuels; Arnie Lang; Changuito; Memo Acevedo; Dave Hamilton; and Aldo Mazza.

KoSA will hold its 2009 festival in Castleton, Vermont at Castleton State College, July 29-Aug 2, 2009.

For more information, visit www.kosamusic.com.

Make their dreams come true!

Disney Magic Music Days is a dream-come-true experience for any young performer. Students have the opportunity to study their craft, perform in a professional setting, and become inspired through this unforgettable experience.

For more information, visit

disneymagicmusicdays.com/sbo The National Association for Music Education officially endorses Disney Magic Music Days.

All attractions, events, and entertainment are subject to change without notice. MYMMDSBO09 Š Disney

Florida

866-715-4095

California

800-854-8671

HeadLines Music Matters Music Education Grants 2009

M

usic Matters Grants for 2009 will focus on educational reform in school music programs and independent nonprofit music programs. Grants will be awarded to schools and music programs throughout the United States. Music education, vocal or instrumental, must be the key component of any music program requesting funds. Public school programs (qualifying for Title I federal funding and serving a minimum of 70 percent low-income students) or nonprofit 501(c)(3) programs directly funding music education (serving students regardless of their ability to pay) are eligible to apply.

Schools and programs must already employ a music educator(s) and have an existing music program in place. Grant requests must articulate specific music program needs for existing and/or planned programs.

Priority will be given to music education programs serving students in grades K-12, programs involving innovative educational reform, programs serving economically disadvantaged children, programs having established collaborative partnerships with parent-teacher-student associations and other community groups, and programs focused on the basic need of music instruments and educational materials.

Grant amounts for this cycle will range from $1,000 to $12,000 each. Grants are made on an annual one-time basis. The deadline is February 4, 2009.

For an application and further information, go to www.heart.muzak.com.

Online Survey Results Do you assist with your school’s theatrical productions?

Yes

Occasionally

No

49% 24% 27%

Visit www.sbomagazine.com and let your voice be heard in the current online poll – results to be published in the next issue of SBO.

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HeadLines

Letters

Sabianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Beat

SBO Essay Winner

n November 2, 2008, Sabian sponsored the Big Beat event, held at nine Five-Star percussion shops across North America. With 1,286 drummers participating, the event raised a total of $45,503 for charity, $17,183 of which went to the Mr.

I was the 4th-8th grade winner of the 2001 essay contest for SBO magazine. I just wanted to thank you and let you know that I have indeed continued on in my music education and am graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in music education.

I plan on teaching elementary general music or middle school choir. I was able to use my scholarship money to buy a used professional model Yamaha flute (my applied instrument).

I really enjoy it and cannot wait to inspire my own students!

O

Thanks again, Amanda Coon University of Nebraska Lincoln, Neb.

Hollandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Opus Foundation for the purpose of supplying musical instruments to deserving children in Big Beat cities.

Visit Sabian on the Web at www.sabian.com to learn more.

10 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

HeadLines NAMM Foundation Grant Presented to Houston Area High School

T

he NAMM Foundation recently presented a check to Booker T. Washington High School in Houston to help with their upcoming theater production of Disney’s High School Musical. Pat Brown from Pro-Mark was on hand to deliver the check to Dr. Rosa Smith-Williams and several members of the school’s faculty and staff. Booker T. Washington High was one of 10 schools that received NAMM Foundation grants to encourage greater participation in music and the arts in school.

To learn more about the Foundation, visit www. nammfoundation.org.

Pro-Mark’s Pat Brown presents a check to Booker T. Washington High School faculty.

For f ifty yea rs our secrets ha ve been locked.

Hudson Music Launches Teacher Integration Program

D

eveloped for today’s dedicated and progressive drum teachers, Hudson Music’s new Teacher Integration Program (TIP) is intended to advance drum education by helping instructors integrate traditional and new media in private, commercial, and institutional teaching situations. The program was created by educators and professionals and features a wealth of free online resources, support, and networking possibilities.

The core of the TIP program is a series of downloadable Teacher’s Guides containing in-depth information as well as examples of how to augment book-based learning with a new generation of DVDs and other forms of media such as CDs, MP3s, audio and video recording, music technology, and the Internet.

To learn more about the program, visit www.hudsonmusic.com.

Phantom Regiment Chooses Jupiter

T

Here’s the ke y.

Introducing Sys tem Blue.

Designed and cra f ted from the ground up by The Blue Devils and Pro-Mark. © Pro-Mark Corporation.

Photo by Jolesch Photography, www.jolesch.com

12 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

promark.com

he 2008 Drum Corps International World Champion Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps of Rockford, Ill. have selected to play exclusively on Jupiter Quantum brass instruments beginning with the 2009 DCI competitive season. The Phantom Regiment has finished among the top three in brass for four consecutive seasons. The Quantum series, which includes Jupiter brass, Mapex drums and Majestic field percussion, was introduced in 2008 and carried by three DCI corps. Jupiter’s Quantum models were also the official brass for the 2008 Macy’s Great American Marching Band, and the full Quantum series are the official instruments for the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band.

For more information, visit www.jupitermusic.com.

SBOFrom the Trenches

Dear Mr. President The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States of America 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C.

D

ear President Obama, How’s it going? Have you found all the light switches in your

new digs? Is it hard to sneak into the kitchen for a midnight snack with all the Secret Service folks around? How about that dog for the kids? Do you have a name for him yet?

I was so excited to hear that your daughter was learning to play the flute. Music may not be your thing… but I am sure your basketball-playing pal Wynton might be able to share a thought or two with you on the subject. I hear he plays horn even better than he shoots hoops!

Now that the Obama White House will have the beautiful tones of a child learning the flute wafting through the air, I have a small request: Can you make it so all children have the same chance?

Every child.

Wouldn’t our educational system, our nation, and our citizens be better off if all our children were able to enjoy the wonderful benefits that come with a complete education – an education that includes music?

Now, I know you had a wonderful policy platform on the Arts and Arts education during the campaign. You spoke several times in a very informed and eloquent manner about the subject (a few times were off the cuff – and very impressive).

To ensure you and your new team – and your other basketball-playing pal who is now our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan – understand the sentiment of many of us in the music and Arts education community, I wanted to share with you some points from a document crafted by a consortium of national organizations engaged in the Arts education field.

Forgive me if you have read this already, but it is well worth repeating:

14 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

Arts Education in School, Work, and Life Background In order to respond to the changing climate of global competitiveness, demographic shifts, and economic disparity, major changes to the delivery of education to our nation’s children are inevitable. As our nation contemplates these changes, and prepares students to be global citizens, the federal commitment to Arts education must be strengthened so that the Arts are implemented as a part of the core curriculum of our schools and are integral to every child’s development. The recommendations below are consistent with your public statements and proposals in support of a comprehensive arts education for every student.

When needed most, the Arts are being cut from our schools.

• The Arts are uniquely able to boost learning and achievement for young children, students from economically disadvantaged circumstances, and students needing remedial instruction.

• A 2007 study from the Center on Education Policy has found that, since the enactment of NCLB, 30 percent of districts with at least one school identified as needing improvement have

decreased instruction time for Arts and music. These are the districts whose students are most responsive to the benefits of the arts, as demonstrated through numerous research studies.

The public, business leaders, and economic experts agree that the arts are essential to a complete education and preparing a 21st century workforce.

• According to the Conference Board, there is overwhelming consensus from superintendents (98 percent) and corporate leaders (96 percent) that “creativity is of increasing importance to the U.S. workforce.” Of those corporate respondents looking for creative people, 85 percent said they were having difficulty finding qualified applicants with the creative characteristics they desired.

• The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, in its report “Tough Choices or Tough Times” (2006) states, “It is a world in which comfort with ideas and abstractions is the passport to a good job, in which creativity and innovation are the key to the good life…”

• A Lake Research poll of 1,000 likely voters revealed that, “83 percent of voters believe that a greater focus on the Arts – alongside science, technology, and math – would better prepare students to address the demands of the 21st century.”

STENTOR Inspiring String Players of All Ages * Stentor provides good quality instruments that enable players to progress to the best of their ability and enjoy making music. * Stentor violins, violas, cellos and double basses are hand carved from solid tonewoods, with correct measurements and good tonal quality, offering students the best start to their musical careers. * Teachers and music services everywhere recommend Stentor instruments: Ideal student and intermediate instruments: • Stentor Student I • Stentor Student II • Stentor Conservatoire * Stentor Student I and Student II outfits are played in most schools in the UK and many throughout the world.

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School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 15

Specific Policy Recommendations 1. Prevent economic status and geographic location from denying students a comprehensive Arts education.

• Ensure equitable access to the full benefits of arts education when reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act so that all, not just some, students can learn to their full potential.

• Exercise leadership to encourage Arts-based and other creative learning environments for academically at-risk students participating in Title I-funded programs.

• Retain the Arts in the definition of core academic subjects of learning and reauthorize the Arts in Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Fund after-school Arts learning opportunities and support Arts education partnerships between schools and community arts and cultural organizations.

2. Move federal policy beyond simply declaring the Arts as a core academic subject to actually implementing Arts education as an essential subject of learning.

• Require States to issue annual public reports on the local status and condition of Arts education and other core academic subjects.

• Improve national data collection and research in Arts education.

• Invest in professional development opportunities for teachers in the Arts.

3. Deploy Arts education as an economic development strategy.

• Authorize and encourage inclusion of arts learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiatives in order to foster imagination and innovation.

Without the Arts, STEM falls short of its potential to advance education and workforce development.

• Fully preparing students with the creative skills they will need to advance our nation’s position in the

21st century global economy requires implementing the arts as a core subject of learning and ensuring that all students attain cultural literacy.

• Ensure that the full range of federal initiatives that advance workforce development, such In closing, I really appreciate you taking the time to read these recommendations and hope you will give each one the serious consideration they deserve. We have had enough talk by government officials about how important and wonderful the Arts are for the education of our young people; what we need now are actions – actions that will change the landscape of access to the wonderful benefits that music and Arts education provide for our students.

You have demanded this for your own children… now how about the rest of our nation’s children, Mr. President?

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Morrison Warren, N.J. Excerpts included in this column are taken from the document titled “Arts Policy in the New Administration,” which was presented to the incoming Obama Administration on behalf of National Arts Education Organizations.

Bob Morrison is the executive vice president and chairman emeritus of Music for All Inc. He can be reached via e-mail at bob@musicforall.org.

16 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

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Made in the USA

SBOUpfront: Great American Marching Band

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s

Great American Marching Band

T

his past November, Macy’s Great American Marching Band, a select 250-member ensemble comprised of high school students from all 50 States and Washington D.C., featured prominently in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day

Parade for the third consecutive year. This ensemble is the result of a collaborative effort by Macy’s and music tour company Music Festivals.

18 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

“In 2006, Macy’s was celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Thanksgiving Day Parade,” says Wesley Whatley, creative manager at Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group and manager of the Great American Marching Band. “We were doing this in a variety of ways: bringing in celebrities and bringing famous characters back that had been with us for years. For the band program, we really wanted to figure out something special. Back in the ‘70s and’80s, McDonalds had an

Photo Copyright: Macy’s, Inc.

All-star band that used to march in our parades, but that went away maybe 15 or 20 years ago when McDonalds decided to no longer produce it. So for the 80th anniversary, we thought we’d bring back this idea of an All-star band that would represent the entire country. At that time, we met up with Dennis [Rhoads, president of Music Festivals], and he was eager to jump on board and put it together from a production standpoint. So we all put

“We wanted to give opportunity to kids whose band programs might never make it to N.Y.” – Wesley Whatley, Macy’s our heads together and came up with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band.”

Macy’s and Music Festivals were on the same page regarding the basic format and composition of the band. “We really wanted to give an opportunity to kids from all across the country,” continues Whatley. “Representing all 50 states was really important. We wanted to give opportunity to kids whose band programs might never make it to New York. Their whole program might not be able to make it, but at least those standout kids would have the chance to come and perform.”

“The main thing that we wanted to do was make it representative of all 50 states and the District of Columbia,” agrees Dennis Rhoads. “The band itself is open to any high school band or band club member in the country.

They have to audition for it, but what it does is it gives an opportunity to kids from some of the smaller schools where their band might never have an opportunity to march and play in a major parade, but now they get a chance to do something like that by joining this group.”

The band is co-directed by Dr. Rick Good, director of bands at Auburn University, and Dr. Jon Woods, who runs the marching band at the Ohio State University. “Dennis spearheaded putting the pieces together,” says Whatley, “but it was a collaborative effort. We gave input, too, but they had already built a relationship with

The 2008 Macy’s Great American Marching Band; Photo by: groupphoto.com

applying for the fourth year!”

Rick Good from Auburn University.

Looking at the nuts and bolts of We all met, and we thought he had the the project, students arrive on the Satright energy, excitement, and acumen. urday before Thanksgiving, and the They knew Jon Woods, as well. I had first rehearsal takes place on Sunday a relationship with the Cadets Drum evening. There are additional rehearsCorps. I knew their visual team, so I als on the morning of each of the next in brought the directors from that and three days leading up to Thanksgiving, we all kind of figured it out together.” when the band hits the streets.

John Lagula, of the Cadets Drum For the organizers, this meant some Corps, is the head choreographer. initial uncertainty about the brief time To get the word out, advertisements for Macy’s Great American Marching band Photo by: groupphotos.com were put into music education publications informational posters were sent to school music programs and band directors around the country, and the details of the event were posted online. “We have information on every part of the program on our Web site,” Rhoads explains. “We’ve found now that we’re getting a lot of interest based on word of mouth: either someone mentions it or students see it on TV, and then they Google it and find out more information. Initially we relied on the directors, but now we’re finding that a lot of students who have participated are telling their friends about it. We have some students who will be School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 19

allotted for preparation, but those fears were quickly allayed. As Rhoads says, “The lack of rehearsal time concerned us in the beginning because we wanted to make sure we were putting out a great product. I think the thing is, the kids are so talented, they prepare the music before they arrive. It’s just an awesome group – this year the kids were simply phenomenal. It is amazing how fast these kids are able to put the whole thing together. We probably

could have had the performance on Tuesday, if we’d had to, because the kids were just that good.”

The Great American Marching Band has produced tremendously positive feedback, both in terms of quality of music and in terms of the experiences had by the participating students. The momentum created by the formation of this ensemble has even generated a second opportunity for the young musicians: an alumni band, to perform at

Universal Studios on New Year’s Eve Day, is being assembled. “This is the inaugural year for the alumni band,” elaborates Whatley, “which is a chance for the kids to perform together on New Year’s Eve. We received a lot of feedback from the participants following each year’s performance – they missed each other and wanted to get back together – so this is an opportunity for that. It’s just our first shot at giving students who’ve performed in the Macy’s Great American Band a

Photo by: groupphotos.com

chance to reconnect with each other.”

While there is yet to be a scholarship program set up by Macy’s or Music Festivals for the Great American Marching Band, a number of corporate sponsors have stepped in to provide instruments and other amenities that will help alleviate the burden of the cost of participating in the event: brass is provided by Jupiter Instruments; percussion instruments are provided

by Mapex; The Band Hall provides uniforms; Sabian provides cymbals; Vic Firth provides drum sticks; and Coca-cola provides water.

Applications to participate in the 2009 Macy’s Great American Marching Band are being accepted now, with rolling deadlines that begin March 30.

For more information, visit www.musfestivals.com/mgap/macys.htm.

20 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

SBOUpfrontQ&A: Charlotte Dion

The Foundation Center

W

A Resource for Grant Seekers

hether to help with musical instrument or music technology purchases, teacher training and educator workshops, or enhanced oppor-

tunities for students and ensembles, securing a grant can work wonders for a school music program. One fantastic resource for educators looking to pursue such auxiliary funding is the Foundation Center.

This New York City-based organization has amassed a tremendous database of philanthropic entities and developed a broad spectrum of tools and information for nonprofit groups seeking funding. In addition to five central “library/learning centers” and hundreds of affiliated “cooperating collections” located around the country, the Foundation Center also offers a plethora of learning material and helpful grant writing information through its Web site, www.foundationcenter.org.

SBO recently caught up with Charlotte Dion, director of the Foundation Center’s New York library, who shared some tips for music educators interested in the grant-writing process.

School Band and Orchestra: What is the first step that an educator interested in learning more about grants needs to take?

Charlotte Dion: I would suggest, first of all, that educators start by gaining a clear understanding of the fundraising strategies of the school in general. It is important to make sure that they are not competing against another group, such as a PTA, or even something happening on a district level. We’re most familiar with the New York City 22 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

Charlotte Dion

schools, but here we have a general fund for all of the public schools, where a lot of the large funding, like, for example, Gates money, would tend to go. Fundraising at the local level might be quite different. I would definitely suggest that any teacher discuss this with the principal–and based on the principal’s advice, any parent group or any other groups within the school, or consortium of schools, depending–just to find out what other fundraising has gone in the past and what is going on currently. It is important that a funder not receive competing proposals from the same school; it needs to be a coordinated effort. The Foundation Center can be a resource in that we have a very rich Web site, a proposal writing short-course, and we also have both quick tutorials and fee-based online education courses that anyone who

can’t make it to our own libraries can take.

Our proposal writing books are available at our own five offices and at cooperating collections, which is a network of 340 libraries we work with around the country. These books are available free at these locations, a list of which can be found on our Web site. We have collections in every state, including Alaska and Hawaii. This will be helpful as far as where to go to get our basic directory about proposal writing, as well as access to our funder database and directory, Online Professional, which is available free at all these locations. Those I would consider the essential basic resources for anyone thinking about grant writing.

VISION INSPIRATION CRAFTSMANSHIP

SBO: You also offer various courses and seminars, correct?

CD: In our own five offices, we teach short courses on proposal writing basics and proposal budgeting basics, and we present daylong fee-based seminars as well. So anyone near New York, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Cleveland, and San Francisco can conveniently attend those. On our Web site, we maintain a schedule of seminars that we do, and interested people can also get that information by contacting us. We do have our fee-based courses in other locations around the country, not just where we have offices, so that’s another resource that people can look at.

There’s also a great deal of information available free on our Web site.

The full database of funding organizations is only open on a subscription basis through the Web, but it can be accessed for free by visiting one of the main libraries or cooperating collections. However, there is a lot of very useful information available for free online, including an FAQ section and a number of tutorials which can be found in the “getting started” tab on the drop-down menu on the home page. These include information on where to find sample proposals and sample letters of inquiry on the Web, and we also have examples of successful proposals, proposals which have been funded.

We call these the “Guides to Winning Proposals.”

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SBO: Are there specific actions that educators should take when it comes to researching grants and writing proposals?

CD: Educators should follow the general guidelines: clarity, conciseness, making sure that you get the names right, that you know that the person you are writing to is still at the same foundation or corporation and in the

icies of the foundations. There is sometimes some reluctance on the part of some funders to be jumping in where they think the government ought to be doing the primary funding. That said, it’s very difficult to generalize foundations because they are so different one from the other. It’s almost like dealing with 70,000 different people in that each organization reflects the interests

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24 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

same position, getting the spelling right, not doing elaborate packaging, making sure you submit early, and so forth.

If we’re talking about a public school, one thing to be careful of and to investigate with individual funders before getting elaborately involved in a proposal is whether or not they will fund a government agency directly.

Not all foundations like to fund a government agency. Some of them will require that it go through another 501c3 organization, such as a PTA or a booster group. That is important to know before anyone gets too far involved.

It’s not a legal question involving the IRS, just a matter of the individual pol-

of those individuals that started them.

It does take a lot of research into the individual funders.

We suggest that, where possible, fund seekers do research and even try calling the foundations – if there is staff you can sometimes get very helpful information very quickly. This is for specific questions; we don’t suggest fishing expeditions where you call up and ask, “What do you fund?” That’s where we come in and you do the research ahead of time. Of course, many foundations now have Web sites, and those can be very helpful. Sometimes that’s where annual reports are located, so it s useful to look there as well, and you can try to find out as much about the application

process as possible. And then if you’re going to call, you can call with very specific questions.

SBO: Do you think that the current economic uncertainty is likely to affect foundations and their capacity to fund grants?

CD: It’s definitely going to have an effect, and more so on some foundations than on others. We can’t predict long-term what’s going to happen. There is information on our Web site, so I would refer you to our research advisories about what’s happened in past periods of economic downturns. It’s very individual depending on what a foundation may be invested in and the policy of the individual foundation about how they’re going to restructure grants, or spread grants over more years or focus only on their current grantees or continue to accept new grantees. I would really suggest that fund seekers think about these questions early on in the process, do research, and perhaps ask the foundation directly whether or not they are going to be considering any new grantees. Certainly foundation endowments are affected, and foundation giving is likely to be affected as well. Although I should mention that foundations do generally use rolling applications, so that the total effect may not be felt immediately.

SBO: With regard to the tightened economy, are there any other additional steps that educators might want to take in the grant-preparation process?

CD: I like to quote Hildy Simmons, who was for many years in the field of philanthropy and a fundraising consultant. She used to say, “There are no magic bullets. In good times and bad, it comes down to mission, leadership, and program.” I think that that is really the key: to be the best at what you are doing, to talk about the impact that you are making so that you are making people value it as much as possible, about the benefits of the program you are producing, and be able to talk about your track record. There isn’t any real magic formula to being successful except to focus on what’s really core to what you need to do, the most important programs you’re running, know who’s benefiting by them, and make the strongest case that you can. Also, make sure that you have a budget that reflects the narrative in your proposals so that there are no questions and it is very easy to tell where you are planning to spend, what you are hoping to accomplish, and how you are going to evaluate whether or not the program is a success.

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School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 25

UpClose: Carol Doemel

A Family

Affair L

assiter High School of Marietta, Georgia, features one of the finest high school music departments in the country. While much of the acclaim has gone to the school’s stellar march-

ing band – which, under the direction of Alfred Watkins, was crowned Bands of America Grand National Champion in 1998 and 2002 – the orchestra program, led by Carol Doemel, has been outstanding in its own right. In fact, Ms. Doemel and the Lassiter Orchestra just finished their second appearance at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and they are only a year removed from being named the Grand Champions of the National Orchestra Cup at New York City’s Lincoln Center.

Carol Doemel has been the directing the Lassiter High School Orchestras since 1993.

Prior to that, she spent eight years as an actively enlisted member of the military, touring the country and playing the trumpet with the Army Field Band. In this recent SBO interview, Carol shares how the idea of a musical family (from the literal piano-playing mother, violinist brother, and horn-playing, string-teaching husband, to the larger family of military bands and orchestras she has played with) has served as an inspiration in building this thriving high school orchestra program.

School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 27

School Band & Orchestra: What was your initial introduction to music?

Carol Doemel: My mother is a pianist and a church piano player. My brother (a violinist) and I used to lay under her piano while she was practicing and we just thought it was wonderful. Her playing was so beautiful; it was really inspirational for me. When I was in second grade my mother started me on piano lessons. In third grade, she encouraged me to take up cornet with the local high school band director, Robert Greatwood. I immediately fell in love with the cornet as soon as I started playing it. It was my thing!

SBO: When did you realize that music was going to be something that you might pursue as a career?

CD: The piano, for me, was an instrument that I loved to listen to, but I did not really enjoy practicing it. I studied piano throughout high school, so I have some keyboard skill, but the trumpet was just fun for me, and I was good at

it. You get those rewards that come from being able to do something well, and playing the trumpet was very rewarding for me. I guess it was probably in middle school that I knew music would be an important part of my life. I was playing with the West Coast Symphony Youth Orchestra at the time, and this is where I fell in love with the symphony orchestra.

SBO: After high school, you continued to study music at Florida State University?

CD: At FSU, I studied with Brian Goth and took additional lessons with William Cramer, the incomparable trombone instructor. He was known for his terms “blow freely,” and “dynamic motion” – important concepts that we brass players all wanted to learn. They were both a big part of my success at FSU. Dr. James Croft, the Wind Ensemble director at the time, tried and tried to convince me to become a Music Education major, but I resisted! Now when I see Dr. Croft, he gives me a hug and a look that says, “I knew you’d

“Putting something excellent

up on stage is the best way to sell your program.”

come around!” When I finished there, I was accepted into the Cleveland Institute of Music as a masters-degree student, but that’s when I met my husband, Chris and we decided to serve in a military band instead. We both auditioned and won positions with the Army Forces Command Band in Atlanta.

SBO: Why the Army Band?

CD: It sounded like a great job. We thought that touring and performing, while serving our country, was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss.

SBO: And you were an active member of the military at that time, as well?

CD: Correct, we joined the Army in 1984. I went through boot camp, crawled through the mud, shot machine guns, tossed grenades… it was great!

SBO: What exactly does being in the US Army Forces Command Band entail?

CD: Basically, we were ambassadors for the Army. We went out and did performances all across the nation. The person who hired me, and my husband, actually, was the former commander of the Army Field Band, Colonel Finley Hamilton. He was my first boss, and he was just a wonderful person and exemplary commander. He was inspirational for me, especially his excitement on the podium, and he loved and really cared about the troops. I learned a great deal from watching him work with us.

SBO: Was there an educational component to your work?

28 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

Lassiter Symphony rehearses for their performance at Midwest.

CD: Oh, yes. There was a lot of outreach. We performed at the Georgia MEA and did various school performances for students at all levels. We also performed for dignitaries in town – opening of the Carter Library and that kind of thing. I also played in the brass quintet, so we had shows put together for various ages and performed for elementary- through college-level students.

ing some classes. I had a string techniques course with Michael Dunlap that was very informative. He simplified it so that I was comfortable tackling the teaching of string instruments. It was kind of history from there. In 1993 Gary Markham, Cobb County Instrumental Music supervisor, hired my husband at a middle school and me here at Lassiter High School.

SBO: At what point did you consider transitioning from performer to educator?

SBO: And your husband still teaches at the middle school level?

CD: I began to consider teaching af-

ter being discharged from the military.

I was freelancing, playing in the Columbus Symphony, and I was principal trumpet with the Cobb Symphony. I had a family, and I was driving around all over the place – it was just difficult to keep that going. My husband and I began to consider if we wanted a high school or middle school job as band directors, or possibly if we wanted to get into the orchestra field.

The orchestra was very appealing to me because I love orchestral and symphonic music. So I went to Georgia State University and started tak30 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

CD: [laughs] I made him take a job at my feeder school, Mabry Middle School, when it came up. He is just an awesome teacher and he is a horn player, so both of us went from a brass background to teaching string instruments.

SBO: Do the two of you coordinate curriculum?

CD: Absolutely. I know exactly what I have coming into the program. We discuss method books and what skills students should have by the end of eighth grade. It makes it almost seamless for the students entering into the high school program.

SBO: Tell me a little bit about your orchestra program. How is it structured?

CD: Basically, we have about 120 students divided into three orchestras, in addition to small ensembles. The top group is the Lassiter Orchestra, or Lassiter Symphony (with winds). Then we have the Lassiter String Ensemble A and String Ensemble B. I put all the freshmen into one class, and grades 10, 11, and 12 in another. We’ll combine the String Ensembles in concerts to form one large group.

We try to reach out and do different types of music with our orchestral instrumentation, like bluegrass or pop music. The Symphony has performed twice at the Georgia Music Educator’s Association Convention and the Midwest Clinic (’01, ‘08). We just returned from our second performance at the Midwest. There’s nothing like performing for your colleagues and other students who are doing what you are doing. [Band director] Alfred Watkins [featured in SBO June, 2003] conducted on the program in 2001 and was back stage running interference for us for the performance this year. Alfred is

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The Lassiter High School Orchestra Program At a Glance

an inspiration for me. He is just a wonderful teacher and his focus is completely on giving his students the best music education possible.

Location: 2601 Shallowford Rd, Marietta, Ga On the Web: www.lhsoa.org Number of Students: 120

SBO: Do you and Alfred Watkins work together?

Ensembles

Lassiter Chamber Orchestra: Lassiter’s most advanced string ensemble. They have received numerous awards and have been invited to many prestigious venues. The Chamber Orchestra performs approximately 10 performances per year. They rehearse weekly after school and meet in section rehearsals before school. Members of the orchestra perform in the GMEA All-State Orchestras, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and many area youth organizations.

Lassiter String Ensemble: The String Ensemble is comprised of 2 orchestra classes (String Ensemble I, String Ensemble II). They combine in after-school rehearsals prior to performances. Both orchestras require an audition.

Lassiter Symphony: Lassiter’s most advanced instrumentalists from the Lassiter Band and Lassiter Orchestra Programs, approximately 98 students. Repertoire performed includes Mozart “Symphony No. 25,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Cappricio Espagnol,” Chadwick’s “Symphonic Sketches,” Shostakovich Finale to “Symphony No. 5.”

Lassiter Small Ensembles: The Lassiter String Quartet has performed at the Governor’s Mansion, Georgia Republican Convention, and many community events. Other performing ensembles are: the Lassiter Cello Ensemble, and the newly formed Lassiter Rock Ensemble, combining strings and rhythm section.

Recent Notable Performances and Awards

2008, 2001: Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, Chicago, Ill. 2008, 2007: Invited to perform with Barrage, internationally acclaimed string ensemble.

2008: Heritage Music Festival, University of South Florida, Grand Champion and Adjudicator’s Award 2007: Lincoln Center’s National Orchestra Cup, New York, N.Y. The Lassiter Chamber Orchestra won Grand Champion and Best String Section. The String Ensemble placed 5th Runner-up and won award for Most Original Work (“Japanese Lullaby” by Keiko Yamada).

2006, 2003: Georgia Music Educator’s Conference in Savannah, Ga. 2006, 2001: Heritage Music Festival, Washington, D.C., Grand Champions and 1st Place in Orchestra Division 2004: American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festival, Dallas, Texas (Placed in the country’s top 3 orchestras and presented an Encore Performance to conclude the ASTA Conference.)

2000: Lassiter High School earns distinction as a Grammy Signature School.

32 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

CD: Yes, we do. I work closely with all three of the band directors. We confer and philosophize together.

We also listen to each other’s groups and watch each other teach. The feedback we give to each other is so helpful and a big part of my growth as a teacher. That connection is invaluable for me. I learn from the band directors and pull information from every direction I can to make myself a better teacher.

SBO: Was it a rough adjustment to go from performing and having your own responsibilities within an ensemble to all of a sudden having all these eager minds looking up to you?

CD: I think “scary” is the most accurate description of that transition. It was probably at least eight years where I was just nervous coming to work and hoping that I was doing a good enough job, giving the students what they needed. I spent a lot of time talking to other orchestra directors and reaching out for help and guidance. That’s how I built the program – by looking to others and asking those questions.

SBO: How did you get over that feeling of fear?

At what point did you step back and think, “You know what? I guess this is going pretty well.”

CD: That’s such a funny question. I started here in 1993 with 22 students. Each year we received superior ratings at Festival, and we were accepted to perform at the Midwest Clinic in 2001. When the Midwest acceptance letter came, I finally looked at myself and at the program and thought, “Maybe I am doing a good job!” It took me that long to really feel like I was doing what I should be doing for my students. I know how important my high school band director, youth orchestra director, college directors, military, and symphony directors were to my growth as a musician. I hope that I am giving my students the best musical education I can every day.

SBO: Could you elaborate on what exactly that is?

CD: Being able to inspire my students to love their instruments and to love music. To have them go out and want to maybe teach – or maybe not, maybe just to go see a symphony concert and appreciate it. I think that’s it, just to inspire them – while, of course, teaching them technique, history, all the other proponents of a good music education along the way. I strive to make my students want to come back every day, five days a week, and be eager to learn.

SBO: How has your time in the military influenced your teaching career?

CD: Performing with military bands definitely had a big impact on my teaching style. I learned a lot about rehearsal technique and really brought that to

my teaching. Things like starting on time – the military bands start on time. They post a rehearsal schedule. There is definite leadership in all sections and a personal commitment by each player to perform their best. All of these things are necessary for a constructive rehearsal. Of course the leadership comes from the top. I was very fortunate to have commanders that felt they worked for you, not the other way around. I try to reflect this mindset to my students.

Another aspect where military bands excel is in programming. This is such a vital part of what we do as teachers. You must pick literature that makes your ensemble grow, that features the best of your ensemble, that is appropriately selected for the audience, and that takes your audience on a musical journey. It is not an easy task! Some of our band concerts went upwards of two hours, which is an awfully long time to keep an audience interested. Sometimes we made bad choices, but we always worked to improve each concert.

“Developing

that sense of family, of being part of a team, is what we all strive for as educators.”

I am currently a member of the Air Force National Guard Band stationed at Dobbins Air Force Base. These folks are another great resource for me, in addition to being great people to work with. The military bands have a camaraderie that I don’t think can be compared to any other organization. They are like a family and you know you can count on them in any situation. That camaraderie is something I work hard to instill in my students. When I see the friendships these students foster, it is so fulfilling. One of my happiest moments was looking at pictures the students shared on Facebook after their performance at Midwest. Developing that sense of family, of being part of a team, is what we all strive for as educators.

SBO: After your students move on from your program, what do you hope they look back on and think about from their time with you and the orchestra?

CD: That camaraderie and feeling of being part of a team.

Enjoying the music. Enjoying the feeling of being a part of a musical organization. Work ethic. You know, playing a stringed instrument is not easy. You have to want to work at it. You have to want to practice and that spills over into everything. If my students can learn a G melodic minor scale and play it well and in tune with a beautiful sound, then hopefully they can take the same work ethic that they used to accomplish that and apply it to their job and their future, whatever it might be.

SBO: Oftentimes, orchestra programs in particular can have difficulty achieving fiscal goals because they don’t always have the exposure of the marching bands, which play on the football field every Friday night. Have you experienced this?

School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 33

Barrage performing with Lassiter Orchectra students.

CD: If you’re giving your students something that’s excellent, if you’re making sure that what your students are producing and what you’re putting on the stage is excellent, if you’re reaching a high level, it’ll work out. Of course you’ve got to get performances out there and it is harder for us because we don’t

have that Friday night appearance that everyone is seeing, especially considering the phenomenal Lassiter Band! We have to get the word out there somehow: concerts, getting the program in the newspaper, letting people know where the performances are, and it is an outreach.

We haven’t done anything super special,

anything that different from what other programs do, but I think that putting something excellent up on stage is the best way to sell your program. Those performances make sure that people know that we’re doing a good thing.

Orchestras are fortunate to have a wealth of literature by the world’s most notable composers. I believe people do appreciate classical music. Who can resist barber’s passionate “Adagio for Strings,” or the beautiful symphonies of Tchaikovsky? How about the young, hip conductor of the L.A. Phil by the name of Gustavo Dudamel? He is making classical music “in” and appealing to our youth.

We’ve also done collaborations with Barrage, an international ensemble that plays all kinds of alternative music. That’s something a little different, something that might draw in some prospective students who may not have been thinking about picking up a stringed instrument.

As far as outreach in the community, our “A Night at the Movies” concert is

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a really big community event. We show a dramatic part of a movie, and then we perform the film score. It’s really neat, and we have hundreds of people show up for it. This is probably our biggest community-based event, and we do that every year in the spring.

SBO: That sounds like a lot of fun.

What other methods do you use to you help build your students’ interest in classical music?

CD: Another way we’re fortunate is that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is very supportive of the schools. They have an outreach program where you can bring in a string quintet and they’ll talk about their lives, what their instruments mean to them, and perform some classical music. I think, frankly, it’s appealing. I think someone playing a Bach Partita beautifully just enamors the students. There’s so much beauty in classical music that I really don’t have to twist students’ arms to sell them on it.

SBO: What’s your take on competition in music education?

CD: Well, we do perform in competitions. In 2006, we went to the National Orchestra Cup, which is held at Lincoln Center in New York. I just think that competition is part of what drives us, and kids like it. If you have a positive outlook on it, even if you lose, if you did your best, you can use the experience to teach your students.

I think it’s a great teaching tool because one day you are going to lose in life – that’s part of living. Our group has lost before. But did we come out feeling good? Yes. Did we come out of it and not have sour grapes? Can you bring your kids around and say, “You go pat those kids on the back and tell them what a great job they did”?

I know there are a lot of negative aspects of competition, and I’ve seen those, too, but if you are also teaching character and sportsmanship, competition can be a very powerful tool.

SBO: Where do you hope to take your program in the next few years?

CD: I would like to do a little more with some of the alternative music. I would like to get into that a bit more for the interest of the students, especially, now that we’re in this computer

age with all this new technology. Luckily, one of the assistant directors, James Thompson, is phenomenal with technology. We are in the YouTube generation. Now there is even a YouTube orchestra set up by Tan Dun, who did the music for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The kids are all tuned in to that stuff. We need to not push it away, but use it as a tool. It’s one more thing that can keep these kids interested in music.

SBO: Speaking of new technology, are there any new hi-tech tools that you are incorporating into your teaching routine?

CD: We are really trying to get into Smart Music. We have dabbled in it, and the band already uses it. I think it’s a really nice tool. It is just a tool – you still have to instruct and you still have to check finger positions and all of that – but it’s fun to use and I hope by next year we will have it going pretty well.

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School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 35

SBOPerformance: Rehearsal

Rehearsing Music:

Procedures, Verbal Cues, and Pictorial Imagery BY

ROBERT J. GAROFALO AND FRANK L. BATTISTI

T

he

procedures

verbal

and

communica-

tion skills used by band and orchestra

directors to rehearse music must be appropriate for the musical and technical proficiency levels of the groups they are conducting. The following time-tested methods should prove useful in rehearsing music with ensembles at all proficiency levels.

Procedures Establish a rehearsal protocol that works for you and your ensemble and follow it. However, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let any part of the protocol become routine. Maintain a creative musical spark in everything you do, including warm-ups, if used. Formulate specific objectives for each rehearsal.

Having a clear idea of what is to be accomplished keeps the rehearsal focused.

Set realistic goals and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attempt to

36 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

accomplish more than can be done well in the amount of time available. The rehearsal plan should have a good balance between tension and relaxation by using music of contrasting styles: lyrical vs. dramatic, quiet vs. resounding, dawdling vs. brisk, and so on. After every rehearsal, take time to evaluate what transpired and plan ahead for the next time the ensemble will meet.

Be yourself and develop a personal rehearsal style. Create a friendly, com-

fortable environment in which players feel encouraged to participate and express themselves as individuals. Strive to be a positive, sensitive, and committed teacher and director. Display joy when exciting things happen in rehearsal and congratulate players when they do something well, either individually or collectively. Acknowledge good playing and encourage players to support each other.

Periodically, inject humor into rehearsals to relieve tension, reduce stress, and

stimulate joyful music making. Musicians play better when the intensity and monotony of concentrated, focused rehearsing is broken with good-natured humor (not ridicule).

Use a Gestalt approach when introducing a new piece of music. In other words, present the work in its entirety before beginning to work on individual passages or details. Also, remember that with new music you may need to explain at the outset how you will conduct such things as asymmetrical meters, repeated strains, fermatas, and preparatory beats when there is an anacrusis. It is best to pace rehearsals of a piece of music over a period of time. Sometimes difficulties are solved when players are given time to practice and master their parts outside of rehearsals. In other words, solve technical and musical problems over several rehearsals. Work on the most difficult passages first and do this early in rehearsals when the players are fresh and concentration is best. Finally, when multiple performance errors needing attention are encountered when rehearsing music, address each one separately, not collectively, with appropriate gestures and comments.

In rehearsals keep talking to a minimum. Show what you want through conducting gestures, facial expressions, and body language, not words. When you have to stop to make a comment, give clear, positive instructions to the player(s). For example: “Oboe and violins please listen to each other in that passage at letter G, especially the C#s in measure 25, and adjust to improve the intonation; you are playing the same line.” Here is an example of a poor verbal cue for the same problem: “The intonation at measure 25 is awful! Can’t you hear and play in tune? Let’s do it again.”

When rehearsing music, don’t use personal pronouns such as “I” or “me,” which are teacher/director centered. Avoid making statements such as: “I want a stronger forte in measure 22” or “play measure seven for me.” Instead, use plural pronouns such as “we” and “us,” which emphasize the importance of togetherness in achieving desired musical results.

When preparing difficult music: 1) rehearse fast passages slowly at first, then gradually increase the tempo until the music can be performed faster than indicated and players can perform the music with ease; 2) rehearse component parts separately, then rehearse them together; 3) don’t conduct when a group is having ensemble (rhythmic) problems (this technique quickly and effectively improves ensemble listening which must be a primary goal of every rehearsal); and 4) omit ornaments and embellishments if they are hindering the performance of the music (once the music is played well, add these stylistic elements).

Additional effective rehearsal procedures are: Give an aural example of the music by singing the passage the way you want it performed, then ask the ensemble to sing the passage back to you. Teach the form and structure of the composition, then rehearse the music by referring to its component parts; for example: “let’s begin at the coda”; “back to the recapitulation, please”; and “let’s hear the countermelody to the second theme.”

This technique creates a whole new level of listening, awareness, and musical understanding. Finally, play through the entire program in sequence in the performance hall at least once or twice before the concert to facilitate the successful performance of a projected concert.

School band and orchestra directors should emphasize the expressive qualities of music when rehearsing, making players aware that striving for technical perfection provides the best means for conveying the expressive message of a piece.

Verbal Cues Band and orchestra directors need to develop and expand their vocabulary so that the best words are used to describe what is desired from players. One of the best ways to do this is to read poetry and great literature, which should help to provide a powerful vocabulary of descriptive words, word associations (such as analogies, similes, and metaphors), adjectives, and words of subtle distinction.

John Ciardi, in his book How Does a Poem Mean?, points out that words have four basic qualities: a feeling, a picture, a history, and muscle. Keep those ideas in mind as you read the poem excerpt below which vividly illustrates the power of words to convey what the poet wants us to see and feel.

YES IT HURTS

by Karin Boye Yes it hurts when buds burst.

Why otherwise would spring hesitate?

Why otherwise was all warmth and longing locked under pale and bitter ice?

The blind bud covered and numb all winter, what fever for the new compels it to burst?

Yes it hurts when buds burst, there is pain when something grows and when something must close.

Yes it hurts when the ice drop melts.

Shivering, anxious, swollen it hangs, gripping the twig but beginning to slipits weight tugs it downward, though it resists.

When you speak from the podium, pay attention not only to your vocabulary, but also to how you say the words. Why? Because words, while important, are only part of the message.

Research suggests that approximately 38 percent of a listener’s impression is based on how you sound: 1. Tone of your voice 2. Pitch 3. Volume 4. Speed 5. Emphasis placed on words There is a surprising correlation between language characteristics of how you sound to the properties of musical sound.

Compare the five elements above with the following sound properties: 1. Timbre/Tone Color 2. Pitch/Frequency School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 37

3. Amplitude/Dynamics 4. Tempo 5. Articulations/Phrasing This close correlation between speech and musical communication confirms the following suggestion by conductor H. Robert Reynolds, which captures players’ attention.

“I believe the conductor should talk, generally, in a style that matches the piece [he/she is rehearsing]. If it’s a fast piece, talk fast. If it has a lot of staccato, talk that way; but if it’s mellow, you should imitate that feeling. What you are trying to do is to set up an atmosphere that is right for a particular composition. Of course, you also have to avoid monotony; so if a work is almost entirely loud and fast, you’ll probably want to occasionally talk in a different style.”

Pictorial Imagery There are two types of oral/aural cues that a conductor can give in rehearsal: verbal cues (words) and musical cues (sounds). The latter, for example, would include the singing of an instrument line the way one would want it played or the reciting of a complex rhythm with a counting method or neutral syllable.

There are basically two types of verbal cues: directions and comments (plain language) and pictorial imagery (also known as word pictures). Pictorial imagery is relatively easy to use when one is conducting music with an extra musical meaning or inspiration, such as a painting, poem, story, or play. All one has to do is relate the extra musical idea to the music at hand. For example: Scenes from the Louvre for band by Norman Dello Joio or A Night on Bald Mountain for orchestra by Modest Mussorgsky. There are many examples in all mediums. This is one good reason why the director must research the context of the music he or she is conducting.

ANATOMY OF A VERBAL CUE U.S. Air Force Band conductor Colonel Dennis Layendecker observed and reported on Frederick Fennell rehearsing his new edition of Percy Grainger’s “Lincolnshire Posy” with the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C. (Spring, 1987) as follows: “One of the most outstanding parts of Fennell’s rehearsal was his extraordinary ability to give verbal cues. There is a passage in the ‘Rufford Park Poachers,’ (specifically the 2nd trumpet at square 40) in which he described the sound of a ‘high performance race car’ going by

He [Fennell] set up not only a ‘sound’ image but a visual one as well. Everyone immediately adjusted and you could hear the difference without question – really great!”

38 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

Rehearsal Vocabulary The following representative list of highly descriptive words may be used in rehearsals to inspire, motivate, stimulate, and provoke players to perform music with expression, spirit, style, feeling, emotion, and character. Powerfully descriptive words can and should be combined to form effective rehearsal comments and/or directions, such as: “energize the sound,” “stretch the tempo,” and “sensitive release.” Directors are encouraged to look at their performance scores and select descriptive words (such as those given in the chart below) that appropriately characterize the sound of the music. Write the words in the score as a reminder of the musical expression that they convey/evoke.

REHEARSAL VOCABULARY CHART agitated anguish animated anxious architecture atmospheric aggressive beautiful bright buoyant buzz calm climax dark delicate dramatic dreamily ecstasy, ecstatic elegance, elegant emote energize esprit effervescent expressive exuberant fantasia, fantasy floating flourish flowing glorious glowing graceful grand, grandiose harmonious heroic

imagine, imagination impassioned impression, impressive inflection intense, intensity joyful lovely lush lyrical magical magnificent majestic, majesty meditative mysterious noble opaque passion, passionate playful pleasing powerful prayerful precise pulsating quiet regal resonant, resonance romantic sensitive sentimental serene shape shimmering silence sing, singing sonorous

sparkle spiritual spontaneous stately stretch strong sturdy subtle tender tension throbbing transparent tranquil veiled vibrant, vibrate vigorous vitality vivid whisper sizzle

Stylistic Articulations: legato staccato marcato tenuto

Robert Garofalo is emeritus professor/conductor of the Rome School of Music of The Catholic University of America. He has conducted bands, orchestras, choruses, and operas for over 40 years. Frank Battisti is conductor emeritus of the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. He has conducted Robert Garofalo bands and ensembles for more than 50 years.

Garofalo and Battisti have coauthored several books and articles; most notably Guide to Score Study for the Wind Band ConducFrank Battisti tor (Meredith Music, 1990) and Lead and Inspire: A Guide to Expressive Conducting (Whirlwind Music, 2005), from which this article is adapted.

portamento polyarticulations

Tempo/Style Terms: allargando animato agitato cantabile dolce espressivo giocoso grandioso grazioso leggiero maestoso marziale morendo pesante rubato scherzando secco smorzando sostenuto sotto voce

ÂĄ s

i bm

Su

s

n sio

If you are interested in submitting an article to School Band and Orchestra, please visit www.sbomagazine.com and click on Submissions Info.

¨ For additional music education articles, please visit the School Band and Orchestra archives at: www.sbomagazine.com.

School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 39

SBOTechnology: Lesson Planning

Teachers Shouldn’t Have Homework

L

esson plans are the runway lights of the education

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

field, as it takes more than talent and energy to be a successful music teacher. Without solid lesson planning, enthusiasm alone won’t be enough to address

federal, state and local standards and curriculum alignment.

Fortunately, there are both Web-based and stand-alone software applications that can help teachers create, catalog, and modify their own lesson plans and exchange them with other educators. In addition, there are a host of music software applications that contain ready-to-use lesson plans, as well as books that contain classroom-ready music technology lessons.

Ready-Made Lesson Plan Applications 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.

40 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

Have you considered trying a ready-made lesson plan software application? You can redevelop and customize them over time, and retrieve them in a split second. Because lesson plan applications use a database format, retrieving old plans is simple and quick. Just click a grade level, choose a subject area, and – voila – print out the lesson-plan or export it as a file. The OnCourse Web-based Lesson Planner revolutionizes the way teachers create, manage and share lesson plans. Through easy-to-use online templates, teachers can write, edit, and collaborate. Principals and music supervisors can review and comment on the plans electronically. And teachers can map lessons to educational standards.

Teacher’s Information Manager Deluxe by Visions Technology provides detailed student information, including grade books, attendance sheets, and seating charts. Basic and advanced modes accommodate users with differing levels of computer experience. You can even integrate pictures of students!

The lesson planner component allows users to create standard lesson plans, share them with others, and link them directly to a Web site (particularly helpful for substitute teachers). iLessonPlan is an online lesson planning software worth investigating at www.iLessonPlan.com.

FTC Publishing has incorporated Web 2.0 tools with its WriteIt! Live (WIL), which is a Web-based writing application that creates an interactive, paperless writing environment. It allows teachers to distribute new assignments to their students from any computer with Internet access. Students

to create lesson plans with technology, featuring the best lesson plan ideas by guest educators.

These lessons can be adapted to fit a general classroom with one computer, or music-on-a-cart.

Support audio files, MIDI files, and other electronic documents can be accessed for free through a dedicated Web site.

can view, complete, and submit their writing assignments digitally. It also encourages teachers and students to work together to create successful assignments. This is achieved through prompted-writing, a system allowing teachers to create a basic framework for students to follow when completing their assignment. There are over 100 writing templates in all subjects, including music.

One other element I like about WriteIt is that it makes it easy to create and distribute assignments to students.

Books With Lesson Plans Educators purchasing Finale for the first time receive a printed installation and tutorial guide with 10 creative, indepth projects perfect for a classroom situation. Those who follow the tutorials in this slim volume receive an excellent grounding for how to get the most out of Finale. When you upgrade from a previous version of Finale you do not receive another printed copy of the tutorial guide, but you always receive an updated electronic copy, and it’s always close at hand, available from Finale’s Launch Window and Help Menu (found under the User Manual). This can provide excellent foundational lesson planning.

Tom Carruth has produced an outstanding new publication, The Finale Projects, which is helpful for creating complicated compositional projects with detailed, sequential lesson plans.

A CD is included with the ready-made projects.

Sibelius has a K-8 music book with 55 creativity-oriented lesson plans that feature five of their products: Groovy Shapes, Jungle, and City, and Sibelius or Sibelius Student. Each lesson focuses on one of those software titles. They are written and tested, by teachers. A high school lesson plan book that will cover Sibelius and Pro Tools is coming in early 2009.

Mixcraft, an ultra creative digital/ audio sequencer much like GarageBand only with even more features for PC, has an incredible book published with a semester’s worth of lesson plans

Lesson Planning Web Sites for daily instruction entitled: Mixcraft for the Classroom. Not surprisingly, it contains step-by-step, field-tested lesson plans for using Mixcraft in the classroom. This unique combination of sequencing software and correlated textbook takes the Teaching Music with Reason sequencing curriculum model to a new level with more classroom opportunities.

Amy Burns’ Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom by Hal Leonard can be a significant resource for teachers at any level of technical ability. Its incorporation of teaching standards is a great model for how

TI:ME (Technology Institute of Music Educators) has hundreds of Web-based lessons that represent the largest collection of lesson plans on the Internet, but you need to be a member of the organization to access them. However, TI: ME’s membership is very enthusiastic in contributing to their Web site, www. ti-me.org. The only drawback is that the lessons don’t have reference files.

But you will find a wealth of information to replicate the lessons, including grade level(s), equipment needed, lesson durations, and prior knowledge or skills that the students will need.

MENC national standards are given along with teaching materials, objec-

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School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 41

tives, procedures, evaluation, follow-up items to purchase and more. You can sort the lessons three ways: by grade level, by MENC standard, or by technology area.

SoundTree.com offers very innovative music tech lesson plans. On its main Web site, wwww.soundtree.com, there’s a heading for lesson plans compiled by some very prominent music technology clinicians: Tom Rudolph, Jim Frankel, and Mike Fein, to name a few.

have been developed for instrumental and classroom teachers. Each lesson includes step-by-step instruction with student handouts and references to local curriculum standards.

These lesson plans can be found at: www.starplaymusic.com.

This Web site also offers insightful links to a summary of each set of lesson plans covering a variety of teaching situations.

SmartMusic by Makemusic offers a unique lessonplanning component called Impact that allows teachers to post upcoming assignments to the Internet. Through Impact, teachers can communicate to students easily and effectively. SmartMusic lesson plans on their Web site include: Overview; Objectives; National Music Standards addressed; Assignment suggestions; Teacher Procedures; Assessment; Teacher Suggestions; and Lesson Extensions.

An in-depth perspective of how useful SmartMusic lesson plans are can be found by clicking the “teachers” and then “resources” tabs at www.smartmusic.com.

Together, SmartMusic and Impact provides a tool that helps guide the students’ learning experience, documents their musical progress, and shares those results with students, parents, and administrators.

In Garden City, New York, Martha Boonshaft uses Smart Music to create lesson plans that teach the specific concepts that will be transferred to the students’ band literature. After researching the band pieces to be performed, the students go through the method books available on Smart Music. Exercises are chosen to teach and reinforce what the students will encounter in their band literature. The assignments are posted to work just as homework is in other classes. .”

There are timelines for students to earn computer-allotted points for each exercise based on rhythm and correct notes. Students can earn additional points from the teacher for articulation, dynamics, tone, and expression. With just a few key strokes, Smart Music Impact allows her to e-mail the parents of the entire class and remind them of due dates for upcoming assignments. Getting the parents involved helps keep their children involved.

“It encourages teachers and students together to create successful assignments The Web site for the now-defunct Music Education Technology publication provides excellent Web-based lesson plans on music technology that can be found at: metmagazine.com/lessonplan/online_lesson_plans/. That Web site also includes some excellent articles dealing with lesson plans on topics such as film scoring in the classroom, creating practice files, themes and variations, teaching dynamics, finding and manipulating MIDI files, composing with the Blues, teaching song form, drumming with keyboards, your new accompanist, and scoring.

Other recommended sites for lesson plans include: MET archives at www.metmagazine.com; Apple resources at www.apple.com; Berklee Shares at www.berkleeshares. com; SoundTree at www.soundtree.com; music tech teacher extraordinaire Karen Garrett (featured in SBO April, 2007) has some great ideas at www.musictechteacher.com; and the Vermont MIDI Project at www.vtmidi.org.

Built-in Software Lesson Plans Mastering Music distributed by Alfred Publishing offers over 400 detailed lesson plans built right into the software. These lessons are designed to run seamlessly with the application and automatically incorporate the software to create projects.

StarPlay is an automatic accompaniment-generating program with an extensive repertory for accompanying instrumental, band, and vocal students. StarPlay’s lesson plans 42 School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

The Future of Lesson Plans Finding lesson plans on the Internet has never been easier. Simple Google searches can produce a myriad of results.

And sharing lesson plans on the Web benefits everyone, since we learn best from each other. View free collaboration sample lesson plans at www.ti-me.org; go to their Free Tour section and find some good models of music tech lesson plans. With collaborative tools such as Web 2.0 and Google Apps, it is possible for school districts to create and share lessons and lesson plans.

Have any tech ideas or experiences to share? Visit www.sbomagazine.com/techfeedback to take part in our readers’ survey. This simple online form is your opportunity to voice music tech needs and make thoughts and success stories known. Your responses will help shape upcoming music tech columns!

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School Band and Orchestra, January 2009 47

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.SBOmagazine.com AdIndex COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

Band Shoppe

www.bandshoppe.com

9

Bari Woodwinds

www.bariwoodwinds.com

8

Barrington Music

www.wwbw.com

Bob Rogers Travel

www.bobrogerstravel.com

Charms Music Software

www.charmsmusic.com

44

D’Addario & Co.

www.daddario.com

21

Disney Magic Music Days

www.magicmusicdays.com

EPN Travel Services

www.epntravel.com

Festivals of Music/

www.educationalprograms.com

cov 2, 1

Festivals of Music/

www.educationalprograms.com

cov 4

Good for the Goose Products

www.chopsaver.com

34

Hawaiian Music Festivals

www.himusicfest.com

44

JodyJazz

www.JodyJazz.com

16

Jupiter Band Instruments

www.jupitermusic.com

11

Jupiter Band Instruments

www.jupitermusic.com

24, 25

Kaman Music Corp.

www.kamanmusic.com

35

Kaman Music Corp.

www.kamanmusic.com

23

Macy’s Parade Group

www.macysparade.com

5

Superscope Technologies

www.superscopetechnologies.com

41

Opera Piccola Italiana

www.operapiccolaitaliana.com

39

Orpheus Music Inc.

www.orpheusmusic.com

34

Pearl Corp.

www.pearldrum.com

3

Premier Perc.

info@groverpro.com

10

Pro-Mark Corp.

www.promark.com

12

Sheet Music Plus

www.sheetmusicplus.com

43

Sibelius Software Inc.

www.g7info.com

Stentor Music Company

www.stetnor-music.com

15

Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.

www.cavanaughcompany.com

17

The Field Studies Center of New York

www.fscnewyork.com

31

Vic Firth, Inc.

www.VicFirth.com

29

48

School Band and Orchestra, January 2009

PAGE #

20 6

7 13

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ÀLb[^ebnl bl Z [k^Zma h_ _k^la Zbk bg ma^ phke] h_ fnlb\ ghmZmbhg'Á Jim Casella Composer/Arranger The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, Rosemont, IL