SBO June 2010

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JUNE 2010 $5.00

John Yoon Greenwich High School Back to Basics

UpFront Q&A: MENC’s Michael Butera Roundtable: Travel

Contents

June 2010

Features

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34

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UPFRONT: CUBA Aldo Mazza, professional musician and founder of KoSA music camps and festivals, takes a look at unique opportunities for school ensembles in Cuba.

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UPFRONT Q&A: MICHAEL BUTERA, MENC SBO catches up with Michael Butera, newly appointed executive director of MENC (the National Association for Music Education), for his thoughts on the most pressing issues in music education today.

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COMMENTARY: DCI REPERTOIRE PREVIEW Eastern Kentucky University’s Joe Allison breaks down the repertoire selections for the upcoming season of Drum Corps International.

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UPCLOSE: JOHN YOON John Yoon, director of bands at Greenwich (Conn.) High School, discusses the steps he took to successfully revive an ailing program and, upon doing so, provide his students with some remarkable opportunities, including trips to China and Greece.

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ROUNDTABLE: TRAVEL Four leaders of state and regional music education associations weigh in on the current trends of school music travel.

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SURVEY: FESTIVALS

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TECHNOLOGY: SMART PHONES AND MUSIC ED John Kuzmich takes a look at how smart phones can be applied for use in music education.

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Columns 4 6 43

Perspective Headlines New Products

45 47 48

Playing Tip Classifieds Ad Index

Cover photo by Claudio Papapietro, Brooklyn, N.Y. 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 © 2010 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

2 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

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Perspective

The Business Approach

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t’s not often that we come across a director who takes a marketing-type approach in determining the future direction of a school music program. Like a business analyst who is brought into a company to turn a troubled venture around, the idea of surveying students – the “customers” – to determine what is needed in the school – the “marketplace” – can be a key step in creating a successful program. Trends in students’ tastes, preferences, and desires do shift over time and it is increasingly important to analyze and understand these needs in order to design an effective program that will generate the highest level of interest and participation. The basics aspects of an educational music program still apply – including theory, instrumental techniques, music history, and ensemble performance – however, the path to this end isn’t always clear. This month’s cover director, John Yoon, was given an initial mandate from the administration to implement a competitive marching program in Greenwich, Connecticut in a similar fashion to what they had had in the past. Although this was a reasonable objective, Yoon decided to first determine if there was a need for a marching program based upon the student’s goals, and then ascertain the reasons as to why the previous, once-successful marching band “Within this par- had lost so much steam. Interestingly, Yoon not only asked the ticular community, students within the music department about why they thought Yoon determined that attendance in the music department was shrinking and that if he was going the direction they wanted the program to take, but he also solicited opinions from students outside of it as well. The result to build a program from this information gathering suggested that the students effectively, he would were more interested in jazz and concert bands rather than have to provide the marching band. Within this particular community, Yoon deterstudents with what mined that if he was going to build a program effectively, he would have to provide the students with what they wanted. they wanted.” Obviously no music program can cater to every want and desire that students have, as trends and fads can shift so quickly that by the time something new is implemented, it is just a quickly out of style. However, we can’t ignore broader changes in demographics and basic underlying preferences. This is certainly not to suggest that marching bands are in any way caught up in some sort of downtrend; it’s just that, in this isolated situation, Yoon applied the same approach to building a music program that a company would to effectively enter a market – by seeking to understand what the customers want. In addition to the intriguing article on Yoon’s Greenwich High School music program, this issue of SBO features an exclusive interview with Michael Butera, the new executive director of MENC, who is injecting a wealth of new and insightful ideas into music education’s largest organization.

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HeadLines First Annual JEN Conference: The Phoenix has Risen

Vater Awards Student in Employee’s Memory

he inaugural JEN (Jazz Education Network) Conference, held May 20-22 at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, featured over 1,250 attendees. Clinicians, performers, educators, students, publishers, and music companies traveled to the gathering from 45 states and 14 countries to enjoy performances, workshops, and speeches from some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz. During his address, keynote speaker David Baker, distinguished professor of Music and chairman of the Jazz Department at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music (and recent cover-subject of SBO’s sister magazine, JAZZed), aptly noted, “The Phoenix has risen.” JEN president Mary Jo Papich and president-elect Dr. Lou Fischer at a At the general confergathering for founding members of the ence on Saturday May Jazz Education Network. 22, Jim Widner, conference host, was given the President’s Service Award; Justin Young received the David Baker Scholarship, sponsored by Jamey Aebersold; the Women in Jazz Scholarship, sponsored by Mary Jo Papich, was awarded to Kim Aubuchon; and the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Award, sponsored by Downbeat, was given to Bob Sinicrope. The next JEN Conference will take place in New Orleans from January 6-8, 2011. To learn more, visit www.JazzEdNet.org.

ater Percussion presented the first annual Jeffrey Phillips Memorial Scholarship on April 13, 2010 to James Callahan. James, a 2010 graduating senior of Weymouth High School in Massachusetts, was awarded the scholarship for his outstand-

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Fischoff Chamber Music Competition Winner

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he Angeles Saxophone Quartet, all saxophone students at UCLA studying with Dr. Douglas Masek, were awarded the Gold Medal first prize at the 2010 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, held May 8th at the University of Notre Dame. This quartet consists of Christopher Elchico (soprano saxophone), Ryan Weston (alto saxophone), Umut Durson (tenor saxophone), and Andrew Barnhart (baritone saxophone). Formed in 2008, the Angeles Saxophone Quartet was a finalist in the 2009 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, a semi-finalist in the 2009 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and a finalist in the 2010 North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition. The quartet was also selected to play for the 33rd United States Navy Band, International Saxophone Symposium in Fairfax, Virginia as part of their collegiate quartet recital series.

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Jane Phillips (mother of the late Jeffrey Phillips), James Callahan, and Alan Vater.

ing leadership, performance and dedication as student leader to the school’s band. James will be attending Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. in the fall. The annual Jeffrey Phillips Memorial Scholarship has been set up by Vater Percussion in memory of Phillips, a Vater Employee, whose life was tragically taken in a senseless act of violence on July 24, 2009. The scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior of Weymouth High School who will further pursue music in college. Phillips, who was a musician himself, graduated from the school in 1996 as well as his sister and brother before him. For more information, visit www.vater.com.

Online Survey Results How many tournaments and festivals have your instrumental ensembles participated in this school year?

0 . . . . . . (14%) 1-2 . . . . (33%) 3-5 . . . . . (29%) 6-10 . . . . (15%) 10+ . . . . . (9%) 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.

6 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

Keepin’ HeadLines

MENC and Music for All Form Partnership

M Travel with the country’s top student travel planner. Performance Tours s Festivals Parades s Cruises s Bowl Games Clinics s International Disney©

usic for All and MENC: The National Association for Music Education have formed an alliance for educational and professional development. As partners, Music for All (MFA) and MENC will work together on programs of national significance to music education, including new and existing programs of both organizations. As part of the agreement, MENC is designated an official educational partner of Music for All, and MFA is designated an official strategic L. Scott McCormick, president of Music for All, partner of MENC. Michael Butera, MENC executive director, Tim Music for All is a not-for-profit edu- Lautzenheiser, president of Attitude Concepts cational organization; MFA’s programs for Tomorrow, and Larry Livingston, director of Educational Initiatives for Guitar Center. include 25-plus annual events with over 1.25 million alumni, including the Bands of America Grand National marching band championships, regional marching band championships across the country, the Music for All National Festival, and the Music for All Summer Symposium. MENC’s mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. MENC’s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education. For more information, visit www.menc.org.

NAMM Foundation Adds Tools for Music Teachers to Web Site, Announces Grant Winners

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he NAMM Foundation has introduced a new section on its Web site featuring 24 “Tips for Success” for school music educators from the Music Achievement Council (MAC), an organization of music leaders dedicated to developing and retaining instrumental music students and teachers. Topics include “Focusing on the Classroom: A Checklist for Teachers” and “The Business Side of Teaching School Music: Choosing a Music Dealer.” The site also includes a series of MAC’s “Best Of” video clips, featuring in-depth advice from esteemed music educators on how to keep students motivated and which teaching techniques they have found to be the most successful. In addition, visitors to the site can download “A Practical Guide for Recruitment and Retention,” the most complete manual on recruiting and retention for beginning instrumental music, compiled from ideas and practices of music teachers, music dealers and the music products industry. In other NAMM Foundation news, NAMM has announced the 25 recipients of the Foundation’s 2010-2011 program grants, allocating $585,000 in funding to support innovative community-based music learning programs that allow more people the opportunity to experience the proven benefits of active music making. The new grants, while only a small portion of NAMM’s overall annual multimillion-dollar-reinvestment into the music products industry, help worthy organizations operate programs designed to increase interest and participation in making music among seniors, college students, and school-aged children. Since 1994, NAMM has supported worthy music-making programs through its grant program, providing $12.5 million in support. For more information, visit www.nammfoundation.org.

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SBOUpfront: Cuba

Cuba: A Musical Paradise

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here are few places in the world as steeped in musical tradition and bursting with rhythm

and sound as Cuba, the little island only 90 miles south of Miami. Although it has been virtually off-limits to American travelers for decades, one man has been developing a school music experience on the culture-rich island that he says “is unparalleled in what it KoSA founder Aldo Mazza.

offers young musicians.” Aldo Mazza was a young rock drummer who, during his formative years, happened upon a music camp where he was able to see performances by some of the great drummers of the time: Gary Burton, Bobby Christian, Joe Morello, and others. “When I got home, I was a totally different person,” he says of the experience. “My parents didn’t recognize me. I started practicing eight hours a day and I got really serious.” Aldo went on to be a founding member of the hit group, Repercussion, as well as playing and recording with countless musical greats. After touring the world for years, Mazza decided to try to realize his dream of putting together an experience where young people and professionals can come together and learn from some of the world’s best master musicians. In 1995, the KoSA percussion and arts festival in Vermont was born. Nine years ago, a similar festival was started in Cuba: a three-week gathering full of 10 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

workshops for professionals and aspiring musicians from around the world. Building on relationships developed with the Cuban Ministry of Culture the Ministry of Tourism, as well contacts throughout the city of Havana, Aldo is now attempting to open up the exciting musical paradise of Cuba to high school ensembles looking for festival experiences that are well off the beaten path. “We had in mind that for high school groups that already have in place a system where they go to a festival once a year in Europe or Chicago or New York or Disneyland, this is something that is really different. This place is completely unique,” says Mazza. Now in their third year of bringing high school groups to Cuba, the program is “fantastic,” he continues. “Some directors are taken aback by the idea at first, but when they learn more about it, they realize how great it can be. We attach these trips to festivals that go on throughout the year and arrange performances in great venues. Be-

cause music and arts are such a priority in Cuba, it’s not a fight to find or create these kinds of opportunities. We also set up exchanges where groups can visit and perform in a school, or even together with Cuban students. From taking trips to see some of the sights in old Havana to talks with ethnomusicologists about the history of the culture and it’s connection to, say, jazz in New Orleans, we arrange it all with autonomy and complete security.” Although to date they’ve only worked with Canadian school ensembles, which aren’t subject to the same travel restrictions as Americans, Mazza is optimistic that opportunities for Americans to visit the island will be increasingly available. “Things are changing rapidly,” says Mazza, “so people should stay tuned to the ongoing developments” to take advantage of ever-increasing access to this musical paradise. Visit www.kosamusic.com to learn more.

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SBOUpfrontQ&A:

Michael Butera, MENC

In Step with Michael Butera Executive Director of MENC

M

ichael Butera is the new executive director of MENC (The National Association for Music Education). Although

Butera began his career teaching music at a public school in a small town in Pennsylvania, he brings years of executive experience to the position, having held the title of executive director of three state affiliates of the National Education Association, and more recently working in the national office of the NEA as its Northeast regional director. With all of the turmoil in the world today, from domestic economic issues to the instability of the Euro, wars on several fronts, and seemingly incessant natural and environmental disasters, music must sing louder than ever to be heard in the ears of both national and local budget makers. 12 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

In a recent conversation with SBO, Michael Butera outlines the key issues facing music education today, along with the steps he would like to see every music educator taking to confront and overcome these challenges. School Band & Orchestra: What do you see happening in Music Education today? Michael Butera: The most important issue for us is that music is perceived as an essential part of the education of students. Quite frankly, because of the recession, we’re not there. The second problem is that those of us who are music educators have to make sure that we don’t divide ourselves up, so that we can be picked off. When you put those two things together, you come up with a way of making sure that people understand and believe that music education will help students succeed. The whole issue of how we’re teaching music and all the details of the pedagogy aren’t really what we assess as the major problem. The major problem is making music essential and core to the educational program. SBO: What can we do to work on that perception of music, to ensure that music is a core part of the curriculum? MB: We have to work on all levels to make sure that the President of the United States and the secretary of Education can’t just say they want a wellrounded education; they have to act on that idea. We have to move through Congress and state legislatures and other organizations that have some prowess in the legislative and regulatory areas to make sure that our case is heard. According to the last NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) report, only about 50 percent of children received a music education that met at least three times a week. 50 percent is not good enough. So what we have to do is make our case, make our case strong, and not let any of these people off the hook when it comes to what is good for children. SBO: Why did you decide to take on the mantle of executive director of MENC?

MB: This is a golden opportunity to put my organizational experience together with a lifelong love for the power and beauty of music, and to make sure that children all across the country, and the music educators who work with them, are in a position to provide for our a society a better way of seeing their lifelong work. Not every student that we touch is going to be a master musician, but every single one will be improved in his or her dayto-day life by the work that we do. I want to make sure that we promote

el, to school board members, council members, and state legislators at the local level. SBO: Are you seeing any positive trends or encouraging signs for the future of school music programs? MB: The most encouraging sign is the work that our members do every day helping students. The fact of the matter is that we’re not perceived as essential and we need to do a lot more to ensure that the money, the

“What we have going for us is that we have the power and majesty of the musical experience, and we need to promote that every day.” and organize ourselves so that we that that 50 percent that I mentioned doesn’t stay untouched. Every child in the United States should have the honor of receiving a good, solid music education. SBO: Is there something that you’d like to see educators themselves doing more of, in terms of either actual teaching or promoting their programs? MB: Let me give you five quick points: • First, educators need to know the decision makers and interact with them. • They need to be professional, which is to know their job and do it better than anyone else. • They have to be realistic and persistent in promoting not just their ensembles, but all of the work of all of the people in music. • We have to involve parents in this quest to make sure that students have the kind of education we all want them to have. • And, last but not least, we need to make sure that our voices are heard.

people, the facilities, and the time are put aside for us to do the work that we intend to do. What we have going for us is that we have the power and majesty of the musical experience, and we need to promote that every day. It is not enough to teach well; we have to be our own promoters. SBO: And how is MENC hoping to empower and inform and educators to change the perception of music? What specific actions is your organization taking? MB: What we’re doing is working with the grass roots in public relations efforts. I’d encourage people to go to our Web site, www.menc.org, and visit the support music database. We’re working with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, CCSSO, and other organizations to make sure that our case is heard. And finally, we want to work closely with out statelevel affiliates so that they can use their power to do the same things at the state level that we’re trying to do at the federal level.

SBO: When you say “decision makers,” whom exactly are you referring to?

SBO: Over the next few years, do you have a specific target you’d like to reach in terms of student participation?

MB: Decision makers range from congressional level at the federal lev-

MB: For student participation, the target is that every child should

School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 13

have the opportunity to have an experience in music education. We won’t aim for anything less than 100 percent. It’s kind of like the difference between performing on one of these tests we hear so much about, thanks to No Child Left Behind and the like, and the work that our members have to do everyday in preparing their ensembles for a presentation. You know that if you get 80, 85, 90 percent on the test, you’ve done pretty well. But we all know that only when a child performs 100 percent, and in collaboration and partnership with all of the other people in their ensemble is it a good enough performance. Our goal has to be 100 percent participation of every student in America in a music education program to enrich his or her life and, in turn, to enrich the life of American society. We are at one of those points in time where we have to buckle up and work hard to do more than just ensure that every child has the education we’re providing them; we have to go out and promote what it is that we do. I would hope that all music teachers – whether they are general music teachers, band, orchestra, choir, jazz, mariachi, guitar, whatever they do – work together, not divide themselves up. Our job is to make sure that everyone has a worthwhile experience in music. SBO: Could you elaborate on the idea of ensembles or different components of a music program competing against each other?

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MB: We need to be fighting for music education as a whole, not just for the specific program we manage. We all have self interests and I can appreciate that, but, overall, we need to make sure that the business of music education is one in which we promote for all children, whether that be in chorus, band, orchestra, or whatever. Don’t let them separate us out. Let’s make this good for all children by ensuring that they all have an adequate, first-rate, comprehensive, sequential program.

SBOCommentary: DCI, Summer 2010

The Repertoire of the “Major League”

A Preview of Drum Corps International for 2010 BY JOE ALLISON

S

tudents and teachers in instrumental music programs across the country annually participate in one traditional rite of

summer: the competitive season of “Marching Music’s Major League,”™ Drum Corps International.

For those unfamiliar with this organization, DCI is a collection of marching music ensembles (drum corps) of high school and college-age students who travel across the entire continent each summer to perform unique approximately 10minute “shows” in a competitive setting, along with several other groups at each event. The instrumentation for the units consists of brasswinds, all manner of percussion, and electronic instruments – sort of a “marching-band-on-steroids” type of thing! There are also special “Premium” contests where a larger group of teams perform in state-of-the-art venues around the nation. These “tours” culminate in the World Championship events, held in Indianapolis, Indiana. This year’s Championships are scheduled for August 12-14. (For more information, visit DCI at www.dci.org.) Santa Clara Vanguard of Santa Clara, Calif.

16 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

ϙ Blue Knights of Denver, Colo. ϛ The Academy of Tempe, Ariz. In light of our recent analysis of music selection issues for instrumental groups both indoors and out, it might be fun and to check out some of the literature and concepts that will be interpretively presented in the contest programs this season. A significant part of every DCI corps’ mission is to produce shows that are highly entertaining to the audience, while satisfying the competitive aspects of highly technical scoring assessments. As we’ve previously noted, that in and of itself can be quite a daunting task! Toward this end, new rules exploring electronic instruments and amplification began in 2009. Additionally, last season was the first of several in which the Championships will be held indoors – at Lucas Oil Stadium, “The Big Oil Can,” home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Another entertaining innovation to be inaugurated this season is the optional five-minute “pre-show” in which corps are free to entertain their audience in any manner they see fit. Traditionally, this show-opening ritual was a brief on-field warm-up for the performers, but forward-thinking groups have been experimenting with “entre-act” type concepts of late, and this new policy allows creative license to explore new and more-involved “first impressions.”

DCI’s advertising campaign this present “A Second Chance,” featuring year is entitled “Come Feel the Mumusic from the second symphonies of sic!” The catch-phrase refers both to several composers, including Mahler, the intense emotional delivery that Bernstein, and Rachmaninoff. Visually occurs during performances, as well and musically, the corps will explore as the fact that audience members can the concept of second chances and literally “feel” the sounds, due to the what might be done differently with a intensity, volume and massive projec“do-over.” An intriguing concept, and tion of the instruments. What sounds fertile ground for exploration! will we feel from the “Major LeaguThe Cadets, from Allentown, Penners” this season? The defending DCI sylvania, will perform “Toy Soldier,” World Class Champion Blue Devils which examines the relationship befrom Concord, California will prestween a child and a toy soldier. Musient an intriguing produccal selections include the “This new policy tion based on California Rimsky-Korsakov stancomposer Robert Graetdard “Procession of the allows creative tinger’s tone poem “City license to explore Nobles.” Rumor has it of Glass,” which was that the nine-time World new and morewritten for the legendary Champions are exploring involved ‘first Stan Kenton Orchestra, innovative uses of coscomplete with full string tuming as an integral part impressions.’” section. Including moveof their latest production. ments entitled “Dance in The Cavaliers of Rosethe Mirror,” and “Reflections,” the mont, (Chicago) Illinois are premiercorps will utilize spectacular mirrors ing a program entitled “Mad World,” on the field, and offer short “hints” and will feature the title tune made of past BD musical glories while inpopular by the group Tears for Fears, troducing the dynamic avant-garde as well as Peter Graham’s wind band work. This, naturally, comes from an piece “Harrison’s Dream,” and the ensemble known for intellectual depth classic “Smile,” by Charlie Chaplin and emotional substance. – quite an eclectic collection of source Last year’s Reserve World Champimaterial! ons, Carolina Crown of Ft. Mill, South One year removed from exploring Carolina (metropolitan Charlotte), will Copland’s ballet “Appalachian Spring,” School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 17

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MADE IN THE USA 18 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

the Santa Clara Vanguard of California will produce “Bartok,� featuring excerpts from both the “Concerto for Orchestra� and “Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste.� As their name would imply, the Bay Area organization upholds a well-earned reputation for innovation in the drum corps community. Rockford, Illinois’ Phantom Regiment will present the symphonic poem “The Old Moon in New Moon’s Arms� by American composer Michael Kamen. Referring to a phenomenon of a “shadowed� crescent moon, the music was originally written as a soundtrack for a film of the same name. Also from the Midwest, the Madison Scouts of Wisconsin are revisiting two of their own “golden oldies,� with “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,� and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.� Toledo Ohio’s Glassmen are planning a program entitled “The Prayer Cycle,� and are utilizing material from Phillip Glass and Ron Nelson, among others. Continuing west, Iowa’s Colts are showing their “True Colors� by performing music of Michael Torke, noted symphonic composer and synesthete (sees colors that correspond to musical pitches). Colorado’s Blue Knights are presenting orchestral music of Georges Bizet, Edward Elgar, and William Walton. The Academy of Arizona 2010 program is entitled “Strangers in Paradise,� and will logically employ the music of Russian Romanticist Alexander Borodin. On the “Left Coast,� Mandarins’ latest edition will explore American Phillip Glass and Indian Ravi Shankar in a production entitled “To Dream of Faraway Lands.� Looking back on our exploration of literature for instrumental ensembles over the previous editions of this magazine, what might we glean from this information? First, it appears that groups favor source materials written for the orchestra or wind band. Perhaps this is due to the relative similarity of the media, and the fact that it provides a more idiomatic path to translation/interpretation of the original material’s concepts. It might be enlightening to know that this activity has just gone through a cycle of utilizing “original material� for productions. Several competitively successful groups experimented with crafting a musical

Glassmen of Toledo, Ohio.

scores based on visual ideas and designs, rather that the traditional converse. This is certainly not to suggest that other forms of music originally from other media cannot be successful in the arena. Show tunes, various forms of jazz, chamber music, popular music, and other sources have yielded fruitful result over the past few seasons. A continuing discussion in this activity that relates to other ensembles is concerned with the authenticity of transcriptions. Those involved primarily in bands and orchestras are very familiar with this concept. Most would agree that a piece transcribed for an alternative instrumentation could never “be exactly the same� as the original, but what level of interpretive tolerance is artistically acceptable? It is readily apparent why the discussion has been long and involved. In the next segment of this article, look for a discussion with American orchestra and band composer John Mackey on his feelings about transcriptions, outdoor musical media, and what he thinks when he hears his own works performed by a marching band or drum corps. For a “warm-up,� visit: ostimusic. com/blog/in-defense-of-marching-band. If you’ve made it this far, you probably are convinced that a visit to a Drum Corps International event this summer is not only an entertaining divertissement, but a great way to experience band and orchestra literature in a 21st Century way – I would encourage anyone remotely intrigued to “Come Feel the Music!�

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20 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

Basics

John Yoon of Greenwich (Conn.) High School BY ELIAHU SUSSMAN Greenwich, Connecticut used to be home to a fine high school marching program. Unfortunately, this well-heeled community stood idly by as the music department began unraveling in the late ‘80s; uncertainty about the director, who was nearing retirement, and the future of the program had kids fleeing in droves.

School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 21

Enter John Yoon, a California native who, truth be told, only took over as the Greenwich High School band director because he had run into hard luck finding suitable openings at the collegiate level as he was finishing his doctorate in conducting at the University of Arizona. On top of his initial trepidation about going back to teaching at the high school level, Yoon was terribly discouraged to find a program in complete disrepair. Upon his arrival, there were only 40 kids in the entire music program, and 12 of those played flute. Considering that the high school serviced approximately 2,600 students, that number is especially paltry. It was certainly a far cry from Arizona, where Yoon had been in charge of the university marching band, guest conducted for the wind ensemble, and worked with the concert and symphonic

bands. Yet, he stuck it out in Greenwich and, slowly but surely, he has turned the program around.

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It has been 18 years since Yoon’s took over the program and music is now thriving at Greenwich High School. The competitive marching band has been abandoned, in large part because of the observation that the students simply weren’t that interested in it, and now the over 200 kids who participate focus primarily on concert and jazz repertoire. In addition, they’ve been granted some tremendous opportunities that Yoon describes as “unforgettable” and “life-changing;” in 2007, all 200 students in the music program embarked on a cultural exchange to China, and this past April, they did a performance tour in Greece, luckily avoiding the civil unrest by a matter of days. In this recent conversation with SBO, John Yoon discusses how he confronted the challenges of taking over a struggling program, while also providing some detail to the remarkable opportunities his bands have had. School Band & Orchestra: The Greenwich High School music department had seen better days when you came on board. What were your initial goals when you arrived? John Yoon: When I first got here, it was a real shock for me. Music wasn’t even a fulltime class because we had a seven-day class cycle, and band met only three days out of that cycle, which usually worked out to about twice per week. I have to admit – I was ready to get the heck out of here at first! But things have a tendency of working themselves out. I had some great kids, all-state level, and

Greenwich High School Bands

at a Glance

Location: 10 Hillside Road, Greenwich, Conn. On the Web: www.greenwichhighschoolband.org Director of Bands: John S. Yoon Total years teaching: 24 Years at GHS: 18 Students in school: 2,700 Students in band program: 213

Ensembles (with number of students) Concert Band (93) Symphony Band (46) Wind Ensemble (41) Percussion Ensemble (28) Jazz Lab Band (19) Jazz Ensemble (18) Flute Choir (9) Brass Quintet Woodwind Quintet

Recent Accomplishments 2010 Cultural & Musical Exchange to Greece (April 921) 2010 Jazz Ensemble – First place, Norwalk (Conn.) Jazz Festival (fourth straight year) 2009 North American Music Festival, Norflok, Va. • Wind Ensemble - First place & Sweepstakes Award for the highest combined score with Jazz Ensemble • Symphony Band – First place in division • Concert Band – First place in division • Jazz Ensemble – First place in division • Jazz Lab Band – Second place (behind GHS Jazz Ensemble) 2009 Jazz Ensemble – First place at the Brien McMahon Jazz Festival (Conn.) three straight years (2010 festival cancelled due to a snow storm) 2008 Festivals of Music, Washington DC • Wind Ensemble _ First place & William D. Revelli Award for highest scoring ensemble • Symphony Band – Second place in division • Concert Band – First place in division • Jazz Ensemble – First place in division • Jazz Lab Band – Second place (behind GHS Jazz Ensemble) 2007 Cultural & Musical Exchange to China 2007 Wind Ensemble selected to perform for the MENC 50th Eastern Division Conference 2007 Jazz Ensemble is one of the fifteen finalists for the National Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Competition (was also a finalist in 2003 & 1996) 2006 Wind Ensemble – selected to perform at the Connecticut Music Educators Convention 2006 Festivals of Music, Boston, Mass. • Wind Ensemble – First place & William D. Revelli Award for highest scoring ensemble • Symphony Band – First place in division • Concert Band – First place in division • Jazz Ensemble – First place in division • Jazz Lab Band – Second place (behind GHS Jazz Ensemble)

others who could barely read. Balancing them was quite a challenge, but you do the best you can. I tried to hand out supplemental materials to keep the advanced students interested, and I started sectionals, which hadn’t been done before in the program, and that really helped. I started recruiting because my first year, I only had one kid from the feeder school who had opted to take band. It was a daunting situation. The program was pretty big seven or eight years prior to my arrival, with about 80 students, but new graduation requirements and other factors really took a toll on the program. Also, the students decided that they didn’t want to march competitively. They didn’t want to wear the uniforms. Greenwich is a very affluent community and it was thought of as “uncool” to be wearing uniforms and playing in the band. My predecessor was a fabulous musician and a great guy and we’re still good friends, but as he got close to retirement, the program was losing kids and adjustments needed to be made. My impression was that a lot of kids were bailing on the program because they weren’t sure what was going to happen next. The principal who hired me was a wonderful supporter, and when she brought me in she told me that she wanted me to build the program back up. The marching band here used to be one of the biggest and best in the state, and she wanted me to bring that back. I have lots of experience with marching bands – I’ve taught Phantom Regiment, drum and bugle corps, and I was a drum major in high school and college – so I was on board with that, at first. I realized that there were probably more than 100 or 150 students walking around campus who could have been in the band, but were not, so what I did was stop students in the halls and survey them about the music program and why they weren’t participating. I found that, by far, the biggest obstacle was the marching band. I then showed the results of my informal survey to the principal and let her know that I thought we needed to go in a different direction. She looked at the numbers, School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 23

heard me, and said that she would support me. The next thing we did was to change the schedule so that music was a viable class. We got rid of the competitive marching band. I wanted to continue to play out in the community and support the football team and do those kinds of things, but we decided to stop using the military-style uniforms and having the marching band compete. That was the beginning of the change, and 18

years later, we have about 215 kids in the program. SBO: That’s a fairly sizable increase. JY: It used to be that everyone in the program was required to perform in a pep band that played at home football games, and we did local parades. We’ve had a number of administration changes, and at one point it was decided that the pep band would

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be a club, a voluntary ensemble. They have since brought someone else in to run that and I don’t even have a hand in it anymore. Now, the focus of my program is on concert and jazz material. We have three concert bands and that’s the core of our program. We also have two jazz groups, and number of little combos and chamber groups. It changes every year based on student needs, but we’ve had flute choir, clarinet choir, brass quintet, woodwind quintet, percussion ensembles and so on. It all depends on what the strengths of the groups are and what the students want to do. The daily program, however, revolves around the three concert bands, the two jazz bands, and the percussion ensemble. SBO: Do the concert and jazz groups attend festivals and competitions? JY: Yes, we try to attend those every year. Connecticut doesn’t really have a state band festival, so we usually travel for one of those. This year we went on a concert tour to Greece. Luckily, we got back just before all of the turmoil hit over there. SBO: Let’s talk about your recent travels for a moment. How long were you in planning for the Greece trip?

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JY: We were laying the groundwork for probably about a year, but the Greece trip was really born out of a China trip that we did three years ago. We try not to travel that far too frequently because it is such a financial burden on the students. I don’t want to ask too much of the parents, kids, and community. However, in 2007, we had a very unique opportunity: we did a cultural exchange in China and we actually visited schools and peasant communities. About 200 students went – I took everyone in the program – and we were there for 13 days. It was amazing and the kids got so much out of it. I can’t begin to tell you what a life-changing experience that was for everybody. It was phenomenal. We did things that normal school trips don’t do. It was service-oriented; we took books in English to give to Chinese students and even donated some

money that we had raised to the schools that we visited. We had over 220 people on the trip, adults and kids – about 25 chaperons and 200 kids. SBO: That must have been incredible. How did that opportunity come about? JY: I did a lot of planning with a woman named Ming Hua, who is the director of the Hartford Chinese Cultural Center. She was a phenomenal help and resource as far as suggesting places to go and making arrangements. We worked on the planning for about a year and a half. SBO: Does the Hartford Chinese Cultural Center normally arrange school band trips? JY: No, the Cultural Center usually does work with Chinese orphans and other humanitarian and cultural things like that. But this woman was very interested in helping us because she was friends with Sharon Crain, who was one of the grandparents of a band student. Sharon had pioneered an exchange program between an elementary school in Greenwich and a sister school in Xi’an, China and she also worked with the China Institute, so she was kind of a big mover. She introduced me to Ming Hua from the Chinese Cultural Center and really helped get the ball rolling. SBO: What did the students have to do to prepare for the trip? JY: The first thing was to get the music in order. Number two, we tried to teach them some basic Chinese words and give a very broad outline of the history of the area, as well as educating them

Students from Greenwich High School prepare to perform in Epidaurus, Greece.

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about the places we were going and the sites we were going to be seeing. There was also all of the fundraising, meeting with people and getting everything organized. That took a lot of time. I actually went over to China the summer before and met with the principals of the schools that we were going to be visiting, and checked out the communities we were going to interact with. We mapped everything out and it took a lot of work, but it was so rewarding in so many ways. People still talk about that trip. We went to this peasant community and when we drove up on the bus, there was a school at the end of the street, and the whole street was lined with people. They were all playing these traditional drums, and many of the townspeople were there. I couldn’t believe it. And when we arrived at the campus, got off the bus, and went around the corner, the entire rest of the town was sitting there waiting for

us – thousands of people. We played a concert and it was simply unbelievable. And that was just one of many opportunities that we had in our almost two weeks there.

After that trip, the kid in the band told his parents, “Hey, China is considered the home of Eastern culture, but Greece is the birthplace of Western culture. We’re Greeks. Wouldn’t it be

“When we arrived at the campus, got off the bus, and went around the corner, the entire rest of the town was sitting there waiting for us – thousands of people.” SBO: And how did the Greece opportunity come up? JY: There was a group of about 40 parents who came out to China, paralleling the band’s movements. They would meet us at concert venues, and that sort of thing. We arranged that tour because so many parents wanted to be chaperones that I couldn’t accommodate them all. The parents were all really impressed by what we were doing, and one of those parents who accompanied us was Greek. His son was a freshman in that band.

great if the band could visit our country?” The parents came up to me after the trip and said, “Let’s do this.” I immediately told them no, because the China trip had taken so much out of me. But they were very persistent and they finally got my ear. I wanted to wait at least four years, but after they showed me what options were available to us and what we might be able to do over there, I consented. Even though it would mean that the seniors in my program got to go on two huge trips, the freshman, sophomores and junior might never have the opportu-

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nity, and this window could close at any moment. So we did it, and it was a phenomenal trip, again. SBO: Did you do the same type of cultural exchange? JY: Yes, we did. I wouldn’t go any-

where if it wasn’t part of educational experience. We performed eight times in 12 days and we visited four schools. Luckily, thank the stars, we were able to perform in the world-renowned amphitheater of Epidaurus, which is the ancient, acoustically perfect home of Greek theatre. We had the chance

to do some amazing things over there. It was great. SBO: Aside from the time commitment, what would you say is the biggest obstacle to putting something like that together? JY: [laughs] I don’t know, everything? First of all, when you’re traveling to a foreign country, you’re

serving as ambassadors – not only for your school and your community, but also for your country. That means that musically, you really have to be on top of your game. I took four performing groups, and almost all of the groups that in our program were able to perform. We had to make sure that all of the music was prepared. That was the most important thing, obvi-

School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 27

ously, as well as trying to teach the kids some historical perspective to the places we were visiting. We had to educate them on what to expect. And also, of course, securing the finances is a really big deal. That’s basically folded into the time-consuming element, because it’s really a lot of money. SBO: Did you have to do a lot of supplementary fundraising?

JY: Believe it or not, we didn’t have to do too much out of the ordinary. I have a pretty good system, and wonderful parents, where the band only sells stuff once a year, around the holidays. Some bands sell something every month. We have benefit concerts where we ask people to donate money. One thing we do that was here before I arrived and that has seemed to work out well is to sell poinsettias during

the holidays. We sold about $70,000 worth of wreathes and poinsettias this year. And the kids keep all the money, in individual band accounts. I run a jazz festival here in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and we use that as an opportunity to fundraise by doing things like selling ads in the concert program. We did one thing extra to help the kids, and that was to have a dinner dance for the parents. SBO: What did you have in place in terms of troubleshooting? How do prepare for the possibility that something might go wrong? JY: You try to come up with of as many scenarios as you can, but you can’t possibly think of everything. My associate director and I, along with the chaperones, tried to come up with contingencies for everything imaginable. For example, with this trip to Greece, we didn’t think of a volcano blowing up in Iceland disrupting air travel throughout Europe. We were worried about unrest, because there were some demonstrations that happened before we went over there, although those were mostly peaceful. I took the unusual step of actually getting travel insurance just in case we got stuck or anything else came up. And sure enough, we got stuck because of the volcano. However, we were only stuck for two days, so we were very, very lucky. Lufthansa was our airline and they contracted with Delta to charter a plane that would take us back. SBO: What other scenarios do you prepare for? JY: I always travel with medical personnel. Traveling with that many students, some of them are bound to end up with a fever or stomachache at one point or another. On this trip, we had three doctors and several nurses, who all happened to be parents of band students, or parents of former band students. We have so many wonderful supporters of the band community who enjoy giving back to the program. SBO: Stepping back from it for a moment, what do these kinds of travel opportunities do for the program as a whole?

28 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

JY: That’s a good question because a lot of times people look at travel as an external motivator. I don’t think these kinds of trips have made our program what it is. I think the travel is a result of our program being viable and strong. It definitely helps the program; it doesn’t hurt. When we went to China, I remember there was this young boy who joined the band because he wanted to go on the trip with us. He was a freshman, but he really enjoyed the program and he stuck with it for all four years; he ended up being one of the best players in our ensembles. Conversely, I’m not sure. I don’t use it as a single motivator to get kids to join the program. After 9/11, we didn’t travel. No one did at that time. But our band program still grew steadily. We have the emphasis in the right place, which is trying to be successful musically – and that’s a reward in and of itself.

lent programs. My colleagues and I have talked about perhaps taking our groups to perform over at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago – that’s one of the goals that we have. SBO: On a personal level, what keeps you motivated? Eighteen years is a long time to be in one place, and it sounds like you’ve put in a lot of long days and nights.

JY: This is something that I enjoy doing. I remind myself to go to conventions and have conversations with colleagues to keep me on the right track. Obviously, one concern in this field is that you can get too comfortable in your own shoes and then, before you know it, you aren’t really producing. I’m aware of this, and one way I try to avoid that is by always looking to improve my own teaching – I know that I still have a lot to learn.

SBO: You say you aim for “musical success,” but how do you measure something like that? JY: We try to go to festivals and play for respected adjudicators like Frank Battisti, Tim Lautzenheiser, and so on. We strive for superior ratings from judges of that caliber, and if we are able to achieve that on a consistent basis, then we know we’re on the right track of helping kids to be successful musically. Our goals are sky high. SBO: On a related note, where would you like to take the program in the next few years? JY: We have room for a few more kids, but facilities is an issue for us because we have limited space. There was a proposal to create new rehearsal space because the program has grown considerably in the time that I’ve been here – and not just my groups, choir and other performing groups, too – but that plan is kind of in limbo right now. We would like to service more kids, but we’re not looking to grow rapidly because, like I said, space is an issue. I think we’re on the right track, though. We’re always looking to create other ensembles that are musically viable and are on par with other excelSchool Band and Orchestra, June 2010 29

SBORoundtable: Travel

School Band Travel: State of the Nation

T

ravel has long been an important facet of music education. However, even in the best of times, coordinating a performance tour, or even a simple student

outing, can be a challenging venture. And what happens to these excursions when the economy is dragging, as school budgets are being slashed and many music programs are in a grim fight for survival? For answers to this critical question, SBO recently contacted several leaders of state and regional music education-related organizations, who offer valuable advice on planning, budgeting, and staffing school trips. Despite the potential difficulties, for most groups, the benefits of travel continue to outweigh the cost and hassle involved with creating out-of-school performance opportunities.

Norman Dea I firmly believe that student travel with a music education emphasis is important and educationally valid in our music curriculum. It both encourages the students to stretch themselves under new performance and rehearsal conditions, and promotes camaraderie within the ensembles and department. These activities encourage ensemble cohesion and create a positive bond between the students. I totally support student travel when music is the primary activity. It also gives a justifi30 School Band and Orchestra, June 2009

able curricular spin on the trip when it comes to getting the support you need from your faculty, administration, and parents. We’re in a situation in my area where most families will pay whatever the tour cost is. I would imagine that students at other schools would raise money the same way they have been doing for many years, car washes, pancake breakfasts, candy sales, spaghetti dinners, and the like. However, we all know that any money raised by these efforts doesn’t even scratch the

surface on what trips really cost. They do show a good faith effort when kids are seen doing these fundraising activities. That counts for something very positive in the community. The economic meltdown in California has slashed school budgets severely and this is in the worst I have ever seen in 27 years of teaching. Parents are being asked more and more to shoulder the burden of funding even the most basic services in many school districts, including the one I teach in. I know that various school administra-

tions are asking me and some of my colleagues around the state to forego any long and expensive music trips for a few years since the parents are being asked for more and more money through parcel taxes. Their fear is that the general public might also see expensive trips as frills and may misconstrue that as schools having more than enough money, when in fact, money for trips does not come

“Parents are being asked more and more to shoulder the burden of funding even the most basic services in many school districts, including the one I teach in.” Norman Dea from schools. It comes from the families. I have personally heard that some people actually think that school trips (even the most expensive ones) are paid for by tax dollars, which we all know as nonsense. It’s important to let your students and parents know far in advance when you decide on a complex music trip and the estimated cost. Simply saying that you are planning a trip is the fastest way to failure. Then the only thing you have accomplished is looking foolish to your students, parents, administration, and school community. The later you wait, the more likely the trip will be cancelled due to the lack of time to raise funds and to garner the support you need to make the trip a reality. Also, be super prepared with a daily, detailed itinerary, class work for the students. Keep a record and breakdown of expenses. You need to know who your chaperones are and how responsibility is broken down between them. Laying down the law with your students prior to the trip (in regards to specific behaviors and explicit non-negotiable consequences) is vital. Always be prepared to pull the trigger on sending a kid home, even if it’s your concertmaster or main soloist. Even though it’s a music performance trip, the integrity of the trip comes before any performance, and a wrong disciplinary decision will cloud your program for many years.

Denese Odegaard While our district currently has not had to limit travel due to the recent economic crisis, it may be beneficial to proactively think about ways to adjust travel in the event that funds are reduced or eliminated. Annual trips could be adjusted to a two-to-four year rotation so students have the opportunity to travel at least once during their four years of high school. Only take trips to locations that have educational value that tie into the standards such as Music Education Week (MENC) in Washington, D.C. Consider the rich history of the area and how it can tie into what the students are learning at school. Are there performance opportunities connected with the event? We often call an experience educational, but does it really tie into the learning targets for high school whether it is music, science, math, history, or art? Team with another subject and learn together on a trip. Art and music could explore ways that music evokes emotion through a trip to Chicago visiting the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony. Should the opportunity to travel cease, find ways for your students to attend events within the community together. You may be able to write grants to cover the cost of the busses and tickets. The district can save money on travel by paying for all or part of these

Norman Dea California Music Educators Association President Norman Dea is the director of Instrumental Music at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, California. He received the Bandworld Legion of Honor Award from the John Philip Sousa Foundation at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in 2008. He currently serves as the president of the California Music Educators Association.

Denese Odegaard President of the North Central Division of MENC Denese Odegaard has taught orchestra for thirty years and is the Drama and Music curriculum specialist for Fargo public schools. Odegaard is currently president of the North Central Division of MENC and past Secretary for ASTA. She is the author of Simply Strings Beginning String Method Book (Northeastern Music Publications) and Music Curriculum Writing 101: Assistance with Standards-Based Music Curriculum and Assessment Writing (GIA).

Cristi Miller Oklahoma Music Educators Association President Cristi has served as the elementary representative on the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association board of directors as well as the elementary vice president for the Oklahoma Music Educators Association. She currently serves as the president of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association.

Dr. Bernadette Scruggs Georgia Music Educators Association President Dr. Bernadette Scruggs is the director of orchestras at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia and currently serves as presidents of the Georgia Music Educators Association.

School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 31

expenses if they normally pay for the whole trip. To really get the most out of a trip, deeper level thinking activities or realworld problem solving could be incorporated. Have the students help plan the trip using math to determine the costs; problem solving by determining the best route or booking hotel rooms; compare the arts opportunities in your own city to those of the city visiting; design a travel brochure that includes

the activities and points of interest and present it to the principal for approval; or develop a study guide for the activities of the trip. Music is an expression of human emotion and provides a sense of community among its members. Not only is travel a time to enjoy the camaraderie, it can be a time to broaden horizons. While many students are fortunate to travel often, there are students who will rarely venture far

from home. This provides opportunities and experiences those students may otherwise not have. If there is an educational basis for the trip, or it ties into the music standards, the students can gain knowledge and experience. Problem-solving, being part of a large group, and performing in several venues can be educational opportunities that require a student to be mindful of the schedule and other students’ needs. They also need to follow rules of the director and performance facilities, exhibit manners, and work together. Careful preparation with students prior to the trip regarding safety precautions is crucial. If you are visiting a metropolitan area and students are from a smaller town, they need to know how to protect their personal belongings and what to do if lost. Students should have cell phone numbers for the tour company, chaperones, teachers, and friends. It’s best to make sure each student is with another student at all times in the event of a crisis – no matter what size. Utilize parent chaperones – they can stay up at night supervising the hallways and can cover multiple floors if the hotel rooms are not located together. Make sure you have male and female chaperones. Create chaperone guidelines; chaperones need to know exactly what is expected of them. Parents like to go on trips but some just like a “free ride.” You need to spell things out to let them know what the rules are and review this with them prior to the trip. Create a student expectations list prior to the trip, review it several days before the trip, and have the students sign it so everyone is clear. Meet with all students one half hour prior to the trip and review the student expectations with the parent chaperones present. This is a good time to clear up misconceptions and answer questions. Make sure you do a “head count” every time the bus departs. Count once to the back of the bus and again on the way back to the front. If the distance is appropriate, ride the bus at night and save on one night of hotel.

Cristi Miller For obvious reasons, music groups are finding that to raise the funds to 32 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

travel are becoming more and more difficult. Money from homes is becoming tight, and community efforts find groups with a deficit that makes it hard to climb out of. Educators who are able to travel with their students are fortunate. For students, traveling with their schools provides them with an opportunity to participate in things they might not have a chance to do otherwise. It also creates a bonding between group members, which creates cohesiveness resulting in a more unified sound. You can never do too much planning for a trip. Also, know the course and have back up plans if something doesn’t work out the way it was planned. But, don’t be surprised if there is a hitch thrown in your agenda. Be flexible enough to enjoy the ride.

Dr. Bernadette Scruggs The economy has definitely made it more difficult for students to afford trips. Four years ago, we took three

When our students are seniors, we publish a brief bio about them in our spring program. One of the questions we ask is regarding their favorite orchestra memory. Almost every student chooses a trip as their top orchestra memory. I feel the same way: After I go on a trip with the kids, it provides a new connection, something that may have been lacking before. Regarding connections, I try to be the one to check in with the students at night to find out how their day went, remind them of the next day’s schedule, and just to take a couple of minutes to chat with them. We usually station chaperones in the hallways at night to keep others away from our students – and our students from escaping. Our last travel company provided a security guard for the hallway at night. This was a terrific perk, one I plan on asking for in future travels. Cell phones have made traveling so much easier. I can find kids in a hurry, and even better, they can find me in case of an emergency. We generate a cell phone list so I can find all my kids,

“When our students are seniors, we publish a brief bio about them in our spring program. One of the questions we ask is regarding their favorite orchestra memory. Almost every student chooses a trip as their top orchestra memory.” Dr. Bernadette Scruggs busloads of students (approximately 120 students) to Orlando, Florida. This year, on a similarly priced trip, we traveled with only 34 students. At the high school level, I personally have not had much success with fundraising even if it directly helped a student go on a trip. We usually just offer a payment plan for our students. Other groups in our area sell fruit, candy, wrapping paper, cookie dough, and a variety of consumables. I am not certain how this affects the total group cost for traveling. The band at our school recently did a very cool fundraiser. People could bring carloads of recyclable goods to the school at $10 per carload and get rid of their old stuff, with a $10 surcharge for computer monitors and televisions.

and they put the teachers’ numbers in their phone. As a teacher who took trips long before cell phones became commonplace, I really appreciate how much easier traveling is with students having cell phones. Students are required to follow the group schedule and to sleep four to a room. This may sound silly, but in a time when much of the world revolves around a child’s individual needs, there is the very real need to teach students how to travel with a group (how to work well and play well with others). Additionally, traveling promotes the very best bonding experience possible for music students. The festival experience (usually competitive) is something that orchestra students do not have the opportunity to do very often. School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 33

SBOSurvey: Festivals

Making the Festival Experience a Success

M

usic festivals are a mainstay of most music programs. Although they come in all shapes and sizes, these gatherings provide an opportunity for students to hear what their peers in other schools are up to, receive credible adjudication, and perform for unfamiliar audiences, often in spectacular locations and venues. Whether performing in a high school auditorium or at Carnegie Hall, there

are few experiences for young musicians that compare to performing for, and often competing against, other student ensembles. Directors and students alike relish the opportunity to participate in festvals, no matter if it’s seen as a recruitment tool, an excuse to travel as a group, a means of gauging a program’s musical progress, or simply one more learning experience out of the many that occur throughout the school year.

34 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

This latest SBO reader survey aims to provide a broader understanding of how music festivals fit into music programs’ curricula, while hopefully sharing some tips for having a successful experience at such events.

What is the most beneficial aspect of performing at music festivals?

Critique/comments from adjudicators Do any of your performing ensembles attend competitions or festivals?

52%

Traveling as a group

No

5%

14%

Exposure to peer ensembles

13%

Working with guest directors

12%

The competitive element

5%

Yes

Other

95%

What criteria do you use to select the festivals your groups will attend?

Location/proximity Cost

49% 29%

4%

“All the components of performing at a music festival are beneficial. The competition is valuable as drive and for a measure of success. The exposure to other ensembles is also welcome and the critiques are similarly very valuable. I can’t tell you how many times I have talked about things like phrasing with my group but it took hearing it from an adjudicator before my students say ‘oh, that’s what you were talking about!’ Sometimes they just need to hear it from somebody else besides their band director.” Michael Ances Jockey Hollow School Monroe, Conn.

Big name adjudicators

8%

Competitive prestige

How do you feel about the competitive aspect of these festivals?

8%

Other

6%

Very important

24%

Nice to have, but not essential

49% It is not important

8%

I prefer non-competitive festivals

19% School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 35

“I personally do not need the competition to put my best into play. However, in our competitive society, most students at this stage of life do not recognize the need for their best effort unless an attitude of competition is required. I teach that they can get beyond that – but it takes time for that to develop.” Jeff Canter Thorne Middle School Port Monmouth, N.J.

Are there any downsides to performing at music festivals – anything directors and students should be wary of? “Directors should not put too much emphasis on winning or beating the other band; they should use festivals as way to help improve the band program.” Randy Young Coosa High School Rome, Ga.

“Yes: if you don’t win, then you are ‘no good.’ Music is not a sport. You have to balance the ‘competitive monster’ with educational values – the group needs to improve each time, but maybe that improvement won’t be at the ‘competitive level’ assumed by most judges. You have to be careful that the competitive tail doesn’t wag the educational dog.” Kathy McCullough Cathedral High School Indianapolis, Ind. “Do not get caught up in the ‘us versus them’ mindset. Allow the judges to view you from a standard of excellence and not be worried about placement.” Dave Hill Merriwether Middle School North Augusta, S.C.

What are some of the challenges of preparing students to perform at festivals?

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“I am always the most concerned about the performance site – are we on a stage or on a gym floor, are there curtains surrounding us, will the audience hear the same thing I hear standing in front of my group, how much rebound will there be to our sound, et cetera.” Joann Couton Bishop Neumann High School Wahoo, Neb. “You have to be careful not to become a ‘wind-up’ band as I call them – which means playing and preparing only three pieces that will be used all year. While the pieces are perfected, what kind of a limited education does that approach give students? Don’t create a program that is only about winning the big prize, as many times your students are the losers because you have limited their experiences and exposure to a bigger variety of musical styles.” Karen Johnson Denmark High School Denmark, Wis.

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“Directors should prepare for festival the same way as preparing for any performance: tone, intonation, technique, balance, blend, and attention to musical details.” Steve Burch Panorama High School Van Nuys, Calif.

What has been your best festival experience, and why? “My best festival experience was when my school district’s schedule allowed me to see the kids more and provided after school activity buses that would assist us in having after school rehearsals. My group was beyond prepared and the judges awarded us with supportive comments and five trophies. The kids were so proud!” Laura Crawford-Smith Franklin Central High School Indianapolis, Ind.

and perform in one of many areas, concert, jazz, and marching band. As for middle school, it has been the Music in the Parks Festivals in association with EPN. They really have their act together. Everything is planned out perfectly, from payments to performance sites, banquet to awards ceremony.” Alda Wilmoth Harlem Middle School Harlem, Ga. “Performing in ‘special’ venues. We competed in Carnegie Hall. There is nothing better than the sound there. And just to have the students able to say one day, “I played in Carnegie Hall,” – you can’t top that. Festivals need to get the performances out of the cramped spaces and banquet halls. Acoustics have a big effect on the performance.” Gordon J. Tedeschi East Brunswick High School East Brunswick, N.J.

Additional thoughts on band and orchestra festivals? “Most festivals have ordinary high school auditoriums as performance venues. Go for the ones that can give your students an opportunity to perform at a professional caliber hall. This really makes a difference in the minds of the students.” Betsy Thomas Plano East Senior High School Plano, Texas “Don’t put too much into the comments of the judges. Remember that it is one person’s opinion on one day. Be sure to listen to the judge’s comments before you play them for your students. If a judge is way out in left field, don’t play their comments for your students.” John Mueller Incline Middle School Incline Village, Nev.

“The best experience has been when we worked extremely hard and the students were enthusiastic and the instrumentation was excellent, and we received a superior. It was deserved and the students were thrilled.” Elizabeth Dockery Community House Middle School Charlotte, N.C. “My high school band director established three rules that have served me well in my own career as a band director. (1) First and foremost, there must be solid educational benefits from the experience. (2) The event must be well organized. (3) It must be a good venue. When we have compared well against other bands at a large event (statewide, for example). The morale boost is incredible. Also, if the performance is followed by some fun (carnival, theme park), the entire experience is unsurpassed.” Jay Kahn Maquoketa Middle School Maquoketa, Iowa “As a high school director, the Bowl Games of America program was wonderful for my band program. We could participate in the big half-time show,

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SBOTechnology:

Smart Phones & Music

Using Smart Phones for Music Education BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

H

ave you ever had a teaching

moment

where you were lucky enough to

have just the right tool to create magic? Matthew Etherington,

a

middle

school teacher in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, did, and that tool just happened to be his iPhone. One of his guitarists had a question about an odd-sounding C6/9 chord. He states, “We looked 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.

38 School Band and Orchestra, June 2010

up the voicing on Guitar Toolkit and I was able to both show him the voicing and strum the electronic strings to hear the sound of the chord – quite amazing.” Smart phone technology is making magic with a plethora of music applications or “apps.” Reva Paget, a private studio violin instructor in Wisconsin, regularly uses the multi-track recording, strobe tuner, and metronome applications on her iPhone. She loves having a tuner right at her fingertips. Peterson Electronics, a leader in the tuner industry, is making an iPhone version of its popular StroboSoft tuning program. iStroboSoft uses the classic Peterson strobe display to provide 1/10th cent accuracy. The glowing sharp and flat indicators simplify tuning when it is difficult to determine which direction the strobe is moving, making it easy for musicians who don’t normally like strobe tuners. It also includes a noise filter, which reduces the effect of extraneous environmental noise; this is helpful when using an external mic or a clip-on tuning device. A metronome is a “must have” teaching tool and it is especially handy if you can carry it around on your smart phone. Frozen Ape Tempo is an excellent smart phone metronome. The simple, single-screen interface makes it perfect for drum-

mers to use live. It features 17 different time signatures and is adjustable from 20 to 220 BPM. The tap tempo allows you to tap along with the music to capture the tempo. Smart phone technology is popular among professional musicians like guitar legend, Al Di Meola, who uses his iPhone to create music compositions. He says, “I never dreamed that an amazing user friendly system for recording sound on sound could ever ex-

ist on a phone. Four Track (multi-track recording app) represents a major leap forward for the traveling musiciancomposer! I did most of my writing on this app this past year! I love it!”

Smart Phone – What is it? Technology innovations seem to be coming at us at a dizzying pace. Our

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students can’t get enough of the latest and greatest technology, and there is a reason everyone is clamoring for the highly portable, all-in-one devices. When you think of a cell phone do you think of making phone calls or texting? Are you aware of the instructional offerings the latest cell phones provide? A smart phone is a mobile phone that offers advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality (PC-mobile handset convergence). There is no industry standard definition of a smart phone. For some, a smart phone is a phone that runs a complete operating system with software providing a standardized interface and platform for application developers. For others, a smart phone is simply a phone with features considered advanced at the time of its release – for example, in the early 2000s this included e-mail and Internet, but these are now common on non-smart phones, too. Other definitions might include features such as e-book reader capabilities, WiFi, and/ or a built-in full keyboard or external USB keyboard and VGA connectors.

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Today, a smart phone is generally considered to be a miniature computer that has phone capability, and with many applications (“apps”) to enhance your teaching. A smart phone can include as standard features Internet access, text messaging, e-mail access, integrated digital camera, high quality audio recording and playback, location finder, and more.

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Choosing a Smart Phone After choosing a phone carrier, you’ll need to consider what type of smart phone you want. Here are some things to consider: • User Interface The most important thing about a smart phone is its user interface, or the software

utilized to interact with the device. The intuitiveness of menus will often determine whether a given phone is worth owning. • Specs Processor and memory. Most smart phone buyers don’t pay attention to what kind of processor a given device has, but a good CPU can mean the difference between a silky smooth experience and a frustratingly slow one. • Display The right size, resolution, and touch features. If you prefer a smart phone optimized for messaging, test drive one that places the keyboard directly beneath the screen. Screen resolution matters just as much as size. Multitouch touchscreens allow you to use pinching gestures for zooming in

on maps, photos, and Web pages. • Keyboard This should allow for fast and accurate typing. Entering text on a device should be easy; choosing a smart phone with a good keyboard is paramount. • Web Browsing Get the best surfing experience. All smart phones can handle full HTML Web browsing, but the most pleasing models load pages quickly and make it easy to pan around and zoom in on Web pages. • Apps Quantity and quality. Thanks to the iPhone, applications have become increasingly important to shoppers. These programs let you do a lot more with your device whether it’s streaming Internet radio, posting Facebook or Twitter updates, reading eBooks or playing high quality games. The iPhone market currently has over 140,000 apps while the Android market has more than 20,000, making it a distant but respectable second in this category. • Contacts and Calendar Sync with your USB or the Cloud? Is it easy to transfer with your PC/Mac contacts and calendar entries. An-

Dr. Kuzmich’s Favorite Music Apps Reference and Music Making • Smule’s Ocarina ($.99 at iTunes, ocarina.smule.com) has been ranked in the Apple’s All-Time Top Apps and simulates playing a real ocarina. By blowing into the microphone and touching your fingers to the fingering markings on the screen, the sound is remarkably authentic. There are many videos on YouTube using the Ocarina in creative ways, including a few great renditions of Led Zepplin’s Stairway to Heaven. • Pocket Shaker (free and $.99 versions at iTunes, (itunes.apple.com/) simulates 25 different percussive instruments. • Rainstick (free at iTunes, frontierdesign.com/RainStick) acts just like its namesake, making a cascading pebble sound as the user tilts the phone upside down sensitive to the speed of the user. • iPiper ($.99 at iTunes, speonline.com/ipiper) emulates the bagpipes, complete with sample songs and the history of the instrument. As a musician in a Celtic band, the iPiper was crowd-pleaser for a rousing version of “Scotland the Brave.” • Cleartune ($3.99 at iTunes, bitcount.com/cleartune/index.html) features a traditional “note wheel” interface as well as a fine-tuning meter. In addition to standard tuning, it can also be customized for different temperaments, transposing instruments, and used as a pitch pipe. • iTick (free at iTunes,) has a simple and sleek design. This free app packs a punch with a wide selection of time signatures, Italian tempo selections that automatically correspond with BPM ranges, and customizable sounds for both the down and up beats. • Pianofly Pro Synth ($2.99 at iTunes, www.minimusic.com/index.html) features the best scrolling keyboard available with a full 88-note range that allows users to check pitches quickly and accurately. And as a synthesizer, it also has 80 preset instrument sounds that can be customized, as well as the ability to create your own. As a non-keyboard instrument, sometimes it is best to hear something played out on the piano when learning a difficult chromatic passage, and for that I use my multi-tasking Pianofly. • iReal Book ($7.99 at iTunes, www.irealbook.net) eliminates the need to carry around a bulky Real Book for quick references as iRealBook has the chord changes for over 900 jazz standards, as well as the ability to transpose the changes into any key.

Understanding/Responding to Music • Key Signature Quiz (free and $.99 versions at iTunes, www.jasonneufelddesign.com) has timed and un-timed key signature identification quizzes. The free version tests only the treble clef, and the paid includes the bass. • MusicTools Dictionary ($2.99 at iTunes, www.onstagetechnologies.com/ products) includes both a music dictionary with over 2,700 entries and a reference charts for markings. • Shazam (free at iTunes, www.shazam.com) is a music identification app that uses the built-in microphone of the smart phone. When a user holds their phone up to a speaker playing a particular song, the program compares the sound to a central database of acoustic footprints and finds a match, where it will then give you the name of the song, along with a biography and discography of the artist and if available, links to buy the song on iTunes and/or Amazon MP3, as well as YouTube videos of the song. It is very accurate with most pop songs, and will even identify some classical pieces, although this is less reliable because there are so many varying versions recorded of the same piece. As a teacher of a survey of American popular music, I find Shazam valuable in listening to music to be played to my classes and then downloading all of the appropriate information about the recording, the group and other bio related information to share with my classes within seconds. • Karajan Music and Ear Trainer (free and $14.99 at iTunes, www.karajaneartrainer.com/en/) provides detailed lessons for identifying not only intervals but also scales, pitch, and tempo with aural examples. The beginner version has the complete first level of the paid version.

School Band and Orchestra, June 2010 41

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droid phones sync with the cloud; all you have to do is enter an e-mail address and password for various accounts to start loading your device with information. E-Mail and Messaging The best smart phones help you keep multiple accounts up to date while offering robust attachment support. Music and Video When it comes to multimedia, there’s the iPhone, and then there’s everything else. Between Apple’s iTunes store and iPod integration, the iPhone OS is the best choice for those looking to load their smart phones up with contents, especially when it comes to wireless music and video purchases. Camera and Camcorder Smart phones can take pictures and record video. Look beyond megapixels. What’s more important is the image quality, speed of the device, and how easy it is to share images and clips. GPS While GPS technology is common, a smart phone can leverage your address book and give you a bigger screen to emulate a standalone navigation device. Pay attention to how loud and clear the voice is through the smart phone’s speaker and how intuitive the menus are to use. Battery Life How long is long enough? Because voice calls are just a tiny fraction of what today’s smart phones can do, the rated talk time for any given device is virtually meaningless. What’s more important is how long you can use the phone for checking e-mail, searching the Web, or performing other data-intensive chores. I recommend that the usage time be one entire workday with moderate to heavy usage.

Smart phones are becoming indispensable for today’s savvy music educator who needs to accomplish more in less time. Today’s leader in smart phone technology is Apple’s iPhone with its intuitive touch interface and sleek design. Apple’s App Store has created a microeconomy that is a $1 billion-per-year business. iPhone is clearly winning the app development battle, boasting more available programs than for Android,

Blackberry, Palm, webOS and Windows Mobile smart phones all combined. Why are iPhones so popular with developers? There are only three iPhone models while the popular Android phones have many, making it difficult for developers to program apps for so many incompatible phones. The iPhone is also popular for it is audio quality. Androids currently cannot synchronize recording and playback as required by multi-track recording. This is critical for the current trend of music expression, and something music educators must be aware of. A good Web site to check out for a video demonstrations of how smart phones can be used for education is to do a Web search for “Best Ways to Produce Music on an iPhone.” Also, don’t underestimate the capability of smart phones for digital audio recordings. While internal microphones aren’t necessarily meant for recording music, microphone-engineered recording apps and tools on smart phones are continually improving.

The Smart Phone’s Cousin You can run iPhone apps on an iPod Touch and have the convenience of having extra iPod storage for music songs and samples while also keeping your current cell phone and provider. All of the apps that run on an iPhone can also run on an iPad. The only drawback to getting an iPad in it’s first generation is that it lacks the capability to run programs that use Flash, such as Smart Music. Smart phone technology is connecting music teachers to their students as never before. There are virtually no limits to the creativity; fun, and imagination this technology affords. Music apps are generally very affordable and in many cases free! Need more proof of the potential of smart phone technology for music educators? Download the Quicktime video at music4education.com/iphone.mov. Looking for other sources of smart phone instructional materials? Go to www.kuzmich.com/SBO062010.html.

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Teaching Concert Band in Today’s Schools for Today’s Students, by Robert Jackson, is designed to give band directors a straightforward, clearly written guide on how to be an effective teacher. The goal of the text is to provide a tool for maintaining focus, an outline for achieving results, and a manual providing a clear explanation of what to teach in addition to why and how to teach it. Part one, 15 Steps to a Better Band, addresses the content area, philosophy, and strategies needed to produce a superior sounding concert band. Part two addresses issues off the podium. The Baton Can Wait discusses the problems and solutions for over 43 non music related areas such as discipline, order, and organization.

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Play Big or Small I have found that middle school students grasp the concept of soft and loud by telling them to play with “fat” or “wide” air to play loudly, and “small” or “narrow” air to play quietly. You have to demonstrate with your hands, and then with an instrument. It really works, though. I have had second semester beginners playing five different dynamic levels. Gary Merritts I.T. Creswell Middle Arts Magnet School Nashville, Tenn. Submit your PLAYING TIP online at www.sbomagazine.com or e-mail it to editor Eliahu Sussman: esussman@symphonypublishing.com. Win a special prize from EPN Travel, Inc. Winning Playing Tips will be published in School Band and Orchestra magazine.

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Keep Music Education Strong Learning to play music is so much more than memorizing notes and scales. It helps a child develop creativity and instills self-discipline, commitment and confidence. Your leadership in the community assures that music is a part of quality education for every child. Keep music education strong—go to supportmusic.com.

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SAVE THE DATE! The Jazz Education Network Annual Conference is moving to January!

2nd Annual JEN Conference January 6-8, 2011 New Orleans, LA Historic Roosevelt Hotel – Famed Blue Room Details on line soon! • Exciting Headliners • Enlightening Clinics/Panels • Exhilarating School Ensemble Performances • 20,000 sq. ft of Enticing Exhibits! All under one roof, two blocks from the French Quarter! Details following soon. Submission guidelines and applications available online May 1-June 15.

Check the website often for updates as they materialize! www.JazzEdNet.org your portal to the global jazz community!

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