SBO November 2009

NOVEMBER 2009 $5.00

Paul Parets

At the Helm

of the A.I. duPont Student Band

Report: Music Business Programs Performance: Snare Drum Rolls

Contents 16

38

November 2009

Features 12

UPFRONT Q&A: JOHN HEATH This SBO interview with Illinois Music Educator Association president John Heath sheds light on school music programs across Illinois, while also offering ideas on how a music program can better serve a school’s entire student body.

16

REPORT: MUSIC BUSINESS PROGRAMS SBO reports on college and university music business programs, which offer preparation for an astounding array of careers in music.

22

UPCLOSE: PAUL PARETS Paul Parets has been a fixture in the band room at A.I. duPont High School in Greenville, Delaware for almost four decades.

In this recent interview, the celebrated educator explains exactly what has kept him so excited about teaching music for all of these years.

32

PERFORMANCE: SNARE DRUM ROLLS Dr. Brett Jones of the University of Wisconsin examines strategies for teaching proper drum roll techniques on the snare drum.

38

SURVEY: MUSICAL INSTRUMENT BUYING HABITS SBO readers share their thoughts on finding and buying repertoire.

41

TECHNOLOGY: EAR TRAINING TOOLS John Kuzmich takes a look at software that can assist with ear training and music theory lessons.

22

Columns 4 6 46

Perspective Headlines

47 48

Classifieds Ad Index

Playing Tip

Cover photo by Joe del Tufo, Wilmington, Del. SB&O School Band and Orchestra® (ISSN 1098-3694) is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310, publisher of Musical Merchandise Review, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JAZZed. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: one year $24; two years $40. Rates outside U.S.A. available upon request. Single issues $5 each.

February Resource Guide $15. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/ SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to School Band and Orchestra, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Copyright © 2009 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

2 School Band and Orchestra November 2009

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Perspective

Survey Says…

®

November 2009 Volume 12, Number 11

S

GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com

BO’s survey on band and orchestra buying habits for 2009 provided some interesting insight into the methods and statistics (albeit unscientific) of music programs during the past year, as well as some estimates on next year’s purchases. One of the extraordinary results was that 63 percent of the directors surveyed stated that they were planning to purchase the same amount or more than last year. This seems counterintuitive, especially in the midst of the recent economic turmoil, which includes slashed state and local budgets and high unemployment. It does, however, offer some hope that the school music programs around the country are faring better than previously thought.

Anecdotally, we’ve heard about some programs where the administration, parents, and students absolutely will not allow their music programs to be taken away from them, and they are fighting tooth and nail to maintain its funding and inclusion in the school’s curriculum. A recent example of this was a middle school program in Florence, Oregon where, according to the Siuslaw News (Oct. 21 edition), the district announced “it would cut 26 staff positions and multiple programs and sports from the 2009-10 budget” and the band director assumed he would be part of the During these cuts. Luckily, a “vote on the district’s local option levy” challenging times, passed and the program was saved. The community then many directors have pulled together and raised money to supply instruments had to come up with and equipment to the program, with the express goal of providing young students with less expensive school rentvery unique ideas to al instruments. procure instruments Others have fared far worse, even with the portion of for their programs. the economic stimulus that was supposed to help education programs. In Jackson, Mississippi, an example of a string program that had been established for over 42 years (according to the clarionledger.com, Oct. 21 edition), has left approximately 450 students with no place to study their violins within the public school system. This appears to have stemmed from a split vote on the school board where, despite the strong efforts of the minority, the music program lost out to other supposedly more critical expenses.

Our results have indicated that, during these challenging times, many directors have had to come up with very unique ideas to procure instruments for their programs. This includes asking parents to donate “attic” instruments to their school to be refurbished or overhauled, doing fundraisers to purchase used instruments online for students who can’t afford to rent or purchase their own, and also simply spending nothing from budgets that are simply too tight. The directors we have spoken to cite creativity and “out of the box” thinking as a key to solving many problems and to thrive despite the current economic hardships.

PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial Staff

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christian Wissmuller

cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com

EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com Art Staff

PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill

lguptill@symphonypublishing.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Advertising Staff

ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox

ifox@symphonypublishing.com

CLASSIFIED SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com Business Staff

CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com WEBMASTER Sanford Kearns skearns@symphonypublishing.com Symphony Publishing, LLC

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

www.sbomagazine.com

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HeadLines

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PMC Announces Drum Month

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he Executive Committee of the Percussion Marketing Council (PMC) has announced its International Drum Month campaign and program, scheduled for launch this month.

International Drum Month is celebrating its 14th year with a program to serve two specific purposes: create more new drummers and provide an incentive to have them go into their local music store or drum shop. Future drummers will have the opportunity to receive a free Beginner’s Package, which includes a pair of drumsticks and an instructional book or DVD for beginners. The instructional materials are provided

by PMC Members, Alfred Publishing, Hal Leonard Publishing, and Hudson Music.

The coupon is available in a number of consumer magazines or by visiting www.playdrums.com.

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Tours U.S. & Canada

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his month, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO), the oldest orchestra in Asia and one of the oldest classical ensembles in the world, will make history as it tours the U.S. and Canada under the baton of Maestro Long Yu. Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 130th anniversary as one of Asia’s bestknown cultural ambassadors, the SSO will bring a rare musical experience to American audiences. The tour launches Tuesday, November 10th in New York City at Carnegie Hall.

As the Music Director of the SSO, China Philharmonic, and Guangzhou Symphony and as the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Beijing Music Festival, Maestro Long Yu has also made appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg State Opera, and the Sydney Symphony, among many others.

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Both at home and on tour SSO frequently features the world’s brightest classical stars, including Lang Lang, who will perform Rachmaninoff ’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18. Along with the standard Western Repertoire, SSO consistently programs new music, including Chen Qigang’s iconic Iris dévoilée, which will be performed in the composer’s presence at Carnegie Hall, as part of the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival celebrating Chinese culture.

During the two weeks following the Carnegie Hall performance SSO will travel across the North American continent, visiting Fairfax, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Toronto, and more.

To find out more, visit www.sh-symphony.com.

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HeadLines First Annual JEN Conference

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he Jazz Education Network (JEN) plans to hold the first of its annual conferences at the University of Missouri - St. Louis next spring. JEN board member and UM - St. Louis director of Jazz Studies, Jim Widner, was instrumental in bringing the conference to St. Louis. In June, Widner was recognized with a DownBeat Magazine achievement award for a career of running jazz camps.

He was among three music educators recognized across the country. The first 500 members to register for the conference will receive priority seating at evening concerts.

For more information, visit www.jazzednet.org.

NAMM’s SupportMusic & NAMM Foundation Supports Little Kids Rock

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AMM recently received a special commendation for the efforts of its SupportMusic Coalition at the inaugural International Music Council’s (IMC) Musical Rights Awards held during IMC’s World Forum on Music.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Coalition was Gary Ingle, CEO of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), an affiliate of the SupportMusic Coalition and long-time music education and music-making advocate. The SupportMusic Coalition is a public service led by U.S.based NAMM and MENC: The National Association for Music Education, that seeks to strengthen community commitment and support for quality music education in schools.

Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation, attended a Little Kids Rock event Oct. 22 called “Right to Rock,” and presented a check representing the $325,000 total amount of support the NAMM Foundation has provided Little Kids Rock since 2003.

The event was held at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City, and also featured a special award presentation to honor Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band and other supporters. Attendees had the opportunity to bid on auction items such as a guitar autographed by Elvis Costello and memorabilia of Slash, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Neil Peart, and other rock royalty.

For more information, visit www.namm.org.

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Online Survey Results

Blue Devils Score New Sponsorship

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he Pearl Corporation has welcomed The Blue Devils Organization as the newest member of their Drum Corps International (DCI) roster. Also joining Pearl’s roster of artists and educators is The Blue Devils percussion director, Scott Johnson. Johnson has been awarded 13 DCI championships, 12 DCI High Percussion Awards, two WGI Championships, and the 1977 DCI Individual Snare Championship.

For more information on Pearl, please visit www. pearldrum.com.

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We don’t have a percussion Ensemble 1-10 11-20 21 or more

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.

White House Hosts Music Ed Concert

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10 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

irst Lady Michelle Obama hosted a Classical Music Student Workshop Concert at the White House that featured appearances by such acclaimed artists as violinist Joshua Bell, guitarist Sharon Isbin, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and pianist Awadagin Pratt. The afternoon concert, which took place on Wednesday, November 4th, was part of the White House’s ongoing Music Series, which was created by Obama to celebrate the arts and demonstrate the importance of arts education.

The concert also featured performances from young students, including cellist Sujari Britt and marimba player Jason Yoder, who performed with Weilerstein. In addition, there was also a workshop for 120 middle and high school music students from around the country.

(Source: LA Times)

SBOUpfrontQ&A: IMEA’s John Heath

Illinois: “Music for Everyone, Everyone for Music”

W

hile Illinois ranks only 25th in terms of landmass, it has the fifth highest population of any state in the U.S., and boasts the major metropolis of Chicago, the nation’s third largest city, as well as many rural,

agricultural areas. As if the national economic woes and a diverse population base weren’t enough to contend with, Illinois has also endured the tumultuous – to put it kindly; some might say disastrous – governorship of Rod Blagojevich, who left office amidst massive Federal corruption charges this past spring.

However, in spite of all of this negativity, school music programs

John Heath, IMEA president

in the state seem to be holding their own.

In fact, according to John Heath, president of the Illinois Music Educators Association, most programs haven’t felt too much of a pinch… yet.

Heath, in addition to his duties with the IMEA, is also the director of bands at Batavia High School in the suburbs of Chicago. He has been very active in gauging how his state’s programs are holding up, while rallying music and arts educators to advocate for continued recognition – and funding – from the state legislature. As a part of this magazine’s ongoing series of interviews with state education leaders, SBO recently caught up with the busy band director, who shared his thoughts on what Illinois school music and arts programs can do to serve their communities better than ever before, even in these trying and eventful times.

12 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

School Band & Orchestra: In broad terms, what is your assessment of how school music programs are doing in Illinois?

John Heath: It’s a little difficult for me to say because I am not as completely at ease with the state funding formulas that we use here in Illinois, but I do know this: funding has been tight for a long time and, as you probably know, with our dear former governor [Rod Blagojevich] and all of the things that happened with state financing during his tenure in office, financially, the state is really in very bad shape. This is definitely not having a positive effect on school funding; we’re still waiting for funding that was supposed to have already arrived in our schools throughout the state.

Here in the suburbs of Chicago, we’re starting to feel some of the effects of the

down economy in that this year our building budgets are being cut and we’re trying to get as much done as we have done in the past with fewer dollars coming from the school. Because of that, I sent out a request to my district presidents from around the state to basically let me know what’s going on in their areas. I have received a fairly mixed response.

We are a rather diverse state in that we have the metropolitan areas of Chicago and St. Louis, but then we have a lot of rural areas in the state as well. Some districts have been cutting back for so long that the current events aren’t really affecting them any worse than what they have already been feeling. In the larger communities, particularly in the suburb areas, I’ve found that while this year is tight, almost everybody is very concerned about what is going to happen next year.

The property values are either staying the same or going and the taxation isn’t increasing. This year, the CPI (the multiplier that we use to get the state aid) is down to about 0.1, and in past years, it’s been closer to 4.0. Many people are worried that while we might be starting to feel it this year, next year is the year when we are really going to get lambasted with financial difficulties.

Some of the districts have reported that they have not been experiencing any changes in their financing or in the support from their schools and communities, and I was very happy to hear that. In that respect, we’re kind of a diverse group. It depends where you are in the state and how your community has been dealing with things up until this point.

SBO: While you mentioned that many communities have had cuts, has the number of music educators generally remained stable throughout the state?

JH: I have had a couple of contacts with people who’ve reported that there were a few cases where some teachers were retiring or moving out of the area and those positions are not being filled.

Their duties are being taken over by faculty already on staff. I’ve heard of very few programs actually being cut. That’s not to say that they’re all safe, but at this point anyhow, everyone seems to be somewhat intact. We’re not losing programs or starting levels for instrumental classes in grade schools around the state.

In that respect, I think we’re holding our own on that, but the future is what we are all concerned about.

SBO: So the big question is this: as a leader of an organization that promotes music education and works directly with music teachers in your state, what are you doing to combat cuts?

JH: Our feelings right now are that the biggest thing we can keep going – or get going, as the case may be – is some degree of advocacy for the arts, and music in particular, to remain in the system.

We do have a special area chair, and that person is totally focused on advocacy for music in the state of Illinois. He’s been very active in that position, getting things out and trying to make sure that we’re in the public’s eye as much as possible.

We’re also doing work at other fine arts

committees throughout the state, with the thinking that if we all join together, we will have a stronger voice.

The IMEA has a very large voice for music education in the state of Illinois, but we also have a lot of other lobby groups that have loud voices for Fine Arts in other aspects of state life.

SBO: Are you worried about the different voices competing for the same funding?

SBO: So is it all about getting the word out?

JH: As a teacher, my position is, “Just give me my music, give me my kids, and I’m in heaven.” At times, music teachers might not realize that they also need to be known throughout the community and even the state.

School bands do draw attention to themselves, but the fact is that music is a part of everybody’s life and we need to expand our offerings in the public schools so that we get not just those band, choir, and orchestra students, but also the kids whose music experience is listening to the radio in the car or being involved in a garage band at home; we need to try to involve them in aspects of music that will draw them into the program so that people can see that we aren’t just dealing with this specific performance population of musicians, that we really are dealing with the general student body of the school.

JH: No, I don’t think they are. From what I’ve experienced since I’ve been in position for the past nine months, while the focus might be slightly different from the music education groups, it is more of a common goal for music and the fine arts in the state of Illinois.

I know that some of the agencies are receiving funding from the government which obviously has been cut this year, in some cases as much as 25 percent, but I think everyone realizes we are all in the same boat. Unified, we can be a stronger voice and hit the people “Unified, we can be a stronger voice that we need to hit from many and hit the people that we need to hit different angles. We’re doing that in the state level, but we’re also from many different angles.” doing it at the national level. We had a very successful conference Like everybody else in the public in Washington D.C. in June where MEA school system, we are already so busy leaders from all over the country came, doing what we do that we might not be did some lobby work with their legislaable to find time to expand our offerings tors, and gave some very public perforto reach a really diverse base of student mances to get in the public’s eye. interests. If some of the schools are cutAnother thing we need to make people ting back on the amount of people availunderstand is that the arts are included in able to teach in a particular area, it does No Child Left Behind, too. They are a make it much more difficult. We have to part of that program and we really need be careful not to get caught in that rather to point that out to everybody so that the devastating cycle. We have to try to get state and local boards of education will more kids involved with our programs realize that this is not a frill; it is an inteand make sure that our teachers are aware gral part of a child’s education. I’m not of the fact that advocacy is the best way talking about just music, but the fine arts to get the word out – and that includes in general, and we have to make sure that the Friday night football game, orchestra it remains in position so that our children concerts, choir performances, and things can have a well-rounded education. like that. We have the luxury that a lot of From our standpoint in the IMEA and other subject areas don’t have in that we within our own membership, we have are very public already. been working as diligently as we can to advance our members’ professional deSBO: Do you think it’s a numbers issue – that you need to reach more velopment both at our state conference, students? as well as at workshops around the state throughout the course of the year. These JH: For me, speaking personally about sessions will hopefully encourage more my own program, yes, I would like to educators to become involved with adreach more students. I think in the back vocacy. of my brain, “Music for everyone and School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 13

everyone for music.� Everyone has had some contact with music, whether it’s in the background in a movie or whatever, and because of that, I know as a music teacher that there’s something I can offer that person that either he or she can discover on his or her own or something that we can discover together. From the standpoint of the teachers in my state, no, it isn’t a numbers game. Most of the traditional programs are based around performance musicians. Many schools, maybe even most schools, offer some type of alternative music classes, along with traditional band, orchestra, and choir performance classes.

For instance, at my program in Batavia, I have an assistant director who just began working with us last year. He’s young and full of energy, and, because of his age, he is in his mid-20s, he is now offering a rock-and-roll music class. We have two sections of it and they were both filled immediately. Amazingly, most of the students who signed up are non-performance kids; they’re students who we’ve never seen in the music department be-

fore and they’re so wound up with what’s going on with their own music and the music of the recent past that they’re just having a blast. And these are all kids that we wouldn’t have had any contact with because they aren’t part of the standard performance groups – they’re not band, choir, or orchestra members. Those are the kinds of classes that I’d really like to see being offered so that we can reach more of the student body.

We probably have 25-27 percent of the student body involved in music. That’s great, and it’s probably better than most schools, but that then means that there is 73-75 percent of my student body that is not involved in music. It would be a little bit less if I took my whole fine arts department as a whole because we also have a very nice visual arts program, but the fact is that all of these kids needs the arts to enrich their lives and high school might be the last opportunity for them, depending on what they plan on doing after high school. So my own personal push is to get as much as we can get going here.

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14 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

Plus, I think as far as a point of security for programs, if the community, the board, the administration sees that we’re reaching out to the general population of students to help expand their appreciation for the arts in the lives, I think that would be a much better sell than always dealing with our own very specific music-focused kids. If my kid who had never played music before signed up for a rockand-roll class and he was loving it, when the word comes out that the music department was facing some financial problems, as a parent I might be a little more supportive of finding a solution.

SBO: By the same token, the performance ensembles are the ones who get the most attention because they are the ones performing out in the community.

JH: Right, they are the visible ones.

The reason I am a music teacher is because I thoroughly enjoy playing my instrument, and I enjoyed my activities and experiences in my music programs growing up, that I chose to go into music education. That is probably true of the vast majority of music teachers. That said, I think we are sometimes missing the boat with the students who aren’t into the traditional performance ensembles. We’ve seen a dramatic rise in steel pan bands, mariachi bands and other groups that aren’t always included in typical music programs. They have become very popular among students who might not be into the band/orchestra/choir set up. I would love to have the opportunity to offer those sorts of things here, but for logistical and financial reasons, I understand that it’s not always feasible.

With all of the exposure to music that kids get these days, by the time they get to high school, many students’ taste has matured to the point that this is a great opportunity to have a professional educator present them with music appreciation, provide them with some diverse genres, and really expand their musical horizons. That’s one of the reasons I’m all about trying to have the music departments really reach out to the general student body, in addition to teaching our traditional performance students, as well.

SBOReport:

Music Business Programs

Music Business: Limitless Careers for Music Lovers

W

hile many assume that collegiate and university music programs function almost exclusively to churn out professional musi-

♫

♬

cians, the truth is that the vast majority of undergraduate institutions have an incredibly diverse range of opportunities for students interested in all facets of music. While players may receive top billing, music education, music production and engineering, composition, music therapy, and music business studies are just a few of the other offerings one can find at most music schools.

In fact, at many prominent institutions, non-performance majors represent a majority of the student body. If one thinks about this for a moment, it makes sense: for every performer out there, there are scores of people behind the scenes who have worked diligently to make the performance happen.

16 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

One such often-overlooked area of study is music business.

At Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., it might come as a surprise to learn that music business is the largest major in the college, with about 460 students, 16 faculty, and 35 courses, says Don Gorder, the chair and founder of the school’s Music Business and Management Department. “Our courses run the gamut from

very traditional business courses you might find in any business school, like accounting and marketing, to courses that are very specific to the music industry, like Music Products and Commerce.

We have a student-run record label and a very active internship program.”

Music business programs can lead to a host of different professions, from artist management to instrument manufacturing and sales. According to program director Rey Sanchez, the Frost School of Music’s Music Business and Entertainment Industries program at the University of Miami was the first collegiate music business program in the country. “MBEI alums are employed in virtually every area of the music and entertainment industries,” he notes. “In recent years we have seen a number of graduates employed in areas such as digital marketing and distribution with major and independent labels, music licensing, music publishing, music supervision, and into positions with performing rights societies.

Some go on to law school and some even venture out on their own, pursuing entrepreneurial goals.”

Dr. James Payne of the University of Nebraska at Kierney runs a small music business program designed to provide students with the fundamental tools they need to succeed in the industry as non-players. “Our program gives students a strong basis in music with a general understanding of business practices so that they can choose many different paths to pursue in a career in the music industry,” says Payne.

“This has included careers in publication, recording, music products, arts management, trade associations, pro audio design and installation, theatrical agencies, et cetera.”

A New Age of Business While the idea of a music business program has been around for some time, in many ways, the business of music is very much an emerging frontier.

The traditional model of a monolithic and all-powerful record label calling the shots and making or breaking bands is crumbling, thanks to a digital revolution that has provided independent bands with a multitude of ways in

which to reach their fans through the likes of MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, blogs, and other resources. The welldocumented travails of the recording industry against illegal downloading also raise many interesting questions for those interested in aspects of music distribution, band management, merchandising, and other related fields.

Different schools take different approaches to preparing their students for success in this new digital environment. “The dissemination, distribution, and consumption of music in the digital domain, how it is discovered and how markets are made for music,

“You don’t have to leave music, if that is your love, just because you don’t become that star on stage.” all of that has impacted the industry dramatically,” says Berklee’s Don Gorder. “We have, of course, brought that into our curriculum. We offer courses that focus on emerging business models, courses that focus on the use of technology, managing technology-driven businesses, a track of study on entrepreneurship because we’re seeing more an d more students starting their own businesses as opposed to moving into the corporate sector. Technology, digital, social media – these kinds of things are very much a part of what we’re doing now.”

At the Frost School of Music, the music business program strikes a balance between the constant, fundamental elements of music business and the emerging technologies and business models.

“Our faculty foresaw and prepared for these changes a number of years ago,” says Rey Sanchez. “Our curriculum emphasizes the non-changing constants of the music business: copyright ownership and administration, publishing, licensing, royalties and legalities. We believe the music business has always been about connecting music makers with music lovers and insuring that everyone along that conduit gets paid for their efforts. We believe that the recent changes in the industry will be quite positive for music creators and owners in the long run.”

Following is a sampling of colleges and universities that have music business degree programs. Please note that this is not a comprehensive listing.

Anderson University Anderson, IN Bradley University Peoria, IL Capital University Columbus, OH Chadron State College Chadron, NE Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY Elmhurst College Elmhurst, IL Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA Hofstra University Hempstead, NY Indiana State University Evansville, IN Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA Mansfield University Mansfield, PA Northeastern University Boston, MA South Dakota State University Brookins, SD SUNY at Oneonta Oneonta, NY University of Colorado at Denver Denver, CO University of Evansville Evansville, IN University of Miami Coral Gables, FL University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE University of the Pacific Stockton, CA University of Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Western Illinois University Macomb, IL William Patterson University Wayne, NJ Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 17

He continues, “The Music Business and Entertainment Industries program at Miami was founded on the basic principal that music comes first and in the end, it’s all about the music. Consequently we have historically emphasized fundamentals such as copyright, publishing, rights administration, royalties, music licensing and legalities.

We’ve always had a professionally active faculty, in touch with the myriad of changes that have occurred in the

industry over the years. For example in 2003 we undertook a major revision of our curriculum, emphasizing emerging digital technologies and their impact on the music business.�

Ted Piechocinski, the program director for Indiana State University’s Music Business Program, doesn’t necessarily read the digital age as a cataclysmic event in the music industry so much as just another in a long history of dramatic shifts. “We’ve had great

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discussions over the years about digital downloading and the effect it has had on many aspects of the music industry,� he says. “While not approaching it, ever, as an ‘end of the world’ scenario, but, rather, as one where the music industry is taking a significant shift, which it has done with great regularity throughout its history, students quickly see that the music and entertainment industry is by no means stagnant and is most often at the center of societal and technological developments. There’s no doubt that things ‘aren’t what they used to be,’ but, in our view and as we approach it, it’s a matter of needing to shift with the times and adjust accordingly. Cycles of change are getting much quicker and we need to stay flexible and able to adapt to the situation rather than staying entrenched in the comfort of our ways. It sometimes takes students a while to take such a broad look at things, but they do eventually relate and are generally very adept at looking at situations in necessary and new ways.�

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While music business majors will invariably spend long hours poring over rather dry subjects like economics and accounting, it’s important to remember that music business majors are still studying at a music school, and most often will continue learning the fundamental aspects of music such as theory, composition, ear training, and performance.

Undergraduate students looking to study music business at the University of Miami must first be accepted into the Frost School of Music through a rigorous audition process. “They must also have an outstanding academic record and demonstrate strong communications skills,� says Rey Sanchez. “We believe that the discipline required to be a good musician will serve a student well in any future career. MBEI majors are in the same core music courses, private lessons, and ensembles as any other music student. Some of the top musicians at the Frost School are MBEI majors.

We believe musicians have unique skill sets that can give them a competitive advantage in business. In the words of

Goddard Lieberson, former president of Columbia Records, ‘Musicians make the best businessmen. I’d much rather be represented in a business deal by Stravinsky than any lawyer you could name.’”

Ted Piechocinski of Indiana State University echoes the idea that the discipline of studying music will serve students no matter what direction their careers take. “Our program requires our students to study as musicians, including applied studies, music history, and music theory. Personally, I think it helps for a music business student to know what it is to play and study the intricacies of music. Prior to acquiring my law degree and having a career in music publishing and music business affairs, I acquired degrees in music education and a master’s degree in saxophone performance. Before pursuing law studies, I taught high school instrumental music for four years. So, I take pride in still considering myself a trained musician and, as such, being able to understand music on a level different from many music executives I’ve met and dealt with over the years.”

Piechocinski continues, “As a publishing executive or music business affairs attorney, I didn’t have cause to call on my musical training every day, but, when the occasion called for it, it was extremely helpful and even, in a few cases, was enough to seal the deal with some artists who liked being able to deal with a trained musician at the executive level. So, while it is by no means necessary to be a musician to find success in the music industry, I believe that it does, indeed, help. One of the reasons I came to ISU’s program, in fact, was because we do insist that our students study as musicians who are also business people. Like so many aspects of the music industry though, there are many, many roads that can take us to our destination.”

would love it if band directors had a sense of the vast number of careers one can have in music without having to rely on a career as a performer,” says Don Gorder. “You don’t have to leave music, if that is your love, just because you don’t become that star on stage.

There are so many things that you can do in music, and the business aspect encompasses a lot of those other prospects. It’s a source of a great number of successful and rewarding careers.”

There is an abundance of examples of students who have found a great deal of success after realizing that a career as a performer wasn’t in their future. As Gorder explains, “We have had many success stories of students who started out here thinking they might end up being that star on the stage, but then realized that there are other opportunities in front of them.

One of our early graduates founded the online promotion company Son-

Only So Much Room on the Stage One of the most important ideas to keep in mind is that there is virtually no limit to the career options for people who are passionate about music. “I School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 19

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icBids. This gentleman, who is from Cyprus, started out thinking he was going to be a rock star guitar player, and within a year or so he realized that that wasn’t going to happen. He came to see me and joined the music business program, and went on from there to have a very successful career at a booking agency here in Boston. Then he chucked all of that and started SonicBids. I think he has 14 of our graduates working in his office now.”

“Not all students have the inherent talent and or abilities (or wherewithal) to pursue a degree in performance,” notes ISU’s Piechocinksi. “Performance degrees remain difficult simply because there aren’t enough jobs and opportunities for students who complete performance degrees. This is a historical dilemma that need not be gone into in great detail, but the fact remains that there just aren’t enough jobs out there for all of the performance majors that schools produce. Music education is a wonderful career and still has plenty of opportunities for ambitious students, but teaching is certainly a calling unto itself. It should never be a ‘fallback’ kind of employment option. Traditionally, students who love music had two options to pursue: performance, where the chances to succeed are exceedingly slim, and teaching, where dedication and passion about teaching are absolutely necessary; it should not be attempted by those who do not have that degree of passion. Therefore, another option should exist and, with music business studies, it does.

“Music Business allows students to still study and perform great music at the highest levels of personal expertise they can manage, but, with it, they can use their music studies to guide them to a fantastic career where there are jobs, where there is terrific room for creativity and expression, and where they always have many career options open to them, through the variety of training and exposure that they have had. High school directors would be doing themselves and their students a great service by becoming more familiar with the option of music business and music industry studies as a viable option for their music students.”

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BY ELIAHU SUSSMAN

T

here are few elder statesmen in music education like Paul Parets of Greenville, Delaware’s Alexis I. duPont High School. A band director for over 40 years, Paul’s wit, enthusiasm, and passion for music and his students remain as sharp as ever. As with many great educators, Paul’s story goes well beyond the considerable accomplishments of his ensembles.

For instance, the fact that Parets is the only band director to lead the same marching band in the Tournament of Roses Parade an unprecedented five times is no more a source of pride for the veteran teacher than his personal Facebook page, which features connections to some 1,300 current and former students. Generations have passed through his band room, literally: Parets has taught children of former students and jokes that the day a band alum’s grandchild walks into his rehearsal room will be the day he retires. Even the program’s assistant band director is a former student of Parets’.

22 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

HELM

Photograph by Joe del Tufo

of the A.I. duPont Student Band

School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 23

On a fundamental level, as simple and cliché as it may sound, Paul Parets gets it. He endows his students with a tremendous amount of responsibility and input into the direction of the program, while never overlooking the fact that these young, impressionable people in his band room represent an opportunity to help shape, in some small part, a more musical future. In a recent SBO interview, Paul reveals the common sense approach that has spawned such a wildly successful music program.

musical. When the chance came to take beginning band, I took beginning band and I just fell in love with it.

SBO: Could you describe the moment when you decided that education would be in your future?

SBO: Do you know where that interest came from?

PP: That turned out to be a sort of a family crisis. The expectation all along from everyone in my family, including me, was that I was going to go into medicine. I came home from school one day and announced that I was going to be a music educator and my father was just floored. He was not happy.

Later on, he became supportive, but I was going to be a doctor in the family, if you can imagine that.

PP: No, and my parents asked themselves that a dozen times, too, because neither of them was particularly

SBO: What was your musical experience like in high school, then?

School Band & Orchestra: Why did you first take up an instrument, way back when?

Paul Parets: I’m not sure I can explain it; I just liked classical music.

I was probably the only kid in junior high who actually bought classical music on vinyl.

PP: Where I went to high school, we had a fairly average band. Of course, you have to think back to the 1960s – bands were forming stick figures on the field. We weren’t particularly good at it, but I just liked band.

SBO: Apparently enough to stick with it.

PP: Yes, enough to stick with it for a lifetime. If someone had told me in 1960 that I would be directing and still doing it today, I would have said, “You’re nuts!”

SBO: Would you describe some of your early teaching experiences?

PP: My first teaching experience right out of college was a high school band. I just sort of fell into it because the school district had fired the previous band director and here it was in August and the school board was in a panic. My college director, George Cavender, gave them my name. They called me and I took the job. It was a rural high school in the middle of nowhere and I worked there for ten years. I really enjoyed working with those kids and building a band there.

SBO: What prompted a move?

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PP: I guess it was just time to move on. The same guy, George Cavender, recommended me for a job in Delaware at a much more successful band program that had gone into a tailspin. So I moved to the East Coast and took this job. I can remember my in-laws saying, “Delaware… that’s in New Jersey, isn’t it?”

SBO: What was the A.I. duPont band program like when you arrived?

PP: They had had a longtime director, Bob Streckfuss, who had just

Alexis I. duPont Tiger Marching Band at a Glance Location: 50 Hillside Road, Greenville, Del. On the Web: www.aidupontbands.com Director: Paul Parets Number of students: 220 Recent Notable Performances: 2009: The inauguration of President Barack Obama 2009: The Lord Mayor’s New Year’s Day Parade, London, England (also 1989, 1992, 1996, 2005) 2009: ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade, Philadelphia (1987 – 2009) 2008: The Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena, California (also 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004) 2007: The New Year’s Day Peace Parade, Rome and the Vatican 2006: The Fiesta Bowl Parade, Phoenix, Arizona 2003: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Dublin, Ireland (also 1993, 1997, 2000) 2001: The Orange Bowl Parade, Miami, Florida (also 1998) moved on to the University of Delaware. They then hired a man who came in and proved that a lifetime of work can by toppled by one man in one year. When I got there, some of the kids had quit the band and there was scandal around the program. I came in when the ship was sinking, which is a good way to take over. If you take over a really successful program, you never get the credit for what’s going on, but if you take over one that is not doing so well and you can bring it up, then people really take notice of what you’ve accomplished.

SBO: When you stepped in that first day, did you have a solid vision of where you were going to take the program?

PP: I had a vision in my mind of

what a high school band should be like and I started working in that direction, rather than just taking the band-aid approach. I definitely had a vision of where I wanted this band to go.

SBO: How long did it take to achieve that goal?

PP: It took ten years to accomplish

that vision. No question about it. People say, “Wow, it must be nice to have so much success,” but they forget the ten years of grief and ulcer making of trying to build that village.

SBO: To take it out of abstract terms, what exactly were you going for and what did you do during those formative years?

26 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

PP: First of all, I’m a very strong be-

liever in student power. One of the very first things I did was establish a student executive board. It had to be made up of seniors, because those are the students who understand the organization the best. I handed them the power to select music, to approve drills, to pick the trips – all of the things that I thought a really great band should be doing. Instantly, the kids bought into that. They have taken it unbelievably seriously for 34 years. One of the reasons why I gnash my teeth at so-called competitive bands is that they tend to drive kids who have jobs and play sports or do other activities out of the band because many young people can’t put in that kind of time. In my view, public education means public music for the broadest number of students possible. We restructured how the band rehearsed, when it rehearsed, got out of the way of athletes, and kids who could play football and tuba came pouring into the band.

SBO: Do you really entrust the kids with the selection of repertoire?

PP: In terms of classical repertoire, during concert band season, which runs basically from November through the end of the school year, I’ve already put a lot of music in their folder. Then, after we’ve gone through it all, I ask the executive board which ones they would prefer to perform in public. And they aren’t dumb. I get comments like, “I’m

not sure we have the trombone section to place this piece, so let’s go with this other one.” These are kids talking!

They realize that I take what they think seriously.

SBO: So you give them some responsibility and they respond positively.

PP: Absolutely. And in terms of marching band, they pretty much decide everything. We take a committee of students up to Philadelphia to JW Pepper and they pick the music. Sometimes I think, “Oh they’re making a terrible mistake” – and sometimes they are, but most of the time they aren’t.

SBO: It can’t be as simple as saying, “Okay kids, you are running the show!”

PP: Of course it isn’t. And the kids know that. Once again, it comes back to the type of students that their peers elect to lead the organization. Because they realize the gravitas of what they’re doing, they tend to elect the right people. It’s not a popularity contest.

When those kids come on board, the first thing we do is meet, at which point I tell them, “You are going to be making decisions that will impact this band for your entire senior year, so you don’t want to make bad decisions. My job is to enforce what you decide, but also to comment on what you decide.” We have a lot of give and take and sometimes it gets heated. The kids understand and they really respect the fact that they own this band. It’s their band.

SBO: Looking at the bigger picture, what’s your objective as a band director?

PP: I have two objectives: One, when the kids leave high school, they have actually played some great music by some great composers. Transcriptions they will be, but they will have played them. And secondly, that they recognize that there is only one purpose for music, and that is to thrill people. Nobody listens to music that doesn’t do something to them emotionally. It’s funny you mention that because last summer I was driving home and my cell phone rang. There it was, a former student of mine who is living in Atlanta, Georgia, and he was in his car and he said, “I just heard

Photo by Joe del Tufo

‘Pines of the Appian Way’ on the radio and I remembered we’d played that!”

So when we got done talking about his kids and everything else, I hung up the phone and thought, “That’s why I’m in this business. That guy was thrilled to have played that piece, and he knows and understands that piece, and he was excited enough to call me about it.”

that. [laughs] Whatever is happening here sticks with these kids and it seems to stick for years. Right now, I have five kids in band whose parents were in my band – that’s scary. The first time a kid walks through the door and says he’s a former student’s grandchild, I’m outta there!

SBO: There have been a number of fabulous opportunities you’ve been able to provide your students, whether traveling abroad, or marching in high profile parades. Is there anything that really stands out from those experiences?

PP: That’s right. Richard Weaver is a graduate of A.I. duPont High School and a member of my band and the percussion section who went on to get his music degree and now he’s back assisting.

PP: I guess the thing that sticks out in my mind is the miracle of all of these kids getting all of this stuff done. They actually got it done and enjoyed themselves doing it. I have a Facebook account, and I limit my connections to current and former students. I have over 1,300… I guess you’d call them “friends.” The entire Facebook page is about nothing but the band and what’s going on in former students’ lives and “P-Dawg, aren’t you dead yet,” and stuff like

SBO: Switching gears a little bit, this has been a challenging year for the American economy. Has your program been directly affected?

SBO: Your assistant director was a former student as well, wasn’t he?

PP: We have an extremely successful and very visible program. That makes the budget cutters a little reluctant to get themselves in trouble with John Q. Public. In the broader sense, I see it in programs in trouble here in Delaware and across the country. Choir, music, art, band – they all are taking huge hits.

Sometimes it’s budgetary, and some-

times there are complete program cuts.

SBO: Do you have any advice for other directors out there to put their programs in the public eye and hopefully keep them off the chopping blocks?

PP: Sure: involve the broadest base of qualified kids you can. If you’re going to be in a high school with 1,500 students and there are only 60 in the band because those are the ones that meet your criteria, then you are asking for trouble. At that point, someone will sit down and say, “We’re spending X amount of dollars for a program that only serves 60 students?”

The other thing is to keep your band connected to the public. We do a lot of community service parades. Are they a pain in the butt? Of course they are! Do they win the respect and appreciation of the larger community? Absolutely!

SBO: Does your booster program contribute considerably to your funding?

PP: We have a large booster group that spends a significant amount of time raising money and they are very good at it. The money that they raise is earSchool Band and Orchestra, November 2009 27

PP: Sure we do, but I tell the parents and I tell the kids that if I have to bring the Gestapo with me when we travel to make sure that everyone is doing what they’re supposed to, then we aren’t going to travel, because that’s not going to be fun for anyone. Parents go as what I call “low profile chaperones” and, amazingly, God bless my luck, we’ve never had a major incident on a band trip.

marked for equipment and uniform repair. The district buys our uniforms.

And these are very active parents.

The parents go where their kids are.

If the kids are interested in soccer, you can be sure that mom and dad are going to be at those soccer games. If the kid is interested in band, mom and dad are going to be at the performances. I’m blessed with an overwhelming amount of parent help for that very reason.

PP: Absolutely, and anytime you get 200 people together, I don’t care if they’re adolescents or in their 60s, someone is going to be a knucklehead. That’s just the nature of the beast. You try to head off the knuckleheads and keep the rest of the organization moving.

SBO: Do you take parents with you when your band travels?

SBO: With such a visible program, do you still do recruitment?

SBO: That’s amazing, considering how many variables there are on those trips.

PP: Not really, and part of that is because behind every successful high school band director are a number of successful junior high school band directors who never make the newspapers. The kids tend to know about the band because their brothers and sisters were in the band, they’ve seen us on television, or they just like music so they end up in my program.

Because we have four high schools and 11 junior highs, coordination between the different programs in the district is kind of hard to pull off. And I have to say, band directors are kind of standoffish people, much more than most other members of the education profession. They want their own turf and don’t want other people stepping into their turf. Isn’t that interesting?

SBO: Perhaps that’s for the best, considering how isolated band rooms often are. What about retention? Is it as simple as making band a fun place to be?

PP: Our attrition rate, that is the rate of dropout from my band, is less

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than one percent per year, and that’s all they way through graduation. I’m pretty astonished by it.

I attribute this to the fact that the kids enjoy what they’re doing. They really do. In many schools, being in band is sort of like a nerd activity. At AI, it’s the place to be. Kids are touchy about their own self-image and the organizations they belong to. In many schools, they might not want to touch high school band, but here it’s okay – it’s even cool to be in the band – so the dropout rate is incredibly low.

SBO: Do you have to turn students away?

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PP: We follow a policy of never turning a student away so long as he or she has a continuous interest in learning. We keep freshmen in a separate band because I have some real concerns about a kid who is one step out of childhood hanging out with kids who have driver’s licenses and can stay out until 11 o’clock at night. I have a freshman who came up to me recently and said

he had heard of the band and he would love to be a part of it, but he’s never picked up an instrument before. He’s now learning to play the trombone.

SBO: Let’s talk about your marching band for a moment. Is it a curricular ensemble?

PP: There are two levels of band – freshman band and senior band – and if you’re in senior band, you have to be a participant in the marching band.

When I say participation, outside of the regular school day, our band practices one night a week, and that’s a very low impact in terms of hitting kids in their study time, sports time, job time and whatever else.

It comes down to this: if math teachers could pick only the kids who were outstanding at math for their courses, most kids would graduate from high school without learning math because

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they wouldn’t ever have the chance to study it. Why is music any different? Are we assuming that only four percent of the population should appreciate, understand, or perform music? When did that happen? I have been a stalwart on this issue. I’ll have kids sitting third clarinet and I might say, “Young lady, you’re doing a great job on these eight measures in this one piece and when we get to those eight measures, you play them.

That’s your contribution… and stay out of the other parts!” Everyone feels like they have a role in what we’re doing.

doing.

SBO: That’s empowerment, in a sense.

PP: Exactly. In some ways, that’s what my whole career has been about: empowerment.

SBO: What do you find to be the most challenging element of your daily routine?

PP: The most challenging thing is dealing with 220 variables. You have 220 kids sitting in front of you and they’re not the same as they were yesterday and they aren’t the same as they are going to be tomorrow. They aren’t even the same as they were an hour ago; some kid just got into a fight with his friend, another just got yelled at by his teacher, another just found out that his parents are going to get a divorce – you constantly have to measure and evaluate where these kids are and how they’re feeling. There have been rare occasions when I have said, “You know what?

Let’s put our instruments away because you all don’t want to be here today.” And they say, “Thank you!”

Then the next day, they’re ready to go for a month non-stop. I try to keep my finger on the pulse of the organization both as a group and as individuals, to the fullest extent that that is possible.

career and say, “Wow, I led the only band to go to the Rose Bowl five times under the same director. No one has ever done that before.” But you don’t have to make the Guinness Book of Records to do a great job.

Success isn’t measured by what events you participated in, but by what lives you impacted, and how you changed them. I spoke to a group of students at the University of Delaware about

12 years ago. I said, “Remember this: you don’t teach math; you teach people. And the minute you forget that, you’re in trouble.” Every day I walk into that band room and I think that I’m the luckiest man in the world because I have all of these kids, and they’re all eager to be here.

To my fellow band directors, stop worrying about the score you got in Saturday night’s band competition;

SBO: On the flipside of that last question, what’s the most rewarding element of your school day?

PP: The kids always let me know how they are feeling at the end of every rehearsal. Last year we were beating ourselves to death with Richard Strauss’s Allerseelen. At the end of rehearsal, the kids were actually cheering because we finally got it. They let me know whether they’ve enjoyed the rehearsal or not. Nine times out of ten, they’re energized. I can’t tell you how many times a student has told me that this is the one class in their day that they look forward to.

That’s nice to hear. Band is an outlet for creativity and personal drive.

SBO: Any additional thoughts to share with your music educator brethren?

PP: Yes: I’ve had a unique ride in the sense that I can look back at my School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 31

SBOPerformance: Drum Rolls

Introducing Rolls on Snare Drum

BY BRETT JONES

T

he most ubiquitous problem faced by percussionists is the question of how to sustain sounds on percussion instruments. The crux of

the matter is that the sound percussion instruments make naturally decays at varying rates after the attack. Most non-percussion instruments create a sound which contains three parts: attack, sustain, and decay. However, the sound of most percussion instruments, especially the snare drum, begins to decay immediately after the attack, thus being devoid of the important quality of sustain.

Therefore,

percussionists have developed ways of implying sustained sounds.

32 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

While their friends in the string section are drawing a bow across a string to set the string in motion and keep it that way, and while their colleagues in the wind sections are filling their respective instruments with moving air to create sustain, the percussionists must create the implication of sustain through a rapid repetition of single attacks. These attacks occur close enough together to give the listener the illusion of sustain. This series of attacks is often referred to as a roll. To successfully create the illusion of sustain while rolling, percussionists can shape their rolls in a way indicative of the three parts of sound created by many non-percussion instruments: attack, sustain, and decay.

Attack: How does one imply an attack in a roll when a roll consists of a series of attacks? Most commonly, the first note of the roll is played with a slight accent. This gives the first note a stronger quality than the notes that follow, similar to the sound of an attack made by sustaining instruments.

Sustain: The notes following the attack should be slightly softer than the attack. If this variance is not achieved, the roll will sound more like a quick series of attacks rather than sustain. To achieve a sustaining quality, the performer should play at a rate of iteration which keeps the sustaining quality alive.

On snare drum, several types of rolls can be employed and each one of them uses a different technique to achieve the illusion of sustain. These roll types will be discussed later.

Decay: Of course, decay is the easiest and most natural part of the sound to emulate because percussion instruments do this naturally. Although the decay of long-ringing percussion instruments can be altered by the player through dampening, the snare drum

rarely requires such action. Generally, the snare drum player either ends the roll with a definite sound, such as an accent, or he will simply lift the sticks and allow the drum to naturally decay.

This results in a slightly more ambiguous ending to the roll.

As educators, we must encourage our percussionists to understand these three parts of sound and put this knowledge into practical use when playing a roll.

For beginning students, snare drum rolls can be daunting. Oftentimes, they never achieve an adequate roll sound.

With a systematic approach to pedagogy, we can help our beginning students attain a good-sounding roll while experiencing minimal frustration. Before laying out a systematic pedagogical approach, we must first consider the importance of basic snare drum technique – namely, grip and motion. We must also have a clear understanding of the three main types of snare drum rolls prior to presenting this information to our students.

Grip: Percussion educators use varying approaches to teaching grip, the scope of which is too broad for the purpose of this article. However, we will go over the aspects of grip that are pertinent to teaching beginners how to play a good snare drum roll. The grip must have a defined pivot point, or fulcrum. With matched grip, the fulcrum is usually formed between the index finger and the thumb and is held approximately five inches from the butt of the stick. This, however, can vary depending on the stick and the player. If a student’s back fingers are gripping hard against the back of the stick, the pivoting function of the fulcrum will not work properly. When the back fingers are touching the stick in a relaxed manner, or not touching the stick at all, the fulcrum will work as it is intended, allowing the back of the stick to move opposite the bead of the stick. A good fulcrum is needed to ensure that the stick can bounce freely off of the drumhead. The tension of the fulcrum becomes very important for bounced rolls. The tenser the fulcrum, the less freely the stick tip will bounce back from the head. The more relaxed the fulcrum, the more freely the stick will bounce back. This relaxed

fulcrum will create a slower, or more open sequence of bounces. Depending on the speed of the roll, the player will be required to hold the fulcrum tenser or more relaxed for quicker or slower bounces. To have good control of the bounces, the player must be able to adjust the tension in the fulcrum.

Stroke Motion: When playing the snare drum, there are three main pivot points which combine to create the motion of the stroke. The elbow pivot moves the forearm to create a low velocity, weighted attack. The wrist pivot creates a nice, all-purpose attack, and is used for both moderate and fast passages. It is also the primary pivot used to create a stroke. Finally, the fingers are incorporated for fast playing with a light touch. By combining these pivot points and using them at the appropriate time, students can play the snare drum with great facility and relaxation. Young players can apply this understanding of stroke motion to develop the three main kinds of snare drum rolls: the single-stroke roll, the double-stroke roll, and the multiple-bounce roll.

The Single-Stroke Roll: To play a single-stroke roll (e.g. right, left, right, left), the student must use his wrist and back fingers to move the sticks in

a quick, alternating fashion. The stick tips hit the head only once per stroke, no bounces or double-strokes are employed. Quite simply, the percussionist alternates strokes from the right to left hand as quickly as possible. To imply the illusion of sustain, the student should give the initial attack a slight accent.

The Double-Stroke Roll: The double-stroke roll, (e.g. right, right, left, left), can be played two different ways.

One approach to playing a doublestroke roll is to allow each stick tip to bounce once after the attack, creating a total of two hits per hand. To achieve this, the student should set the stick into motion by using the elbow pivot (moving the forearm) and taking the back fingers slightly off of the stick.

When the stick hits the head, if the fulcrum is tense enough, the stick tip should bounce on the head. In order to limit the bounces, the stick should be lifted from the head after it bounces once following the initial attack. Once again, the bounced double-stroke roll requires that the stick tip hits the drumhead exactly twice for each hand motion. The typical rhythm for a bounced double-stroke is based on a sixteenth-note hand motion, which, with the bounces, makes the overall

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School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 33

rhythm a series of thirty-second notes.

Another approach to playing a double-stroke roll is to control both sounds of the double-stroke. With this approach the stick tip does not bounce on the drum head. When the double-stroke roll is controlled, the first hit of each double stroke should be set into motion by the elbow and wrist pivots, while the back fingers set the stick into motion for the second hit of the double. This creates very fast thirty-second notes, which are perceived as a roll. Both approaches create the same basic sound (right, right, left, left), but, especially for slower rolls, the evenness of the controlled double-stroke is desired.

Often, the initial attack of a long double-stroke roll is given a slight accent to imply a sustained sound.

The Multiple-Bounce Roll: The multiple-bounce roll requires at least three bounces per hand motion (for example, right, right, right, left, left, left). On a technical level, it is actually an attack followed by two

bounces. The way to attain a highquality multiple-bounce roll is to achieve a uniform volume of bounces. This can best be accomplished if the player uses the elbow pivot (forearm motion) rather than the wrist to create the initial stick movement.

This forearm technique will create a slow-velocity stroke, and soften the initial impact of each hand’s attack during the roll. It will also allow the following bounces to be more similar in volume to the attack because the slower velocity allows for a more relaxed fulcrum. A multiple-bounce roll is not necessarily based on a sixteenth-note subdivision of hand movement. Rather, the speed of the subdivision should reflect whatever speed is required to fill the sound of the roll evenly, regardless of the tempo of the passage. When this is done properly and is coupled with a slight accent at the beginning of the roll, the illusion of sustain will be obtained.

Teaching Rolls Students must understand how to use their grip and the previously discussed motions to achieve an even and desirable roll sound. The following is a systematic approach to teaching rolls to beginning or intermediate students.

Although there are many technique exercises students can practice to improve the speed and sound of their single-stroke rolls, the main concept to remember in teaching them is that the back fingers must be used to keep the sticks moving quickly. That being said, we will focus more on the doublestroke and multiple-bounce rolls with the following exercises. We will first introduce bouncing the stick on the drumhead, followed by basic multiplebounce rolls, then double-stroke rolls, and finally, more advanced multiplebounce rolls. Please note that the numbered instructions are accompanied by roll exercises of the same number.

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1. Begin by having your students allow the stick to bounce on the snare drum head. Have them let their back fingers come off of the stick so that the only contact point with the stick is the fulcrum. When they practice bounces, make sure your students use forearm (elbow pivot) rather than wrist to soften the initial attack of the stick on the drumhead. Have them practice with one hand at a time, and then both hands together. Encourage your students to try to achieve a unified motion and sound from both hands. (Note: the ‘z’ on the note stems means to allow the stick head to bounce numerous times.)

Example 1

2. After the students are comfortable allowing the stick to bounce and have achieved some control of the stick, encourage them to work to attain several bounces per attack. Technically speaking, this is an initial arm movement followed by two bounces for a total of three “stick hits” per hand movement.

Example 2

3. Once they are able to get consistent bounces, try having students alternate bounces between the right and left hands. Have them first play eighth-note bounces with just one hand. Once that is consistent, have them add in the other hand on the sixteenth note between the downbeat and the upbeat that follows.

Have them add in the other hand until they are playing a slow multiple-bounce roll.

Example 3

4. Next, have your students do the same thing, but this time have them start with the left hand. Once this is comfortable, have them play at a faster tempo to make it sound more like a roll than a rhythm.

Example 4

5. When the students can achieve a decent multiple-bounce roll, have them return to practicing the original, eighth-note pattern; but this time, have them lift their stick after it bounces only once. When they can do this, they have achieved a bounced double stroke. This is the first step to playing a double-stroke roll.

When this rhythm is consistent, have the students add a bounced double stroke with the other hand on the sixteenth note between the downbeat and the upbeat. Continue having them add double strokes with the other hand until a double-stroke roll is achieved. Have the students practice this at various tempi and alternate the hand with which they start.

Example 5

School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 35

6. Once an even double-stroke roll is established, have your students practice playing a series of single eighth notes (wrist motion), followed by bounced doubles (arm motion). First, have the students try this with each hand separately, and then incorporate both hands at the same time. Make sure that they use the wrist pivot motion for the single eighth notes, and the elbow pivot (arm motion) for the bounced doubles.

Example 6

7. Next, have the students practice playing sixteenth notes followed by thirty-second-note double strokes in an alternating fashion. Note that the sixteenth notes should still be played with the wrist, while the double-stroke bounces should utilize arm. This should first be attempted by including a rest between the sixteenth notes and the double strokes to allow the students to prepare for the change of motion. However, eventually this exercise should be played as a continuous pattern.

Example 7

When exercises five through seven are smooth and even, have your students go back and play them with controlled double strokes instead of bounced double strokes. With this approach, the initial attack should still be mostly with the

arm, but the following rebound, instead of being bounced, should be controlled with the fingers. When controlling the doublestroke, the back fingers should stay on the stick. Remember that fingers should only be taken off of the stick to allow the stick to bounce, which does not apply to controlled double strokes.

Have your students practice exercises six and seven utilizing the multiple-bounce approach. To achieve an ideal multiple-bounce, have your students try to get a total of three hits per hand. Having three bounces (technically, an attack followed by two bounces) per hand creates very full and even sounding multiple-bounce rolls.

Because percussionists will never be able to truly sustain sound on the snare drum, knowing the correct approach to achieving good rolls is very valuable. With some knowledge and practice, young snare drummers can achieve the kind of roll sounds that their band directors desire. Further, by emulating the three main parts of sustained sound – attack, sustain, and decay – young percussionists can successfully attain the desired illusion of sustain.

Brett Jones is currently the assistant professor of Percussion at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Jones holds a bachelor degree in music education from the University of Colorado and masters and doctorate degrees in percussion performance from Texas Tech University. He has held faculty positions at Northland College, Blinn College, and Texas Tech University. Jones endorses Encore mallets, Silverfox Percussion drumsticks, Grover Pro Percussion products, and Planet Marimba mallet instruments.

36 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

SBOSurvey

School B&O Buying Habits 2009 F or music educators, procuring band and orchestra in-

struments for their students can be challenging. When faced with budget restrictions, a tough economy or

finding the right musical instrument dealer who will

work well with them and their students, it can be a time-consuming mission.

38 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

If a dealer and a school develop a good working relationship, both parties can benefit: For the dealer, a school can become a consistent, frequent customer; for a school or music teacher, the dynamic of trust and dependability in such an association is often important. To find out more about musical instrument buying patterns when it comes to student band and orchestra instruments, SBO sent out a survey to music educators across the country. We found out, not surprisingly,

that behind every decision is a budget, whether it is a constraining one or not.

For most schools, that’s the bottom line.

For the current school year, did you (or are you planning to) purchase more, less, or the same dollar amount of musical instruments as last year?

“I can’t get stuff every year, and I purchased a new bass drum and stand last year. I also did a few more repairs and

More:

22% Less:

Same:

41%

37%

“If I’m lucky, I’ll get one major instrument purchase per school year.”

John Cznadel Manassas, Va. “We provide nearly all instruments at the elementary level and only very expensive, needed, or auxiliary instruments after fifth grade.”

Lindsay Williams Owego High School Owego, N. Y.

Which factors are most important when selecting a music store to work with?

“We had to use our fundraiser to help start a new guitar course. The cost is being shared by band, orchestra, and chorus. If I’m lucky, I’ll get one major instrument purchase per school year.”

John Cznadel Saunders Middle School Manassas, Va. “Funding has been cut back drastically in many California schools. We are just very thankful that we are able to continue our high school band program.”

George Edwin Smith Gustine High School Gustine, Calif.

Relationship with staff and/or ownership:

Percussion:

31%

Brass:

25%

Strings:

13%

Woodwinds:

31%

27% 20%

Ability to offer repairs:

14%

“Not that cost isn’t important, but if you want good repairs and reliable service, the cost sometimes comes later in the priorities.”

David Hiett Regina Dominican High School Wilmette, Ill.

When do you plan your budget?

Fall:

28% Winter:

What types of instruments are you purchasing this year?

26%

Cost:

Selection/Inventory:

22%

Spring:

Winter:

11%

9%

Summer

48%

Fall:

32%

“We were allowed to spend zero dollars last year, and I expect we will spend zero dollars this year.”

Michael G. Melnick Croswell-Lexington Middle School Croswell, Mich.

13%

Location/proximity to school:

am purchasing new mutes and a tuner.

We’ve had to cut back quite a bit.”

Jack Ronald Wise Algonquin Middle School Algonquin, Ill.

When do you make the bulk of your instrument purchases?

Spring:

36%

Summer:

24%

“My budget is virtually non-existent even though I am supposed to have a budget.”

Daryl Coffin Central Lee Schools Donnellson, Iowa

What is the ratio of school-owned instruments to student-owned instruments in your program?

36%

1-4:

19%

4-1: 1-1:

8%

2-3:

8%

2-1: 1-2: 3-2: Other:

6% 4% 2% 17%

“The only school-owned instruments in my program are color instruments: bass clarinets; tenor saxophones; baritone saxophones; French horns; flugelhorns; euphoniums; tubas/sousaphones; and percussion.”

Richard Stichler Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe High School Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.

School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 39

Additional thoughts on buying musical instruments?

“In the current economy, it is getting more and more difficult to purchase new instruments. Our elementary band director started a used instrument program last year which has greatly benefitted our program. Many families have donated older instruments to the elementary band program, and we have been able to have those instruments repaired or even reconditioned/overhauled. Through some fundraising efforts and a couple of benefit concerts, we have been able to raise money to purchase used instruments through sources such as eBay. This has been a very viable option, especially for students who are economically disadvantaged and might not be able to afford to rent or purchase an instrument.”

Rick Worley Central York Middle School York, Penn.

“I see the number of students who own (or are renting to own) their instruments dropping. There has been a big increase in the number of students who need to rent an instrument from the school. Some of them cannot even pay the $40 per year school rental

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Reliability and quality are the two biggest things we look for in electronic percussion ...and Xylosynth provides you with both.” Craig Dunn, CEO

“Through some fundraising efforts and a couple of benefit concerts, we have been able to raise money to purchase used instruments through sources such as eBay.” Rick Worley York, Penn. cost, and so we try to find sponsors for those students. There has also been an increase in people buying cheap (under $200 new) instruments on the Internet. Most of these have arrived in non-playing condition and have to be repaired (if they can be repaired), and the savings in buying on the cheap is lost.”

John Mueller Incline Middle School Incline Village, Nev. “The economy has hit us hard with the Chrysler headquarters a stones throw north of us. I was able to purchase a soprano sax last year with funds from a gig we did for Chrysler.

That is the only way I got capital.”

Daniel T. Burdette Avondale High School Auburn Hills, Mich.

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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT 1. Publication Title: School Band and Orchestra. 2. Publication No.: 0019-072. 3. Filing Date 10/2/09. 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $24. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: School Band and Orchestra, 21 Highland Circle, Ste. 1, Needham, Norfolk, MA 02494. 8. Complete Mailing Address of the Headquarters or General Business Office of the Publisher: (Same as #7). 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Richard E. Kessel, 21 Highland Circle, Ste. 1, Needham, MA 02494; Editor: Eliahu Sussman, 21 Highland Circle, Ste. 1, Needham, MA 02494; Managing Editor: None. 10. Owner (If owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also immediately thereafter the names and addresses of stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of stock): Zapis Capital Group, LLC; Leon Zapis, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Xenophon Zapis, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Richard Bongorno, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Maria Wymer, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Donna Thomas, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Renee Seybert, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None.

12. (For Nonprofit Organizations - Does Not Apply) 13. Publication Name: School Band and Orchestra. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: October 2009. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation. Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: a.

Total No. Copies : 16,158/14,183 b. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribution: (1) Paid/ Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions:. 10,213/9,973 (2) Paid/Requested In-County Subscriptions:.0/0 (3) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales:.0/0 (4) Requested copies distributed by other USPS mail classes:.0/0 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation:.

10,213/9,973 d. Nonrequested distribution: (1). Outside county nonrequested copies:.5,554/4,045 (2) In County nonrequested copies:. 0/0 (3) Nonrequested copies distributed through other USPS mail classes:0/0 (4). Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail: 226/0 e. Total nonrequested distribution:. 5,780/4,045 f. Total Distribution:15,993/14,018 g. Copies not distributed:165/165 h. Total: 16,158/14,183 i: Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 64%/71% 16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the November 2009 issue of this publication.

17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or civil sanctions. Richard E. Kessel, Publisher

SBOTechnology: Ear Training

A Brief Look at Music Theory & Ear Training Software

“A

ccountability” is the buzzword for survival in music education today. With the help of state-of-the-art music technology, we can now validate our instruction and show growth via assessments and performances as never before. Some excellent music theory and ear training software applications have arrived with attractive new features

that can facilitate growth and learning for students of all ages.

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory 3 (EMT3) and Datasonics’ Mastering Music are now available in Web-based versions, and several companies have created software designed to prepare students for the music portion of the Advanced Placement exams. Keeping records of music theory and ear training progress is easier than ever with detailed analysis and reports readily available for parents, students, and faculty. Teachers can create customized instruction to meet their individual curriculum needs. New product updates offer more modules, cleaner interfaces with more graphic presentations and generally make music theory and ear training a lot more fun to learn.

Take a look at this buffet of instruction: Musica Practica

Music Ace Maestro

Auralia 4.0

Musition 4.0

Music Lessons I

Music Lessons II

Essentials of Music Theory

EarMaster 5

Mastering Music

Alfred’s Interactive Musician 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.

Practica Musica The granddaddy of all music theory software products is Practica Musica by Ars-Nova (www.ars-nova.com). It offers a complete drill and practice tutor for both music theory and ear training with well over 100 activities. With a friendly, coordinated onscreen “Exploring Theory” textbook and hundreds of interactive learning activities, it provides a well-thought out learning experience for both beginners and advanced students.

The AP Prep Course provided with current editions of Practica Musica is a comprehensive set of learning activities that follow the organization of the 2003 Music Theory Released Exam. Each question in the exam is represented by one or more Practica Musica activities that provide practice answering that type of question, with computer feedback plus background material practice required by the question. Other courses in Practica Musica, particularly the one associated with the included textbook, Exploring Theory, provide the prerequisite training needed before beginning work on the AP material.

School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 41

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ago my 5th-grade students were playing recorders and having problems with a particular passage. I asked them to stop playing and sing the Glenn Kueck, an elementary general notes to help get the pasmusic teach in Killeen, Texas found sage in their ear. Without Music Maestro particularly effective me giving a starting pitch helping students with pitch and rhythm.

– they sight sang the passage “I have been using Music Ace in my accurately and on pitch. I classroom at Clifton Park Elementary attributed this success to the School in Killeen Texas for a decade,” ear training component of he says. “I believe this is the reason Music Ace.” that all my 5th graders – save the ones Although Music Ace that just transferred from other schools Maestro by Harmonic Vision – can read the treble staff, why they (www.harmonicvision.com) was de“Music technology has changed once signed for general boring ear training exercises and theory music instruction into an exciting musical challenge.” at the elementary and middle school levels, don’t underestimate its potential for are so good at keeping a steady beat remedial instruction with when we play our Orff instruments and vocalists and instrumentalour recorders, why they can imitate ists at the middle and high rhythms readily, and why they sight sing school levels who are behind so well. For example, about two years

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on their music reading skills. Music Ace Maestro encompasses 48 lessons with four or five separate learning levels inside each lesson, covering staff and keyboard relationship, pitch identification, note reading, listening skills, key signatures, major scales, advanced lessons on rhythm, harmony and melody, and games in each.

Auralia and Musition Rising Software offers two recently updated, exciting aural training and music theory drill and practice products at www.risingsoftware.com. Their Auralia 4 is a first-class ear training package that is a delight and easy to use. Auralia leads users through a variety of graded exercises, while presenting instant feedback. All results are recorded, and students can sing or play their answers using a microphone or MIDI keyboard. Auralia is suitable for both classical and contemporary musicians of any age and ability. Instruction is divided into 5 topic areas: Intervals & Scales; Chords; Rhythm; Harmony & Form; and Pitch & Melody. This latest version includes customized support for students who are taking AP

Music Theory courses in the form of a supplied syllabus, tests, and courses.

Rising Software’s Musition 4 (www. risingsoftware.com/musition) is a comprehensive music theory and fundamentals package for music students of all ages and abilities. It mirrors the product updates found in Auralia, along with added lessons, enhanced content, and a fresh look. Musition’s interactive teaching is designed to make learning music theory fun and easy. The structured drills and instant feedback create a stimulating learning environment, enabling students to achieve their maximum potential.

Essentials of Music Theory 3

quickly identifies strengths and weaknesses. With over 100 levels to choose from plus customized levels, students work at their own pace, while the teacher sets up guidelines for the student to follow.

Michelle Sisler from Owatonna, Minnesota has made Alfred’s Interactive Musician a staple in her piano studio and uses it on a weekly basis during required weekly lab time. She states, “It is essential to help them practice ear training, sight reading and rhythm exercises, since we don’t always have time for these exercises during our lesson at the piano. Because of the wide range of levels in Interactive Musician, students are able to use hands-on drills tailored to their needs. The immedi-

EarMaster School Rythm Trainer

Essentials of Music Theory 3 (www. alfred.com), a three-volume program, is the most comprehensive single music theory and ear-training software program yet created combining tutorials with drill-and-practice options. This latest version is a discovery-based, local network- or Internet-driven program with over 600 dynamic flash video lessons that draw students into an exciting musical adventure. It has powerful accountability tools, and can be adapted to any curriculum. This all-in-one product includes concise lessons with short exercises, ear training activities, games, and reviews. Software includes narration, animated examples and clickable elements for aural reinforcement. Also available is an Educator version that also allows the instructor to add customized questions and exercises. Its narration of new concepts is unique among music theory/ear training applications, and no prior musical experience is required for middle and high school level instruction.

Alfred’s Interactive Musician Alfred’s Interactive Musician by Morton Manus develops essential musicianship skills via pitch training, sight-reading, and rhythm. It is designed to enhance recognition of intervals, chords, scales, and rhythms, and also improve the user’s ability to sight-read. The self-paced program School Band and Orchestra, November 2009 43

EarMaster 5

ate, visual feedback is a great tool to help students visualize what they are working on. My students have more accurate and solid skills after using this program in combination with my teaching.”

EarMaster 5 EarMaster 5, distributed by eMedia (www.emediamusic.com), is a flexible and comprehensive ear-training package.

The program includes over 650 ear-training lessons for recognizing and transcribing intervals, chords, scales, rhythms, and melodies, among which are 211 jazz lessons for recognizing, jazz chords, progressions, and rhythms. You can also create your own customized exercises. EarMaster is available in three editions for students, educators and schools. A product comparison chart is featured at www.earmaster.com by clicking on the “comparison” link.

EarMaster makes it possible to sing or play exercises directly into a computer’s microphone with any instrument or MIDI device. Students can also perform and input rhythm exercises by clapping into a microphone or using a mouse, keyboard, or any MIDI instrument. The instant feedback provides the most detailed statistics I have found in any program.

Music Lessons I & II Music Lessons I Fundamentals and Music Lessons II Chords and Harmony by MiBAC (www.mibac.com) are substantial drill and practice-based music theory and ear training programs for PC and Mac. Music Lessons I interactive drills move gently from elementary exercises all the way up to college level music theory. I particularly like its user-friendly, learn-by-doing style. It provides immediate feedback on every question, and if you’re stuck, the software shows you the answer. If you don’t understand something, help screens clearly explain every theory concept needed to master the drills.

Topics covered include note reading, circle of fifths, key signatures, major/minor scales, modes, jazz scales, scale degrees, intervals, note/rest dura-

tions, and ear training in intervals and scales.

Music Lessons II may be the most comprehensive chords and harmony software available. It’s pedagogically sound, developing all four essential musical skill areas: visual recognition, written notation, playing (piano and guitar), and ear training. Users can switch between the naming, writing, and playing study activities in every drill, which helps sustain interest and reinforce learning. Topics include chord elements (roots, thirds, fifths), triads, triads ear training, seventh chords, seventh chords ear training, Roman numeral chord identification, 44 School Band and Orchestra, November 2009

secondary dominants, Neapolitan and augmented sixth chords. The Roman numeral identification drills are great preparation for the Advanced Placement Music Theory Exam.

Dr. Terry Eder of Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, says, “I have used Music Lessons I & II for the past six years in the music theory lab at Plano Senior HS. They are excellent programs which allow students at several levels of understanding, from beginning to even more advanced musicians, to practice the skills and fundamentals of music literacy. The fact that students can practice both written and aural skills in music is a real plus, and the feedback is immediate.”

Mastering Music Mastering Music (www.datasonics. com.au) is a comprehensive musical suite of six applications over 400 music lessons providing music outcomes in performing, composing, digital audio, notation, aural training, music theory and film scoring. The Musicianship section is particularly worth a look. Mastering Music contains an impressive number of lessons for Music Theory and Ear Training.

Erin Contrady of Kingston, New York uses Mastering Music with her 6thgrade students, allow her to maximize class time and customize instruction for students. Currently, her sixth graders are finishing up their review of musical notation. She gives them a checklist of lessons to work through for the first unit: Rhythmic and Melodic Dictation, Writing Counts, and Note Recognition. They do whole-class instruction together. Erin demonstrates the Mastering Music lesson using a SmartBoard, and students take turns at the board for whole-class practice. Then students work individually through the lesson.

Kids who finish quickly can move on to the creative projects, and students who need more practice can take all the time they need. Her school district purchased the Mastering Music Web-connect option, so she can also assign additional practice for homework. The students receive instant feedback, which improves retention and helps her see at a glance how individual students are progressing.

With this information, Erin can effectively provide extra help or enrichment.

When the drill-and-practice lessons are finished, students use the same interface to compose music in Mastering Music.

Their compositions are saved, printed out, and (the ultimate gratification for an 11-year-old!) performed by other students on classroom instruments. It makes the study of music more meaningful and the assessment more authentic.

Teaching this way also encourages the 21st century thinking skills of creativity, synthesis, and problem-solving.

Seeing is Believing Music technology has transformed ear training exercises and theory into an exciting musical challenge. Most manufacturers have free demos available for both teachers and students to investigate and, in this case, seeing really is believing. One look at these applications in action will give you a better understanding of how powerful and useful they can be for you and your students in and outside of your classroom.

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