SBO June 2012 by SBO School Band & Orchestra

June 2012 • $5.00

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From the Trenches: Reportapalooza 2012 Guest Editorial: Travel Safety Maintenance: Bassoon Reeds

Q&A

Upfron t

Bud Geissler, SYTA

A Focus on Trends in Travel

SBO: Do you have any advice for keeping cost down without skimping on the experience?

with Bud Geissler of SYTA

s the American economy continues to show signs of recovery from the economic downturn of 2008, school music groups are gradually hitting the road once again, says Bud Geissler,

president of the Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA), a network of tour operators and consultants that specialize in facilitating all manner of trips for young people, including school music groups. Also the vice president of Metro Tours, Inc. in McMurry, Pennsylvania, Bud has been traveling with student groups for the past 17 years.

SBO recently caught up with the travel professional for his thoughts on the latest trends in student travel, particularly in regards to saving costs and finding unique destinations. School Band & Orchestra: What are the latest trends in school music travel? Have groups been hitting the road since the recession hit a few years ago? Bud Geissler: Numbers are picking back up. Groups are traveling, and the numbers of participants are increasing. We’ve seen that the overall cost of the experience has come down. Instead of five days and four nights, more groups are doing four days and three nights. Groups are looking for reductions in cost, but not necessarily overall experience. That’s the biggest trend we’ve seen for school music groups. SBO: Are people still traveling as far as they were before or are they typically staying closer to home? BG: We’re still sending groups to the same places that we were sending them before the recession hit. However, when groups arrive at their destination, they may be including fewer packaged meals and doing more on their own, maybe fewer planned activities. We’ve seen a lot of groups packing meals on the road while they’re traveling, which we hadn’t seen before. But groups are still doing the whole experience of flying somewhere, taking in a week of

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School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

performances, and visiting different venues. A lot of our groups now do one big trip and then one short trip. We’ve seen some migration from a four or five-day trip every year to doing a bigger trip every other year, and then a one or two-day trip in between.

BG: I’ve been in contact with a number of theatres in some of the smaller destinations that are using small ensembles to open shows. I would encourage the directors and parents organizations to reach out to SYTA tour operators to help them coordinate those types of experiences. Students can still get the same type of performance experience, but it doesn’t have to be one of the top-tier destinations. SBO: What are some of the benefits of the smaller destinations? BG: Smaller destinations have a better opportunity to cater to the needs of a particular group. You could be pretty much the only game in town on a particular night, which can mean bigger audiences than if you were at one of the major cities where there are lots of things happening all the time. To have that direct attention without the hustle and bustle provides a totally different experience. And the visitors bureaus at smaller destinations are so welcoming to groups. They are excited to show off what they have to offer.

to find ways to show administrators that we’re connecting classrooms to careers and practice to performance. When we take these young people out, we’re not just going to sit them on the stage and allow them to perform, we’re also going to have a marketing person come in and talk about how they market the theatre.

“Smaller destinations have a better opportunity to cater to the needs of a particular group.” We encourage these young people to follow their passion of music, but we’re not all lucky enough to be performers. There are plenty of opportunities to stay in your passion and still make a career out of it. SBO: What are some the resources that SYTA offers to educators who are planning a trip? BG: SYTA offers a top-level tour operator with qualified professional lia-

b n w W t o t t t c t t w p w m g o

S w t g

w c d t g m m is

SBO: Where do you think the future of travel for school ensembles is heading? What’s your crystal ball telling you? BG: In the future, I think we’re going to continue to see the festivals, competitions, and adjudicated events growing. The performance sites are going to be more important than ever. Another area that seems to be gaining interest is career exploration, especially for music ed programs. Such a high percentage of students on the stage aren’t going to have that experience once they leave high school, but there are so many career opportunities that exist around the stage – production, marketing, advertising, and so on. As educators, we need

Sch

JUNE 2012

22 Dr. Walt Temme

“

It’s about finding ways to get students engaged and into doing the work.

Maintenance: Bassoon Reeds

Features

14 From the Trenches Bob Morrison provides fodder for music ed advocacy via the results of a handful of arts education studies.

22 UpClose: Dr. Walt Temme String education is the topic at hand in this interview with the Arizona MEA’s 2011 Educator of the Year, Dr. Walt Temme, whose Mountain View High School orchestra program includes over 200 students in five ensembles.

When a reed is not being soaked or played, it should be put away. Students should avoid leaving reeds on the lip of their stands as they can easily be knocked on the floor, forgotten, or crushed by music folders. Each bassoon student should have a safe place for his or her reeds. Most student bassoonists will simply keep their reeds in the containers they were purchased in, usually

am often asked by students and educators how long a bassoon reed

Q&A

either a small tube, or folding “coffin case.” This is problematic because these cases were only intended for the short-term transport from manufacturer to merchant and they provide no

ventilation. Ideally, students should keep their reeds in a reed case. Reed cases of various sizes and materials can be purchased from double reed companies, or students can make their own

will last. While the most accurate answer will vary, the average junior

Upfron t

high or high school student’s bassoon reed should maintain its quality

for about a month. This answer, of course, does not factor in treatment.

A Focus on Trends in Travel

their reeds, resulting in cracks, mold, mildew, and increased speed of de-

terioration. Additionally, the relatively high cost of bassoon reeds (ranging from $9 to $30 each) will frequently result in a reed’s continued use beyond

SBO: Do you have any advice for keeping cost down without skimping on the experience?

its prime. Old reeds lack pitch stability and adversely impact tone quality,

articulation, and response. It is understandable then that a bassoon student

with Bud Geissler of SYTA

can easily become frustrated and discouraged when playing on deteriorated

34 34

This delicate balance between the expense and life expectancy of a reed should be clearly understood by students, parents, and educators before endeavoring to start this s the economy continues to show signs of recovery complicated-but-worthwhile instrument, but it need notAmerican be a deterrent. The following steps can be adopted to ensure the reed’s proper care and thus extended quality.

from the economic downturn of 2008, school music groups are gradually hitting the road once again, says Bud Geissler,

president of the Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA), a network of

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

SBO recently caught up with the travel professional for his thoughts on the latest trends in student travel, particularly in regards to saving costs and finding unique destinations.

of trips for young people, including school music groups. Also the vice

School Band & Orchestra: What are the latest trends in school music travel? Have groups been hitting the road since the recession hit a few years ago?

president of Metro Tours, Inc. in McMurry, Pennsylvania, Bud has been

Bud Geissler: Numbers are picking

tour operators and consultants that specialize in facilitating all manner

traveling with student groups for the past 17 years.

back up. Groups are traveling, and the numbers of participants are increasing. We’ve seen that the overall cost of the experience has come down. Instead of five days and four nights, more groups are doing four days and three nights. Groups are looking for reductions in cost, but not necessarily overall experience. That’s the biggest trend we’ve seen for school music groups. SBO: Are people still traveling as far as they were before or are they typically staying closer to home?

12 12

The more rigors a reed is subjected to, the faster it will wear out. Though it may seem like a significant expense, students should always have three to four working reeds in their case and should rotate through them regularly. Reeds that are broken in gradually and played in moderation have prolonged life and quality. This system is then ultimately more cost effective despite the upfront cost. Left to their own devices, students will often cling to their “old faithful” reed. Requiring students

Bud Geissler, SYTA

Younger students can often lack the patience needed to care properly for

reeds.

very cheaply. Weather stripping can be glued into any small box such as an Altoids tin or a jewelry box for a homemade reed case. Most importantly, reeds should always be kept in a small, secure place within the instrument case, not simply placed in the bassoon case itself.

3. Rotate through several reeds simultaneously

2. Keep them in a safe place

By Dr. Jacqueline Wilson

Bud Geissler, president of the Student Youth Travel Association, chats with SBO about travel trends and money-saving ideas.

Educator and blogger Tom West shares travel safety tips for music educators.

It seems intuitive, but so often students need to be told (and reminded) of the fragility of bassoon reeds. The blades are the most delicate part of the reed, so students should always hold reeds by the tube, and always soak reeds by inserting the tube into the water first. Throwing reeds into water containers bladefirst may result in cracks or chips. When a reed is not being played or soaked it should be put away.

12 UpFront Q&A: Travel

18 Guest Editorial: Travel Safety

1. Handle with care

Easy Steps to Extend the Life of Your Student’s Bassoon Reeds

Contents

”

BG: We’re still sending groups to the same places that we were sending them before the recession hit. However, when groups arrive at their destination, they may be including fewer packaged meals and doing more on their own, maybe fewer planned activities. We’ve seen a lot of groups packing meals on the road while they’re traveling, which we hadn’t seen before. But groups are still doing the whole experience of flying somewhere, taking in a week of

BG: Smaller destinations have a betSBO: What are some the resources that ter opportunity to cater to the needs of SYTA offers to educators who are plana particular group. You could be pretty ning a trip? much the only game in town on a parSchool Band and • June 2012 BG: 35 SYTA offers a top-level tour opticular night, which can Orchestra mean bigger erator with qualified professional liaaudiences than if you were at one of

bility insurance who have been in business for at least three years and travel with at least 1,000 students per year. We offer educators experience within their market. Our companies focus on young people and student travel – that’s our business. We are connected to all destinations. We have connections with restaurants, hotels, security companies, and boards of tourism, so that educators can go to one of our tour operators and get a trip A-Z the way they want it, but facilitated by professionals who travels over the road with young people all year long. The most important thing an educator will get out of SYTA is the professionalism of our tour operators. SBO: Are there online resources that you would point people to when they’re in the early phases of considering taking a group on the road? BG: Absolutely: www.syta.org. Our website has a section for educators that can start them thinking about what to do when you travel, where to go, what to see when you’re there, and how to get there. There is also a directory of members that will help them turn to music or European trips or whatever it is group leaders are looking for.

the major cities where there are lots of things happening all the time. To have that direct attention without the hustle and bustle provides a totally different experience. And the visitors bureaus at smaller destinations are so welcoming to groups. They are excited to show off what they have to offer. SBO: Where do you think the future of travel for school ensembles is heading? What’s your crystal ball telling you? BG: In the future, I think we’re going to continue to see the festivals, competitions, and adjudicated events growing. The performance sites are going to be more important than ever. Another area that seems to be gaining interest is career exploration, especially for music ed programs. Such a high percentage of students on the stage aren’t going to have that experience once they leave high school, but there are so many career opportunities that exist around the stage – production, marketing, advertising, and so on. As educators, we need

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Columns 4

Perspective

45 Playing Tip

Headlines

46 Classifieds

44 New Products

48 Ad Index

Cover photo by Michael Barcia, Mesa, Ariz. From the Trenches

34 Maintenance: Bassoon Reeds Dr. Jacqueline Wilson of the University of WisconsinEau Claire presents seven steps to extending the life of bassoon reeds.

38 Technology: Jazz Tools John Kuzmich catches up with two extraordinary high school jazz educators to discuss the latest tech innovations they have implemented into their classrooms.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Reportapalooza

2012

By Bob Morrison

Get Your FREE SBO iPad edition at the App Store

s the school year winds down and we all prepare for summer, there has been a flurry of new studies and research reports unlocking new and important knowledge of the status, condition, and impact of music and arts education in our schools. I honestly cannot remember another

period of time when so much new information came forward. Federal Arts Education Fast Response Survey The first report is from the US Department of Education, “Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10” (online at: nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/ pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012014). This report presents selected findings from a congressionally mandated study on arts education in public K–12 schools. The data was collected through seven Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) surveys during the 2009-10 school year. This report provides national data about arts education for public elementary and secondary schools, elementary classroom teachers, and elementary and secondary music and visual arts specialists. Comparisons with data from the 1999–2000 FRSS arts education study are included where applicable.

The Good News

• The last decade has not generally produced a dramatic narrowing of the curriculum in the arts. There are several important exceptions to that pattern, which I’ll talk about in a moment. 14

• It is encouraging to see music is available in almost all elementary schools for at least some of the students, and that more than 80 percent of elementary schools have visual arts instruction. There generally have not been significant declines in music and visual arts instruction.

The Bad News

• At more than 40 percent of our secondary schools, coursework in the arts was not a requirement for graduation in the 2009-10 school year. • High schools are doing too little to incorporate the arts as an expectation and component of career and college readiness for all students. • The decline in dance and theatre opportunities in the last decade has also been dramatic. • About one in five elementary schools offered dance or theatre a decade ago. Today, only one out of every 33 elementary schools offers dance, and just one in 25 elementary schools offer theatre. These survey findings suggest that more than 1.3 million students in el-

ementary school fail today to get any music instruction – and the same is true for about 800,000 secondary school students. All told, nearly 4 million elementary school students do not get any visual arts instruction at school during their formative learning years. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan noted, “Unfortunately, the arts opportunity gap is widest for children in high-poverty schools. This is absolutely an equity issue and a civil rights issue – just as is access to AP courses and other educational opportunities.”

Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth The next report to call to your attention is “The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies” published in April by the National Endowment for the Arts (online at www.nea.gov/research/research.php?type=R). This report examines arts-related variables from four large datasets – three maintained by the U.S. Department of Education and one by the Department of Labor – to understand the relationship between arts engagement and

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

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

Safe Cyber Playgrounds Facebook has been in the headlines constantly of late due to their recent, highly publicized public stock offering that initially valued the company at over $100 billion. However, shortly after entering the market, it was quickly brought down from the clouds courtesy of a variety of issues. One such issue was the overstatements of growth forecasts by investment banks, even though the growth of this company has been astronomical, now with over 900 million users and many more flocking to the site every day. On a practical level, there are many productive uses for Facebook for both children and adults. However, when you consider that there are more than three times as many users on Facebook as there are people in the United States, concerns about policing and regulating abuse and bullying on this online “nation” rise to the forefront, especially with regards to school-age children. (It’s estimated that over 7 million children under the age of 13 use the site illegally, according to various sources.) To a certain degree, it’s like the Wild West, where, although there are clear laws, they often go overlooked and unchecked. Students, especially, seem to encounter cyberbullying on sites like Facebook where users can easily post remarks, photos, and other content that bullies, intimidates, and slanders. Unfortunately, most kids “Schools have a have no idea of the impact that they may have on andifficult job dealing other child’s psyche by posting defamatory informawith cyber-bullying tion, especially when the post has the potential to “go that takes place after viral” and magnify the impact of the incident. Once the information is on the site, it’s often extremely difschool hours and off of ficult to have it removed, even though Facebook does school premises.” have a dispute resolution department. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “Although 44 states have bullying statutes, fewer than half offer guidance about whether schools may intervene in bullying involving ‘electronic communication,’ which almost always occurs outside of school and most severely on weekends, when children have more free time to socialize online.” The recent case of a student at Rutgers University who took his own life after another student posted highly graphic videos of him online is an indicator of how severe this problem can become if not kept in check. Schools have a difficult job dealing with cyber-bullying that takes place after school hours and off of school premises. Some institutions have taken the very positive step to initiate classes and lectures specifically designed to discuss the damaging nature of using social media networks to “hurt” other children – perhaps not physically, but certainly emotionally. As respected teachers with large groups of students, music educators are in an excellent position to help guide their students towards more responsible behavior in this area. Although this could take time away from critical rehearsals, it not only might help to prevent poor judgment on the part of students, but it could possibly even save a life…

June 2012 • Volume 15, Number 6 GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Matt Parish mparish@symphonypublishing.com Art PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Advertising ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED SALES Steven Hemingway shemingway@symphonypublishing.com Business CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@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 www.sbomagazine.com Member 2012

RPMDA Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com 4

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

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Headlines NAMM Foundation Awards $445k to Music Programs

Detroit native and rap-rock artist Kid Rock joined forces with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra recently to help raise $1 million for the struggling organization. Rock and his “Twisted Brown

Trucker” band teamed with the orchestra to play 11 of his hits, including “Bawitaba,” “Cowboy,” and “Rock N Roll Jesus.” The DSO opened the night with performances of well-known classical works, including Rossini’s “Overture to William Tell.”

To learn more about the DSO, visit www.detroitsymphony.org.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

To learn more, visit www.nammfoundation.org.

Simon Rattle Conducts POP Symphony Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra recently provided students from St. Francis de Sales School with their Kimmel Center debut with famed English conductor Sir Simon Rattle at the conductor’s podium. The Play On, Philly! Symphony Orchestra demonstrated the results of over 6,500 hours of instruction from their 16 “Teaching Artists” and over 400 hours of practice from each student. The concert – a performance of themes from the Finale of Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 – is now up on YouTube. Play On, Philly! was designed in the manner of well-known Venezuelan program El Sistema to create an orchestra as a powerful model for an environment of opportunity, academic and life skills development, social organization, and community building Visit www.playonphilly.org for more information.

Detroit Orchestra Performs with Kid Rock to Raise $1 Million

Council, the Percussive Arts Society, Inc., the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, and many more.

The NAMM Foundation recently announced the 21 recipients of the NAMM Foundation’s 2012-2013 program grants, allocating $445,000 in funding. The grants support innovative communitybased music learning programs that expand access to active music making and its many benefits. Since 1994, the NAMM Foundation has supported worthy U.S. and international music-making programs with more than 13.7 million dollars in grant-making support. Recipients include the Dallas Wind Symphony, Latino Arts, Inc., the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Music Haven Inc., the National String Project Consortium, the Percussion Marketing

Disney Awards Steinway Society $15,000 to Help Children

The Steinway Society of Central Florida recently received a grant in the amount of $15,000 from Walt Disney World Resort as part of this year’s Disney Helping Kids Shine initiative. Gary and Kathy Grimes, founders of the Society, accepted the grant during an event at the Orlando Repertory Theatre that included Mickey Mouse and

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Headlines dozens of “VoluntEARS.” The dollars will impact economically challenged children who will participate in class piano lesson programs in the Orlando area. Organizations whose efforts align with Disney’s focus on creativity and innovation were invited to participate in the launch of the yearly grant program. “We are proud that Walt Disney World Resort recognizes the value of our programs. Helping children have a chance to have piano lessons will change their lives in a very positive way,” Grimes said. In addition to the Steinway Society, The Steinway Society’s Gary and Kathy Grimes. 58 organizations in Orange, Oceola, Seminole, Lake and Polk counties received grants totaling $1.5 million which represents a record for the Disney Helping Kids Shine program. Walt Disney World’s philanthropic focus is on helping families meet basic needs, youth development and education. Disney Helping Kids Shine grants support organizations in Central Florida that inspire creativity and innovation, encourage a sense of compassion for others and promote the health and well being of families.

To learn more, visit www.steinwayorlando.com/society.

Roman Totenberg (1911-2012) World-renowned violinist and educatory Roman Totenberg died at his home in Newton, Mass., on May 8 at the age of 101. Totenberg made his performing debut at 11 years old in Warsaw and continued giving concerts into his 90s. He grew up throughout Europe, living in Moscow and Paris and befriending composers like Igor Stravinsky and musicians like pianist Arthur Rubinstein. He went on to serve as a professor of music at Boston University from 1961 to 1978, as well as Director of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass. His students include Yevgeny Kutik, Mira Wang, Daniel Han and Rachel Vetter Huang.

Northwestern U. Gets New Music School Building

Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music will finally get an update on its 19th-century headquarters as the school is finally set to break ground on a brand new complex. The building, which is reported to cost $117 million and will offer a 152,000-square-foot floor plan, will be located on the campus’s Evantston lake front and will feature a mostly glass façade that faces the Chicago skyline. The five story building is scheduled to open in 2015 and will feature a 400-seat recital hall that opens into a view of Lake Michigan, ten classrooms outfitted with digital technology, 138 practice rooms, recording facilities, and office space.

For more information on the Bienen School of Music, visit www.music.northwestern.edu. 8

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

maraderie. These Confidence. Character. Ca Disney Performing are the three tenets of the ce to perform Arts program. The confiden The character on the grandest of stages. osen craft. And the required to perfect your ch l to come together camaraderie that’s essentia group takes part in as a team. And when your program– whether a Disney Performing Arts the skills they will learn, hop or festival– these are rks wo a or ce an rm rfo pe a ists bonded by this shared that’s in of an exclusive group of art rt pa ing com be , ne refi d ’s talents while building sharpen an strengthen your ensemble to nt Wa ce. en eri exp e -718-4095 to learn once-in-a-lifetim travel planner or call 1-866 r you ct nta Co r? eve for t memories that las ing Arts opportunities. more about Disney Perform

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Headlines

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Taylor Swift Gives $4 Million For Music Ed

Country music star Taylor Swift recently donated $4 million dollars to fund a new exhibit and classroom space at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The center, which will be named the Taylor Swift Education Center, is set to open in 2014.

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According to the museum, Swift’s donation is the second largest ever donated to the organization. Swift, a six-time Grammy-winning artist, has a long relationship with the museum – she signed her first recording contract there and held one of her first performances on its plaza stage, as well as volunteering for fundraisers. The education center is expected to be 7,500 square feet and two stories in size and feature a “musical petting zoo” and an art studio for students to work on concert posters. The center will be part of an overall $75 million expansion of the Hall of Fame that will eventually double its size and add a brand new concert theater.

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School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Do you have suggestions for future articles or areas of coverage? Share your ideas at www.sbomagazine.com!

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Q&A

Upfron t

Bud Geissler, SYTA

A Focus on Trends in Travel with Bud Geissler of SYTA

s the American economy continues to show signs of recovery from the downturn of 2008, school music groups are gradually hitting the road once again, says Bud Geissler, president

of the Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA), a network of tour operators and consultants that specialize in facilitating all manner of trips for young people, including school music groups. Also the vice president of Metro Tours, Inc. in McMurry, Pennsylvania, Bud has been traveling with student groups for the past 17 years.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

SBO: Do you have any advice for keeping cost down without skimping on the experience?

“Smaller destinations

BG: I’ve been in contact with a num-

ber of theatres in some of the smaller destinations that are using small ensembles to open shows. I would encourage the directors and parents organizations to reach out to SYTA tour operators to help them coordinate those types of experiences. Students can still get the same type of performance experience, but it doesn’t have to be one of the top-tier destinations. SBO: What are some of the benefits of the smaller destinations? BG: Smaller destinations have a better opportunity to cater to the needs of a particular group. You could be pretty much the only game in town on a particular night, which can mean bigger audiences than if you were at one of the major cities where there are lots of things happening all the time. To have that direct attention without the hustle and bustle provides a totally different experience. And the visitors bureaus at smaller destinations are so welcoming to groups. They are excited to show off what they have to offer.

have a better opportunity to cater to the needs of a particular group.” We encourage these young people to follow their passion of music, but we’re not all lucky enough to be performers. There are plenty of opportunities to stay in your passion and still make a career out of it. SBO: What are some the resources that SYTA offers to educators who are planning a trip? BG: SYTA offers a top-level tour operator with qualified professional lia-

From the Trenches

Reportapalooza

2012

By Bob Morrison

The Good News

• The last decade has not generally produced a dramatic narrowing of the curriculum in the arts. There are several important exceptions to that pattern, which I’ll talk about in a moment. 14

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

The Bad News

positive academic and social outcomes in children and young adults of low socioeconomic status (SES). Conducted by James Catterall, University of California Los Angeles, et al., the analyses show that achievement gaps between high- and low-SES groups appear to be mitigated for children and young adults who have arts-rich backgrounds

Key Findings:

• Teenagers and young adults of low socioeconomic status (SES) who have a history of in-depth arts involvement show better academic outcomes than do low-SES youth who have less arts involvement. They earn better grades and demonstrate higher rates of college enrollment and attainment. • Students who had arts-rich experiences in high school were more likely than students without those experiences to complete a calculus course. Also, students who took arts courses in high school achieved a slightly higher grade-point average (GPA) in math than did other students. • High school students who earned few or no arts credits were five times more likely not to have graduated than students who earned many arts credits. • Students who had intensive arts experiences in high school were three times more likely than students who lacked those experiences to earn a bachelor’s degree. They also were more likely to earn “mostly A’s” in college. • Even among students of high socioeconomic status, those with a history of arts involvement earned “mostly A’s” at a higher rate than did students without an arts-rich background (55 percent versus 37 percent). The overarching points from this report may be summarized in this way: 1. Socially and economically disadvantaged children and teenagers who have high levels of arts engagement or arts learning show more positive outcomes in a variety of areas than their low-arts-engaged peers.

2. At-risk teenagers or young adults with a history of intensive arts experiences show achievement levels closer to, and in some cases exceeding, the levels shown by the general population studied. Very powerful stuff!

New Engines of Growth: Five Roles for Arts, Culture and Design The National Governors Association released the next report in late April. The report titled, “New Engines of Growth: Five Roles for Arts, Culture and Design” (online at tinyurl.com/ chvgepj) focuses on the roles that arts, culture and design can play as states seek to create jobs, boost their economies and transition to an innovationbased economy. Abundant examples from states illustrate how arts, cul-

ago, the more creativity and innovation moves toward the center of our educational debates, the better it is for music and arts education and, ultimately, our students.

Keeping the Promise – Arts Education for Every Child The last report for discussion is “Keeping the Promise – Arts Education for Every Child: The Distance Traveled – The Journey Remaining” (on the web at: artsednj.org/census. asp) from the New Jersey Arts Education Census Project (where I served as project director). This report is based on a mandated survey of every public school in the state of New Jersey and was released in mid-May. This was a follow-up study to a 2006 report and provides the first state-level longitudinal data to compare changes to arts education over time.

“Students who had intensive arts experiences in high school were three times more likely than students who lacked those experiences to earn a bachelor’s degree.” ture and design can assist states with economic growth by: (1) providing a fast-growth, dynamic industry cluster; (2) helping mature industries become more competitive; (3) providing critical ingredients for innovative places; (4) catalyzing community revitalization; and (5) delivering a better-prepared work force. “Economic growth is a top priority for all governors,” said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a member of NGA’s Executive Committee. They are using an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach throughout all state agencies to put in place policies and programs using arts, culture and design as a means to enhance economic growth. Under the topic of “delivering a better-prepared work force,” the report talks about the role of arts education to prepare our students to be successful in creative environments. It calls for not just more arts education, but clearly sees the arts as a vehicle for economic growth and global competitiveness. As I wrote in a column two years

Some key findings include: • The number of New Jersey students with daily access to arts has increased by 54,000 since 2006, growing from 94 percent to 97 percent of all students. • The percentage of New Jersey schools adopting core curricular standards in visual and performing arts has increased from 81 percent in 2006 to 97 percent in 2011. • Well above 90 percent of all New Jersey schools use appropriately certified arts specialists as the primary provider for music and visual art instruction. • More than 90 percent of New Jersey public schools interact with more than 972 community arts organizations to enhance visual and performing arts programs. • While access to arts education has increased, spending on arts supplies and materials has declined by 30 percent at the elementary level and by 44 percent at the high school level. School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

• Student participation in arts courses as a percentage of total enrollment has declined significantly, especially at the elementary level. A complex analysis revealed two new and important findings: • High schools with more arts education tended to have a higher percentage of students who were highly proficient in language arts on the state high school test.

• Intended college attendance rates (four-year college) are higher in schools with more arts education. These last two findings directly address important priorities for education leaders in New Jersey. “We know that in order for students to truly be ready for the demands of the 21st century, we need to provide a broad curriculum that includes the arts,” said acting educa-

tion commissioner Chris Cerf. “I am encouraged to see that the number of students with access to the arts in school continues to increase, and we will continue our work to strengthen those programs.” “The New Jersey Arts Education Census Project has once again demonstrated the importance of data in getting a full picture of the creative life of our schools,” said Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation CEO Chris Daggett. “Significant gains have been made in the past five years in regards to policy yet the declines in student participation in the arts raise serious questions about barriers that still remain. I look forward to further research that will help inform next steps to ensure more New Jersey students benefit from a robust arts curriculum.”

To know and not do… is to not do Any one of these reports would be seen as a milestone in its own right. The fact that all four of these were released within six weeks of one another provides a treasure trove of new, welldocumented information for educators and advocates to use to make the case for the role of music and all of the arts in our schools. But it will only make a difference if we all do something with the information. If we do not, then there is really no point in having it to begin with. Indeed, to know and not do… is to not do. Our job is to take this information and… do something! Robert B. Morrison is the founder of Quadrant Arts Education Research, an arts education research and intelligence organization. In addition to other related pursuits in the field of arts education advocacy, Mr. Morrison has helped create, found, and run Music for All, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, and, along with Richard Dreyfuss and the late Michael Kaman, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. He may be reached directly at bobm@artsedresearch.org.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Guest Editorial: Travel Safety

Planning for on your Music

Safety

Ensemble’s Trip

By Tom West

iddle School and High School performing ensembles often plan and execute away trips for performance, adjudication, and group bonding. The annual spring trip was

one of my favorite parts of my high school band experience when I was a student. Having a few days of uninterrupted time together as an organization creates unity and memories that last a lifetime.

As both a director and as a student, however, I have seen students make some dangerous and downright stupid decisions in the name of fun. From petty theft of hotel supplies to a drum major deciding that it would be cool to go from his hotel room on the third floor to his friend’s room on the fourth by way of the external balconies, students are still young people who make bad choices. There are also external factors that come into play that can negatively impact your experience. Here are some suggestions for making sure that everyone in your entourage comes home safe and sound-and without a criminal record.

Vet Every Chaperone Most high school bands have an extended staff that works with the stu-

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

you personally interact with each chaperone requesting to go with you ahead of time. This can be accomplished at a formal chaperone informational meeting or in smaller groups. I’ve seen chaperones who have felt there was nothing wrong with going out to the bars after the students were in bed for the night, and worse. Reserve the right to tell a parent, “I’m sorry, but you don’t qualify to be a chaperone this time” and be prepared for them to pull their kid from the trip roster. Better to lose one section leader than have an untrustworthy adult with you.

dents for the fall marching band season, or even year-round. Many choral and orchestra programs do not have these built-in chaperones. Whatever your staffing situation is, you should be shooting for a ratio of 8:1 for evEstablish Chain of Command ery chaperone (that’s two quadChaperones are there to help, occupancy rooms for each but you need to tell them how adult to manage). The big“You to help you, and you need to ger that first ratio numshould be be equally clear on what ber gets, the more shooting for a decisions they are likely you are to not allowed to make. have discipline ratio of 8:1 for every Chaperones should not problems. chaperone.” be responsible for disciMany school displine beyond simple verbal tricts now require all reprimands. As any parent chaperones to submit a will tell you, it’s difficult to tell child abuse clearance and other people’s kids what to do criminal record check. when it’s not clear what will be Whether or not this holds acceptable to the students or true for you, it is critical that their own parents.

♬

Create a chain of command where another adult – preferably another teacher or staff member – is second in command and can take over running the trip if you are not available. As the ensemble director, you will have to step away and deal with things like trips to the local ER. You also never know when you may be physically unable to function. I suffered through a punishing migraine headache during a band trip once. Luckily, it was a dinner break at a buffet restaurant, so I was able to lay down on the bus and wait it out without worry. Had that been a different time on the trip, there would have been a major problem. By the way, the second in command should preferably be able to conduct the ensemble, too. The buck stops with the ensemble director. However, invite an administrator from your building to go with you. Make sure it’s someone who won’t undermine your authority, but can deal with the hard cases, particularly those that could lead to litigation. One additional thought: having your school nurse or a parent who is an RN or EMT on the trip with you is certainly not a requirement, but is a great insurance policy.

Establish Conduct Policies We all know the standard code of conduct (no alcohol, no drugs, no smoking, you are an ambassador at all times). Here’s the part where a lot of programs overdo it. Your code of conduct for the trip should be two pages maximum, and only one page is even

better. Why? No one will remember all of the things they’re not supposed to do unless they’re common sense or clearly emphasized. Any rule that you can’t enforce easily with your chaperones’ help should not be included. More importantly, have a clear set of interventions that you will enact when conduct of students threatens their health, safety, or permanent record. I recommend having one selfsufficient chaperone willing to remain at the hotel with students who have majorly violated a rule. It’s important that their ability to participate in the ensemble’s hard work and culmination be removed, no matter how crucial their role is. They and the ensemble need to understand that everyone’s contribution, both on and off stage, affects the entire group. Some programs get parents to sign off on a policy where their high schoolaged child will be sent home at the parent’s expense on an airline flight. There are so many pitfalls in that situation that I can’t even begin to fathom them. If they’re under 18, this is just plain dangerous. They must have an adult escort. Let’s not forget that you are punishing parents for a decision their child made, and as a parent myself, I would be embarrassed, furious with my child, and resentful of the ensemble director for putting them in harm’s way, no matter what my child did. I would be likely to not sign off on such a discipline policy.

Safety During Free Time The easy answer to this one is sim-

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ple: have as little unstructured free time as possible. Unstructured time is the proverbial devil’s playground. On trips such as Music In The Parks, students may spend the entire afternoon on their own in a contained amusement park. Middle school students in such a scenario should be in groups of four to eight and accompanied by an adult. High school students also need to rove in pre-determined packs, but may not need direct supervision. Communicating by cell phone has made it easier to keep tabs on everyone and make announcements. However, identify a designated checkin location in the park when you arrive. Make it somewhere with seating available, such as a food court, or near guest services. Put your chaperones on a rotating schedule where they each spend 30 to 60 minutes at this designated area. Also, require all student groups to make an appearance at the designated area mid-day to physically check-in. Most chaperones appreciate the chance to take a load off and get a drink, and just the simple notion of students having a physical “go-to” location for help will put students (and parents) more at ease.

A Safe Trip is a Successful Trip In the many away trips I took with my high school marching bands as their director, people would frequently want to hear my assessment of how the trip went. My answer was nearly always, “We all came home and no one is in jail.” I said so with tongue in cheek, but that sentiment is true. Ensemble directors don’t get much in the way of restful sleep on away trips with overnight stays. The impact these trips have on the ensemble and the incentives it generates are worth all the planning, fundraising, and stress they cause. Planning ahead is key, and having contingencies in place is vital. Thomas J. West is an active music teacher, composer, adjudicator, and clinician in the greater Philadelphia area. His music education blog can be found at www.thomasjwestmusic.com.

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t a time when headlines regularly bemoan orchestras nationwide struggling with thinning audiences and mounting budget deficits, Dr. Walt Temme is managing a thriving nest of young string players at Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona. Now featuring over 200 students split into five ensembles, the Mountain View Orchestra program seems immune to the perception of string groups as stuffy or outdated, and that is no accident. Although Temme credits his community as artistically vibrant and music-loving, he has also aggressively shed the constraints of conservative classical performance, engaging and challenging his students to utilize their musical talents in a wide variety of genres and settings.

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

SBOUpClOSe: Dr. Walt temme

» –

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

In this recent interview with SBO, Dr. Temme, the Arizona Music Educators Association’s 2011 Music Educator of the Year, reflects on the challenges facing string educators, including balancing repertoire and building musicianship in the next generation of orchestral music lovers and performers. School Band & Orchestra: What have you done to engage so many students in music? Dr. Walt Temme: I have to admit, I kind of live in paradise. I have really good feeders that are bustling and growing. The teachers that feed students into my program are wonderful teachers and they do a great job in their programs, respectively, of recruiting and building the numbers. We’re also fortunate that the parents around here value their chil-

are struggling for funding, yet, here you are with a bustling and robust string program. How do you explain your success? WT: Not everything I do is classical. One of the successes I’ve had is programming. No matter how you arrange the levels of your ensembles, make sure the music is appropriate to their technical level. Following my last concert, I received one of the best compliments from one of my colleagues that I’ve ever been given. I had five different groups play material that ranged from grade 2 up through the hardest string literature available, and the comment was that it was really difficult to tell which one was the least experienced orchestra and which one was the most experienced group, because they all played their music so well.

that they practice the heck out of it to the point where they sound brilliant in performance. And when they do that, it seems to transfer into everything else they play. SBO: Do you feel that getting kids excited about playing string instruments is increasingly challenging these days? WT: In our area, I don’t have to fight that. I do know other areas where there is an image problem. If you overprogram for the string orchestra and they just sound bad all the time, nobody is going to want to be a part of that program. But if you get the right music that is appropriate for their level, you’ll see people thinking, “Oh, that’s cool! I can do that, and I’d like to!” But if students crash and burn all the time, I don’t think you’ll ever grow a program that way. SBO: Speaking of repertoire, do you integrate pop music into your curriculum? WT: Absolutely! As a matter of fact, our last concert of the year is going to be a rock concert. We have a rock band coming in and I have all my students performing together to accompany this rock band. We’re all just going to have the greatest time – my students will probably remember it for the rest of their lives!

“It’s about finding ways to get students engaged and into doing the work.” dren being in music. We’re not the only place in the state like this, but we wish all of the other communities in Arizona valued music as highly as we do here. SBO: There are reports nationwide of declining audiences for classical music and professional orchestras 24

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

If you pick the right material for your students, they should all sound brilliant with what they’re playing. Picking the appropriate level of music is the greatest success for the educator. Hopefully, within that level there’s going to be at least one piece that not only stretches the students musically, but also is something they love so much

SBO: That’s one way to dispel the image of the orchestra as a stuffy, elitist art form!

WT: There are a lot of community groups that are so stuffy that they won’t consider doing anything that’s pop, and yet, they can’t seem to find an audience. It doesn’t always have to be pop, either; there’s a lot of great movie music that is every bit as complicated and demanding as a Dvorak symphony. Our movie music today plays the same role as the opera overtures

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Location: 2700 East Brown Road, Mesa, Ariz. On the Web: www.mpsaz.org/mtnview/staff/ wftemme/ Students in School: 3,300 Students in Performing Arts: 1,000 Students in Orchestra Program: 211 Ensembles: Chamber Orchestra: 23 Symphony Strings: 65 Sinfonia Orchestra: 54 Pops Orchestra: 47 Concert Orchestra: 22 Recent Honors and Notable Performances Midwest Clinic: 2001, 2010 Vienna, Austria 2009 • “Celebrate Haydn Festival” St. Petersburg, Russia 2006 • “Meetings on the Neva River” Superior with Distinction Ratings: Area Concert Festival • 2010-2012 State Concert Festival • 2010 - 2012 AMEA Honor Performances • 2003 2005, 2009, 2010 Student Honors: 2012 National High School Honor Orchestra: • 2 students placed 2012 Central Region Honor Orchestra: • Concertmaster and Principal Viola 2012 Arizona All-State Orchestra: • Concertmaster and Principal Viola

of the 18th and 19th centuries. Those were just popular tunes back then! Here we have these movies with fantastic orchestral settings, and I’m thinking, “Why aren’t people playing this stuff?” Because there are some really great scores. SBO: Where do you stand on using simplified transcriptions? WT: I absolutely use those. As a matter of fact, I’m doing one now with one of my groups. The Symphony is going to festival and we’re doing the real version of the “New World Symphony.” Well, my next group is going to the same festival, but they can’t play an original Dvorak, so we’re doing a great educational arrangement of the finale of the 8th Symphony. It’s perfect for them, and they do a great job with it and they make it sound just as much like Dvorak as the full symphony does. It might be a simplified version, but if you play it like Dvorak, it’s still Dvorak. SBO: Let’s talk about the nuts and bolts of your program for a moment. How has the orchestra at Mountain View High School evolved in the time that you’ve been there? WT: This is my 17th year here. When I first got here, there were two orchestras and a small country band-style ensemble. I wasn’t going to teach country band, so we started a chamber orchestra. Everything was in the fledgling stages, and it was all about quality – my philosophy was if we can raise the quality of every group to a specific level, we’ll see what happens. And once we started doing that, more and more kids started signing up for the program. Within a couple of years, I had four orchestras and that worked really well for quite a while. The area will only generate so many string kids. It seemed to level out at a number that worked well for the four orchestras. Up through last year, we were a three-year high school. This year we added ninth graders, so we’re now a four-year high school. With that, we added an extra orchestra. I used to have four orchestras and a guitar class, and now that we have more students, we opened up a fifth orchestra, and enrollment jumped from about 150 kids to 210 kids. SBO: How has your teaching evolved in that time? WT: I’m not going to make anything up; I’m more of a rehearsal technician than I am a nuts and bolts string teacher. I certainly demonstrate and model

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kids almost get forced out of music because the schedule is so packed with other requirements. There just isn’t that much time for electives. That’s happening, and slowly. It’s such a slow trend that you almost don’t notice it, but I have been seeing it get worse.

“If you pick the right material for your students, they should all sound brilliant with what they’re playing.” proper technique, but I’m not the guy who will go around to each student and bang on them about sitting up straight and holding the bow just right. I’m not that kind of a teacher. My approach is more to say, “We’re rehearsing this piece and I need you to play with a particular bow stroke, and to do that, it needs to be held this way.” Most of my teaching of technique comes from teaching the music, not teaching the technique and then learning the music. Not everyone who comes into my program is the greatest player, so I certainly get my share of students who I have to lift up and help play better. The first and foremost thing I do with my kids is hammer scales. If they don’t play in tune, they aren’t going to enjoy it, and neither will I. We practice scales religiously. I take time to tune the scales and make sure students play scales with a good sound. That just does wonders once we start working on the tunes. If I had to pick one thing that I think I do that works well, it’s working on scales. SBO: Do your students rely heavily on private lessons for more ad28

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

vanced technical aspects of the musicianship? WT: I have a fair number of students with private lessons, but that number is declining. Part of that is due to economic factors and I think that will actually change in the next few years. I have seen a small decline in the technical ability of incoming students over the last couple of years as well. SBO: How do you counter that and maintain standards of quality? WT: I go back to the scales and I teach technique through the scales – things like bow technique and articulation. SBO: What would you say is the biggest challenge facing your program these days? WT: Kids are spread so thin these days, and it’s not just the class work. It seems like every year there’s yet another state-mandated test, yet another requirement they have to take, and it starts pushing things out of their schedule. Students want to stay in our music program, but when push comes to shove, something’s got to give. Some

SBO: Is there anything you can do about that? WT: We try to work with our students and show them other possibilities, like fulfilling some required courses over the summer or during the A Hour, which is before the first class of the regular school day. By expanding their day, kids can keep music in the schedule. But also, kids just seem busier and busier. They’re into sports and community activities – I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be a kid these days! A lot of those options are great – I just see that kids don’t have as much focus with what they’re doing in my program because they’re spread too thin doing so many different activities. It makes them well-rounded people, but they may not get that one passage practiced as much as I’d like! SBO: When you go to festivals and see ensembles from other schools perform, are there common things that you see the best programs doing that other programs might want to take note of, other than simply focusing on the basics and programming appropriately? WT: A lot of that will come from the individual director. I know most of

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sit in on their classes, but I hear the outcome, and obviously, they take care of all the nuts and bolts and they certainly program in such a way that their

students will sound really good. Whatever they program, their students are excited about performing. It’s about finding ways to get students engaged and into doing the work. I’m sure we all come at it from a different angle. I have a few colleagues who do playing tests all the time. I don’t do a lot of that, to be honest. For me, it bites into my rehearsal time, and I’m too focused about lack of rehearsal time. I’m a rehearsal monger and I don’t want to give up my rehearsal time. I do testing on a periodic basis, just to keep my students honest and focused. I try to instill in them that they’re in here because they want to be in here. The ensemble relies on each student knowing his or her part,

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and if they don’t know their parts, the ensemble suffers. There’s a certain pride in that and I think most of my kids get it. Obviously, not everybody does – but enough of them do that the ensemble doesn’t usually suffer. If we run into problems, I let them know and then we have a surprise playing test.

SBO: Have you incorporated any innovative technology into your teaching? WT: I would love to tell you that I have all of the latest and greatest tech things that make teaching so much easier, but I’m just not that kind of guy. I’m Mr. Old Fashioned. I have a stick in my hand, and we get

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down and tune notes. I have a computer, but I don’t use it during my instruction. I know a few colleagues that have gone that way, implementing all kinds of devices, but I have yet to see them achieve anything more than those who do not incorporate technology. I don’t want to sound like I’m down on innovation, because I’m not. I wish I had the time and energy to invest in putting that into my program, but I’m pretty comfortable doing what I do. Until someone can show me how technology has made their program the latest and greatest thing, I’m not sure that I need to change how I do things. There are some really neat things out there that work in certain places. There was a time when I thought maybe having some electric instruments around would be really cool. And we actually experimented with some things here, but it really never came to much. I haven’t instituted it into any kind of a class, and no one seems to have suffered.

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School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

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WT: The bigger picture is the students’ enjoyment of performing music. You can go just about anywhere and find a community orchestra, so there are some opportunities to play. And it’s really about appreciating the music; appreciating it enough so that they will go to the symphony and see Joshua Bell or Yo-yo Ma when they come to town; appreciating it enough that as adults, once they go out into the working world, they’ll help support the foundation of music, whether it’s classical, pop music, or something else.

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From the Trenches

Reportapalooza

2012

By Bob Morrison

The Good News

• The last decade has not generally produced a dramatic narrowing of the curriculum in the arts. There are several important exceptions to that pattern, which I’ll talk about in a moment. 14

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Maintenance: Bassoon Reeds

Easy Steps to Extend the Life of Your Student’s Bassoon Reeds By Dr. Jacqueline Wilson

am often asked by students and educators how long a bassoon reed will last. While the most accurate answer will vary, the average junior high or high school student’s bassoon reed should maintain its quality

for about a month. This answer, of course, does not factor in treatment. Younger students can often lack the patience needed to care properly for their reeds, resulting in cracks, mold, mildew, and increased speed of de-

terioration. Additionally, the relatively high cost of bassoon reeds (ranging from $9 to $30 each) will frequently result in a reed’s continued use beyond its prime. Old reeds lack pitch stability and adversely impact tone quality, articulation, and response. It is understandable then that a bassoon student can easily become frustrated and discouraged when playing on deteriorated reeds. This delicate balance between the expense and life expectancy of a reed should be clearly understood by students, parents, and educators before endeavoring to start this complicated-but-worthwhile instrument, but it need not be a deterrent. The following steps can be adopted to ensure the reed’s proper care and thus extended quality.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

1. Handle with care It seems intuitive, but so often students need to be told (and reminded) of the fragility of bassoon reeds. The blades are the most delicate part of the reed, so students should always hold reeds by the tube, and always soak reeds by inserting the tube into the water first. Throwing reeds into water containers bladefirst may result in cracks or chips. When a reed is not being played or soaked it should be put away.

either a small tube, or folding “coffin case.” This is problematic because these cases were only intended for the short-term transport from manufacturer to merchant and they provide no

3. Rotate through several reeds simultaneously

2. Keep them in a safe place When a reed is not being soaked or played, it should be put away. Students should avoid leaving reeds on the lip of their stands as they can easily be knocked on the floor, forgotten, or crushed by music folders. Each bassoon student should have a safe place for his or her reeds. Most student bassoonists will simply keep their reeds in the containers they were purchased in, usually

ventilation. Ideally, students should keep their reeds in a reed case. Reed cases of various sizes and materials can be purchased from double reed companies, or students can make their own

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

to rotate through their reeds will also result in more discerning and adaptable bassoonists by not restricting their self-assessment to the qualities of their playing that may be masked or exacerbated in the context of a single reed.

4. Soak properly

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If a reed is in regular use, it should only take a minute or two to properly soak. Reeds should be completely submerged in water for the duration of soaking. In general, I tell students the approximate amount of time it takes to assemble one’s bassoon is adequate soaking time for their reeds (though reeds that are new or haven’t been played in a while may need an additional minute or two). It is important to not over soak reeds as they will become waterlogged and, potentially, warped. Reeds should never be stored in water and saliva should never be used to soak a reed (though your students will try). Saliva contains digestive enzymes that break down cane fibers and cause deterioration that significantly shortens the life of a reed. Fresh water should always be used for soaking reeds. Often prescription bottles or film canisters are used by beginning students for soaking, but I encourage students to use containers without lids (such as a shot glass) as it requires them to dispose of their water after each playing. Reusing water will result in the guild up of both saliva and water molds.

5. Rinse reeds after each use The life of a reed will be significantly extended if it is cleaned after each use, washing off saliva and any buildup that might have accumulated during playing. This can be done quickly and easily at the conclusion of each class, by gently rinsing the reeds at a sink or water fountain.

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School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

In order to avoid detrimental and unhealthy mold and mildew buildup, reeds must be allowed to dry completely after each use. This can be understandably problematic, as students will likely be running to their next class or to catch a bus after their ensembles. Additionally, most classrooms and lockers will not provide the safe

environment needed for a reed to air dry without risk of being damaged. It is extremely important in these situations that students’ reed cases have ventilation holes to ensure proper air circulation. Many reed cases available for purchase will come with ventilation holes, but they can easily be inserted into a homemade case with a drill.

7. Swab them out Buildup that accumulates inside of the reed can cause it to feel very hard and resistant. Because it is not visible, this buildup will often go unnoticed. One can check for this by gently plying the tip of the reed open and shut with their thumb and forefinger. To remove (and prevent) this buildup, the student can ‘swab’ their reeds by running a standard pipe cleaner through their reeds from tube to tip every couple of weeks. Starting the bassoon can often seem like an intimidating endeavor to students and educators alike. While it is certainly a complex instrument, I feel many of the frustrations that befall students come from their equipment (usually their reeds) working against them, rather than for them. Though ideal, not all students will have access to a private instructor to guide them through the process of reed making and maintenance. However, by following these easy steps, students will not only ensure that their purchased reeds will last as long as possible, but that their playing experience is both affirming and positive. Dr. Jacqueline Wilson is lecturer in Bassoon at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, where she teaches applied bassoon, and woodwind techniques. As an active performer, Dr. Wilson has performed with many groups including the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Cedar Rapids Symphony, and the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. An enthusiastic pedagogue, she has taught at Kirkwood Community College, the Orchestra Iowa Symphony School, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Bassoon Workshop, and Pinelow Music Camp.

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From the Trenches: Reportapalooza 2012 Guest Editorial: Travel Safety Maintenance: Bassoon Reeds

Q&A

Upfron t

Bud Geissler, SYTA

A Focus on Trends in Travel

s the American economy continues to show signs of recovery from the economic downturn of 2008, school music groups are gradually hitting the road once again, says Bud Geissler,

same places that we were sending them before the recession hit. However, when groups arrive at their destination, they may be including fewer packaged meals and doing more on their own, maybe fewer planned activities. We’ve seen a lot of groups packing meals on the road while they’re traveling, which we hadn’t seen before. But groups are still doing the whole experience of flying somewhere, taking in a week of 12

with Bud Geissler of SYTA

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

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Technology: JAzz Education

Technology and Jazz Education in High Gear: An interview with Bart Marantz & Bob Sinicrope By John Kuzmich, Jr.

azz education is uniquely positioned to take advantage of a wave of technological innovations due to small ensemble size and the improvisational creativity at its core. Jazz directors are

innovators at heart, and are often swift to incorporate technology that meets the unique demands of their students. To explore the impact of technology on jazz scholarship, I recently spoke with two model educators. Bart Marantz has been the studies director at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas for 29 years and Bob Sinicrope has taught at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts for 38 years. Both have been awarded the John La-

Porta Jazz Educator of the Year Award, the most distinguished national honor for a jazz teacher created by the Berklee College of Music in association first with IAJE and now with the Jazz Educators Network (JEN). Their performances at major national and international jazz festivals and conferences are significant and frequent. Many of their alumni have gone on to the professional ranks, and both use technology to help guide their jazz programs towards musical excellence. John Kuzmich: How did you initially incorporate technology into your program?

Bob Sinicrope 38

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Bart: About 15 years ago, I started using the ProTools system. I was using a PalmPilot and other related technology to help me get through the very fast pace of our Magnet curriculum. But earlier than ProTools, we were using the MIDI Ensemble electric keyboards with patches, MiniMoogs, digital drums, and digital violins, as well as turntables with scratch effects. So the technology was used with those ensembles in the early and mid-‘80s right up to today. I remember one piece that was composed and performed on a very

Bart Marantz

early Mac at IAJE incorporating technology with our acoustic Jazz Combo I ensemble. Because we were so close to University of North Texas (UNT), we were influenced by Dan Haerle’s arrangements and the UNT Zebra Ensemble, a technology-based group. But the uniqueness of our program was that the students were writing their own compositions and entering into competitions. Bob: I had zero music technology training in college. Having bachelor’s and master’s degrees in math, I was interested in and enjoyed technology to the extent that it could help my students learn to improvise and play in

small jazz groups. Years ago I would make my own play-alongs playing piano onto a cassette tape. Of course, I also used Jamey Aebersold play-alongs. I started using Finale in the early 1990s and still use it daily. As technology grew more complex, I took summer courses and attended workshops to learn. We started making recordings of concerts for parents and students. I began recording their parts on cassette tapes, then mini-discs, then CDs and now on websites, so they can hear themselves. We don’t have a feeder system, so when students enter the program, their performance chops may not be developed (especially guitar players, since they don’t read well), so I create their parts in Finale and save them as audio files, so the students can hear the pitches and rhythms. JK: What technology applications do you use today?

Bob: We use Finale, SmartMusic, Transcribe! (a fabulous program), NotePad, Band-in-a-Box, iTunes, GarageBand, Audacity, Excel, FileMaker Pro, and PowerPoint. Finale became important to me in the early ‘90s by creating parts for instruments such as cellos, violin, flute, harmonics, and so on. The nice thing about Finale is that it is easy to change keys. I can isolate the parts to make sure the students can understand their parts and practice them in SmartMusic. And then SmartMusic can assess the individual parts for each student within an ensemble chart, which is very important. I create play-alongs, as well, although they don’t sound as authentic as Jamey’s play-alongs, but the exercises I create serve a purpose. My advanced jazz students do an exam transcription project in January using Transcribe! and Finale NotePad. They choose a jazz solo on their instrument that inspires them.

I have final approval and if I nix their proposal it is usually because I feel they have chosen something too difficult. The goal is to perform 60 seconds of the solo, without reading it, in front of the class at 50 percent, 70 percent, 85 percent, 100 percent, and possibly 110 percent. They play this with the original recording using Transcribe! software. They also have to write out 30 seconds of the solo using software to slow down, loop, mark beats and measures on the computer screen, and use a music keyboard reference. Pianists have to notate 15 seconds of left-hand comping, as well. It is a challenging and lengthy process. The students have several months with this and it is remarkably helpful. They learn not only pitches and rhythms, but also phrasing, tone articulation, and style. I mostly teach from the original recordings. I can’t find better examples of how tunes should sound than Miles Davis or Sonny Rollins versions. So when we play many standards such as “Bye, Bye Blackbird,” or “Autumn Leaves,” we use the classic recordings and role model those. A recent concert had two versions of “Autumn Leaves”

emulating the Chet Baker and the Miles Davies/Cannonball Adderley renditions, respectively. Bart: We use Finale, Sibelius, and ProTools, Reason and Logic as well as MS Word, Photoshop, InDesign and in past years a number of theory based software program for the classroom. For my Music Business class, we use Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, MS Word, Adobe InDesign, Quicken, Adobe Acrobat, MS Excel and net browsers. Another computer lab photo has kids doing compositions in Sibelius and Finale. There is a technology class in that same Lab using Logic and ProTools for MIDI writing and compositions as well. The “Sound and Recording Class” uses ProTools as the heart of the course. We do recordings, and then mix and master on-going projects throughout the year. Some students have ProTools set ups at their homes and record with their friends. Two have parents who are in the recording business, so they have hands-on opportunities and have become assistants in the classroom during recording projects. Some of our kids

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

have Finale or Sibelius and hand their compositions in to us written, ready to go to the publisher. This level of finished product is expected at most of the colleges, universities and conservatories that our students are preparing to go to.

My advanced students can slow down an original recording that’s challenging in Transcribe! I might also create a Finale chart for them to practice with. Learning to play tunes and/or solos at 50 percent speed is very helpful.

Bob: We only have a few computers in our practice rooms, so most of the students purchase SmartMusic and/ or Transcribe! and NotePad. I give them homework based on the tunes or concepts we’re studying. With my younger students, I create SmartMusic exercises

JK: How do you approach recording technology in your respective programs?

Bart: ProTools is the heart of the Sound and Recording class and is used on campus for recording our students for audition opportunities, including scholarship auditions for college en-

“The technology allows 13 and 14-year-old kids to take their place in the music much earlier than we would have imagined just 10 years ago.” trance, summer study, and consideration for jazz opportunities like the Vail Jazz Workshop, the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony, and the Monterey Jazz Festival, along with many others.

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that assess the melody of tunes we’re playing. I will create a score in Finale with more than one horn and students can practice their part of the chart with the other parts.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Students do recording projects in the Sound and Recording class. I do the major stuff for auditions and entrance applications always trying to include the student musician being recorded on the final mix. We have a part-time staff member because of the administrative support we now enjoy. Our principal and her administrative team get it! Bob: I use Audacity, which is great, especially since it is freeware, and GarageBand, which comes free with the Apple OS. I usually record our concerts myself, and we do our own recordings inhouse. Occasionally, we go to an alumni-owned recording studio, but most of our recordings are done with portable recorders. I often record my students in class, especially when we are nearing a performance. I post their recordings on the class website. I edit them with Audacity, so they don’t have to listen to my jokes or other chatter. I record concerts with both hardware and software. I’m

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like NASA in that I record a backup of the performances. I use a Marantz CD recorder, but I also record with GarageBand. Believe it or not, the iPod works great with the Belkin TuneTalk microphone accessory. I just use the Voice Memos app. Within an hour after their performance, students can go on the Internet and listen to the concert. We can also make CDs with photos and liner notes directly printed on the CD with our inkjet printer in our room. JK: What other materials do you plug into your curriculum?

Bart: I use play-alongs in my improvisation class as a base to play and teach from. That class is all about theory, modes, voice leading, jazz keyboard, performing improvisation, and jazz history. We don’t even play a tune until the second six weeks, because it is all about intellectually understanding what we are doing and applying that to what we have listened to. Trying to conceive what voice leading is at

15 years of age – going from one key to another in time with seamless key changes – is very difficult to understand, much less accomplish. Digital CDs have a pristine sound and there is software like The Amazing Slow Downer that help you transcribe at your own speed. The technology is just off the charts: it allows 13 and 14-year-old kids to take their place in the music much earlier than we would have imagined just 10 years ago. We use Aebersold’s CD technology. I have also written the course booklet for the class covering the basics of ii V7 I playing and also include basic jazz keyboard materials for the non-pianist. This is the course in booklet form, which is used all year as a visual in the classroom. Bob: My advanced courses are totally driven by performance. Every fall, we have a theme for our performing groups, such as Art Blakely. Next fall, we are doing Afro-Cuban music. We have done jazz recordings of 1959

JK: Building a strong jazz program has it challenges. What are your thoughts and experiences?

Bart: A lot of colleges and high schools don’t have the financial support to buy software and hardware. When I was given equipment, it was because someone did us a favor. Donations are now how it usually happens. The school system doesn’t usually initiate much for our jazz studies program. I have a room right now that has $35,000 in amplifiers, keyboards that are 20-25 years old, and every one of them has some kind of problem. It is very expensive to keep current. I have learned to use band-aids and ask our students to bring their personal gear to gigs and concert performances. Our stuff gets used to death with concerts, gigs, and rehearsals and, well,

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and performed the music of Miles Davis, Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Clifford Brown. Students take tunes off the recordings by ear. That’s where Transcribe! is so helpful in my jazz program.

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

you know the daily drill; that’s the reason we need new equipment. It is sad because there isn’t any system in place to get us new – and very needed – amps, keyboards, and sound support. One of my priorities right now is to somehow getting new equipment for our jazz and commercial music program. In the early days, we were a desegregation school. We sometimes had unusually small classes with four students per class during my first seven years. That was awesome – it was incredible to be able to concentrate on the individual. My Theory class right now has 31 students and only 16 chairs! They sit on the floor, and it is what it is. To me, it is all about attitude: I’m having more fun with 31 students now than ever in my 30 years at Booker T. Washington HSPVA. Bob: Our school is very fortunate compared to public schools about purchasing and maintaining equipment and materials. We don’t have a lot of music computers or hardware, but our administration supports us with software and

School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

a lot of leeway. For example, recently I completed an online improvisation course with Gary Burton that our school supported. Ten years ago, Milton Academy supported me to take a week-long computer course on Excel, PowerPoint, et cetera. The outgrowth of this course was a fantastic jazz bass history that I’ve developed and presented all over the world. It has video and audio, photos, transcribed solos and I’ve presented at the International Society of Bassists San Francisco conference, at several colleges throughout the country, for Jamey Aebersold workshops, Berklee College of Music, and in South Africa and London.

Closing Comments Bart Marantz and Bob Sinicrope are examples of exciting, creative music educators who have not let themselves get left behind in the past. They recognize their students’ potential and how technology can help lift their programs to greater heights of achievement. Keeping up with technology innovations has enhanced the quality of their instruction and elevated student

output to the point where they are now rivaling many college level jazz programs. Technology helps them teach the creativity and excellence found in jazz analysis, performance nuances, style and history, composition, and improvisation. Their students and alumni are richer for this experience. Kudos to Bart and Bob for being the fresh and innovative master teachers they have become. In the web supplement for this article, found at www.kuzmich.com/ SBO0612.html, you can get a closer look at why Bart and Bob are model music educators who have created an admirable legacy. 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 text books 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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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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     

Software AUDITION MANAGER

www.SBOmagazine.com

makes handling large auditions easy. It features automatic data entry from initial registration to final judging via scanner cards. www.AudMgr.com • 800.579.1264 Barry Lumpkin

Print Music

Teaching Aides

www.musictreasures.com toll free: 1-800-666-7565 Show Design/Instruments

Teaching Aids - Awards - Gifts

Music and More Midwest/ Warren Creative Designs Let me help bring your group to life with one of my designs! Some of the best prices in the country on products!

CLEAN OUT YOUR BAND ROOM! Recycle your old uniforms and fixtures into cash! SBO classifieds reach 20,000 band/ orchestra directors. $30 per inch to reach a one hundred percent targeted audience!

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 • 517 467-2003

Repair Tools

Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext 34 or mjohan@symphonypublishing.com

Advertise in the Classifieds!

( Call Steven Hemingway 1-800-964-5150 ext. 34

www.SBOmagazine.com

Or Write shemingway@symphonypublishing.com School Band and Orchestra • June 2012

Ad Index

www.sbomagazine.com

COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

Alfred Music Publishing

www.alfred.com/dealer

Antigua Winds

www.antiguawinds.com

Band Today LLC

MarchingBandPlumes.com

Band World Music Inc

www.ChateauUSAMusic.com

Bari Woodwinds

www.bariwoodwinds.com

Beret’s Publications

www.beretspublications.com

Bob Rogers Travel

www.bobrogerstravel.com

Brightspark

www.nationaleventsus.com

Brightspark Inc

www.brightsparkevents.com

Burkart-Phelan

www.burkart.com

Charms Office Assistant

www.charmsoffice.com

Disney Performing Arts OnStage

www.DisneyPerformingArts.com

Distinguished Concerts International

www.DCINY.org

EPN Travel Services

www.epntravel.com

Festivals of Music/

www.educationalprograms.com

cov2-1

Festivals of Music/

www.educationalprograms.com

Hunter Music Instrument Inc.

www.huntermusical.com

Ideal Fengling Group

sales@mingdrumsusa.com

McCormick’s Ent. Inc.

www.mccormicksnet.com

Pearl Corp.

www.pearldrum.com

Peterson Strobe Tuners

www.petersontuners.com

Rada Mfg. Co.

www.RadaCutlery.com

RS Berkeley Musical Instruments

www.rsberkeley.com

Sabian Ltd.

www.sabian.com

SKB Corp.

www.skbcases.com

Summit Tour & Travel

www.summittourtravel.com

Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.

www.cavanaughcompany.com

Taylor Tours

www.taylortourstravel.com

Wenger Corp.

www.wengercorp.com

Woodwind & Brasswindent Co.

www.wwbw.com

World Strides Perf. Div

www.heritagefestivals.com

Avedis Zildjian Co.

www.zildjian.com

School Band and Orchestra • June 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: