OCTOBER 2011 $5.00
Brooklyn Center High School’s
Chris Porter Creating a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of a great music program
The NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education • Report • Educator Roundtable • Behind the Scenes
Contents
October 2011
Features 10 14
UPFRONT Q&A: SCOTT MCCORMICK Scott McCormick, founder of the nascent National Association for Music Parents, chats with SBO about the mission of his new organization.
COMMENTARY: BRAIN RULES Erin Wehr and Joe Allison return with another installment of the Brain Rules series, this time focusing on engaging the senses in the classroom.
Best Communities for Music Education 18 REPORT
Peter Giles of the NAMM Foundation and Giles Communications takes SBO inside the Best Communities for Music Education project, describing its genesis, evolution, and future.
14
24 RECIPIENTS: ROUNDTABLE
46
28 Q&A: BEHIND THE SCENES
Educators and administrators from the communities honored for music education by the NAMM Foundation in 2011 discuss the impact of this powerful advocacy tool on their music programs. SBO catches up with the research team at the University of Kansas that creates, processes, and scores the applications for the BCME project to shed some light on the process of determining the Best Communities for Music Education in America.
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32
42 46
UPCLOSE: CHRIS PORTER Chris Porter has transformed the nearly defunct Brooklyn Center (Minn.) High School Band into one earning local, state, and even national recognition for excellence. In this recent conversation with SBO, Chris elaborates on how she has accomplished this feat, as well as the challenges her program still faces.
SURVEY: REEDS & MOUTHPIECES Readers share their thoughts on educating woodwind students about reeds and mouthpieces in this recent survey.
TECHNOLOGY: THIRD-PARTY TUTORIALS
Columns 4 6 55
Perspective Headlines New Products
58 61 64
Playing Tip Classifieds Ad Index
Cover photo by David J. Turner, Minneapolis, Minn. SB&O School Band and Orchestra® (ISSN 1098-3694) Volume 14, Number 9, 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 © 2011 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.
2 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
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“N
othing from nothing leaves nothing… but you gotta have something.” This quote from the old Billy Preston song from the 1970s reflects the extraordinary story of this month’s feature on the program at Brooklyn Center High School in Minneapolis, MN. In this case, that “something” is actually a person – director Chris Porter, who started with almost nothing in a low income, urban school district. However, she built a successful program with virtually no district funds by using her wits, connections and her insightful business acumen to get instruments, music, and equipment into the hands of students who might otherwise have no opportunity to participate in a music program. This month’s story reads like a business case study on how to put together a road map towards building a school music program. “She built a successful And it worked. Ms. Porter forged partnerships with community groups, music dealers, and even leading program with virtually musical instrument companies like Yamaha, who all no district funds, but by lent a hand. However, despite great success with the using her wits, connec- program, BCHS is facing huge headwinds against a tions, and her insight- still very challenging economic landscape, where state and local budgets are still being slashed. ful business acumen to In SBO’s August issue, we highlighted the similar get instruments, music, economic challenges of many districts, as our survey and equipment into the on music budgets and funding indicated that 64 perhands of students.” cent of the schools across the country anticipate needing to raise more funds than last year. Jeffrey Cutter of Cousino High School in Warren, Mich. summed up their plight, stating, “The Pupil Foundation grand reduction from the state of Michigan will cause us to raise additional funds for the 2011-2012 school year.” Stephen Winters of Poplar Bluff High School in Poplar Bluff, Mo. said, “The band students fundraise to help pay for the marching band show music and drill. Neither of these expenses are covered by the school district.” There is no question that music programs have to become very creative in order to cover the expenses of their programs that are being relinquished by their district. To offset the fiscal challenges faced at Brooklyn Center, Porter used her marketing skills not only to generate funding and support for her program, but also to bring about support from her other constituents – the kids coming up through the ranks in the lower grades. Too often the term “marketing” is used in the sense of trying to “sell” something that people don’t want. But, in this case, it was used to draw students into something that is wonderfully beneficial to their future, and to build a program that will provide a valuable educational experience and become a prized part of the community at large. Take a look at this unique story and you’re bound to find an idea or two that could be useful in your own program…
®
October 2011 Volume 14, Number 10 GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial Staff
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School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
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HeadLines Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Plans Education Fox, ‘Glee’ Debut $1 Million Campaign for School Program Modeled on El Sistema Arts Programs
T
he Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra recently invited an El Sistema representative to speak at the city’s Epic Center Theatre in an effort to inform the launch of their new education program at Woods Lake Elementary this fall. Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Conductor Raymond Harvey.
T
wentieth Century Fox Entertainment recently announced its new public schools campaign, “Glee Give a Note” with a PSA at the end of an episode of the beloved high school choir drama. The campaign will cooperate with the National Association for Music Education to get the money to 73 schools, who will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Eligible high schools are being asked to submit videos about why their schools deserve a grant. There will be a public vote to winnow the competition and education association officials will make the final vote. For more info, visit www.gleegiveanote.com.
Dan Trahey, the director of artistic program development for OrchKids in Baltimore, told the crowd that building support for his program came from helping them understand how the intensive music program changed children’s lives somusic is with me always! cially, academically and musically. In the program Kalamazoo I need to get away hopes to emulate, students in Baltimore are given instruments ongtime music advocate and consultant Sandra Kilfrom it for a bit! and spend three hours a day, five days a week in the program. patrick Jordan has been elected to the Music for All During that time, they eat dinner, participate in tutoring and Board of Directors. Music for All is a nonprofit educareading programs, as well as have choir training. If Kalamational whose(71%) mission is to create, provide and Yes, Iorganization, do some minor repairs zoo is able to start its program, tentatively named Kalamazoo expand positively life-changing experiences through music Yes, I do most minor repairs and some major repairs (18%) Kids in Tune, it would be the first in the state. for all.No, I don't do repairs (6%) Find more info at www.kalamazoosymphony.com. Yes, I do almost everything! (5%) Jordan is an educator, advocate and entrepreneur who
38%
Yes
Sandra Jordan Named to Music for All Board of Directors
No,
L
Online Poll Results Band & Orchestra directors, do you do any of your own instrument repairs? Yes, I do some minor repairs
Yes, I do most minor repairs and some major repairs
No, I don't do repairs
71% 18% 6%
Yes, I do almost everything!
5%
Visit www.sbomagazine.com and let your voice be heard in the current online poll – results to be published in the next issue of SBO. 6 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
spent more than a decade developing award-winning educational media for Sesame Workshop, makers of “Sesame Street.” She also served as an associate director of public affairs and government relations for NAMM, the trade association for the music global products industry. As the coordinator of the national music education coalition, now at SupportMusic.com, she grew its participation to 250+ organizations working around the world to keep quality music education in schools. For more information, visit www.musicforall.org or www.sandrakilpatrickjordan.com.
Nashville Public Schools Unveil Ambitious New Music Initiative
O
ne of the most musically rich cities in the world is about to put funnel some of those natural resources into the future – namely, its own public schools. The city’s new “Music Makes Us” initiative will tap into the pool
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HeadLines of talent in the famed Music Row to expand its students’ music education. Once the program gets underway next year, Metro Nashville Public School students can look forward to the opportunities to start rock bands, take songwriting and DJ remixing classes, and show off bluegrass and hip-hop skills to real audiences. The project, still in development, is the product of a collaboration between Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and a large group of music industry and education leaders. The Nashville Mayor program has raised a reported $500,000 in donations plus Karl Dean. an army of volunteers. They hope to enact the program in elementary and middle schools next year and to move to high school by 2013.
Vandoren Seeks Emerging Artists
R
eed and mouthpiece manufacturer Vandoren has announced its open call for auditions for the second annual Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition. The competition will be presented with Music For All, in association with DANSR, Inc. The winners will perform at the 2012 Music For All National Festival, where they’ll participate with select ensembles and work with Vandoren artists. The winners will also receive a trip to Paris and to 56 Rue Lepic, the home of Vandoren, to meet with key Vandoren European artists as well as the Vandoren staff. Finally, winners will also receive a cash award and Vandoren products. Participants can audition as part of three categories: classical clarinet, classical saxophone, and jazz saxophone or clarinet. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 23 at the time of application and must submit a complete application packet by November 30, 2011. Information and applications can be downloaded at www.whyvandoren.com.
Letters Dear Mr. Kessel, I was so glad to read your article “Music for a Cause” in the most recent SBO. I teach orchestra at Oak Avenue Intermediate School in Temple City, Calif. and community service has become the cornerstone of our music curriculum. All of our students (180 7-8 grade strings and 120 band members) take part in a program we call “GIVING BACH,” in which we present concerts for children with special needs. Our concerts are unique in that they are interactive – our students end up sitting sideby-side with special needs kids and show them the basics of how to hold an instrument and how to produce a sound. We have visited special needs schools, the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles and the Starlight Children’s Foundation (for seriously ill kids and their families). Without a doubt, these concerts have been the most meaningful events in my 32 years as a public schools music educator. To see our program in action, visit our website at givingbach.org. Check out the videos in the Photo Gallery! The confidence and empathy that this program has instilled in my students are traits theywill carry forever. One of my 8th-grade violists, after meeting and working with a student who had learning disabilities, summed it all up: “Those 8 minutes or so changed my life and I will always remember how the girl made music and left with a smile on her face.” Here’s to hoping that other schools and other music students will find the “US” in mUSic. Best regards, Richard Meyer Orchestra Director 8 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
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SBOUpfrontQ&A: Scott McCormick
Introducing
AMP:
the National Association for Music Parents
W
hile many professional
asso-
ciations exist to serve
educators,
and there are a ton of resources for music students, one key segment that is often left out is the parents of those students involved in their school music programs. Enter L. Scott McCormick, former president and CEO of Bands of America, with his new venture, AMP – the Association of Music Parents, which is just beginning to gather steam. Scott recently stopped by the SBO offices to chat about his plans for this new organization and how it fits into the music education sphere.
School Band & Orchestra: Where did the idea for a National Association for Music Parents come from? Scott McCormick: When I was with Bands of America, one of the questions on my mind constantly was, “How do we connect the parents with what we’re doing?” We didn’t have the resources to develop that connection as deeply as we wanted to, so after leaving, I felt like I was being led in that direction. I’d met with the vice president of the Lilly Endowment, and they had given us a major grant several years ago. She said, “Of all the people that have come through our doors looking for grant money to talk about music and the arts as it relates to education, you’re one of the few people who can really articulate why we would should support that.” She encouraged me to look into the education reform movement. At the same time, the movie “Waiting for Superman” came out and when I left the movie theatre, I said to my wife, “This is what we need to be working
on.” So I spent the next few months working on a business plan to figure out how to build an organization and make it financially viable, so that
it would pay for itself. In May we launched a non-profit corporation in Indiana and started to develop a website really with the premise of bringing the entirety of the music industry together. We are focusing on the parents, but also looking at the teacher
National Association of Music Parents Scott McCormick
We can positively affect a lot of parents through this.
and how to involve them with their parents even more, as well as the music industry. One of the key components that I see in this organization is that it we are like Switzerland, a neutral place
School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
11
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE FAMOUS TO
SOUND FAMOUS
that everyone can be a part of, from an industry perspective. Retailers, manufacturers, publishers, fundraisers, educators – they can all see the benefit of educating parents about the importance of why kids are involved in music, as well as what happens if their kids stay in music through high school and beyond. That was the genesis behind the idea. SBO: And the idea is to provide parents with advocacy tools? SM: That is one of the key ideas. Being in the music industry and knowing what I do know, I see the void that particularly happens with the beginning students and their parents. By they time the students get to high school, some moms and dads are informed to a certain degree about the power of music, but I would still say that the vast majority of parents have no idea about what music and the arts can do for their children if the kids stay involved in it. Even those that do generally don’t know how to advocate for their programs if the programs come under fire, and the teacher is usually too overburdened with class load and everything else that it’s not always a high priority for them, either. SBO: How do you plan to reach the parents, then?
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SM: What I saw as a key place to start that conversation was through the retailer. We’re going to sign up music retailers for a nominal membership sponsorship fee, and what that fee gets them is memberships for every first-year rental or purchase that happens. So the parents of any students that rent or purchase instruments through our member stores will automatically gain membership into this organization. Any parent can also find us on the web at www.AMParents.org or through Facebook.com/AMParents and join. Music teachers can direct their individual parents to AMP or parent/booster organizations can join as a whole. What we then have to do is engage them through social media (Facebook & Twitter), electronic newsletter, the website, webinars, and the conferences we’re going to do. We want to be able to deliver the information that is relevant to them, as well as be there as a resource to share best practices when the issues come up about advocacy and so on.
When the National Music Coalition started in the 1980s, it was envisioned that local coalitions would feed into a state association, and then regional into a national organization. It just never happened like that. However, this national organization now approaching the issue from the other direction might make it happen. I hope it does. My passion is for kids and music making. We can positively affect a lot of parents through this. SBO: What is the pertinent information that music educators need to know about this organization? SM: I believe, from the years of working with thousands of educators, AMP – The Association of Music Parents will be a resource that helps them be more successful at their first job, that of teaching our kids. We believe that AMP can be a vital portal for individual parents, parent organizations and booster groups alike, providing them with valuable information, best practice sharing and a place to build a community that strengthens our music programs and our society. The other major key is that while I observe many educators shy away from the word or concept of advocacy, it is imperative they be advocating for their music and the other arts as a part of their regular agenda. If parents can step up, provided they have the right information, and do much of this for them, it becomes a win-win. I have heard too many teachers say, “We don’t need to do advocacy, our program is safe.” That may be the case today, but by the time you realize that it is not safe, it is often too late. Be proactive! SBO: Any additional thoughts? SM: I would just encourage the teachers reading this to pass this article on to a passionate parent and let them take it from there. The cost for an individual to join is $12 per household per year, a dollar a month, and parent/ booster groups can join at significant discounts. AMP also has a huge presence on Facebook and I encourage readers of this publication to join the conversation there also. Every program out there has something to offer to another and AMP is a platform for that sharing to occur. It’s time to get plugged in and turn up the volume.
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SBOCommentary: Brain Rules Daniel Bukvich’s “Maine Vigils: Casco Bay, Bells, and Whistling Buoys,” is a composition that attempts to depict the sounds one would hear on the Maine Coast looking out over Casco Bay.
Brain Rules: Paying attention to the senses By Erin WEhr and JoE allison
I
n this installment of our look at Dr. John Medina’s recent bestseller, “Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving
at Work, Home, and School,” let’s focus on Medina’s rule #9: “Stimulate more of the senses,” and rule #10: “Vision trumps all other senses.”
14 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
There can be no question that ensemble rehearsals and music classes provide a rich aural environment when compared to the typical classroom. Further, elementary education teachers are required to take college coursework to learn how to include music/sonic activities in their classrooms. A component reason for this emphasis is that the processing of musical sounds can enrich students’ understanding and retention of non-musical information. This deductively begs the question: can we as music educators enrich our students’ musical learning utilizing senses other than listening? We already know that learning (and particularly retention) is enhanced with a multi-sensory approach as compared to stimulating only one sense at a time. Since the process of sight takes up nearly half of our brain’s resources and is by far our most dominant sense, it is reasonable that combining visual cues with our aural lessons seems a logical strategy. Researchers have known for some time that the more visual the input, the more likely one will remember the associated information. Interestingly, material presented textually or orally is far less efficient than graphic images for retaining some types of information.
Let’s consider a work by Daniel Bukvich titled Maine Vigils: no. 2, “Casco Bay, Bells and Whistling Buoys.” This composition attempts to depict the sounds one would hear if on the Maine Coast looking out over Casco Bay. Musicians are asked to blow through their instruments and/or individual instrument parts in unique ways to generate the effect of the coastal soundscape. Detailed verbal instructions are given on how to create these sounds. The instructional text and musical notation clearly describe when each musician is to create their contributing sound effects. Consider, however, that for a group of musicians landlocked in the Midwest, this process might be a tenuous experience for teacher and student alike. It may be something analogous to painting a picture of something never seen before using only a written description. The possibility of frustration and/or confusion is high. A solution to encourage the pleasant achievement of the desired effect might be a simple Internet search for the terms “Maine,” “Casco Bay,” and “buoy,” which should reveal multiple images of the desired area, including indigenous birds and other natural elements from the area depicted in the work. The notated descriptions on the music are simply not sufficient,
It is said that the main difference between visual art and musical is that music is temporal (“in the moment”) while a photograph, painting, et cetera is “frozen” in time. Video then is more like music in that it is art that evolves over and through time. Returning to our Bukvich example, consider a photo of a buoy in Casco Bay. You can see a bell on top of the buoy and likely imagine the “ding-ding” ringing sound. Only a video, however, could reflect the gentle bobbing up and down with the waves and how those waves affect the timing of the continuous ringing. Bukvich chooses the saxophones to imitate the sounds of the waves rolling into the shore by blowing through the instrument without vibrating the reed while depressing keys from high to low. In a traditional instructional model, the conductor would tediously describe the execution and timing of this effect from slow to fast, the crescendo and decrescendo as the wave rolls, and the spacing between the rolling waves. The end result likely would be a mix of air and clicks, with a few distracting (and likely disruptive) squeaks, a sound that would probably resemble the very first day of sax instruction if every new beginner was mistakenly given an extra-hard #4
“Providing an actual picture or video will add depth to the musical experience of all involved.” as they force the musicians to guess at what it is they are attempting to depict. The researched images give everyone in the ensemble a consistent concept of what they are trying to portray as a group. Significantly, the presentation of a collection of pictures and sounds during rehearsal would take far less time than the traditional verbal and textual approximations, and would be more meaningful and engaging for the students. Taking this visual concept one step further, consider moving pictures (video) in place of static ones.
strength reed! Not a pretty aural picture, is it? The students would be so involved in the manufactured techniques required that they simply would not identify with (or even consider) the “big picture.” A video of rolling waves crashing into shore would easily and effectively demonstrate the rhythm, phrasing, and dynamics more efficiently and authentically than any verbal depiction can give. Additionally, the students are more likely to retain the imagery in detailed accuracy, and therefore replicate it more consistently in practice and performance!
Medina’s 12 Brain Rules • Rule #1: EXERCISE • Rule #2: SURVIVAL • Rule #3: WIRING • Rule #4: ATTENTION • Rule #5: SHORT-TERM MEMORY • Rule #6: LONG-TERM MEMORY • Rule #7: SLEEP • Rule #8: STRESS
• Rule #9: SENSORY INTEGRATION • Rule #10: VISION • Rule #11: GENDER • Rule #12: EXPLORATION
To take it to the next level, let’s incorporate a third sense. While watching the video of the buoy in action, have students move their bodies up and down with the buoy, imagining a sense of floating. Then, have the students rock forward and back with the waves as if they felt the waves rolling over them while sitting on the beach. You’re creating an IMAX experience! Further, have the students place their hands on the shoulders of their neighbors and create waves across your ensemble as though a wave was rolling over the entire band. Depending on the age group, they’ll likely love this! The students can imitate the noise of a wave using a “shhh” sound as they watch the waves in the video, so that they can literally feel the crescendo and decrescendo with their air flow. Their relationship to the imagery is now securely locked in, for better or worse! We have all had heightened experiences in rehearsal that we can only hope to recreate in future rehearsals or performances. Often these aesthetic experiences are due to something out of the ordinary, such as bringing in a guest conductor, performing in a beautiful and/or aesthetically pleasing space. Using “Brain Rules,” perhaps now some of these peak experiences can come School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 15
from the addition of informationrich visual stimuli into rehearsals. What else can help us recreate hyper-sensual experiences for our students? Leave it to the nose, according to Medina, who tells us that smells are very powerful in retrieving memories. This is due to a connection with a portion of the center of the human brain known as the amygdala. A smell can help trigger any memory, but in particular olfactory stimuli can be helpful in retrieving emotional memories. To apply this to instruction, try finding a distinctive and pleasing scent that is related to what you are trying to achieve. For the Bukvich example, one would have multiple seaside scents to choose from. You could place some scented oil on strips of paper. Place each strip in a plastic baggie, and then give one to each student to keep in his or her music folder! When the group has reached a point of conceptual unity (“flow”) and everything is working to satisfaction, then have the students open their baggy and experience the scent. This will “encode” the desired behaviors. Later, use the scent before playing the piece or prior to a performance to bring everyone back to that state of consciousness when everything was working. It may seem new age-y, but science completely backs up the effectiveness of this technique. Not only is the memory effectively enhanced, but the smells can enhance everyone’s state of arousal and make us more alert – a definite win-win! We have known for some time that a multi-sensory approach to instruction is more effective than any addressing only one sense at a time. We also know that by combining senses, there is a cumulative effect that is greater than the sum any of the individual effects. A corollary of this principle: when creating a sensory-rich learning environment, it is helpful to eliminate extraneous sensual information that would establish a “mixed-message.” For a practical example, the smells of the sea technique might be less effective in a room full of wet marching band 16 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
uniforms and shoes. (Yuk.) Creating wave effects across the ensemble with “shh” sounds will be much less effective if concentration-killing announcements are blaring over the loudspeaker. Pictures and video will be less effective in a room full of distracting light that inhibits the viewing of rich color and texture. If one is serious about creating a learning environment that is sensually rich, then attention should be paid to what needs to be left out as well as what is being added in. One might ask, “How does this work for a non-programmatic work?” You need not go further than a Warner Brothers cartoon or Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” to see how visual stimulus can engage the imagination (as well as understanding and retention) of the listener. As a conductor you can choose or create visual imagery and by sharing that imagery you take a short cut to helping your musicians come together to conceptual (and technical) unity. Conductors have done this with verbal imagery since time immemorial, describing visual concepts. Providing an actual picture or video will add depth to the musical experience of all involved. Just as we have discussed in an earlier installment the practice of student participation in the creation of a story for a work of music, we have them contribute to the addition of visual art to the rehearsal. A number of educational researchers have advocated the practice of including students in the preparation of instruction as a stimulus for effective learning. Ask students to find artwork or video that depicts what the music means to them. Divide the ensemble into groups and assign each group a different one of the five sensory traits for finding rehearsal resources. Beyond the resultant performance effect, the addition of sensual enhancement to instruction will facilitate heightened engagement with the music and each other. Literally “looking at the music” from different perspectives is a project worth exploring. We challenge you to add some of these ideas to only one
work for a concert, and compare the experience, as well as the results. A growing body of neurological research suggests this will deepen the students’ relationship with the music… and it works for the directors, too!
Erin Wehr currently teaches music education at the University of Iowa, and has also taught at Eastern Kentucky University and The University of Missouri. In addition, Ms. Wehr has directed elementary and secondary instrumental music programs in Iowa and Illinois, taught general music, and holds Orff certification. She has served as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor for elementary and secondary music programs; drum and bugle corps; and adult and community music groups. Joseph Allison is the director of bands and coordinator of Conducting Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. He is also a co-founder of The Marching Roundtable (www.marchingroundtable.com). Prior to these positions, Dr. Allison was the director of Bands and Orchestras at Sumter (S.C.) High School, where his program became the first internationally to be honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation as laureates of both the Sudler Flag of Honor for concert excellence and the Sudler Shield for marching achievement.
Do you have suggestions for future articles or areas of coverage? Share your ideas at www.sbomagazine.com!
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Inside the
“Best Communities For Music Education� program
By Peter Giles
T
he Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) program began as a program in the American Music Conference (AMC) and merged with the NAMM Foundation that was formed about five years ago. As a signature pro-
gram of the NAMM Foundation, BCME recognizes schools and communities for their support of music education as a core academic subject. As a national recognition program, it gives local music education teachers, leaders and advocates a tool to increase visibility and support for their music programs. The recognition stimulates public support and funding for music education programs in communities across the country; over the years, this has been demonstrated many times over.
18 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
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Supporting music education on the community level is a critically important issue w i t h i n our industry, particularly in light of tight budgets and changing attitudes. Music research continues to add more weight to the conclusion that active participation in music offers many benefits for developing young minds.
Genesis
Inspired by annual “Best 100 Places to Live” lists, BCME was established in 1999 to recognize and celebrate schools, their administrators, teachers, board members, parents, and students for their support of music education and their efforts to assure access to all students as part of the core curriculum. Right from the beginning, this program was designed to appeal to individuals’ sense of community pride and
competitiveness and provided national recognition to programs that were a source of pride for parents, teachers, and school leaders. Over time, the recognition was used to advance support for music education and, in some instances, actually saved programs from decreased funding or cuts. While “awareness-raising” can often be a hollow response to a problem, the decline in public music education funding had several characteristics that made the creation of awareness a solid response. While more than 90 percent of Americans (in a 2003 Gallup poll) agreed that music should be part of a child’s music education, many adults – informed by their own long-ago school experiences – believed music remained all but universally available. Showing them this was not the case became a key objective for the campaign. In addition, since educational decisions are largely made
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at the local level, it was important to hold up communities with strong music education programs as an example to others, mostly, as an example that supporting and sustaining music education programs was possible – even in tough economic times. Ultimately, the program raises a very specific type of awareness – pride – to make it a factor in local decision-making where school music was concerned. The program’s core messages include: • Active participation in music is vital for developing young minds • Music is not a “luxury” or an “elective” – it should be a core subject like math or English • Offering and preserving music education is something any community can accomplish if it has the collective will to do so, regardless of size or affluence The survey used in the BCME application process was initially designed
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to measure a variety of criteria including funding, graduation requirement s, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, commitment to high quality teachers and other relevant factors in their communities’ music education programs. All metrics are reviewed proportionally, so that communities of different sizes can participate on an equal footing; for example, a community’s music budget is judged as a proportion of the overall instructional budget, not in absolute dollars. The foundation of the survey message has been consistent throughout the program’s existence, with periodic adjustments. For example, in 2003 and 2004, the survey was couched in the national debate over implementation of the federal “No Child Left Behind” education law.
The survey has historically launched at the NAMM Show each January and is open for information upload via the Internet for approximately two months, at which point a survey company analyzed the data. Each community that entered had its responses rendered into a single overall score, which are ranked to provide
a preliminary list of top communities. Live telephone audits confirmed the submissions of the top ranking communities. (In 2010, the “100” designation was dropped and the scoring system refined to allow the designation to be awarded to schools and communities reaching the 80 percentile and above; most recently, in-
Early Hurdles and Evolution Establishing and building credibility for the survey was crucial right from the start. The “research” phase of the BCME program, which informed the creation of the survey document and the statistical model used to evaluate its results, involved going directly to primary sources by recruiting the leading organizations in the fields of music and education. In 2011, the NAMM Foundation was joined by advisory organizations Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org), League of American Orchestras (www.americanorchestras. org), The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (www.mhopus.org), Music for All (www.musicforall.org), Music Teachers National Association (www.mtna.org), National Guild For Community Arts Education (www.nationalguild.org), Yamaha Corporation of America (www. yamaha.com), Young Audiences (www. yany.org), National PTA (www.pta.org), and VH1 Save The Music Foundation (www.vh1savethemusic.com). These organizations not only advised on the survey content, but also distributed the availability of the survey to their constituents across the country. School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 21
dividual schools have been permitted to participate in the survey.) Since 2009, the Best Community for Music Education survey has been administered by The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service of Lawrence, Kan., an affiliate of the University of Kansas. The final results of the survey were the subject of a media pitch that encompassed national outlets as well as local outlets in each community on the list. NAMM and partner organization principals were used as interview subjects, and interviews were conducted in such a manner as to focus attention on the overall importance of music education.
Impact BCME is an organized way to shine the spotlight on community music programs: it saves and grows programs. While music teachers don’t always realize that advocacy has to be ongoing, BCME helps identify communities that support music education and are committed to program sustainability and expansion. The program celebrates what teachers and their students are doing, and support is likely to follow as a result. The BCME program has subsequently generated an extraordinarily high volume of media results over the years, raised the profile of music education as an issue among community decision-makers, and played a definitive role in preserving music programs in a number of communities across the nation. Through this campaign – engaging local-level media outlets that wield considerable influence over community decision-making – we accomplish three beneficial effects: • Attach a public, measurable value to music education within a given community • Provide public acclaim for educators, parents and decision-makers who value music • Generate discussion in all communities on the topic in general We want and need more communities to be involved for their own good 22 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 Trevor James Ad_SBO_2011.09.indd 1
9/15/2011 9:53:44 AM
and for the good that access to music education provides all children as part of a complete and quality education. And we want all that apply to earn the designation, celebrate their success and commitment to music education, and use it to keep support flowing for their programs. We want more diversity in the applicants – more rural communities, more large urban areas, and the charter schools are also now starting to seek the designation. And we want music dealers to become more involved, insisting that their school customers work to get the BCME designation and being involved with community-wide celebrations and recognition events when they do. Overall, we need to get our whole industry involved. If every NAMM member were to e-blast the survey to their respective groups, and used it to build their programs, what would music education look like?
Promote, Promote, Promote BCME is a program that helps communities put a stake in the ground for the value and importance of their music education programs. It is part of a fabric of advocacy efforts provided by NAMM that work to keep music education strong.
Peter Giles is president of Giles Communications, a public relations, social media marketing and online design firm dedicated to the music products industry and the music education cause. Over the past 25 years, the company has represented many industry leading organizations, including the NAMM Foundation, Yamaha, Hal Leonard, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and VH1 Save the Music. Learn more at www.giles.com. The NAMM Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information, interested parties can visit www.nammfoundation.org.
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BCME Roundtable: Winning Communities n April of this year, the NAMM Foundation awarded a recordbreaking 179 districts with the “Best Communities for Music
Education” (BCME) distinction. The BCME survey is a nationwide search for communities whose programs exemplify a strong commitment to music education. Established in 1999, BCME recognizes and celebrates schools, their administrators, teachers, board members, parents and students for their support of music education and their efforts to assure access to all students as part of the core curriculum. SBO recently reached out to five representatives from this year’s winning communities to get a feel for how their programs have been impacted by this designation, what it means to their school music programs, and how they plan to use this tool to continue to promote the school bands and orchestras in their areas.
24 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
David Branson I have known about the BCME project for many years. As the fine arts coordinator for the school district, I decided to apply our district for consideration four years ago. I felt that our district offers a great deal of quality instruction and opportunities in music for our students and teachers, and being recognized as a BCME would be beneficial to our school district in many ways. Being named now four years in a row to the BCME has elevated the profile and status of our music program. Our community at large and our school district now value the program at a higher level than prior to the BCME recognition. The teachers take pride in this recognition as it is because of their fine teaching that our district is one of the BCME in the nation. There is good advocacy value that comes to a school or a district from the BCME program. It is much more difficult for district or school leaders to cut programs that are nationally recognized. As long as the BCME maintains its high standards for receiving this award then the advocacy value will remain in place. Elon Jamison I’ve repeatedly heard about BCME via NAMM, MENC, SBO, and so on, and have considered applying multiple times in the past, but just haven’t because of the time involved. This time around though, we really felt our district was a strong candidate and shouldn’t let the opportunity slip away. So with help from my music colleagues and some folks in central office we got the data together and made the application. We knew, or at least hoped, we’d be a strong candidate as a community because we’ve had amazing results recently (Marching Band winning state championship six out of the last seven years, High School Wind Ensemble performing at Michigan Music Conference, et cetera), and because our kids come from very modest means, we’re a community that does a lot with very little. Mostly, this distinction has been public and national verification of what we already knew, that we have a great group of
teachers/parents/kids doing amazing things in a little community with very modest resources, and we’re glad to be recognized for that. We’re currently very well-supported by all stake-holders in the community, hence part of why we were selected, but should that ever erode a little bit, this status will help us in fighting any attacks on the music program. Robert Andrews I heard about BCME through NAMM’s website and decided to apply since we have exemplary music programs in our school district. Being named a Best Community for Music Education has validated our position that Gwinnett County Public Schools’ music and music technology programs and music teachers are world-class and are recognized at the local, state, and national levels. Our Superintendent/ CEO and Board of Education appreciate this recognition and continue to support all of the music programs in the 133 schools in our district. This is a worthwhile endeavor that gives school music programs and teachers the recognition that they so richly deserve. We posted the BCME designation on the GCPS Fine Arts website and sent it to our Communication and Media Relations Department for publication. Music teachers have used the designation extensively at the local school level to promote their music programs. As a result, we have received favorable press and positive remarks from educators, parents, and community members at large regarding this prestigious designation. Scott Barnes I learned of the BCME project through an announcement from MENC many years ago, and filled out the application for our district. I decided to apply because this project recognizes the overall support of music education in a community (scope and quality of programs, building and district support, community support, etc.) Over the years, the Edmonds School District has been recognized as BCME community four times. Being named a Best Community in Music Education school district has had a strong impact on our educational system. The recognition is a source of pride for the outstanding teachers and students in our district. It provides a teaching tool and leverage point for our district decision makers and community members. When awarded, we have presented the certificate to our school board to share the recognition, drawing attention to the excellent programs that we have. In a society obsessed with accountability, this award provides recognition to our overall music program. Three years ago, the BCME recognition was instrumental in keeping our 5th grade instrumental program off of the budget chopping block. One of the key pieces of the BCME program is that it focuses on a district’s full music program (and support for arts
David Branson Fine Arts/Music Administrator Washoe County School District Reno, Nev. David currently serves as the Administrator for Fine arts/music for the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, where he is responsible for coordinating all music and arts activities for the district. Prior to his current assignment, David taught several schools in the WCSD. Before moving to Reno, David served as music coordinator for the Livermore Unified school district in California as well as teaching Band, Jazz, Orchestra and Choir. David is a past Western Division President for MENC; he has served as a state president in Nevada and has had various positions on section and state boards for the past 30 years. Elon J. Jamison Director of Bands/Performing Arts Coordinator Ferndale High School Ferndale, Mich. Elon Jamison is currently in his 14th year teaching music in the Ferndale (Mich.) Public Schools, and eighth year as director of bands at Ferndale High School and K-12 Performing Arts Coordinator. Mr. Jamison was selected as Teacher of the Year for Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) District 4 in 2010, and Teacher of the Year for Ferndale High School in 2008. He also just finished two years as Vice-President of Solo/ Ensemble Festival for District 4, and is beginning a two-year stint as VP of Band/Orchestra Festival. Robert E. Andrews Fine Arts Director Gwinnett County Public Schools Gwinnett County, Ga. Robert E. Andrews serves as the Fine Arts director of Gwinnett County Public Schools, where he is responsible for developing, revising, implementing, and improving a cohesive K-12 program in dance, music, theatre arts, and visual arts in the context of all instruction in the school district. This includes working with approximately 500 fine arts teachers (262 music educators) to ensure that quality instruction is provided in all fine arts areas. He has taught music at all levels during his career of 38 years. Scott Barnes Manager of Visual and Performing Arts Edmonds School District Lynwood, Wash. Scott Barnes is the manager of Visual and Performing Arts for the Edmonds School District, and vice president of the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA). He was a high school band director for 17 years in Oregon and Washington before going into school administration. He continues to be an active performer, clinician and strong advocate for music education in the Pacific Northwest. J. Howard Baxter Supervisor of Music/Coordinator Elementary Art Abington School District Abington, Pa. Since August of 1992 Mr. Baxter has served as the Supervisor of Music/Coordinator Elementary Art for the Abington School District in Abington, Pennsylvania. Formerly he served as Music Coordinator in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Prior to moving into an administrative role, Mr. Baxter was a band director and choral director in Alabama. School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 25
Introducing The 1st annual AMP Parent Leadership Conference January 20-22, 2012
education). Oftentimes individual performance groups are singled out for their excellence and accomplishments, but too often what is lost is that these outstanding groups are part of any overall system. Our goal is to provide all students a quality K-12 music education with strong connections to the community. The BCME program recognizes this holistic approach.
concurrent to the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA.
Directors, we know that one of your biggest challenges as the school year begins
is time. Allow AMP to help you and your parent group to be the strongest advocate for your program as they can be. The National Association of Music Parents (AMP) mission is to build a grassroots national movement that empowers parents along with other music education stakeholders to defend the interests of our students and ensure that music and the arts remain an integral discipline within the core education system in America.
AMParents.org will provide YOU with excellent resources to support your child’s musical endeavors. It’s all at your fingertips. • • • •
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26 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
J. Howard Baxter For quite a few years I saw notifications either in professional journals or through communications from the NAMM Foundation, but never took the time to seriously look at the process. In 2008, I looked over the application and received support from our superintendent to apply. We looked at this opportunity as both a chance to review as well as to promote our program. The outstanding music teachers in Abington work tirelessly to provide an excellent music program for the students. They hold high standards for their instructional performance. The national recognition provided by the NAMM Foundation is acknowledgement for their achievements. Abington is a wonderful community in which to live and work. The school district administration, with the support of the Board of School Directors, strives to provide our students in grades kindergarten through 12 – even in difficult economic times – with a well-rounded education that includes the arts, as well as rigorous academics. As mentioned earlier, the music teachers strive for excellence in all of their musical endeavors. NAMM awarded us with stickers of the recognition, which teachers have distributed throughout the district; we can use all they can supply. We also include the logo on our web page with links to NAMM and in all of our school concert programs, including Pennsylvania Music Educators Association events that we have hosted. In the past, we also received publicity about the BCME from local news outlets.
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Inside the BCME:
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Behind the Scenes
hree years ago, researchers at The Institute for Educational Research & Public Service, an affiliate of the University of Kansas, took over the back end of the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) project. Dr. Karin Chang-Rios, Dr. Becky Eason, and project coordinator Stephani Howarter, along with two graduate assistants, are responsible for constructing the applica-
tion form and then processing the materials submitted by communities and schools hoping to be recognized for musical excellence. These researchers crunch the numbers and analyze the data, working closely with the NAMM Foundation to ensure that the criteria and bench marks that have been decided on accurately reflect the qualities that NAMM is hoping to recognize, and that communities of all shapes and sizes have a chance to be included in the final tally of America’s best music education communities. To learn a little bit more about what happens behind the scenes of the BCME, how the application questions were created and how the results are tabulated, SBO recently spoke with the three researchers, who graciously shed light on what some might consider to be one of the more mysterious aspects of this project. School Band & Orchestra: How did you become involved in the BCME? Dr. Becky Eason: We bid for and won this project three years ago. In doing so, we inherited a set of questions for the application that were already developed. We found a textbook where there had been some research on the critical elements of music education, and used that as a basis deter-
28 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
mine the categories and qualities that we were looking for. Then we brought in our team of experts from the music education department here at KU – we had a choral music specialist, a general music specialist, and a band person, both elementary and high school – sit down with us and, based on their years of experience working in music education, rank the importance of those categories. We then used that information to provide the weighting of each category, which we use to formulate an overall score. SBO: Music programs throughout the country are extraordinarily diverse, usually tailored to the needs of each specific community in which they’re located. Given that, what are some of the common threads that lead them to be considered a “Best Community for Music Education”? Dr. Eason: We’re looking for school districts where music is thriving. One piece of criteria that ends up being really important is that these are communities that support music in their schools. You hear that their concerts are sold out, and it’s not just parents; it’s a whole community supporting them. Another piece of criteria is the opportunity to take individual instruction, so that the kids can grow as musicians beyond what is offered during the school day. SBO: Do the results of music competitions weigh heavily into the designation? Dr. Eason: We ask about whether or not groups have performed in state or regional competitions, and we ask about how groups might be recognized on those platforms, but it’s not a really strong point of criteria. Dr. Karin Chang-Rios: There are a large number of elements that are related to infrastructure. Do the schools and districts have infrastructure that supports music education? And then there are some quality elements that we look at, including staff or support from administration – those are quality indicators. Also, are they aligned
with standards? More than just achievement, we look at the structures that are in place that might support and facilitate a quality music program. SBO: What percentage of applications is selected? Dr. Eason: This year was 56.7 per-
cent were selected. We don’t make the final call on where the line is; the NAMM Foundation does that. Part of their desire this year was that during these really troubling financial times, where band programs are getting their funding slashed left and right, that people would still feel like they’re being rewarded for the good work that they’re doing. Our stroke might have been a little broader than it was in previous years because we wanted to make sure that even if your program is fighting for its life, there is someone out there saying, “See! Yes, you are doing great work!” SBO: In the time that you all have been running the statistical end of it, have you noticed any trends in the applications that you received? Dr. Eason: We had more applications this year than in the past, yes. There was a frustrating trend that we had to combat when we first started, which was that school districts thought that the way to show us their level of support for their program was to inundate us with multiple applications, which was maddening! So the numbers were higher before we took over the process, but that was because we had so many redundant applications. One district sent us 56 applications. Because of that, it’s hard to compare the trend data on the raw numbers; this is the first year that we didn’t have a significant number of duplicate applications. Stephani Howarter: This year it seemed like funding was a major issue for many of the applicants. There was also a follow-up question about impact and, surprisingly, even though funding was a major issue, most people were saying that the financial woes weren’t
directly impacting the program in a significant way. When I compared it to last year, funding was more of an issue this year, but it didn’t have a huge impact. SBO: Funding isn’t heavily weighted in the rubric, which is interesting, because so much of the battle for music educators revolves around that particular topic. Dr. Eason: We are really sensitive to not punishing districts based on size. Smaller districts, by necessity, not only are they going to have less money overall, they are also going to have less money per student. They don’t have the resources to have
Breaking Down the BCME Scoring System According to the researchers at the Institute for Educational Research & Public Service, there are nine categories used to calculate the BCME. Here they are, along with their respective weights and the formula for producing an overall score: • Music for all – 500 points • Support from administrators – 800 points • Scheduling – 400 points • Opportunity – 800 points • Qualified faculty– 400 points • Standards – 1100 points • Community – 400 points • Funding – 500 points • Technology – 400 points • TOTAL – 13400 points BCME weighted formula = (3*Music for all) + (3*Support from Administrators) + (3*Scheduling) + (3*Opportunity) + (3*Qualified Faculty) + (3*Standards) + (2*Community Partnerships) + (1*Funding) + (.25*Technology).
School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 29
Dr. Chang-Rios: I would say that the conceptual framework for the scoring system isn’t necessarily static. We are constantly reviewing the items and ensuring that they are valid, so they will include a diverse range of communities.
first year, but they weren’t doing very well on the application process. We saw that it was in large part because of their size. As Becky said, we didn’t want to punish them because they didn’t have great funding or couldn’t offer a ton of different choices. So we separated them out and realized that we really needed two scoring systems, one for schools and one for districts.
SBO: Is there anything you wish more people knew about this process?
SBO: Do you think it’s going to be more prevalent for schools applying versus districts?
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30 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
Dr. Eason: First of all, it’s important that people understand that this is a very carefully vetted process. These questions were not randomly selected; we brought in experts to prepare these questions with us and they’re based on a conceptual framework. It is a quite legitimate and valid process; it’s not as if NAMM is asking for random information and then picking the people they like. The other piece that would be useful for people to know is that it really needs to be a qualified district representative who fills out the survey. We ask for some very specific information that your average high school choral director isn’t going to know; it pretty much has to be a district administrator, or done in conjunction with a district office to gather all of the information we need. It would probably be very frustrating if you sat down without all of those pieces of information. Dr. Chang-Rios: We used to have just one application for both schools and districts, but we realized that there might be a really great school within a district, but the district isn’t interested in applying. We’ve adapted it so that schools can apply on their own now. SBO: Last year was the first year that happened, correct? Dr. Eason: Yes, that makes a huge difference, and it diminishes the huge burden of trying to gather all of that data if you really just want to talk about your school. SBO: Who made the decision to recognize individual schools? Dr. Chang-Rios: There were some applicants from individual schools that
Dr. Eason: We don’t have enough data points to know if we have a trend in that direction; we’ll just have to give it a few more years to see what which way the numbers go. It’s a dynamic process, so we’ll look again before we release the survey in January to see how well different groups faired, and if there’s anything we need to do to the questions themselves or how they’re weighted and scored to make sure that everyone is getting a fair shot in the process. SBO: How long does the whole application review process take on your end? Ms. Howarter: There is a lot of cleaning of the data, and the scoring rubric is actually somewhat complicated because sometimes some elements of the data are missing. Dr. Eason: There is a lot of back and forth for about a month after the application deadline closes and before the results are announced. Dr. Chang-Rios: It’s really a twopart process. First we report out the raw scores and then the iterate part is talking with the NAMM folks and determining what the appropriate cut-off point is, about who makes the list and who isn’t quite up to par. For example, this year, applicants had to score at least 50 percent in every category. That was the minimum threshold for each of these components. That’s a big part of the process, because you don’t want to put anyone on the list that doesn’t mean the minimum requirements. The overall process really is a holistic look at these programs.
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UpClose Christine Porter
Creating a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of a
Great Music Program By Eliahu SuSSman Children’s books are full of stories where by believing in something fantastic, it can be brought to life and become reality. Chris Porter’s music program in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota isn’t any different. Armed with some marketing savvy, a few contacts at a local music store, and a steely determination to provide outstanding musical opportunities for kids in this gritty, low income suburb of Minneapolis, Porter has transformed the nearly defunct Brooklyn Center High School band program into a bustling department worthy of local, state, and national recognition.
“This program was built by marketing.�
School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 33
Recently, the Brooklyn Center School District became a full-service Community School. Brooklyn Center provides free or low cost health care, dental care, and mental health care for all children in our school, district, and community. Brooklyn Center High School received federal funding in the form of a grant to enhance existing programs, and provide academic rigor through a combination of curriculum focuses centered in the Inter-
national Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, and a multi-dimensional Arts Magnet Program. Brooklyn Center High School has received the Magnet School of Excellence Award for the past three years in a row, in part because of the exceptional musical opportunities it offers its students, as evidenced by the fact that 327 of the 738 students participate in the music program. This is a far cry from the 24 kids who were
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enrolled in band when Chris came on board a decade ago. The most recent affirmation of her efforts came in May of 2011, when Brooklyn Center HS was singled out by the NAMM Foundation as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” in America. To learn more about this remarkable transformation, SBO caught up with Chris Porter, who, in this recent interview, talks about creating a selffulfilling prophecy of a great music program, the steps she took to turn that prophecy into a reality, and the ongoing challenges of maintaining a program in a school that is struggling for survival amidst Statutory Operating Debt. School Band & Orchestra: How did you end up at Brooklyn Center High School? Chris Porter: I taught for two years at a school in rural Minnesota, and when I was offered the position at Brooklyn Center High School, I was thrilled to move back to the Twin Cities. When I arrived, I met a program that was on the verge of extinction. A high director turnover rate, massive school budget cuts, and a rising rate of severe economic challenges took its toll on the program. The beginning band program was cut entirely, which resulted in a very low level of participation in the bands and a very low playing level. The principal at the time handed me my keys and said, “Build a band program.” I started out with only 24 kids in the entire program and a few instruments that were older than me. SBO: So what was the first thing you did to get the ball rolling in the right direction?
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CP: I assessed the situation and formulated a plan for bringing kids into the program. I recruited big-time throughout the year within the school, but I knew that I had to start and work from the bottom up to build a strong foundation. In the spring of my first year at BC, I took a few of my senior band members down to the elementary school every day for 90 minutes during my prep and lunch time to implement an exploratory band curriculum that I had developed. I used to work
34 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 jjbSBO.indd 1
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at Schmitt Music during high school and college, which, lucky for us, is right down the street from the school. Thankfully, Schmitt Music agreed to let us use a bunch of instruments for free during the exploratory program, so the elementary school kids could try out all of the different instruments and could make an informed decision about what they might want to play. That was the very beginning of how we got the program started. The very next year, I had 85 seventh graders, which is when we start band in this district, and none of them could afford to rent instruments. Fortunately, Schmitt Music came to the rescue yet again and a band director friend of mine let us borrow some instruments that were not being used at his school, which bought me some time to write grants. I also developed partnerships with the community, including the Rotary Club of Brooklyn Center, which has adopted the band program and has been giving us five to thousand dollars annually. To date, they have donated over $35,000 to the program. SBO: How does that compare to the funding you get from the district? CP: The funding from the district is significantly less than what I’ve raised. I did this with only the help of my kids, and later, once we were able to add staff, with them, too. We wrote grants, played, and put the word out there. A low property wealth means a greater tax impact on residents of the district. This, in turn, has made funding the district and its programs, dif-
“It’s super rewarding to stand here, take away the barriers, and tell my kids, ‘You’re going to get good at playing music,’ and then watch them do exactly that.” ficult at times. The effort to pass an operating levy to generate funds for the school has not been successful in recent years – the past eight attempts have failed. SBO: Were you ever second guessing your decision to come to a school that needed so much work? CP: I saw the potential in the pro-
gram. That’s my personality – I’m
always looking to help out the underdog, and I knew there was the potential here; I just had to find the right tools to work with. I never regretted my decision to come here. I love these kids. These are my kids and this is my program. SBO: Would you talk about how you were able to leverage connections you had made at a local music store?
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Brooklyn Center High School At a Glance Location: 6500 Humboldt Ave. N., Brooklyn Center, Minn. On the Web: www.bcband.com Students in School: 738 Students in Instrumental Music: 206 Band Director: Chris Porter Ensembles Beginning Band: 60 6th & 7th graders High School Band: 45 9th – 12th graders Intermediate Band: 45 students Electronic Music: 36 students Jazz Ensemble: 40 students Orchestra: 16 students Instrumental Studio: (varies) Recent Accomplishments 2011 Best Community for Music Education (NAMM Foundation) 2009 Featured on NBC affiliate KARE11’s “What’s Cool in School” segment. 2008, 2005 BC Jazz Band featured twice on KBEM Jazz FM’s “Inside the Future of Minnesota Jazz.”
CP: I worked at Schmitt Music throughout high school and college. It really helped to have those connections. Yamaha also helped out a lot, as well. I studied a lot of marketing in college, and I did an internship with the Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division, and that really opened up a lot of contacts for me, too. It’s all about who you know and who you can try to get to help. People do want to help; you just need to find the right people to ask. I called one of my contacts there and said, “Hey, I have all of these marching drums but I’m missing a ton of tension rods, but don’t have any money in my budget,” and he said, “No problem.” and sent me what I needed. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to use the connections that I’ve made over the years. SBO: You’re illustrating the importance of marketing in school programs! Speaking of marketing, your school was named one of this year’s Best Communities for Music Education. How have you used that to your advantage? CP: This program was built by marketing. For example, before we
had anything, I went down to the elementary school and sold those kids on the idea we had, hyping it up and presenting how great it was. “Hey, it’s
2006: Honored at the “Grammys on the Hill” event in Washington DC and awarded the Grammy Signature Schools Enterprise Award ($15,000 donation for new instruments). From 750 applications, only two schools were chosen for this honor. ★ Recognized several times in the Congressional Record by representative Betty McCollum and congressman Jim Ramstad. ★ Recognized with a Senate Resolution. ★ Recognized with a House Resolution ★ Recognized by a Mayor’s Proclamation. ★ A flag was flown over the United States Capitol in honor of the Brooklyn Center High School Band. Congressman Ramstad presented the flag to the band at BCHS, and it now hangs on the wall in the band room.
the biggest band in 35 years!” even if we only had 40 kids participating. Or, “Oh wow, we needed two buses instead of one this year – see how great
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of sudden everyone says, “Wow!” The kids start believing it, playing with more heart and practicing harder. Even though the band wasn’t great at first, they were really into it and they had a ton of drive. People saw that, saw how it was growing and really fell in love with the program. SBO: Where do you see the program down the line – what are your goals?
get my program up and running to really market it yet this year, but the more positive attention you can bring your program, the better. This tool is a prime example of something that I believe in, which is the self-fulfilling prophecy. You tell everyone how great it is, you make it happen, and then all
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that is?” And the Grammy Foundation this, the NAMM Foundation that, it makes everyone really excited to be a part of it. It validates the expense for our sponsors and it’s all another tool we can use. I haven’t had a chance to do much with the BCME award because I’ve been too busy trying to
CP: Right now I’m fighting to keep the program alive. We’re a very low-income district, and our school hasn’t been able to pass a referendum operating levy for the past eight years, so there are cuts and we’re battling. This year, the scheduling isn’t giving me much contact time with my students, actually, hardly any time at all. However, I’m already able to provide an instrument, free of charge, to every single student in the district, in grades six through 12. Every music book, every drumstick, every drop of valve oil – everything is for free and there
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is no rental, as long as kids take care of their instruments and respect the greater good. I do always reserve my rights to repossess instruments, as needed! [laughs] Now, the next step is to try to increase the level of musicianship. The level of musicianship in any program reflects that program’s resources. My kids did well, given what we had, but we chose to take it to the next level. I recently had a great student teacher and now have a great colleague with the same vision and mission. We worked literally day and night to see if giving these kids what the affluent school kids got in terms of materials and lessons and personal attention would result in comparable levels of musicianship. And you know what? It did. It totally blew me away. You always hear, “Oh, if we only had this, or if our kids just had that.” Well, we gave it to them, and they totally stepped up and recognized their own growth. That is a direction I would love to continue to go in. SBO: Believe it or not, some people who read this might cringe. Many believe that music and arts
programs should all be funded by the district and that educators shouldn’t have to be out there begging and borrowing like you have been. And if your program proves it can be self-sufficient, district funding might never return.
CP: I understand what you’re saying, but at the same time, I can’t stand on the sidelines and watch things fall apart. In this case, there is no money in the district, for anything, really. I was hired by the district to give our students
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the best possible instrumental music experience, and I will work to do just that. Eventually, that will make the program an important asset in the building and if they cut too much, people will start to get upset. I’m just hoping to weather the budget storm right now, and with a little luck, hopefully it will improve. I guess, just do the best with what you have and the better it gets, the more likely it is to be supported, and hope-
fully funded; however, balancing money from the school and finding money to make ends meet can be extremely frustrating. SBO: Amidst all of these challenges, what keeps you going as an educator? CP: It’s all about the kids. I get so
much satisfaction from seeing them really step up and get involved. I have my kids for six or seven years in a
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row. That’s a long time to be a part of one person’s life. I just so happened to hit the birth lottery better than a lot of these children did. I didn’t do anything special for my parents to be able to rent me a trumpet. So for me, it’s super rewarding to stand here, take away the barriers, and tell my kids, “You’re going to get good at playing music,” and then watch them do exactly that. SBO: Do you have any advice for band directors who are up against the wall fending for themselves? CP: I don’t like to give advice, as every situation is unique; however, the one thing that comes to mind is one of my catch phrases I’ve used often over the years: “If you don’t advocate for and market your program, who will?” That pretty much sums up my belief system when it comes to this. It’s not easy to build a program and even with all of the “Forrest Gump-like” successes my program has experienced, it still is no match for the power of outside influences, at times. Case in point, I’m seeing signs of my program literally dying and becoming a victim to scheduling issues. This is above and beyond the usual transient rate of 35 percent for the school population annually. All we can do is hope to weather this most recent storm and, like always, figure out a way for good to prevail. The kids deserve it. It is, however, extremely exhausting protecting the borders of our little self-sufficient nation of BC Band Land and protecting those kids from all of this. They have more than enough to deal with; the least we can do is give them a consistent, positive, musical environment. They need it. We all do, and that’s why we all do this.
SBOSurvey: Reeds & Mouthpieces
What’s Best for Woodwind Students?
A
s every musician knows, accessories can make all the difference. For woodwind players, and especially beginners, having the right reeds and mouthpieces will profoundly impact both their sound and their facility with their instrument. To keep abreast of the latest trends in reeds and mouthpieces, music educators from around the country chimed in on this latest SBO survey. Among the common
threads found in responses are two old platitudes, one resoundingly true and the other equally false: “you get what you pay for” – cheap reeds and mouthpieces don’t last as long or sound as good as the professional models; and, in this particular arena, “one size most definitely does not fit all.”
Do you have any tips for educating students on reeds and mouthpieces? “I bring in a woodwind and brass professional at the very beginning of each year to specifically discuss this topic with all of my classes.” Mike Walsh Alpharetta High School Alpharetta, Ga. “When starting out, make sure to teach the students to put the ligature on the mouthpiece first and then slip the reed under the ligature. Too many kids like to put the reed on and slip the ligature over it. With uncoordinated kids, this can lead to a lot of broken reeds.” Mark Taylor Lakeview Elementary Centerville, Iowa “Use a reed protector. Obviously, take the reed off the mouthpiece every time you play. I show students how to pick a good reed by the shape of the heart and how to use reed rush to make it thinner if needed. Rubber mouthpieces and the vamp differences are touched upon in 8th grade.” Holly Michalke Roehm Middle School Berea, Ohio 42 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
Students buy them on their own.
78% “You need to give students not only the information about good mouthpieces and reeds, but also the reasons for purchasing a good mouthpiece and reeds. I have some of the mouthpieces I prefer and check them out to students so they can experience what it is like to play on a quality mouthpiece.” Jerrid Washburn Green River High School Green River, Wyo.
Who is responsible for student reeds?
Do you require/recommend a particular brand of reed/mouthpiece for student use?
No
Wood 88% Synthetic
Yes
74% Wood 88% The program Synthetic 2% supplies them.
22%
22% 2% Students buy them on their own.
78%
“As long as the reed or mouthpiece enables the student to perform correctly, and allows them to produce the Synthetic It depends desired tone, the brand is not Students buyrelevant. them on the student 2% High school 10% students may choose a on their own. certain brand as they get older, based 78% upon preference, but younger students usually do not have enough experience to discern differences between brands.” James Iacketta Wood Stillwater MS/HS Stillwater, N.Y. 88%
One month
“Buying the reeds give students an ownership of what they do. They will also take better care of something they No purchased rather than something that 26% is handed to them.” YesScott L. Taube Lockhart ISD 74% Lockhart, Texas
“I only go into brand and 5% model No specific discussions if a student has to replace a mouthpiece. As for reeds, 26% I only talk about strength and what Yes Two I think they should play at weeks various 74% points of their development.” 25% Vaughn Irby East Paulding Middle School Dallas, Ga.
“We maintain a supply on hand and What type reed is most approstudents purchase the reeds through 3%ofWide priate for student musicians? us. This saves them time for going to a store and purchasing them there and It depends it helps Wood 88%the directors monitor when Synthetic students need2%a new reed.” 2% Synthetic 10% on the student Steve MontalvoDepends on Synthetic depends Medium South SanItAntonio High Schoolthe student on the student 2% 43% San Antonio, Texas 10%
53%
Wood Wood
88%
1%
Sev
9%
Two weeks
26%
The program supplies them.
No “I did once recommend a synthetic 26% for my bari sax kid that kept going through reeds about one a Yes day; it One month was less expensive and louder74% on the 5% marching field.” Tim Carpenter RULH High School Ripley, Ohio
Narrow
88%
25% “For doublers, I often recommend a synth/hybrid so the reed-wetting process may be eliminated and a One student can jump quickly from one Synthetic It depends 61 instrument (for example, on the student 2% to another 10% in a pit band). Also, for students lacking means, playing larger instruments can get extremely expensive, either for the school or for the student, if they don’t care for the reed properly. Thus, I admit I do use lower-cost wooden reeds, and/or synWood thetics for their longer lifespan, in these cases. As I watch the88% students develop, I simply monitor when will be the right time to go in a different direction.” Robin Linaberry Maine-Endwell Senior High School Endwell,One N.Y.month
5% Seeing
What dodays you recommend to your Several students for mouthpiece tip New m 9% openings? Two weeks
3% Wide
25%
Meetin
A fresh
OneDepends week on 61% the student
Medium
43%
53%
New n
Other
3
1%
Narrow
“Depending upon the style, I have Fundi my students play a medium opening for classical and more open/wider for 1% Long jazz.” Sched Dathan Echols 1% Short Northside Middle School Muncie, Ind. Stude School Band and Orchestra, October 2011 43
Depends on
Makin
3% Wide
“Some students can handle the wide on tip openings while some canDepends Medium It all depends on the student and the not. student
43%If I had to pick through trial and error. 53%
a general tip opening, I would probably choose a medium tip opening for a general opening.” Max Amoss Johnson County High School Narrow City, Tenn. 1% Mountain
What do you recommend for mouthpiece facing lengths?
1%
Long
1%
Depends on the student
55%
Short
Medium
43%
“I recommend a close-to-medium facing. But it really varies from student to student.” Jason Villarreal Gladys Porter High School Brownsville, Texas
Have you noticed any important trends in the way reeds and mouthpieces are manufactured lately? “There is now a huge variety of mouthpiece choices available, some of very high quality, others not so much. That is why expert guidance is so important. Reeds in general are much better. Back in my day as a student you had to throw away most of a box just to get one or two ok reeds. Now there is a much larger selection of brands, cuts, and so on, generally of better quality.” Michael Hejny Arlington High School Arlington, Texas “The trend or technology of the Synthetic reed is very exciting. If someone could develop a less expensive, good, and consistent reed, that would be great. I’m still waiting.” Adam Payne Redwood Middle School Thousand Oaks, Calif. “There are too many varieties and prices have gone through the roof.” Charles Martin H.L. Richards HS Oak Lawn, Ill. “It seems that a box of reeds always has at least a 30 percent rate of poor reeds. I wish that companies would step forward and take away those reeds they know are subpar and sell a box of 100 percent good, playable reeds.” George Dragoo Stevens High School Rapid City, S.D.
Additional thoughts on reeds and mouthpieces? “You pretty much get what you pay for. The old computer saying, ‘Garbage in, Garbage out,’ pretty much says it all. However, there is no reason for a beginning student to buy expensive reeds.” Kurt Stalmann Santana High School Santee, Calif. “The biggest hindrance to proper tone production at the high school level is kids playing on a mouthpiece they got in 5th grade. I have noticed a tremendous change in my woodwind sections sound since we have been encouraging students to use professional mouthpieces and reeds.” Jim Kull St. Charles East High School St. Charles, Ill. “Having bench marks and standards is important for any educator. I believe that you should have benchmarks for when to move students onto a higher quality/thickness of reed. If you wait too long to make this adjustment then your students muscles will outgrow the reed. You wouldn’t send kids to school in clothes that don’t fit them, so along the same lines make sure your reeds fit the growth of your students.” Adam Freeman Hackettstown Middle School Hackettstown, N.J. “Everyone’s anatomy is different. What works incredibly well for one person either won’t work well for another or it won’t work at all. A serious player has to be willing to experiment with reeds and mouthpieces and ligatures to find just the right setup for them.” Deb Montgomery Reid Ross Classical School Fayetteville, N.C.
44 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
SBOTechnology: Tutorials
Music Tech Tutorials: Third-Party Solutions By John Kuzmich, Jr.
W
hy does the latest and greatest software also seem to be so challenging
to figure out, with a hundred new keystrokes and pull-down menus? Do these companies really think that three-inchthick manuals of well-hidden information
will
help
get
people up and running? No wonder great technology goes under-utilized, especially in this era of budget crunching. But wait! The business world brings new software online all the time. What’s missing in this picture for the music education world?
46 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
The more I teach music technology, the more I realize the value of thirdparty tutorial resources. To answer my wife’s question on this subject: the first party is the vendor manufacturer; the second party is you, the user; and the third party includes all of the incredible training materials and tutorials available in the form of books, eBooks, YouTube videos, blogs, CDs and DVDs. For this article, I have reviewed 14 new third-party music technology/ tutorial resources that can speed up the software learning curve. Ace Martin, the instrumental music chairman at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, understands that sometimes you have to pick your battles when it comes to learning new software. He also notes that there is a wide array of resources designed to help bring educators up to speed. He says, “Over the years of teaching technology, I have learned you can’t expect to be up to speed on
every new upgrade or software used in my music technology classes. I rely heavily on clinics at music conferences, especially at TI:ME conferences, to get updates on new approaches. I have gone to YouTube to find a tutorial or lesson on Logic Pro. For example, sfSonicNinja does great tutorials on using Logic. Third party DVDs from ASK Video and macprovideo.com tutorials on MIDI are a sample of the wealth of information available. Tom Rudolph has done a wonderful job with his books on Sibelius and Finale to dovetail with the variety of online videos available to the users of these notation programs. With time and budget concerns, third-party tutorials are a must for all users and teachers teaching music technology. Most universities now have a component of music technology as a requirement before graduation; so it makes sense to use these tools to keep up with the every changing world of music tech-
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nology. I certainly will continue to make use of every tutorial I access to help myself and my students keep up with those every streaming changes in software.”
Music Notation Training Attempting to master all of the critical features in music notation applications can be stressful, as the learning curve for this software can
be steep for entry-level users. Fortunately, third-party books, videos and Internet resources are around to help. Here are some excellent publications to consider. 1. Finale 2011: A Trailblazer Guide by Mark Johnson, published by Penelope Press, 2010, 440 pp. A Finale Trailblazer Guide is both a method for how to approach learning Finale, and a reference that includes all the es-
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48 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
sential tasks you need to know to make the most of it. The goal of this publication is to distill Finale into the most concise, easy-tofollow, yet comprehensive guide possible, and this latest revision is a big step forward. Their 2012 edition will focus attention on the latest features found in Finale 2012. New users can start from the beginning, while existing users are welcome to reference the “What’s Changed” section descriptions for new features from older editions. All readers can use the book as a reference, consulting the comprehensive index to jump to the relevant topic. Through many revisions over five years, the content has been continuously crafted in response to the latest features and feedback from readers. Mark Johnson repeatedly clarifies steps, improves the figures, and adds new tips and tricks. 2. Building Successful Finale ‘Chops’ by Mavis Kallestad, published by Finale Training, 2011, 195 pp.
This publication consists of 19 practical step-by-step Finale 2011 tutorials. It represents a solid curriculum for any Finale Level 1 or 2 workshop. The book is divided into two sections: getting started for navigating the software, the Launch window, tool palettes, layback controls, MIDI keyboard setup, note entry methods and Simple Entry basic commands; and the second section for tutorials. There is a free eight-page tutorial PDF download for anyone wishing to try out one of the tutorials. All of the other tutorials in the book are similar to this one, with a short musical example and the step-by-step directions on how to create it. All of the tutorial topics are listed on the website, www. finalietraining.com, so you can see the different score formats and topics covered in the book. The text is compatible with Windows and Macintosh platforms. Many MakeMusic clinicians have successfully used this resource over the past few years. Several have submitted testimonials you can read at this website. What I particularly like about the book is the concise step-by-step directions for executing Finale moves. You’ll also find help creating music education worksheets, tests, flash cards, 5,000 warmups, customized SmartMusic accompaniments and much, much more. 3. The Finale Projects: The New Approach To learning Finale, Second Edition, by Tom Carruth, published by GIA Publications, 2010, 307 pp. Looking for a thorough, handson notation tutorial? This projectoriented book teaches you how to master Finale rather than trudging through Finale tools. Its easy steps and simple language are paired with over 600 illustrations and graphics to make the start-up process quick and efficient. An enclosed CD-ROM augments the text with step-by-step video demonstrations. The second edition book covers Finale 2009, 2010
tion. His video tutorials offer tips and techniques that will help you get the most out of the Finale. In one hour and 18 minutes you will be entering music, adding details, formatting, and sharing your music. Beginners and advanced users will benefit from learning how to make common tasks more intuitive and efficient. 5. Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide To Sibelius Music Notation Soft-
and 2011 and is appropriate for Mac and PC users. Topics include just about every major skill from inputting notes to producing tests and worksheets, and scanning to producing demonstration recordings. 4. Finale 2010 by Tom Johnson, published by Hal Leonard, 2009, DVD. Tom Johnson is the product specialist and guru of Finale nota-
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ware, Second Edition by Thomas Rudolph and Vincent Leonard, published by Hal Leonard, 2011, 460 pp. This guide provides good, basic Sibelius instruction, plus new fea-
tures such as using the Ideas window for composing and arranging, entering chords and notation with the onscreen keyboard and fretboard, using Magnetic A Layout to save time formatting parts and scores, and inputting Live Tempo so the score tempo follows
the one played in real-time. Learn how to view pages vertically in Panoramic View, work with Sibelius Sounds for enhanced playback of scores, and sync Sibleius with Pro Tools or other DAW to work with notation and audio simultaneously. This book has a companion website, www.sibeliusbook. com, that includes files and templates to download and use with each chapter. Whenever there is a relevant file on the website, an icon is placed next to the text, which makes the book a dynamic learning environment. The layout is well orchestrated and the userfriendly text will guide any user, novice or advanced, to master the software in a straightforward manner. 6. Mastering Sibelius 6 by Gabriel Cobas, published by Course Technology, 2011, 430 pp. This text covers all aspects of Sibelius, including setting up simple scores, using MIDI input, working with advanced formatting and using virtual instruments. It presents the instruction in a clear, concise way, offering simple steps and easy-to-follow tutorials for all experience levels. The book
includes chapters on note input methods, editing and symbols, text and chords, playback and video and much more. Throughout the book, there are special notes and sidebars that highlight important information. “Essential Tips” give particular important information to watch for. They act as reminders of hat you must take away from each chapter. Skillful page layouts make the text easy to follow. The comprehensive index is very informative for looking at specific program features and facilitating review. 7. Learning Sibeliius 6 in One Hour by James Humberstone, distributed by Amazon. 2010. This eBook is readily available to download for only $2.95 from amazon.com. For those who don’t have a Kindle or other similar device, don’t fret: there’s a free e-reader when downloading the book. The twelve chapters are organized with 12 free online videos, each about five minutes long, which show you everything you’ll need to be confident using Sibelius 6. The book guides users through easy-to-follow steps and the videos expand on the information, which is useful for those who want to learn beyond the basics. Feel free to visit the website (www. composerhome.com) to download and print out the score that can be copied into Sibelius. This book is written for an absolute beginner, but will also serve as good review for someone whose Sibeius skills are a little rusty or coming to Sibelius from another music notation software.
Music Sequencing Tutorials I can’t think of a technology with a more demanding learning curve than MIDI and digital audio recording sequencing. The applications are very powerful and can be so creative. I find these publications very inspiring. 8. Mixcaft for the Classroom, 2nd edition by Steve Riddle and Zig 50 School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
Wajler, published by Raimondo Business Services , 2010, 205 pp. as a PDF e-Book. For PC users wanting an intuitive digital software application for classroom use, look no further than Mixcraft by Acoustica. It is the GarageBand for PC users. This eBook is a definitive teacher resource based on the input and feedback from educators an students for what works best
casts, scripts, music play-alongs, printed notation, archived writing, and even more. 9. Using Pro Tools in Music Education by Robin Hodson, published by Hal Leonard, 2010, 157 pp. Learning and teaching Pro Tools can be challenge because the software is so powerful. Robin Hodson eases this difficult and complex process with hands-on tutorials for both teachers and students. The book introduces the basics of Pro Tools, addresses the details of music recording, editing and mixing and then presents six modules designed for classroom instruction. It is this six-module course for high school and college teachers that separates this book from all other Pro Tools books with strategies that quickly integrate complex software to any class technology program. The book also includes a DVD featuring 41 tutorial movies with three hours of instruc-
software basics, interactive lesson plans for engaging, standalone activities, visual examples of student projects and software screen-shots, plus review minilessons. The content includes contemporary learning strategies with cross-curricular connections based on real world applications as extensions of the classroom. Students get to expand their skills by applying various strategies to
“I can’t think of a technology with a more demanding learning curve than MIDI and digital audio recording sequencing.” in classroom technology learning. The lessons and activities provide an educator with enough content for a whole year’s worth of study, and also teachers interested in infusing technology into their regular teaching strategies. The book includes step-by-step
produce projects such as original cell phone ring tones, public service announcements, virtual art galleries, archived historical events, original songs and instrumentals, math games and formulas, social studies themes, plays, poetry, commercial jingles/pod-
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tion time that cover all major aspects of Pro Tools. Together, the book and its companion DVD make a formidable contribution in learning and teaching Pro Tools in the classroom. 10. Making Music With GarageBand and Mixcraft by Robin Hodson, James Frankel, Michael Fein, and Richard McCready, published by Course Technology, 2011, 263 pp. This book provides a comprehensive guide to music production using two of the most intuitive, least expensive music software recording programs on the market today, all within a single book They both contain powerful tools to create professional productions. This book is far from a simple software guide. It covers the how-to use instructions for developing creativity and also guides the reader through into using these programs to composing, recording
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producing great music. There are 12 specific lessons for each program as well as lessons suitable for both platforms. Because this book is not limited to specific versions of GarageBand and Mixcraft the complete pedagogy that is included can be used in any music classroom from elementary school through college. The companion DVD includes bonus tutorials as well as audio and video exercises that correspond to the book’s chapters. Each chapter contains national standards with lesson objectives, class time requirements, teaching materials and instruction procedures. This is a particularly attractive and very user-friendly resource for music educators. 11. The Complete Pro Tools Shortcuts, Second Edition, by Jose “Chilitos” Valenzuela, published by Hal Leonard, 2011, 265 pp. Most tutorials offer quality instruction, but learning shortcuts in Pro Tools can be a separate course of study. This publication is an indispensable guide with a complete list of over 400 shortcuts to get the most out of Pro Tools. Each shortcut shows the key combination needed on both Mac and Windows. What a nifty way to get up-to-speed and quickly start using the program like a pro! This is excellent for a visual learner because it has the most screen captures I have seen in any resource. 12. Pro Tools 101: Official Courseware by Frank D. Cook, published by Course Technology, 2011, 288 pp. For more than 20 years, Avid has been developing Pro Tools training materials. This official Pro Tools book offers a comprehensive approach with hands-on tutorials for learning the fundamentals of multitrack recordings of live instruments, MIDI sequences, software synthesizers and virtual instruments. The companion DVD offers tutorial data files and videos to accompany the projects in the text. This updated edition reflects the exciting Pro Tools 9 with support for high-definition sample rates and higher track counts; enhancements offered with the Complete Production Tookit 2. 13. Pro Tools 8, hosted by Andrew Eosele, published by Hal Leonard, 2009, 175 minutes DVD. This video tutorial works well with M-Powered, LE, or HD users of Pro Tools and is geared for beginners to get a great start. New to version 8 are virtual instruments, plug-ins with new MIDI features, and more. The video is organized in four segments: 1) navigating the new interface, 2) recording audio and MIDI, 3) working with the new virtual instruments and 4) arranging, mixing, pro-
ducing techniques to enhance your recordings 14. Power Tools for Pro Tools 8 by Rick Silva, published by Hal Leonard Corp., 2009. 288 pp. This publication is a comprehensive guide to using Pro Tools 8 with advanced tips and tricks for both the HD and LE-based systems. Its easy-to-follow examples help you learn the complex techniques used by professional Pro Tools operators. It teaches MIDI and audio sequencing, editing and looping, and coaches the Elastic Audio features and the entirely new graphical interface. The companion DVD includes audio examples or lessons in the book plus an array of QuickTime movies showing techniques of musicians, programmers, and engineers in action with Pro Tools 8.
Closing Comments Looking for more resources? Additional information is readily available at the manufacturers’ websites. Using any Internet search engine, type in “music technology publications” and quickly come up a wealth of resources. On Yahoo, I found over 50 million URLs to peruse, as well as music technology books exclusively for music educators. I also searched “music technology tutorials” and found 39 million resources. You’ll never run out of help for good instruction and your skills and teaching will always be fresh if you are willing to think creatively. Surprise yourself and discover what’s out there waiting to help you use these tools in your classroom.
Dr. John Kuzmich Jr. is a veteran music educator, jazz educator and music technologist with more than 41 years of public school teaching experience. He is a TI:ME-certified training instructor and has a Ph.D. in comprehensive musicianship. As a freelance author, Dr. Kuzmich has more than 400 articles and five textbooks published. As a clinician, Dr. Kuzmich frequently participates in workshops throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and South America. For more information, visit www.kuzmich.com.
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The MA-1 Solo Metronome is available in two color options. In addition to a traditional audible beat indicator, the MA-1 also features an enhanced display for accurate beat keeping and rhythm training. The MA-1 can serve as a chromatic pitch source for tuning any instrument as well. In addition to a swinging metronome style needle, the MA-1’s new display design represents the beats in a given measure as outlined triangle-shaped icons. As the beats progress, each icon changes from an outlined triangle to a solid triangle. A quick glance will let the user see what beat of the pattern is being played, or how far the pattern has progressed. This delivers a large advantage over units that only display the current beat. The MA-1 provides a number of advanced options. The tempo may be set using traditional mechanical metronome settings (i.e. “Pendulum” steps), or freely set to any tempo from 30 to 252 beats per minute. A Tap Tempo button also allows for quickly setting the tempo on the fly.
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Folk Songs & Dances in the Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst includes the complete folk music for performance, historical and interpretive notes, and a CD recording of the folk music. In addition to modern renditions by English folk musicians John Roberts and Tony Barrand, the recording includes “Claudy Banks” sung by Fred White (1909 cylinder) and related folk song settings by Holst. From Whirlwind Music Publications.
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for each drum, so that that same tuning can be recalled and re-established the next time the kit is played, a feature great for drum head changes. The Tune-Bot can be used with drums on or off the kit – with specific functional features tailored to each situation. The unit is compact and lightweight enough to fit in any stick bag, and it comes fitted with a simple clamp system that makes it easy to use.
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Mechanical tuning is now a thing of the past, thanks to the Tune-Bot electronic drum tuner from Overtone Labs, which allows the drummer to tune musically instead of mechanically. The Tune-Bot offers a wide a variety of tuning options. Users get a drum “in tune with itself,” tune any drum to a specific desired pitch, even get an entire drumkit in tune using specific intervals. And once the “perfect” tuning of a kit has been achieved, the Tune-Bot can memorize the setting
David Baker: A Legacy in Music from Indiana University Press
In this richly illustrated volume (which is accompanied by a fulllength CD), professor Monika Herzig explores the career of longtime performer, educator, composer and conductor David Baker. Baker, a trombonist and cellist, began his career as an Indianapolis jazz
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Integrated Practice: Coordination, Rhythm & Sound from OUP
This book aims to give readers the tools to combine what it calls “totalbody awareness” with a “deep and practice understanding of the rhythmic structure of musical language.” The idea is to discover ways to establish a dialogue between structures of
virginia international music festival at the 2011 Norfolk NATO Festival | April 29 – May 1, 2011 Let Performing Arts Consultants help you orchestrate an unforgettable trip! Join us in Norfolk for a weekend filled with outstanding entertainment and performance opportunities for your students. Exciting events include the Virginia International Tattoo and the Parade of Nations along with Choral, Jazz and Instrumental groups performing at Chrysler Hall and much more. Call 1-800-USA-FEST or email mike@usafest.org and start planning today.
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NewProducts TASCAM iXZ Mic/Instrument Interface
The iXZ is a pocket-sized mic/instrument input for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. This gadget turns an iPad/iPhone/ iPod Touch into an instant recording studio. Users can plug in a microphone, guitar or bass to interact with the latest guitar amp, sampling, recording and DJ apps. The iXZ supplies phantom power for condenser microphones and input setting sets the gain. There is also a headphone output to monitor from an iOS device.
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Thirty-two Rose Etudes for Flute from Carl Fischer
Thirty-two Rose Etudes for Flute is a reworking by flute master Amy Porter of the famous etudes Cyrille Rose wrote for clarinet. As these etudes were written for the range of the clarinet and based on the range of Ferling’s oboe etudes, Porter has raised the octave placement in some exercises to make them more suited for all the octaves of the modern flute. This edition also includes a data CD containing piano accompaniments written and performed by John Walker in both MP3 and printable PDF format.
Reaching and Teaching All Instrumental Students by Kevin Mixon
The second edition of Reaching and Teaching All Instrumental Students finds the successful book updated with new information on reading notation, teacher feedback, home visits, community building and establishing positive relationships with challenging students. Taking the position that teaching in today’s environment requires new strategies, Mixon’s book draws from research and established approaches to offer practical applications for the variety of music classrooms that teachers face today. Other subjects covered throughout the book are techniques for recruiting and retention, garnering program support, English language learners, exceptional students, classroom management, composition, and improvisation. Mixon has taught in urban, rural, and suburban environments and his ensembles have a history of successful festival ratings and community recognition.
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Leader of the Band by Scott Lang
Leader of the Band collects stories from nine remarkable music instructors, collected to share the stories of decades of music and education. Lang, the author of Leadership Travel Guide and Leadership Survival Guide, is a soughtafter clinician, consultant, and music education advocate. He leads more than one hundred workshops annually and is considered to be at the forefront of the student leadership training movement. Subjects here include educators from a variety of backgrounds performing in a very diverse set of circumstances, from middle schools to universities. Lang writes, “By understanding not only their traits but the underlying reasons and rationales for the way they work, we can all be better teachers.”
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Performing Arts Consultants
www.usafest.org
27
Peterson Strobe Tuners
www.petersontuners.com
45
Rada Mfg. Co.
www.RadaCutlery.com
20
Rovner Products
www.rovnerproducts.com
52
RS Berkeley Musical Instruments
www.rsberkeley.com
50
Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.
www.cavanaughcompany.com
30
Universal Melody Services LLC
www.universalmelody.com
35
Universal Melody Services LLC
www.universalmelody.com
37
Universal Melody Services LLC
www.universalmelody.com
39
Vandoren
www.dansr.com
19
Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc.
www.sonarewinds.comect.com
West Music
www.tjflutes.com
22
Whirlwind Music Publications
www.whirlwind-music.com
57
Woodwind & Brasswind
www.wwbw.com
49
World Strides Perf. Div
www.heritagefestivals.com
36
World’s Finest Chocolate Inc.
www.WorldsFinestFundraising.com
41
Avedis Zildjian Co.
www.zildjian.com
31
64
School Band and Orchestra, October 2011
3
7
SAVE THE DATE
THE 3RD ANNUAL
LOUISVILLE, KY
JEN CONFERENCE January 4-7, 2012 Developing Tomorrow’s Jazz Audiences Today! In the immortal words of one of jazz’ most notable innovators, LOUIS Satchmo Armstrong…
To Jazz or not to Jazz… There is no question!
Call it what you want, but by chance, through karma, serendipity, destiny, fate, providence, or luck…we are proud to announce the Third Annual JEN Conference in yet another city with LOUIS in the title... LOUISville, Kentucky… We think Three’s a CHARM! Come experience all Louisville has to offer, as we will be collectively Developing Tomorrow’s Jazz Audiences Today!
The Jazz Education Network
is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. For complete membership information/benefits please visit us at: www.JazzEdNet.org