SBO September 2009

SEPTEMBER 2009 $5.00

Merlyn Beard

of Waterford Kettering High School

A Push For Strings Report: Weathering the Storm Survey: New Year’s Resolutions

Contents 58

52

34

September 2009

Features 20

UPFRONT Q&A: TMEA’S GARY WILKES School music programs in Tennessee are the focus of this interview with Tennessee MEA president Gary Wilkes.

26

REPORT: WEATHERING THE STORM Contributing writer Charlene Arsenault investigates how music educators across the country are dealing with the difficult economic climate.

34

UPCLOSE: MERLYN BEARD SBO catches up with Waterford (Mich.) Kettering High School orchestra director Merlyn Beard, who is finally reaping the rewards of the public school string program he began 15 years ago.

48

SURVEY: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS In this latest SBO reader survey, educators share their resolutions for the new school year.

52

GUEST EDITORIAL: HYPERSLOW Band director and contributor Dean Lamp presents the finer points of his “Hyperslow” practice technique.

55

PERFORMANCE: EAR TRAINING 101 Chaim Burstein provides a few basic exercises designed to refine student musicians’ musical ears.

58

TECHNOLOGY: MUSIC TECH SUPPORT

Columns 4 6 65

Perspective Headlines New Products

69 70 72

Playing Tip Classifieds Ad Index

Cover photo by Katy Batdorff, Grand Rapids, Mich.

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

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

2 School Band and Orchestra September 2009

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Perspective

Programming Cheer in Hard Times

D

uring difficult economic times, programming concerts can be especially challenging for orchestras, bands, and other ensembles. In spite of the potential for their spirits to be raised by the musical experience, audiences facing hard times might be more reluctant to pay for tickets. In school music programs, these performances often have a broader application that goes beyond the audience; they have a beneficial impact on the students who may need to overcome challenging emotions stemming from parents’ job losses or other difficult situations, all while providing an educational learning opportunity.

The California Philharmonic Orchestra, which is led by conductor and founder, Victor Vener, takes an innovative approach to programming which harkens back to an earlier period of time. According to an Aug. 8 article on www.

“Programming cer- uscannenberg.org, Vener states, “Somehow between the 1890s tain types of works and the 1920s there was a complete crossover into classical music being totally serious and not integrated with pop music can certainly pro- as it had been in previous centuries. And it fragmented into its vide a psychologi- own little zone and because of that it got snotty and people got cally positive impact bored with it.” Vener’s approach is to combine more serious on the students who music with music that would normally be included in a pops concert. In a similar vein, anyone who has ever had the benefit perform, as well as of attending a concert with Sir James Galway comes away feelthe audiences who ing good, as he often takes out his tin whistle and with some come to listen.” lighthearted patter, enlivens the mood of the audience.

According to Science Daily, Nov. 12, 2008, “Researchers at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine have shown that the emotions aroused by joyful music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function.” Conversely, they also indicate that certain types of music made volunteers feel anxious, actually narrowing blood vessels, as opposed to the dilation that occurs when listening to joyful music.

Obviously, it is the contrasts in music that allow the multitude of emotions to be felt in each listener and performer and it would be antithetical to present only “happy” music.

However, it is insightful to recognize that programming certain types of works can certainly provide a psychologically positive impact on the students who perform, as well as the audiences who come to listen, especially during these troublesome times.

Lastly, In the February 2005 issue of the international research journal Medical Science Monitor, research was reported to have shown that “playing a musical instrument can reverse multiple components of the human stress response on the genomic level.”

Perhaps this is why we often see many students leaving band class with a bit more optimism and a bit less stress…

®

September 2009 Volume 12, Number 9

GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial Staff

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christian Wissmuller

cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com

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

PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill

lguptill@symphonypublishing.com

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

ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox

ifox@symphonypublishing.com

CLASSIFIED SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com Business Staff

CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com

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

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

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RPMDA Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com 4 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

Keepin’ HeadLines U.S. Secretary Of Education Reinforces Importance of the Arts in Schools

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he NAMM Foundation recently hosted a live, public teleconference with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to discuss his recent letter sent to school and education community leaders outlining the importance of the arts as a core academic subject in U.S. public schools.

More than 1.75 million national music and arts education advocates were encouraged via a national network of coalitions to participate in the call to hear Duncan express his concerns about access to arts education in U.S. public schools, and how these programs can be supported in the future.

The call was initiated after Duncan issued a letter to school and education community leaders stating, “At this time when you are making critical and far-reaching budget and program decisions for the upcoming school year, I write to bring to your attention the importance of the arts as a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) defines the arts as a core subject, and the arts play a significant role in children’s development and learning process…”

“The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively,” he stated. “These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged circumstances. However, recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results found that only 57 percent of eighth graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at least three or four times a week, and only 47 percent attended schools where visual arts were offered that often.”

“Concerned citizens in cities, towns and communities should share this letter with state and local school leadership,” said Mary Luehrsen, NAMM’s director of public affairs and government relations and executive director of the NAMM Foundation, who moderated the call. “The Secretary has clearly stated that arts education is part of the core curriculum and is vital to a complete and quality education for all children.

All of us need to work together to assure that all children have access to a complete education that includes high quality, standards-based learning in music and the arts.”

The SupportMusic Coalition conference call also reiterated the points in Duncan’s letter about how state and local actions can be reinforced to assure access to arts education. Duncan reminded listeners that under the ESEA, states and local school districts have the flexibility to support the arts through Federal Title programs and U.S. Department of Education programs, including professional development of arts teachers as well as for strategic partnerships with cultural, arts and other nonprofit organizations. In addition, Duncan stated that local school districts can use funds under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the arts along with other district expenses.

Surveying elementary classroom teachers next spring as well as music and visual arts specialists at the elementary and secondary levels about their programs and resources.

Reporting findings from this comprehensive profile in early 2011, the first report like this since the 1999-2000 school year. The data is expected to help practitioners and policymakers make more informed decisions about arts education.

During the call, Duncan highlighted the series of music events at the White House that demonstrates the administration’s ongoing efforts to stress the importance of arts education beginning with a Jazz Education workshop in June with 140 students from across the country. At the July White House event reinforcing the importance of arts education, he joined the President and First Lady in featuring country music artists Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley.

To view Secretary Duncan’s letter, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site at www.ed.gov. The letter is also available along with the full transcript of the teleconference at www.supportmusic.com.

HeadLines Inner-City Youth Receive Scholarships to Berklee College of Music

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leven young musicians from urban Boston neighborhoods and City Music Network partner sites around the country accepted full scholarships to attend Berklee College of Music starting this fall at an emotional presentation at the Berklee Performance Center on August 11. The Berklee City Music Continuing Scholarships From left: Berklee president Roger H. Brown, Lynette Gittens and Krystal Banfield of City Music, the scholarwere handed out by Roger H. ship recipients, and J. Curtis Warner of Berklee City Music.

Brown, Berklee president; J. years of study at the college, the collective amount of Curtis Warner, associate vice president for education outthe scholarships awarded will be worth $1.3 million reach/executive director of Berklee City Music; Krystal Bandollars. Individually, each scholarship is worth over field, director of City Music Boston; and Lynette Gittens, $100,000. associate director of City Music.

The 11 Continuing Scholarship recipients were among The students have all been participants in Berklee 72 young musicians ages 15 to 19 who were enrolled in City Music, a scholarship, tutorial, and mentoring proBerkleeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Five Week Summer Performance Program on gram that gives teens from Greater Boston and other City Music Summer Scholarships. urban areas access to music education at no cost to To learn more, visit www.berklee.edu. them or their families. If all 11 students complete four

8 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

HeadLines GAMA Announces the 2009 Award for Excellence in Teaching Guitar

The NAMM Foundation Scholarship Deadline Announced

aul Damiano, vice president of the Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association (GAMA), was on hand in Washington, D.C. during Music Education week to present Romana Hartmetz with the GAMA 2009 Award for Excellence in Teaching Guitar. In addition to her work as a classroom teacher, Hartmetz was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the education of teachers at numerous state educator conventions, in-service training sessions, and teaching guitar workshops across the country. She has also authored music and curricula for guitar classrooms, including co-authorship of the ASTA String Syllabus (Harp and Guitar edition). Romana currently serves as the director of the guitar department at Harmony Intermediate School in Loudoun County, Va. The department offers three levels of guitar instruction, as well as jazz and bluegrass ensemble groups that perform for the community.

As an educator for MENC/GAMA/NAMM Teaching Guitar Workshops, Romana trains school music educators to teach guitar in the classroom. The Workshops enable teachers to provide valuable music education opportunities to K-12 students across the country, founding a new generation of guitar players and enthusiasts.

For more information on the Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association, contact GAMA, PO Box 757, NY, NY 10033, (212) 795-3630, assnhdqs@earthlink.net or visit GAMA online at www.discoverguitar.com.

he NAMM Foundation announced that the deadline for submitting an application for a NAMM Foundation Music Products Industry Scholarship or President’s Innovation Award is Sept. 30, 2009.

Students may only apply for one program.

NAMM Foundation Music Products Industry Scholarships offer tuition scholarships of $2,500 to $5,000 to support full-time music business and music education college students who demonstrate unique qualifications and proven interest in pursuing careers in the music products industry. Funds will be administered by the student’s university and may be partially allocated to support costs of travel to the 2010 NAMM Show.

NAMM President’s Innovation Award is provided to under graduate and graduate students. The cash award supports qualified college students to attend NAMM’s annual global music products trade show in Anaheim, Calif. Awards help with travel needs and expenses to attend the show. Awardees will participate in professional development offerings at the Show and have access to the more than 1,500 music products exhibits that constitute this global music products trade show.

Up until Sept. 30, 2009, college students who are pursuing careers in the music products industry can submit their application to www.nammfoundation.org.

P

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© News

For Additional News in School Band and Orchestra, please visit www.sbomagazine.com

10 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

HeadLines

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First Ever SchoolJam USA Competition

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een bands across the country are invited to step onto the stage to compete in the first-ever SchoolJam USA. This national teen battle-of-the-bands competition is accepting applications from middle and high school students, aiming to showcase their talent and bolster much-needed support for school music programs.

Teen musicians between the ages of 13 and 18 who currently are registered in a middle or high school in the United States and are in a band that has never been signed to a record label are eligible to compete. Bands may perform any genre of music as long as the music is original.

Entries can be submitted on SchoolJam USA’s Web site until October 15, 2009.

On November 1, 2009, 50 semi-finalist bands will be posted on the SchoolJam USA Web site, where visitors can vote for their favorite band until December 5, 2009.

On January 16, 2010, the top 10 finalists will battle it out at the SchoolJam USA finals at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., for a chance to be the first SchoolJam USA champion.

The top 10 bands’ high schools each will receive funding to support their respective music programs. The first-place spot comes complete with prizes, including an all-expense paid trip to perform at the SchoolJam Germany live finals in Frankfurt, Germany, in March 2010. Reinforcing the competition’s mission to encourage active music making among teenagers, all finalists will received a credit toward the purchase of musical merchandise from a local NAMM Member music product retailer of their choice.

For more information about NAMM, interested parties can visit www.schooljamusa.com.

Cadenza Music Supports Local Schools’ Music Programs

C

adenza Music, in Saint Paul, Minn., will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a birthday bash benefiting Saint Paul Public Schools’ instrumental music program. Scheduled for October 25, 2009, from 2 to 5 pm at O’Gara’s Garage, the free family event will feature performances by local musicians who shop, teach, and play at Cadenza. Headlining the event is saxophonist Irv Williams, a Midwestern jazz legend celebrating his 90th birthday, with guitarist Steve Blons, host of popular radio show “Jazz and the Spirit” on KBEM 88.5FM. Cadenza Music opened in 1974, on the site of “Harry Blon’s Music Center.”

Over the decades, thousands of Saint Paul families have come to Cadenza for instruments, music lessons, repairs, and music. Cadenza has been a strong advocate for music education, and the birthday event will raise money for instrumental music programs in Saint Paul’s public schools.

For more information, visit www.cadenzamusic.com.

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Cascio Interstate at Milwaukee Music Festival

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isconsin’s Cascio Interstate Music featured local talent at Summerfest, the “World’s Largest Music Festival” on Milwaukee’s lakefront. The Cascio Groove Stage proved to be a showcase for a diverse collection of local artists representing every genre of rock music. The stage was located between the Harley Davidson Roadhouse and the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard Stage. Cascio’s Groove Stage featured 93 indie bands from the greater Milwaukee area during the festival’s 11 days. New to this year’s Groove Stage were three performances from the Cascio-sponsored Milwaukee Bucks Wild! Drumline, a 21-member ensemble which performs at Milwaukee Bucks home games.

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Letters to the Editor Thanks SBO for the very important interview, “California, A State In Crisis,” with Jeff Jenkins, CMEA president.

It’s about time someone paid attention to what’s going on out here. You hear about other states with huge budgets, but in California 90 percent of the school bands have none. It is like people just don’t understand or don’t care. If it isn’t bad budgets, it is NCLB is destroying electives in California.

You hear of great programs in California, but look at the affluence of those communities. Affluent communities seem to have it all, while poor communities struggle. Education in California is not equal. California should be ashamed for what it has done to its schools.

Sincerely, D.L. Johnson North Monterey County High School Castroville, Calif.

At first glance, “How To Buy A Step-Up Trumpet” by Dr. Keith Winking (SBO August 2009) looked like an article that would be a valuable tool for parents in the market for a new trumpet. As a manufacturer, we appreciate SBO publishing such articles geared at helping teachers and parents better understand the ins and outs of trumpet buying.

16 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

Unfortunately, there are several misleading and uninformed statements within the article that I felt couldn’t just be dismissed off hand.

First off, there are significant differences between what is and should be considered “step-up” and “intermediate” trumpets. Generally speaking, a step-up trumpet is little more than an advanced student model. That is, it may have a few standard features that are optional on student horns.

Things like finishes, triggers, et cetera… In other cases, stepup horns have significant advancements over student horns.

On the flip side, an intermediate trumpet should be significantly better than a student horn and incorporate some professional grade features. Your readers should really have been told that there are more than three levels of trumpet.

Later in the article, the author makes several generalized claims that are not only faulty and uninformed, but down right inaccurate regarding the differences between the valves on various levels of trumpets. While the valves may have different qualities in some cheap student instruments, it certainly isn’t the case across the board. Here at Getzen all pistons are manufactured and processed in the same way.

Not only are they all made from the same material, but the work is done by the same people every step of the way. Even the honing and hand lapping are done the exact same way.

While other manufacturers skimp on the lapping of student

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Letters HeadLines to the Editor pistons (less time, coarser lapping compound, or skipping lapping all together) Getzen does not. Granted, we could improve the margins on student trumpets significantly by changing the way the pistons are made, but to what gain?

Cheapening any instrument should be the last thing any manufacturer wants to do, especially when it comes to student instruments. Beginning players should be given an instrument that instills confidence and aids in their learning rather than hindering them at every step of the way.

The next issue is with the statement that “most professional trumpets are made with Monel valves and most beginning trumpets are made with nickel-plated valves.” A quick search of the Web shows that of the first 25 student trumpets found, 15 have Monel pistons, 7 have nickel or nickel-plated pistons, and 3 have stainless steel. Those are just the models that listed the piston material. Obviously, most student trumpets use Monel. Interestingly, several prominent manufacturers offer the choice between Monel and nickel-plated pistons on their student trumpets, with the nickel-plated option being sold as an up-charge.

The second issue with this is that there is no differentiation made in regards to the type of nickel-plated pistons being discussed. There is a wide-ranging variation of nickel plating in terms of its density, thickness, hardness, et cetera. Likewise, there are several companies that market their

18 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

trumpets as having “nickel silver” pistons. That is, they are made from nickel silver tubing, but not nickel-plated. To lump them all together would be like saying a Ferrari and a Smart Car are the same thing because they are both cars with four tires and doors.

When done correctly, nickel pistons can be superior to anything else on the market. Nickel plating is harder, smoother, and longer lasting the Monel. Yet, to the uneducated buyer, this article makes it seem as though nickel silver pistons are somehow inferior to Monel and should be avoided unless one is looking for an old trumpet or a student-level horn. This is not to say that Dr. Winking doesn’t know his craft. If anything, this shows how the misconceptions of trumpet quality permeate the opinions of the most educated among us. In an industry filled with $200 so-called professional trumpets, it is very important to help consumers wade through the misleading marketing gimmicks and less than accurate propaganda and information floating around.

Sincerely, Brett Getzen Getzen Company, Inc.

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SBOUpfrontQ&A: TMEA’S Gary Wilkes

Fight for Music

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ccording to the US Department of Labor’s Web site, Tennessee’s unemployment rate of 10.7 percent ranks considerably worse than the national average, which currently hovers at around 9.4 percent. While the state’s public school music programs have been taken a hit, Gary Wilkes, orchestra director at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences

and president of the Tennessee Music Educator Association, indicates that they aren’t going down without a fight. As part of the ongoing series featuring state MEA leaders, SBO recently caught up with Mr. Wilkes to discuss how music education is holding up in the Volunteer State.

School Band & Orchestra: I know it’s tough to make a general statement about a state, but, broadly speaking, how is this tough economy effecting music education in Tennessee?

Gary Wilkes: We’ve only heard of isolated cases of problems around the state. Some of the larger schools systems have consolidated programs

Gary Wilkes

due to retirement, and many metropolitan districts in Tennessee have offered incentives to entice some of the older teachers to retire. In those instances, I have seen several of those schools consolidating 20 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

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their music department, where, for example a band director might be teaching both band and orchestra, or band and choir. In Chattanooga, where I teach, we’ve had a few cases of a band director being asked to teach choir and another teaching part-time band and part-time orchestra.

SBO: You mean there has been a reduction in music teacher positions?

GW: I’ve only heard of four or five programs where the music program has been eliminated entirely, and that has only happened in some of the more rural school systems. Of course, we have a few counties here in Tennessee that are below poverty level, so their tax base is almost non-existent.

They’ve eliminated programs, but I think it’s also unfortunate because we have a mandate from the state school board that in order to get even a gen-

eral education diploma from high school, you have to have one, and in some cases two, credits of Fine Arts.

And those fine arts classes pretty much center around musical activities.

SBO: That must put some of those districts in a pretty tough place.

GW: Unless they’re doing something really creative that we aren’t aware of.

SBO: What is the Tennessee MEA doing to promote the health of school music programs?

“Don’t ever be afraid to stand up for what you believe in.”

GW: Just like any other MEA, we’re focusing quite a bit on advocacy and we’re trying to keep one step ahead of pending legislation that could possibly cut the number of fine arts credits required for graduation. We’re doing a great deal of lobbying; not only in our local school systems, but also at the legislative branch, as well. We’re also trying to be proactive with some of the universities in getting students training to become teachers involved with schools.

SBO: I see, involving young people who are studying to become music educators. And what are some of the specific initiatives you are undertaking on the advocacy front?

GW: First and foremost, we are going to be sending letters to administrators at every single school in the state about what our organization is, what we can do for them, offering ourselves as mentors, and trying to be proactive, so that they will see the value in what we do, rather than putting music programs on the front burner for elimination. We’re sending this information out to every principal in the state. We’re also hoping that if there are any music teachers who are not a part of our organization, the administrators will be able to pass that information along to them, so that they can join forces with us. We are also doing the same thing to every state legislator.

22 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

SBO: How has music education in Tennessee changed over the last few years?

GW: Five years ago, almost everyone in the state was resting on their laurels and not being so concerned with how their programs fit into community-wide activities.

Now we jump ahead five years, to our current situation, and nearly every director I know of is painfully aware of how his or her program exists in relation to the school and the community.

SBO: You are saying that the strong economy was the time to foster ties with the community and cement the status of music programs in the schools and beyond?

GW: Those of us in the larger school systems are probably more guilty of focusing on our own school activities. I know I have a lot of colleagues who feel this way. We started this advocacy and awareness program three years ago, which is when most of our financial problems all at once “hit the fan,” so to speak.

At that point in time, people started having to say, “What do you mean you’re cutting our program? We have always done it this way,” and I don’t think those words have any relevance to today’s economy and today’s way of doing things. It’s an entirely new ballgame out there.

24 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

SBO: So what do you think educators need to be doing in order to empower themselves and protect their programs?

GW: They need to be their own drum major. Not only are they leading their own programs, but they also need to be leading the community. Relating back to three years ago, we were in dire danger of losing our string program. In Chattanooga we had an administration who, every time they were facing a financial crisis or were trying to get more money out of the county, would threaten to cut band, orchestra, and even sports, dangling those kinds of carrots in front of the people that controlled the purse strings. Of course, all it did was inflame the community, and so what we were forced to do was to become rabid in our advocacy for our own programs. I know all of the string teachers here, me being one of them, gathered as many parents and students as we could and we swarmed a school board meeting one night, complete with signs and banners and hostility. It worked; they backed down in a heartbeat! We are finding that we have to be more and more proactive, and, rather than doing things like that, we’re trying to be more active behind the scenes.

SBO: What are your thoughts on the national perspective on music

education? Are you seeing things from your neighbors that you would like your state to emulate, or are there things you’re doing that you’d like to see everyone start up with?

GW: I know that in the southern division of MENC, which is basically all 11 states in the Southeast, first and foremost what we’re going to be doing is focusing on new leadership within our own states.

We have invited all of the colleges and universities in our respective states to send some of their brightest and best student leaders to the conference. These are kids who are ultimately going to be taking over our jobs, possibly even in the near future. We want the young leaders of our state organizations and universities to come and take part in the workshop that’s taking place.

There are things like that happening around the country. There has been a big focus on getting the new collegiate leadership involved.

SBO: My own impression is that that is one resource which has remains largely untapped. Any other thoughts for educators across the country?

GW: Stick to your guns. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. When I was a much younger teacher, I kind of hid in the background sometimes before expressing my thoughts, and I never once ever thought that I would be elected the president of our state organization, mostly because I never saw myself in that capacity. The older one tends to get, and the more times you’ve been burned, the more apt you are to say, “Hold on, wait, what?

Let’s think about this for just a second.” Probably the most important advice I give my student teachers is to not ever be afraid of speaking your mind. Don’t ever be afraid to stand up for what you believe in, and be rabid in support of what your doing.

After all, it might be you’re job that you might end up losing if you aren’t careful.

SBOReport: Surviving the Storm

Schools Music Programs

Weather the Down Economy

BY CHARLENE ARSENAULT

I

n Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Liberty High School orchestra, band, and choir struggle to keep the winds, strings, percussion, and voices on the stage and in the classroom. Students are stuck wearing old,

worn uniforms. The schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s instrument repair budget has been cut by thousands, and forget about seeing any new instruments. The band cannot order nearly enough sheet music. The jury, too, is out on whether holes in the staff will be replaced. Greg MacGill, Libertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band director, says his band and orchestra are far from alone.

26 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

As the US economy spirals, or at least festers in the ditches, the effects of this downturn fingers into the public school system. Cutbacks start happening. Supplies dwindle. And some programs either continue on a shoestring, or are completely slashed. Even though countless studies prove the positive effects of arts programs on the developing mind, usually it is precisely those programs that suffer cuts earliest.

According to a recent article in SmartMoney, all three elementary schools in the Phoenix/Talent district in southern Oregon lost their music teachers, impacting 1,200 students. No concerts are budgeted for the coming year, and the PTA is trying to raise funds to bring the program back.

“Within our state, the way they are financed, it is based upon school size,” says Mike Wallmark, associate executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association, which coordinates interstate activities in music, dance, and anything that falls outside traditional athletics. “It’s fair to generalize that athletics last longer. They are universally recognized as representative of the school and generate revenue. We have had schools that have totally cut athletic programs, although those tend to be the last things on the chopping block because of sports’ impact on the community.”

But those in art and music programs across the country are biting their nails.

Combined with families’ decreasing expendable income, as well as school budgets, it’s a fine balancing act to keep school music afloat. In Pennsylvania, the merging economic challenges created what MacGill refers to as “the perfect storm.” The state’s governor and legislature cannot agree on a budget (which has happened for seven years straight), and also need to reach a com-

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promise on how to use a guaranteed amount from the Stimulus Package.

“In Bethlehem, we had a situation along with the economy where our school district had invested in high risk bonds,” says MacGill. “When the economy turned south, it made it exponentially worse. It’s really put itself in a pickle. This is year 32 for me, and in three decades, I have never seen it worse.” MacGill continues that his was a school that once didn’t have a cap – “if it needed to be fixed, it got fixed.”

Now, that’s not happening. “The well has just dried,” he says.

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District in Placentia, California suffered the loss of five elementary music positions in the last school year. The result: 3,000 fewer students are experiencing music as part of their education. “The fear and anxiety rests mostly amongst the elementary teachers and those teachers with limited seniority in the district,” says Phil Mortensen, visual and performing arts coordinator for the district. “They are the most vulnerable if further cuts come our way.”

The administration at Eastern Hills High School, Fort Worth, Texas, cut the district’s fine arts budget by $40,000.

That’s significant, according to Kathy S. Bernal, band director and department chair. Teaching for 26 years, her school has 1,400 students and it includes a marching band, symphonic band, jazz band, winter guard, winter drumline, and string orchestra.

“Our budgets will most likely be cut,” says Bernal. “Our budget last year was $3,000 from the district and $2,900 from the site-based budget. Due to these cuts, we are now limited to the amount of competitions we can enter, and we have had to alter the District Honor Band. Students will audition and receive a patch, but will not be able to rehearse and perform as a group.”

In Oregon, Wallmark says in some cases the impact has been disparate and in others, extreme. The schools that are surviving best are those that have “saved money for a rainy day.”

Some schools have thought far enough ahead; others are even having their athletic programs cut.

“I know there are a number of schools that have had repair or replace-

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School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 27

ment budgets for instruments that have been totally cut,” he says. “They have been told to get by with what they don’t have. The same applies to uniforms.

Things are postponed more often than not now. Some districts may have traveled more that are finding themselves limited, or finding that their participation fees are raised to make up the difference.” In some cases, Wallmark indicates that schools have started beginner programs a year later, as well as consolidated teaching positions.

Neil Jenkins, director of bands at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida, has approximately 2,300 students enrolled in the music programs grades 9-12. The band has enjoyed

“Directors have always been very creative about fundraising and recruiting band members and their families to help. It comes with the job. We’ve all had financial obstacles to overcome.”

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more than 25 years of success at the local, state, national, and international level. Even with all the accolades, (such as superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association State Music Performance for 17 years), it has not escaped the economic downturn, although it is surviving better than some. This is partially due to the fact that the high school was chosen as an “Arts Achieve School” for the state.

“We’re fortunate not to be seeing very many cuts in our department,” says Jenkins. “We lost one art teacher due to leave to go back to school for a Master’s degree. He was not replaced and the load will be distributed among the remaining art teachers. The financial effects are being felt around our country and throughout the state with reduction of music, art, and PE teachers at the elementary level. Because we are a ‘schoolbased program,’ principals have the final say in what stays and what goes. Most middle school and high school programs

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are not being affected in this manner, but are facing some financial setbacks that could include buses for football games, new music purchases, and new equipment purchases.”

Sometimes – in fact, usually – when one faces loss or extinction, it is the people who care about it who ultimately save it. Across the country, school music programs and their supporters are finding ways to come up with strategies to help.

Jenkins says J.P. Taravella High hasn’t reached “emergency” levels yet, and in fact has seen some of its wellestablished directors vacated positions replaced. But, the school is striving to find ways to generate funds through fund raising activities to avoid going to the students and their families for money. Using what many call a “fair share,” they try to generate approximately 15 percent of their budget, working hard to keep this at a low level, which is cur-

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rently $300 per student.

SBO spoke with many directors who said that bands and orchestras are often turning to booster organizations to help raise funds. However, those organizations are struggling, too. “Unfortunately, even the booster groups are having problems,” says Bernal, “since many of our parents do not work or have lost their jobs and live in communities that cannot afford to buy things from our fund raisers.” To help with the required physicals, Bernal convinced the school district to include band students in the free physical given by the district. That helped 25 students. There are also a few fundraisers planned: Dallas Cowboy Stadium concessions, a multi-family garage sale, JazzFest 2010 Mexican dinner with silent auction, the 14th annual Highlander Jazz Competition, a car wash, and spirit items.

“Directors have always been very creative about fund raising and recruiting band members and their families to help,” says Bernal. “It comes with the job. We’ve all had financial obstacles to overcome.”

Wallmark explains that the success depends on the community and the attitude of the administration in the various districts. “I was at a meeting this morning,” says Wallmark. “We had a workshop with 90 directors from Oregon and Washington. There was not a lot of conversation about financial programs. I would have to say that people are finding ways to work around the situation they are in. The first year, you can work around, but the second and third years might get harder.”

Parents are concerned, and in some districts, they are waking up and doing something about the potential loss of their kids’ music programs. For instance, in the Placentia-Yorba Linda district, the community just passed a $200,000 bond to provide necessary upgrades to schools and facilities. That includes music and art upgrades, as well as the construction of a $14-million district music hall.

The community that engulfs the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified district is an active one, according to Mortensen. It is one, he insists, that demands that arts be present in the school. “There are booster club members and area activists

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who speak to the need for arts education at our monthly school board meetings,” he says.

The Liberty bands and orchestras typically travel a lot; usually, the orchestra and band alternate years. Big, noteworthy trips, too; and these can get costly. MacGill says his school may be looking at eliminating some of the trips, or at least keeping them closer

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People were losing jobs, but we had it planned. The economy tanked, and it was really difficult. I would get off the phone with one parent and then have to get on with another. You can’t treat this like a business. It’s a school, but when it comes down to the bottom

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line… Thankfully,” adds MacGill, “in these times, companies are more likely to kick in to help. An in-kind donation of $20,000 assisted them in shipping all the instruments for the Rose Parade.”

Liberty’s regular trip to Puerto Rico, where the orchestra tours various schools in the country, will be canceled this year. “You get to a point where the trip is a demoralizing factor,” says MacGill. “It’s supposed to entice and enhance your program. I talked to parents and they sounded relieved that we weren’t going to Puerto Rico. We’ll stay

“People are finding ways to work around the situation they are in.” on the East Coast, and do nothing for more than $600 a student.”

While a majority of school music programs have at least felt some effects of the bad economy, there are some that are sailing through it. Beginning her fourth year at Westdie High School in Houston, Texas, director of bands Kelly Porter-Centanni says they are “very lucky” to have not seen any cutbacks thus far. Oddly, the school’s programs seem to be flourishing, even.

She has received close to $76,000 in new equipment and instruments in the past two years from funds provided by the district.

“While we do not anticipate receiving funds like that this school year,” says Porter-Centanni, “we seem to be in good shape. I do expect the belt to be tightened a bit this year when it comes to miscellaneous spending and travel within the school district...We are extremely lucky to have a music supervisor whose job it is to oversee our feeder pattern, which only includes a small handful of schools. He is our biggest advocate, and stresses that for our music programs to grow and be successful, we need support and encouragement.”

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ensemble are in one of the toughest regions, competitively speaking, in the state of Texas. Music programs have always been a priority in the district and, according to band director Mark Pease, that commitment isn’t wavering even through the hard times – although he admits there could be some future cuts. “I don’t feel there is any danger of losing our department or program,” says Pease. “We are, however, already dependent on fundraising and activity fees to maintain the offerings we provide our students. I am happy to say that we have a very supportive and hard-working booster club that is constantly seeking new ways to provide for needs of our program.”

It’s been covered to death, but bears repeating. Research heavily shows that music programs are not only beneficial in their own right, but complement core subjects and help students excel in other studies.

“We cannot give up such a rich source of learning,” says Bernal. “Students will always have music and will always see art. Band programs need to emphasize using music as a means to an end, and not just for entertainment.”

Those who witness these effects on a daily basis couldn’t agree more. “Music programs like bands, orchestras, and choirs provide opportunities for students to go beyond basic book knowledge to see how to use that knowledge creatively,” says Pease. “They learn self discipline, determination, dedication, cooperation, and how to be creative in a team setting. My experience in over 30 years of music education has shown me that students with a performing arts background are more academically successful, have higher self-esteems, and are better prepared for their chosen careers.”

Directors such as Mortensen hope that more education leaders, both locally and federally, recognize music’s important role in education. “They must all understand that even in economically challenging times, like those we are facing now,” says Mortensen, “it is critical that students receive a quality education, which can only be achieved if music and the arts are a shared part of the core curriculum.”

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UpClose: Merlyn Beard

34 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

A Push for Strings

BY ELIAHU SUSSMAN

I

n the early 1990s,

there was no orchestra program in the Waterford (Mich.) School District; fast-forward to this past year, and the Waterford Kettering High School boasted over 90 string players, and over 250 fifth-graders in the district have picked up string instruments. It has been a slow process, but Merlyn Beard and the administration have been relentlessly building this program, from a meager foundation consisting of a pilot program teaching general music to fourth graders, to the latest accomplishments, which include 100-member symphony feature performances at the Michigan Music Festival and the National Orchestra Festival, among others, as well as raising money for charities – no small feat in this day and age!

Merlyn Beard wasn’t always sure of the direction school music programs in Waterford would take when he began working in the district 15 years ago.

Although he spent his youth focusing on orchestra and choir, he entered the Waterford system as a general music teacher in the elementary schools. Still, Merlyn knew that he wanted to work with student orchestras, and he saw his chance the very next year, when he began teaching a pilot string program involving all of the fifth graders in the district. The following year, they taught strings to fifth and sixth graders, and the year after that, fifth, sixth, and sev-

enth graders, and so on, until that first class finally graduated from high school, eight years later, in 2003, and there was a full fledged orchestra program spanning from fifth grade through the end of high school.

There’s some poetic justice in that model, as a similar one many years prior brought Merlyn Beard into the world of music. While he had been singing in church from a very early age, it wasn’t until a fifth-grade assembly in a public school in Clawson, Michigan that Mer-

in composition. As I was thinking about college, he sat me down and we talked about my future. He told me that while I could focus on composition in college, he strongly suggested that I consider music education. That would still allow me to compose, but it would also mean that if I needed a job, I would be able to teach. It’s a really useful degree. So I began my undergrad at Oral Roberts University declaring as a music education major, but I took every composition class that I could.

“Having that framework of knowing where you want it to go is important, but you also have to let the program grow organically.” lyn was introduced to instrumental music. At the behest of an orchestra teacher who was charmed by the ear for music the youngster had developed through singing, Merlyn picked up the cello, and so began his career in music.

School Band & Orchestra: When and how did you decide that you wanted to go into music education?

Merlyn Beard: Actually, my primary interest was composition. I really enjoyed my music theory class in high school and thought that that was what I wanted to focus on. The minister of music in my church was also very interested

I did my student teaching in Tulsa.

At the time, 1989, 1990, music positions were kind of hard to find. So at the recommendation of my professors, as a string player, I did my student teaching in band and choir. Working with a marching band gave me the experience, that, in case there wasn’t an orchestra job available, I could still find work with a school band or choir.

I finished college in December of 1989, got married, and moved back to Michigan, where I’m from. I worked in a warehouse there for about six months.

I put my name in for some subbing, but wasn’t getting many calls. After college, School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 35

about 110 kids and it was a great first experience with a small program. I had some guidelines to follow and was told that we were rebuilding the program, which had kind of fallen a bit from how it was from when I was there.

I taught there for four years. In those four years, we started to establish a good foundation. Being a small Christian school, we didn’t go to band and orchestra festivals, but we did take the choirs to choral festivals and we were

you have to get some income from somewhere. I continued to do some church work, and the church high school I had graduated from had a music opening.

They had since closed the high school, but they were still doing K-8. So I signed on and was teaching band, some of the orchestra, choir, and all of the general music, as well as directing the church orchestra, which was the same one I’d grown up in all through high school.

That was my first teaching job. We had

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36 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

doing very well, there. One of the things I’m most proud of is that we reached the point where every single fifth grader was starting on an instrument. That was my first time working with that kids that young and trying to get all of them involved. And from there, we were able to get about 70 percent of them to continue playing their instruments as sixth graders.

SBO: When you’re trying to increase the participation of students in the younger grades, is the challenge working with the students? Or is it working with the parents or the administration? What was keeping kids from participating?

MB: Part of it was the kids. They weren’t sure they wanted to play music.

It was crucial that we give them a really good experience, so that they would just get into it. This was 1990-1994, and the economy was okay, but nothing great, so having the finances to pay for an instrument was still problematic. Fortunately, the school was able to present instruments to all of the students who wanted to play, which really helped the families decide that it was okay for the kids to give it a try. A lot of parents said things like, “Well, I’m not sure I want to invest in an instrument until I know my kid is going to stay with music.” So when we were able to give everyone a oneyear trial at no cost to them, there was no financial risk. That definitely helped us get a lot of kids involved. Looking back on it, the downside was that you need to have the families buy in to the program, and sometimes that needs to come through financial support, so that the parents encourage the students to practice or the student feels obligated in some way. As a young teacher, I kind of overlooked that in an effort to keep everything growing and going. At the same time, I was teaching choir and the choirs were going to festival and doing well, too.

At the end of my fourth year, the church decided to shut down the school.

Rather than scale back a bunch of the programs, they decided to close the school completely. They wanted excellence or nothing, so they chose to close.

I had been attending the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association and I was active with them, so at one

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Waterford Kettering Orchestra at the Michigan Music Conference, 2009.

of the meetings, I mentioned that my school was closing and I was looking for another job.

SBO: Music Educators Associations are great for networking. Did something pan out from there?

MB: Yes, someone mentioned that the Waterford School District was looking at

38 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

starting an orchestra program the next year and I should give the supervisor of performing arts a call. The supervisor told me that he was thinking of putting together an orchestra, but had immediate an opening for a general music teacher.

I had experience teaching general music, fortunately, and so I went through the interview process. School ended in

the middle of June, and by the beginning of July, I had the job at Waterford.

That first year, I taught general music in three different elementary schools and I taught two of the three pilot programs in strings. We got a music company to donate a classroom set of about 30 violins and I met with the kids for about a half an hour, twice a week. This was for fourth grade, and any kid in that grade who wanted to be in the program could join. The kids loved it and so the board decided to institute an orchestra. There had previously been an orchestra in the district, in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, but that eventually died in part because of cost factors, I understand.

As we got ready to start after doing the pilot project – and my supervisor was a string player, he played the viola, so he was very interested in making sure that we had this opportunity – we went in to where they had stored the instruments and we found that they had kept everything that they had used in the 1960s and early ‘70s: 48 cellos; 15 string basses; and all of the sheet music – everything was in there!

At some point, a steam pipe had burst in a nearby storage room and these instruments were all in those old cloth cases. With the steam, it was like the cases were all shrink-wrapped around the instruments. Yes, there were a few strings that were broken and we had the occasional bridge we had to fix, but almost everything was in great condition.

So thinking about starting up an orchestra, we already had a great inventory of instruments ready to go. That was in the summer of 1995, and so for the 199596 school year, we started the orchestra program with all of the fifth graders in the district.

SBO: How did you go about introducing the concept of playing classical music to those students?

MB: We used fiddle music. Waterford School District has a very diverse population. We’re not far from Pontiac, Michigan, and in the ‘30s and ‘40s, a lot of families moved up from Kentucky and Tennessee to work in the General Motors plant. Many of these families have these ties to bluegrass areas, and fiddle was a good introduction. We’d put the instruments in their hands just to start getting them to make sounds.

Waterford Kettering High School Orchestras at a Glance Location: 2800 Kettering Drive, Waterford, Michigan On the Web: www.waterford.k12.mi.us/kettering/orchestra/ Ensembles Sinfonia – 34 string players,18 wind/percussion players; 52 total members.

Note: The string section of this ensemble divides into two string chamber orchestras. Chamber Orchestra:16 players; Chamber Academy Orchestra: 18 players.

Symphony Orchestra – Primarily upper classmen.

45 string players, 22 wind/percussion players; 67 total members.

Philharmonic Orchestra – Primarily freshman, with a few upperclassmen mentors.

24 string players Notable Performances and Events 2009 WK Symphony Orchestra performed at the 4th Annual Michigan Music Conference, DeVos Center, Grand Rapids, Mich.

WK Chamber and Symphony Orchestra performed with Valparaiso University Symphony Orchestra at the Waterford Kettering Performing Arts Center.

2007 WK Chamber and Symphony Orchestras were a Featured Artist Performance Ensemble for Disney Magic Music Days, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla. WK Chamber and Symphony Orchestras performed at the American String Teachers Association/National School Orchestra Association’s National Orchestra Festival, Max Fischer Music Center/Orchestra Hall, Detroit, Mich.

2005 WK Chamber and Symphony Orchestras earned a Superior rating at the Smoky Mountain Music Festival, Gatlinburg, Tenn.

2004 WK Chamber Orchestra named the Grand Sweepstakes Champion for the Music Showcase Festival, Williamsburg, Va., earning a Superior Rating at the festival, with the WK Symphony Orchestra earning an Excellent rating.

Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association Band and Orchestra Festivals WK Symphony Orchestra has earned Division I (Superior) Ratings in 2006 through 2009 at District Festival, while the WK Chamber Orchestra earned Division I (Superior) Ratings in 2006 & 2007 at District Orchestra and Division I (Superior) Rating in 2007 at State Festival.

The other thing that we did was we brought in quartets and other ensembles from area high schools – and even a few professional groups – to show the kids just what could be done. But a lot of it came back to the fiddle, which, for almost half these kids, was already in their blood.

SBO: And how did that progress through the years?

MB: We started with fifth grade that year, and added a grade to the program every year, until we finally had ninth graders bringing orchestra to the high school, in 1999-2000. As we taught the basics, we used a lot of folk tunes, and we would introduce recognizable classical pieces, as much as possible. It worked to help instill basic skills and whet the students’ appetite with the genre. I was School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 39

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also out in the public as much as possible. By the time we had high school students, we took our fiddle students to the Memorial Day Parade. One of our student’s families had a friend who owned a big flatbed tractor trailer. We put 20 students up on there, rigged a sound system and put the orchestra in the parade for seven years!

SBO: That must have put the orchestra in the public’s eye!

MB: Exactly. It’s about finding those opportunities to make sure we continue to stay in the spotlight. As we continued that tradition of the parade, pretty soon it got to be the violins and violas walking beside the truck using wireless microphones, and up on the truck were the

“I was constantly looking for those opportunities to be out in the community shouting, ‘Look at what we’re doing! Look at what we’re doing!’” cellos and the basses – because you just can’t fit 50 kids on one truck!

Once we were ready to start to participate in district festivals and encourage the kids to start taking private lessons, we knew we were heading where we wanted to go.

When I was teaching fifth grade, one of the things I did was that when my students learned a piece, even if it was just 8 or 16 measures long, I’d take them down to the first- and second-grade classrooms and we would perform for the younger students. It wasn’t a big deal, we would just show up, play for a minute or two, and then we were out of there. I used to do a lot of that so that by the time the kids reached fifth grade, they would already have a decent idea of what orchestra is all about. I think that helps a lot. The school district has also been very supportive.

Once we had the high school students involved, we began playing at festival and getting better ratings, and we also started traveling with the students. In our orchestra model, we have a ninth-grade ensemble, we have an upper

classmen ensemble, and then we have a chamber orchestra. It follows the model of a wind ensemble, where the top group is a small group of really good players, so they can do some really cool things.

Placement in the high school groups is all audition-based.

There are two high schools in Waterford. The other one started with the intro group and tried to build, and I started with the middle group. I think starting with a full orchestra works better because we were able to get more people involved. I actually pushed for symphony orchestra almost right away. I wanted to get all of the winds involved, and really start to explore the possibilities of what we could do. Within a year, I had some really great players, and I was concerned about losing them because they were exceeding the level of the overall program, so my supervisor suggested we put the chamber orchestra together. That first year, it met before school. And everyone from the chamber orchestra had to be in the symphony orchestra, as well.

five or ten years we’ve really seen more and more stringed instruments make their way in to rock music and more and more musicians playing with orchestras.

In the 1990s, it was like, “What do we

do with these kids who aren’t used to seeing classical music?” But that’s not really the case anymore.

The rock band may have a violinist. Or we may see the Trans-Siberian

SBO: As if it’s not enough to have students playing obscure music they probably won’t hear on the radio, you have them coming in to school an hour early, as well?

MB: Yes! [laughs] These were the kids taking private lessons, the ones with a real investment in the program, so they were thrilled to have the opportunity.

We pulled some really challenging music and quickly they became the showcase group that I brought to the elementary schools and board meetings.

Again, I was constantly looking for those opportunities to be out in the community shouting, “Look at what we’re doing!

Look at what we’re doing!”

That was 2000-2001, and the next year, we were able to move the chamber orchestra into the school day, which made it a lot easier on the students’ schedules.

However, we kept the rule in place that the chamber orchestra students have to play in the symphony orchestra, as well.

That next year, we started another class that met after school called “Contemporary String Ensemble.” It was a full four-credit class, and the only rule in this class was “no classical music.” We started with the fiddles, kind of in the “Barage” style of things, but in the past

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School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 41

Orchestra coming in. A lot of the kids are aware of those kinds of things now, so they may say, “I just saw the Detroit Symphony Concert play and they did a Led Zeppelin salute. Why can’t we play Led Zeppelin?” So while we still did some dance and some fiddle and improvisation, it morphed into a class where the students would write arrangements for everything from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to AC/DC. SBO: It sounds like it was a largely student-driven effort.

MB: Yes, it was. That was partly because my schedule was so hectic – I was still teaching in the middle school, but also because where do you find music?

You can’t just walk into a music store and find music for this type of ensemble.

I was going to arrange the music, the students were going to do it, or we were going to do it as a class. At first, we did it as a class, so we built the foundation of arranging and the kids were able to take that and run with it. Unfortunately, due to scheduling difficulties, we had to shut that class down the year before last, but when thinking about what got

the kids interested – that was one of the things that made an impact. The Chamber Orchestra was really working and the Contemporary String Ensemble was really working, and that gave all of the teachers in the orchestra program the opportunity to really ingrain classical music into the curriculum.

Yes, we miss the contemporary class, but you’d be surprised: if you took a look at my students’ iPods, you’ll find everything else on there, but you’ll also find some Mozart and some Brahms right along with the pop or rock.

SBO: Is that when you know you’ve made it, when your kids are listening to classical music on their own?

MB: We had other markers along the way. In 2002, we went to our first festival. There wasn’t a huge audience there, but it was our first chance to go to a clinic and perform outside of Waterford. In 2003 we had the chance to perform at Disney. It was a pretty big deal because we were only in our fourth year of having a high school orchestra program, and our audition tape was accepted and we were chosen as one of the featured

bands at a festival. That was really successful and it fired up the students.

The next year, we went to a Music Showcase festival in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Symphony Orchestra played and that worked out really well. Our Chamber Orchestra also played, and they were the highest scoring instrumental group for the entire weekend. We didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out that they were actually the best scoring group for the entire year at that festival. This was a time when going out and playing in other places started to build a reputation for the program. We already had some exposure in the community, because we were still visiting elementary schools, still reaching out to the little kids, and that’s one of the things that has carried through to now, where students know that, yes, the marching band is out there and the concert band is out there, but the orchestra program is also one of the prominent ensembles.

Since then, we’ve performed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the Smoky Mountain Music Festival, back at Disney, which has become a tradition we do every four years, and we also

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got the chance to play, by audition, at the National Orchestra Festival as part of the American String Teachers Association national convention. In 2007, the convention happened to be in Detroit, so we took all of our kids and were able to play at an orchestra hall in Detroit. That was a great experience for those kids. This last year, we put in the autidion and were selected to play at the Michigan Music Conference (our state music education convention) in Grand Rapids.

That was another great experience for the kids.

In the meantime, we’ve talked about what’s happened. We started the beginning ensemble in 2003-2004, and by this past year, we had 90 string players in the high school and we’ve started more than 250 fifth graders on stringed instruments.

SBO: When you started teaching fifth graders 15 years ago, did you have a concrete plan to build it up to where it is now or did it just expand organically?

Waterford Kettering Orchestra Camp.

MB: A little bit of both. As far as a concrete vision of exactly where I wanted to be, no; however, I did have a framework in mind for what it would take to establish a program. I had spoken with a lot of experienced teachers and I remember that one of them told me, “Listen, it takes a while to build a

program. It’s not going to happen over night. You’ve got to run that first group from fifth grade all the way through the end of high school, and when you get there, you have to look back at the new batch of fifth graders; it’s not until that point that you’ll have an idea of where your program really is.”

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I’ve had several different supervisors over the years, but I’ve had some good mentors who have helped me keep my eyes on the long term, not the short term. In essence, I was expecting it to take 12-16 years, but we cut that down by a few years and wound up completing the cycle five years early.

funding. In Michigan, school funding comes from the state, not local taxes.

In good times, that system works great, but in bad times, it has forced the state legislature to allocate more money out of the general fund because the funds that were set aside for each year aren’t enough. There’s a constant battle with

“In the 1990s, it was like, ‘What do we do with these kids who aren’t used to seeing classical music?’

But that’s not really the case anymore.”

Having that framework of knowing where you want it to go is important, but you also have to let the program grow organically.

SBO: Your program seems to be blossoming at a time when the US economy is hurting, and the state of Michigan is taking it especially hard. Are you feeling the pinch?

MB: It’s a constant battle. We’re seeing negative effects in terms of school

44 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

that and we’re up against it all the time.

The other thing with the economy over the last two years is that we’re seeing it not only in terms of the school’s finances, but we’re seeing it effect stability. We’ve had families who aren’t able to keep their houses or have to move outside of the state for jobs. Sometimes it’s not that drastic, but we’ve had more than a few cases where a student is here today and gone tomorrow.

Maintaining our funding is something that we’re always working for.

It’s been tough and we’ve needed to do a lot of fundraising. We have a great booster group that helps with a lot of that.

SBO: What specific activities do you do?

MB: We have our pizza kit sales and we do carwashes, but in the long-run carwashes aren’t the most effective way to earn money. One of the things we’ve started doing is having a professional looking show jacket with black and white ads. Our idea was to target businesses because they have money and can write off the expense. It looks like a show program from any of the major professional symphonies, only ours is a little bit smaller.

Our best year, we earned about $8,000 on that. Last year, we only took in about $3,000 selling ads in our program, so yes, the economy is hurting us, but these program jackets have been a big help.

SBO: You’re program has come a long way in the past decade or so. Where would you like to see it go in the next few years?

MB: We’ve reached the point where I think most people would agree it has been a success. Have I reached my goals from ten years ago?

Maybe I have, but as we’ve grown, we’ve also raised our goals. This coming year, we will have 105 string players in the high school, which is close to our max capacity, I think. Last year our symphony orchestra had 70 string players. We took an orchestra of 100 pieces when we went to the Michigan Music Festival last year. Every year, we close our final concert with Handel’s “Messiah” and we’ll have 160 singers and over 100 musicians on the stage at one time. At a certain point, we are going to come up against having more students than we can feasibly handle from a logistics standpoint.

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We also put together a holiday collage concert, with the choir, band, and orchestra together. We started out with this as an idea to raise money for a local charity. We did it for one night that first year, an hour-and-a-half of music orchestrated with one piece after another and no dead time between performances. We sold out the 750-seat performing arts center, so the next year we had two nights of performances, and a few years after that began performing the show for three nights, plus two additional performances for the rest of the school.

Tickets are $5 each, and we’ve been able to give away over $15,000 to charity in the last six years. For the last two years, because of the financial hardships we’ve faced, we’ve named ourselves as one of the charities that will benefit from those concerts. Last year, we gave away about $2,000, but we were also able to take about $3,500 and put it back into the band and orchestra fund. We are constantly looking for new ways to raise or maintain funding.

SBO: So what’s the solution?

MB: I’m going to change the organization of the groups. Starting this year, we will still have the freshmen group of about 20 or 22 students.

The symphony orchestra will have about 45 strings and when we add in the other instruments, we’ll have about 65 or 70 students, still a nice number, and then there will be two chamber orchestras, with a total of about 34 students between them. As I mentioned, I used to always require

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my chamber players to play with the symphony orchestra, but now we’re going to combine those two groups to form a second symphony orchestra called “Sinfonia.” Some of the top players of the other symphony orchestra will play in that group, as well, and we should be able to create a very nice, balanced group. We’ll have about 32 string players and about 18 wind players, so it’ll be a group of about 50 or 52 students. I really want to start taking more of the standard literature. This orchestra is going to start doing some really great stuff.

There are still plenty of musical challenges in front of us, especially with the economic times meaning that I don’t have as many kids who are taking private lessons as there were five years ago.

I’d like to consistently be ready to perform in more outside venues, and the more we do this, the more chances I think that we’ll have to continue to raise the bar with what we do. We’ve reached a nice point, but I don’t want to stop here, and the kids don’t want to stop here. We want to keep pushing.

SBO: Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting up 15 years ago?

MB: First of all, I’d give some of the same advice I received: look at the long-term process; get older groups into the classrooms; try to get yourself in front of the younger groups and really ingrain the process at an early age. The other thing I would change or do differently is put more of my attention on building great musical foundations. We were very performance driven in those first few years because we were fighting for our life. I teach differently now – of course, we all grow – but while it seems like it takes more time to really lay those musical foundations, it actually makes the process go faster.

You’re going to have to teach those at some point, and sooner is better than later.

46 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

SBOSurvey: New Year’s Resolution

New

(School) Year’s Resolution

T

he start of a new school year brings renewed excitement and enthusiasm, and for a few music educators, gratitude that their employment in

this wonderful field will continue for another year. And with the new year come new goals and ambitions. To catalogue the direction in which music educators are hoping to take their programs for the next nine or so months, SBO sent out this reader survey, which reveals that in this profession, fall really is a season of optimism and rededicated focus.

48 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

What are your resolutions for the new school year?

• Increase number of students in the music program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21% • Implement new technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16% • Tackle more challenging repertoire . . . . . . . . . . 16% • Work on new compositions with my ensembles 14% • Start new or alternative student ensembles . . 12% • Produce recordings of my ensembles . . . . . . . . 9% • Follow through on more exciting and adventurous travel plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5% • Simply keep my program afloat for another year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4% • Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3%

“Last year, we noticed that many students didn’t get the chance to have much time playing individually, so I want to give the students the opportunity to perform more literature to aid them in their musical development.”

Dathan Echols Northside Middle School Muncie, Ind.

“Three years ago we added sixth grade to our school, which had consisted of just seventh and eighth graders.

That first class of sixth graders is now going to be the eighth graders and the first group of third-year band musicians we have ever had. That very fact has forced us to add a more advanced ensemble to our curriculum and we will be performing more challenging literature.”

Skip Quinn White Station Middle School Memphis, Tenn.

“I will continue to try to make the program indispensable by attracting large numbers of students and providing an outstanding educational experience for them. Everything else is out of my control.”

Stephen Mitchell Windsor Middle School Windsor, Calif.

How do you plan to achieve these goals?

“To improve our instrumentation, we will continue to do work in recruiting proper numbers in sections based on a future ensemble. In addition to recruitment, I think that I need to work on retention and successful experiences in those sections that seem to be dealing with unusual attrition.”

George Dragoo Stevens High School Rapid City, S.D. “We always approach each year looking for ways we can improve the quality of the students’ experience. We always start with a set of goals and then work out the details for each goal so that we have a plan for how we will reach them.”

Raymond W. Thomas North Forsyth High School Cumming, Georgia “It will be a challenge to use only the music we have inhouse as our entire budget for everything was cut to $0.”

Kate Sheaffer Pennridge School District Perkasie, Pa.

Is your administration on board with your projects?

Yes, with reservations

21%

No, it’s a struggle

7%

“To date, our superintendent has cut supplies and increased class sizes rather than cut our instrumental music program. While scheduling remains a problem due to the pressure of state mandated testing, we continue to offer a well balanced selection of performing ensembles. This is due in part to the state’s school choice option, which allows students to matriculate to the school of their choice. To prevent our student population from seeking an education at other local public or charter schools, our superintendent has decided to protect the district’s programs that set it apart from the others. That is why she is ‘on board.’

John New Mattacheese Middle School West Yarmouth, Mass.

“My district has agreed to buy me the technology I need to add a music technology course to the curriculum. I will also use it with my other ‘traditional’ courses.”

Jason E. June Somerset Area Junior/Senior High School Somerset, Pa.

Do you anticipate your budget being:

Increased

5%

Staying the same

41%

Decreased

54%

Do you anticipate the number of students in your program:

Decreasing

7% Staying the same

41%

Increasing

52%

Yes, totally

72%

School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 49

Additional thoughts on the new school year?

“We opened the doors of the school three years ago. The spring before the doors, opened I was hired as the band director. At that time, I created a 10-year plan to add classes, staff, and travel, and we are pretty much staying on track.

The only way we are behind is from the staffing perspective.

Due to the financial situation the government in California has left us in, we will be about two teachers short from where I would have liked to have been and from what the other schools in our district have. Still, it is an exciting time for us. We will have our first marching band this year, as well as take our first out of town overnight trips. I am really excited.”

David Lesser Clovis North Educational Center Fresno, Calif.

“After close to 40 years of teaching only strings, this year I have been assigned classroom general music! Wish me luck!”

Susan H. Liss John Jay Middle School Cross River, N.Y. “Lots of challenges to motivate both kids and parents to buy into what we do and to make it fun and exciting so that

others in the area take notice so that we can become a well known, well run, and wonderful performing group!”

John Enloe Middle Creek High School Apex, N.C. “We are always looking to improve as performers and as teachers. We have been adding elements to our teaching strategies each year since I have been here and that has helped our students perform better.”

Gary Owens Cuero High School Cuero, Texas “Another year, a new job and a refreshed attitude. I feel good about it.”

Gerald Kenney Raleigh High School Raleigh, Miss.

“In many ways, this will be a challenging year for all of us, but also one of opportunity. Those willing to seek out opportunity will have a good year.”

Kurt Stalmann Santana High School Santee, Calif.

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50 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

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SBOGuest Editorial: Hyperslow Rehearsal

Hyperslow:

A technique to master fast, difficult passages

BY DEAN LAMP

A

ll musicians know the importance of paying ones dues to master the scales, technical licks, and complex passages that we are called upon to play, especially when these

phrases must be played at rapid tempos. The ability to perform these skills consistently and accurately under pressure, whether for an audience or an audition, is an important quality to students and professionals alike.

Practice techniques that make those hours spent in the woodshed more efficient can be a tremendous advantage. Not only do they help musicians increase their skill, but also improve their chances of giving a successful and artistic performance. Although it seems counterintuitive, practicing slowly and deliberately with a metronome can be a very effective way to master fast technical passages quickly. One of the best methods I have found to use that tactic is the use of “Hyperslow” practice.

Hyperslow practice takes advantage of how the human mind creates connections and stores information. When any task has been repeated a sufficient number of times, the body’s adaptation process is triggered in such a way that the ability to reproduce the motions of that activity is enhanced. Even extremely complex tasks can be repeated rapidly and with a very high degree of accuracy without much conscious thought. Used correctly, this natural process can be employed to increase the speed with which the player is able to perform the action by very gradually increasing the tempo with each repetition.

52 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

The experience of using the hyperslow practice technique for many years both personally and with my students has also created a set of tips and hints to help maximize the effectiveness of each practice sessions.

There are three that I consider especially important.

The first and most important of these is that the methodical repetitions of hyperslow practice are a way of tricking the body into the development of muscle memory – a very normal thing – at a rate much faster than normal. Attempting to do this with more than one passage on the same

day will result in a garbled mess that usually keeps either from being effectively learned.

The second is that the process works both best and fastest if the student can refrain from speaking during the practice session. Even a brief interruption will often cause the need to back up a few steps and restart the process. I am not a medical professional and I do not claim to understand why this is true, but I have seen it happen consistently enough to recognize it and make it a part of how I train my students.

The third tip is that the longer the passage, the less effective the

practice session will be. Longer passages should be broken down into segments. The longest that I would recommend is four measures. One of the reasons for this is that once things get rolling, several repetitions can be made per minute. The distraction of tediousness is reduced and muscle memory is achieved much more quickly.

Training students to use the hyperslow tactic quickly reveals that it has one tremendous weakness. It is, quite frankly, not a very “fun” way to practice. Young students are often unwilling to use it until they have been sold on its effectiveness. Understanding how well it works helps them realize that the alternative, while much less tedious, is actually more work and will take longer to accomplish the same goal. To help them build this understanding, I often take a lesson session to sit with them and use the method to practice something that has in the past eluded them.

Encourage even just a few of your students to use the hyperslow practice technique. It will bring with it a new sense of confidence to your band as their peers see how quickly they improve their technical skills. Given time and a little willpower, I am certain that your results will be worth the effort.

Dean Lamp is the 5-12 band instructor and head of the music department at Glidden-Ralston Community School in Glidden, Iowa.

Since 2008 he has also served as 7-12 band instructor at Coon Rapids-Bayard Community School in Coon Rapids, Iowa.

He is a graduate of Waldorf College and the University of Northern Iowa. Under his leadership, the Glidden-Ralston Community School has received the Exemplary Music Department Award from the Iowa Music Educators Association.

54 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

SBOPerformance: Ear Training

Ear Training 101

BY CHAIM BURSTEIN

T

he ear can be thought of as a muscle and, to a certain degree, it must be trained like one. Unfortunately, far too many instructors leave ear training skills locked up in

a classroom book. The ear must be a central part of every music class whether it is a Concert Band, Orchestra, Music Theory, History, or Appreciation class. In performance situations, ear training will lead to better intonation, ensemble playing, and overall musicianship. With that in mind, here are

“To create a successful music program, teachers must strive to involve the ear in every aspect of the students’ coursework.

three great ways to dramatically improve your students’ ears and, hopefully, their overall playing.

Prior to tackling these three exercises, students must be familiar with the underlying scales and moveable “Do” solfege. If students are not familiar with moveable “Do” solfege, or cannot play these scales on their instruments, you have your work cut out for you! If your students are already way past that point, read on. These exercises can be modified for even the most advanced students and will serve them well for years to come.

Crazy for Chromatics Once students have a solid understanding of moveable “Do,” it is essential that they learn to sing a chromatic scale.

When singing through the chromatic scale, remember to use sharps when ascending and flats when descending. (See Example 1) Begin by accompanying students at the piano or by picking specific sections to sing while other sections play.

Don’t be afraid to change to a higher or lower octave when necessary. This exercise is not intended to make your students better singers; it is designed to improve their ears. For young musicians, octave displacement is an important skill to master and should be encouraged whenever possible. Af-

ter students have mastered the exercise and solfege syllables, slowly remove the piano or ensemble accompaniment, and spot check specific tones as needed.

Target Tones Target tones are an essential part of any ear training regimen. They force students to hear not only chord tones, but surrounding tones as well. Through my own teaching experience, I have found that while many students can correctly sing a major scale, they often have difficulty, picking out specific intervals at random. As an analogy, try thinking of the letter of the alphabet that directly precedes the letter “O.” Most people are unable to provide the answer without silently singing or thinking of the letters “L-M-N.” With practice, this habit can be broken. With respect to the scales and scale degrees, the best way to practice this is through the use of target tones. Here are two of my favorite target tone exercises along with instructions on how to complete each exercise in the classroom.

This first target tone exercise still uses the crutch of the scale but forces students to hear each scale degree without School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 55

Example 1

Example 2a

Example 2b

Example 3a

counting up from “Do.” I like to call this the “Leap Frog” exercise and it tends to produce great results in very little time. (See Example 2a) Start by having students sing the solfege with piano or sectional accompaniment. Play the exercise in all twelve keys using octave displacement when appropriate. If using sectionals, this can be a good time to not only train students’ ears, but also to find out who hasn’t been practicing their scales!

56 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

After getting comfortable with the exercise, slowly remove the piano or ensemble accompaniment until the students are able to sing the entire exercise a cappella.

The final step in mastering this exercise is perhaps the most difficult.

First, play middle C and have the students sing through the exercise without the piano. When finished, have the students sing C# as the new “Do” and check their pitch with the piano. If they’ve practiced the chromatic scale

exercise, this should be easy.

Once your students are able to master the major scale, try introducing minor scales or modes as dictated by the ensembles current repertoire. Example 2b displays a version of the Leap Frog exercise that utilizes a Natural Minor Scale. This exercise is endlessly adaptable and should be used whenever introducing a new scale or mode.

The second target tone exercise removes the scale entirely. This is useful in a number of ways. First, it

Example 3b

requires the students to hear each interval without the comfort of the scale. Second, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great way to introduce harmonic concepts such as leading tones or even simple triads.

As with the first two exercises, begin with piano or ensemble accompaniment and slowly work towards students singing a cappella. Example 3a displays target tones used within the context of a major scale while Example 3b utilizes a natural minor scale.

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How could we have possibly made them any better?

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Ear training is one area that is all too often pigeon-holed into a single course or classroom experience. To create a successful music program, teachers must strive to involve the ear in every aspect of the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; coursework. These exercises are not meant to be run through only once a semester. Instead, they should be continuously practiced and drilled until they are thoroughly absorbed by the students. After obtaining complete control over these three simple exercises, students should be encouraged to expand upon them as their understanding of scales and modes continues to grow. The beauty of each of these exercises is the fact that the only material needed to practice each exercise is a pitchfork or metronome with A440. As an undergraduate, I carried a pitchfork with me and practiced these exercises on the subway while commuting to class. All three exercises will provide students with a solid foundation for further ear training studies and will improve their overall playing, intonation, musicianship, and sectional playing. All in all, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a recipe for success.

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School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 57

SBOTechnology: Music Tech Support

Music Tech Service & Support: Who, What & Where

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

O

nce upon a time music, dealers provided plenty of service and support â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially during the explosion of MIDI synthesizers in 1984. But in the mid-90s, there was a big shift in the music instrument retail business because musicians began purchasing via catalogs and the Internet. Brick-and-mortar retailers could no longer afford to maintain support and

service departments, and many dropped those personnel or went out of business.

58 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

Most operating manuals are not written for teaching situations, so now more than ever music educators need tech support. With computer operating systems changing, hardware/software drivers become out-dated making otherwise good equipment operate poorly, if at all. Rapidly advancing technological innovations bring software updates and user headaches.

Matt Hepworth, owner of software service and support company MIDI Assist, explains this dilemma in an interesting way. He says, “Service is fixing something when it breaks. Support is training and operational assistance. If a customer, for example, purchased a GM automobile at the cheapest price, he or she could take it to any local GM dealer and they’d provide free warranty service. While this is correct for cars, a music customer probably misunderstood the difference between service and support. I tell customers that if their gear was broken, I’d be happy to fix it under warranty, just like the GM dealer. However, I doubt any GM dealer would pull a technician off the line and teach the customer how to repair his or her vehicle. That would be support, not service. So the answer to, ‘Where did all the support go?’ is a pretty simple one. The music retail business, like many other businesses, has become low-price driven.”

Matt is not embarrassed to point fingers, “It’s the WalMart approach. Why pay a penny more when you can get it cheaper at Wal-Mart? High-value takes a back seat to the lowest price possible. And because of that, profits have been reduced across the board. Retailers simply cannot afford to provide the support they used to.”

But there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel. As Matt sees it, “While the Internet closed the doors of many music stores, it will also become the savior of hightech musical instrument support.”

“Rapidly advancing technological i nnovations bring software updates and user headaches.”

The Role-Model Support & Service Companies Among the many companies across the country that are addressing both the service and support needs of music educators and their schools, I found six in particular that serves as role models: • Kelly’s Music & Computers has locations in Canada and the US and offers worldwide services and training. Phone: (800) 510-4385; Fax: (800) 868-7009; e-mail: sales@kellysmusic.net and Web: KellysMusicAndComputers.com.

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

For a free copy of our DVD ‘The Making of the Stentor Violin’, please contact the address opposite

www.stentor-music.com

In the USA, please contact: Kaman Music Corp.

20 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 Tel: 0860-509-8888 Email: sales@kamanmusic.com

School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 59

432-1758; and Web: www.sweetwater.com, www.lentine.com.

• The Synthesis MIDI Workshop in Carson, Washington offers national and world-wide service, focusing primarily on the western half of the U.S. Phone: (800) 248-9699; fax: (509) 427-7064; Web: www. midiworkshop.com; and e-mail: klingerm@midiworkshop.com.

• MIDI Assist in Salt Lake City, Utah offers service and support to the greater Rocky Mountain region.

Phone: (801) 554-1925; Web: www.midiassist.com.

• Romeo Music in Dallas, Texas for 20 years. Phone: (800) 466-1773; fax (972) 899-0140; Web: www.romeomusic.net; and e-mail: Julie@ romeomusic.net.

• SoundTree, Korg USA, Inc. in Melville, New York has 14 years of experience offering national services and training. Phone: (800) 9638733; Fax, 631.390.6689; Web: www.soundtree.com.

• Sweetwater Sound of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in association with Lentine Music, has been in business 33 years and provides national and international technology servicing.

Phone: (260) 432-8176; fax: (260)

What Makes These Companies Special Kelly’s Music offers remote technical support, training and consulting

blair school of music at vanderbilt university

• Intensive professional training with a superb liberal

arts education–in a city of historic Southern charm

• Internationally recognized faculty and uniquely

personal student/teacher ratio–a hallmark of the Blair community

• New, state-of-the-art classrooms, studios, and performance halls–a new dimension in the learning experience

Vanderbilt Orchestra

Robin Fountain, Conductor

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY A U D I T I O N D AT E S 2 0 0 9 / 1 0 December 5, 2009 • January 29-30, 2010 February 12-13, 2010 • February 26-27, 2010 For more information:

Dwayne Sagen, Assistant Dean of Admissions Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37212-3499 PHONE: (615) 322-6181 WEB: www.vanderbilt.edu/Blair E-MAIL: dwayne.p.sagen@vanderbilt.edu 60 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

• Now offering a five-year Bachelor of

Music/Master of Education and teaching licensure program in Musical Arts/ Education in collaboration with Peabody College of Education

• Ranked as one of the nation’s top twenty universities

services through a variety of online meeting software, including Adobe’s ConnectNow and Microsoft Live Meeting, which makes remote technical support and training practical and cost productive. Kelly’s Music supports Windows 98 and higher, including Vista and Vista 64-bit, along with any version of Mac OS X. They offer music hardware and software sales, on-site and online training, installation, tech support, consulting and lab design, curriculum development and support, implementation and integration planning, music technology mentoring, installation, and troubleshooting – pretty much anything teachers need help with! I like how you can get an answer from a real person, rather than a hard-to-navigate FAQ section.

Their technical team really knows their stuff. One educator wrote, “Kelly’s is certainly ahead of the curve in realworld expertise, absolutely unbeatable equipment value,

Tech Support Tips * Music teachers are often last on the list for new computers. Fortunately, there is a lot of software that works very well on older computers, so it is worth considering “used” computers from other computer labs that are having their machines upgraded. Computers for Schools is another great resource. It has computers that were donated by companies that are upgrading their computers. Kelly’s Music can usually help teachers get music software working on these older computers.

software, and hardware. You fully support the beginner, as well as the top, experienced, hard-headed expert and diverse clientele.”

Kelly’s Music offers a handy buyer’s guide that includes information on what a particular group of products do, and how to choose the correct one. It has detailed comparison charts that allow you to compare any number of products within a category. This can be found at kellysmusicandcomputers.com/categories.asp.

At kellysmusicandcomputers.com/education.asp, click on “Developing a Comprehensive, Integrated Long Term Music Technology Plan.” I highly recommend it.

They also offer extended warranties as part of their lab sales, as well as extended terms and installment payments, and are considering extending this to individual products. They can offer lease agreements for labs that also include software upgrade agreements so that schools always have the latest version of the software they are using.

SoundTree provides turnkey learning systems for education, integrating electronic music instruments, audio components, video production tools, computers and software. SoundTree also provides advice, planning, complete installation services, staff training, and after-purchase support. David Brian Williams, professor emeritus from Illinois State University, says, “When a school needs assistance planning a music lab facility – from room layout, to

* Keep all of their license agreements, documentation, media, et cetera, in one location, and keep a record of it. This helps a new teacher understand how many licenses they have for a particular program and how to use it. * Not all owner’s manuals are terrible! Sibelius, for example, produces an excellent manual that is even humorous at times! Video tutorials can be even more helpful, however, and there are a variety of those available. As well, there are often guides written specifically for teachers. * Training should be curricular-goal oriented, not just applications-oriented! Don’t think: “How do I use this program?” Think: “How can I use this program to meet my teaching goals?” * Never go to a computer store or a guitar store for music technology advice! * Don’t trust anyone who says there is only “one” solution. Sure Pro Tools is a great program, but that doesn’t mean it is the right solution for everyone. It is important whomever you talk to understands your specific needs and gives you all of the options so you can make an informed choice.

School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 61

furniture, to hardware, to software – I always recommend SoundTree.

No one else in the music education industry, in my experience, delivers the comprehensive guidance, expertise, and ongoing support, all in one package.”

If a customer needs support for an older product line or music system, SoundTree will work with that customer to determine what can be done in terms of servicing or replacing items in that system.

Their Technical Support provides customers with unlimited lifetime support. This includes hardware, software, and limited training services.

With the launch of their new website, SoundTree now offers free online video tutorials for major software titles as well as tutorials that outline how to operate the Korg GEC3. These tutorials stay as current as possible, and are updated with the release of new software and/or hardware. In the very near future, SoundTree will also be equipped to offer educators the ability

New from

to enroll in software training and TI: ME courses for graduate credit. David Marsh, vice president for Technology and Education Outreach at Berklee College of Music, tells us, “Berklee has a long-term relationship with SoundTree, and together we have built some of the most cutting edge music teaching and learning facilities in the world.”

SoundTree offers a one-year limited warranty on all Korg GEC products (Korg GEC3, SCI3V3s). They can offer financing with terms determined on a case-by-case basis, including for consignment purchases.

Sweetwater Sound offers technology-based solutions for K-12 music educators and the university level.

Complete music technology solutions

2

Wind Talk for Brass

Wind Talk for Woodwinds

MARK C. ELY AND AMY E. VAN DEUREN “This book is amazing! It is a Swiss Army knife for band teachers.”—Ronald E. Litteral M.M.E., Veteran Band Teacher, Ephraim Middle School and Manti High School 2009 | 552 pp. | 125 halftones, 60 line illus., 100 music examples Hardback $99.00 | Paperback $35.00

MARK C. ELY AND AMY E. VAN DEUREN “This is a marvelous new resource for anyone who teaches or plays woodwind instruments...a ‘Must Have’ book for the most experienced educator to the first-year teacher.”—James Kurschner, Director of Bands, Normandale College 2009 | 752 pp. | 200 halftones, 65 line illus., 100 music examples Hardback $99.00 | Paperback $45.00

A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching Brass Instruments

Sheet Music

A Christmas Overture

ARRANGED BY NATHAN HOFHEINS for full orchestra picc.2.2.eh.2.bass-cl.2—4.3.3.1—5perc.timp—harp.cel—org—str This glittery processional effectively announces the Christmas season and is the perfect opener to any winter concert or Christmas service.

Beginning with ‘Hark! the herald angels sing’ and ending with the dramatic declaration of ‘Joy to the World’ this work will delight audiences and performers alike.

Score and parts: 978-0-19-380505-7 | $85.00 Score only: 978-0-19-380506-4 | $35.00

Visit our website at www.oup.com/us

62 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching Woodwind Instruments

The Score, the Orchestra, and the Conductor

GUSTAV MEIER “Gustav Meier is brilliant and clearly one of the leading conducting teachers in the world; his book is chock-full of invaluable information.”—Marin Alsop, Music Director Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Music Director, Cabrillo Music Festival 2009 | 512 pp. | 200 line illus.; 600 music examples Hardback $99.00 | Paperback $35.00

Oboe Art and Method

MARTIN SCHURING “Oboe Art and Method will soon become absolutely indispensable to today’s serious oboist - teacher and student alike.”—Dan Stolper, Instructor of Oboe, Interlochen Center for the Arts 2009 | 240 pp. | 20 halftones, 60 lines Hardback $99.00 | Paperback $24.95

1

include music labs, general music, theory and production software and custom-made pro audio computers, plus recording equipment, sounds systems and design, professional audio equipment, keyboards, controllers, MIDI, and audio interfaces. They have an inhouse service and repair department.

Their 24/7 SweetCare is an automated online technical support (www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/) with hundreds of answers to FAQs. Sweetwater customers have access to an incredibly solid technical support team that has their own VNC client software, allowing them to take control of a client’s system (Mac orPC) for remote support.

Sweetwater Sound has now introduced Total Confidence Coverage™, a free, automatic two-year warranty, which comes “in the box” with nearly every product they sell. And if the manufacturer’s original warranty is for more than two years, their warranty won’t adversely affect it. Parts and labor are free with fast turnaround time, and warranty work is performed by a factory-certified service department.

Check out www.sweetwater.com/financing for info on special financing.

Even better is their lend-lease program for schools at: www.sweetwater.com/ financing/lfci-express-lease.php. The Sweetwater/LFCI Leasing Advantage lease-to-own option is an ideal solution for public and private schools offering tremendous lease deals on music and pro audio gear with flexible payment options.

The Synthesis MIDI Workshop specializes in educational music software, hardware, and training. They provide several training workshops at The Mike Klinger Music Technology Retreat Center and also provide in-services at school district sites. To date, over 5,000 teachers have studied with Mike Klinger. He has trained all of the U.S. Dept. of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) music teachers in the world. Extended warranties are offered on some models. They do not handle older technologies and operating systems.

MIDI Assist is committed to online video instruction. Anyone can get hours of video instruction on their

Tools, Logic, Sonar, Cakewalk, Digital Performer, and Live! He also offers support on all computer-based audio and MIDI interface hardware and all high-tech musical instruments including keyboards, synths, sound modules, audio processing devices, and P.A. Systems. MIDI Assist is a complete service and support company that currently does not sell products.

Presently, MIDI Assist does not offer repair services, but is happy to

software for a reasonable price, regardless of where they purchased that product. It’s especially helpful for musicians living in more rural areas who can still get access to a MIDI expert.

Matt Hepworth, the guru behind MIDI Assist, provides hardware, software, and technical service on older and new equipment, plus installation and/or training with daily tech support on all popular software titles including Cubase, Nuendo, Reason, Pro

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School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 63

provide setup and training for individuals, students, and staff. He gives driver support for legacy devices and this is increasingly difficult the older the unit becomes. Matt will try to find out if an older device will still work before recommending an upgrade to a currently supported model.

Romeo Music, a music retail company specializing in music software, recording hardware, digital pianos, and turnkey technology music labs, provides answers to questions like: “What’s new?” “What do you need?”

“What’s the best price? “How do I

use it?” and, “How soon can I get it?”

Their motto is, “If it plugs in, Romeo Music has it.” Romeo Music is well known for presenting easy-to-understand recording and software technology clinics and introducing new products to educators at state and national music conventions as well as on-site school staff development workshops throughout the year. Romeo Music services both the seasoned and novice music educator with cutting edge products and personal training tailored to the individual needs. Romeo Music is known for finding simple and effective technology tools to en-

hance music teaching. They also provide grant resources and other tools for finding funding for technology, and they educate customers to make knowledgeable product choices. They also provide hands-on product training. This company proves that the finest technology tool is worth nothing if you don’t know how to use it.

Julie Romeo and her team don’t shy away from “hand-holding,” where there is no assumed knowledge and teachers are comfortable asking any questions.

My Observations All of these companies were started by educators. In most cases, they can work with you, your IT people, purchasing departments, principals, and anyone else that can make life easier for you and help you use technology to meet your teaching goals. They can help you establish a long-term technology plan that takes into account your curricular goals, funding, and need for professional development. With this kind of help, music educators can be ensured that the technology you choose for today will work for you tomorrow.

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“Xylosynth has provided Rhythm X with endless possibilities.

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

“Xylosynth is beautifully crafted and has quickly become an invaluable tool for the Bluecoats Percussion Ensemble. Its ease of use, versatility and realistic feel has integrated seamlessly into our program.” Tom Rarick, Arranger

TM

14

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For more info on the world’s finest MIDI mallet controller visit www.wernick.net 64 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

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:MEcertified 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.

NewProducts The Beamz Professional

The Beamz Professional is a new packaged product which bundles the Beamz musical instrument with the new Beamz Studio software. Used as a MIDI player and controller, Beamz Professional adds a new visual impact to musical performances by playing music clips and MIDI instruments assigned to the Beamz lasers instead of pushing buttons or turning knobs to trigger sounds and effects.

The Beamz Professional product consists of the actual unit, which is a “W-shaped” controller that features six laser beams, a USB cord linking the unit to a computer, and the Beamz Studio software combined with a DLS collection of Beamz-composed music clips. Players also receive two music CDs with the purchase of the system, featuring 30 original songs from a variety of music categories or genres including rock, jazz, blues, reggae, country, hip hop, Latin, and classical.

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Discount Music Supplies

Pro-Mark’s Performer Series Marching Bass Drum Mallets

Pro-Mark Corporation has introduced their Performer Series line of marching bass drum mallets. The new Performer Series Marching Bass Drum Mallets are made with American hickory handles and dense felt heads. The handles are designed with a “Comfort Flare” for a more secure grip, and feature an upward taper at the head for balance and sound projection. The Performer Series Marching Bass Drum Mallets are also available with puff heads for a more muted tone. Both standard felt and puff mallets are available in five sizes to accommodate the smallest to the largest bass drums.

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No Strings Attached Music Supplies

Welcome to No Strings Attached. I am a professional symphony musician on a mission to make your musical shopping endeavors easier and MUCH less costly. I supply the finest string and brass supplies, rock stops, metronomes, mutes, cases and all music teacher supplies at ROCK BOTTOM PRICES! If there is something not listed on our website, we will be happy to order it for you. I am always available to answer any questions personally.

www.nsamusicsupplies.com School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 65

NewProducts McCormick’s Premier Band Room Sound System

McCormick’s Premier Band Room Sound System features a sturdy and secure design and can handle playback from DVD, CD, MP3, iPod, or a laptop, which connects to the mixer via USB. The system can be plugged into microphones to record directly to a laptop. Speakers can be mounted on the wall with the included mounts or placed on tripod stands for mobility.

The system also features the Raxxess ECR-ST steel rack. Under the key-lockable and retractable steel top is a 12-space rack unit mixer section that can be moved to any of eight different positions. Behind another key-locked, steel door on the front is a 16space rack unit section for mounting electronic components. The steel rear door also locks and provides easy access to the back of components, plus ventilation when the unit is closed. Extra heavy duty casters are included. The ERT-ST is finished in durable silver and black powder coat.

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Rico Reeds Collaborate with NY Philharmonic

Rico’s Reserve Classic reeds have been designed for clarinetists by clarinetists, Mark Nuccio, acting principal clarinetist of the NY Philharmonic, taking on an integral role in the production. The Classics, developed using 3-D reedmodeling software, underwent months of research and artistic consultation with the input of symphonic musicians from New York, Cincinnati, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and more.

The Reserve Classic reeds feature a newly designed tip radius and have been specially measured to offer desired strengths including 3.5+ and 4.0+.

In addition, the Reserve Classic reeds use a special cane treatment process to help reduce reed warping, and are made from lower-internode cane. Only the lower sections of each cane pole are selected, giving greater consistency due to the ultra-dense structure.

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New Elson’s Pocket Music Dictionary from Theodore Presser

Theodore Presser’s new Elson’s Pocket Music Dictionary was edited by composer and educator Matthew Herman and updated to reflect the technologies and theories of 20th- and 21stcentury music, along with an augmented composer list and the inclusion of jazz and contemporary music definitions. The New Elson’s Pocket Music Dictionary provides more than double the number of definitions than any other pocket dictionary, and at a lower price.

www.presser.com 66 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

NewProducts Wind Talk Book Series from Oxford University Press

Wind Talk for Brass and Wind Talk for Woodwinds provide instrumental music teachers, practitioners, and students with a pedagogical resource for brass and woodwind instruments found in school instrumental programs. With thorough coverage of the most common brass and woodwind instruments, the books offer topical information for effective teaching.

This includes terminology, topics, and concepts associated with each specific instrument, along with teaching suggestions that can be applied in the classroom. The books also feature “Practical Tips” sections, which discuss common technical faults and corrections, common problems with

sound (as well as their causes and solutions to them), fingering charts, literature lists (study materials, method books, and solos), as well as a list of

additional resources relevant to teaching brass and woodwind instruments (articles, Web sites, audio recordings).

www.oup.com

Clark W Fobes

“Debut” Clarinet and Saxophone mouthpieces Responsive, Reed friendly, Reasonably priced!

Clarinet $37 Alto Sax $42 Tenor Sax $44 Bass Clarinet $59

Are you STILL buying those overpriced European mouthpieces? I invite you to my website for a free sample of the highest quality American made mouthpieces available for students.

www.clarkwfobes.com School Band and Orchestra, September 2009 67

INTROPA I N T E R N AT I O N A L T O U R S

Consider this, Since 1957, Intropa has delivered 2500 performing ensembles

NewProducts Sensaphonics Upgrades Earphones with Field-Replaceable Cable

Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation, manufacturer of custom earphones for in-ear monitoring, has released field-replaceable cables for its ProPhonic 2X-S and 2MAX dualdriver custom earphones.

Designed by Sensaphonics Japan, the new cables are a tour grade, dual-conductor design, featuring a memory-wire insert at the earpiece end and a split adjuster (zipper) to ensure a secure fit behind the head.

Users may specify either matte silver or black, in lengths of 52 or 60 inches.

The new field-replaceable cables are included as standard on all new ProPhonic 2X-S and 2MAX earphones; pricing remains unchanged. The original integrated cable and Sensaphonics’ breakaway cable assemblies will remain available upon request.

www.sensaphonics.com

to 72 countries around the world.

Planet Waves’ Metronome Tuner

Planet Waves’ Metronome Tuner features a multi-function metronome along with a precise meter-style chromatic tuner in a pocket-size design. The metronome offers adjustable tempo, beats, and time division settings with volume control and 1/8” headphone jack output. The built-in precision tuner features an oversized display with adjustable frequency calibration, built-in condenser microphone, and a 1/” input jack for tuning acoustic or electric instruments.

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Conn-Selmer Launches “Build A Bach” Web Site

Intropa...

Simply the best!

INTROPA TOURS 713 or 800 666.3838 e-mail: info@intropa.com www.intropa.com 68 School Band and Orchestra, September 2009

Conn-Selmer’s “Build A Bach” Web site is now available for musicians to design their own custom Bach Stradivarius trumpet. With this new on-line resource, players can customize their own Bach Stradivarius B♭ or C trumpet.

There are five easy steps in the process. It is as simple as picking the instrument to be customized, choosing from a variety of options in each category, saving multiple configurations during the process, and printing out the final version as a record. Once completed, the printed record can be provided to the local Conn-Selmer dealer who will assist with pricing and ordering information. A wide range of features are available to choose from including bore size, bell and mouthpipe options, hooks and triggers, valve caps, finishes, mouthpieces, and cases.

www.build-a-bach.com

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The 15-Minute Power Practice

“One day out of frustration at the lack of preparation my students were demonstrating in rehearsal, I required all of them to practice in their seats individually for 15 minutes, during which stopping was not an option. I calmed down as I witnessed a flurry of activity and began to realize that many of the students were probably practicing their part individually for the first time in months, or ever. After the 15-minute power practice, we rehearsed the troublesome spots and I noticed a remarkable improvement.

Students readily agreed they experienced improvement as well. Now it has become a frequent exercise that I employ. It’s also a great time to observe students practice habits, posture, and technique. It may seem scandalous to eat up rehearsal time by letting students practice, but in my experience talking about and teaching how to practice during rehearsal is a vital key to performance success.”

John Reikow Holland High School Holland, Mich.

Submit your PLAYING TIP online at www.sbomagazine.com or e-mail it to editor Eliahu Sussman: esussman@symphonypublishing.com.

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J

ohannes Brahms is considered to be one of the greatest composers of his century, and one of the last great Classicists. Born 1833 in Hamburg, Germany, Brahms was not considered to be a child prodigy although he showed great talent at a young age. As he grew older, Brahms work was not well appreciated. At the turn of the century, it was fashionable in progressive circles to disparage Brahms. But since his death in the spring of 1897, Brahms work has gained in appreciation, remaining in the active repertory, appealing equally to both the learned and causal listener.

Young Johannes Brahms had no easy start in life. He lived with his father, a double bass player in a local orchestra, and his seamstress mother in a slum of Hamburg. Eduard Marxsen, a well known German pianist, composer and teacher, recognized the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extraordinary musical gifts and taught him free of charge. At the age of 13, Brahms was making money by playing the piano in local brothels for drunken sailors and their girls. Later, he joked that this unromantic early experience with women had saved him from â&#x20AC;&#x153;both opera and marriage.â&#x20AC;?

In 1853, Brahms seized an opportunity to participate in a concert tour with the ďŹ&#x201A;amboyant Hungarian violinist Eduard RemĂŠnyi. The tour proved to be a turning point in Brahmsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Through RemĂŠnyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ofďŹ ces, Brahms was introduced ďŹ rst to Franz Liszt in Weimar and then to Robert and Clara Schumann in DĂźsseldorf. The Schumanns were particularly impressed with the young virtuoso, and he became their protĂŠgĂŠ. The

ďŹ rst works which Brahms allowed posterity to see date from the period of the ďŹ rst meeting with the Schumanns. It is easy to see why Robert Schumann admired the three piano sonatas (Opp. 1, 2, and 5) which Brahms presented to him. Though the shadow of Beethoven looms over these works, they display an emerging individuality, a formal mastery, and a seriousness of purpose which justify Schumannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s description of Brahms as already â&#x20AC;&#x153;fully armed.â&#x20AC;?

Despite these famous connections, recognition did not come until the late 1860s. He moved to Vienna in 1872 and, in the next few years, composed a series of masterpieces, including his First and Second Symphonies, his popular Violin Concerto in D, and the Academic Festival Overture, in which he included the tunes of four popular student drinking songs.

He was a difďŹ cult character who always said what he thought. But he was generous and supportive of younger composers, including Dvorak and Grieg. The death of Clara Schumann in 1896 affected him profoundly, and he himself died a few months later.

As a composer, Brahms was a man born after his time. He is often called one of the last great Classicists. Contemporary composers ridiculed him as a conservative who clung to the musical past. But his stylish music has become increasingly popular and is now an essential part of the concert repertoire.

QUICK FACTS:

BRAHMSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WORLD

Born May 7, 1833 in Hamburg Germany

Brahms lived during the majority of the 19th century, the following is a list of important events that occurred during Brahmsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lifetime.

Died April 3, 1897 in Vienna Austria Brahms was an uncompromising perfectionist and destroyed many more works than he published.

In 1889 Brahms was invited to make an experimental recording, this remains the earliest recording made by a major composer.

His large choral work A German Requiem is not a setting of the liturgical Missa pro defunctis, but a setting of texts which Brahms selected from the Lutheran Bible.

Brahms strongly preferred writing absolute music that does not refer to an explicit scene or narrative, and he never wrote an opera or a symphonic poem.

MUSICAL TIMELINE:

1833 1835 1838 1840 1844 1846 1848 1857 1859 1861 1862 1862 1869 1869 1876 1893 1897

Brahms is born in Hamburg, Germany.

Mark Twain born Photography invented Britain annexes New Zealand YMCA founded U.S. - Mexican War begins Gold discovered in California Dred Scott decision in U. S. Supreme Court A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens American Civil War begins Les Miserables by Victor Hugo First Cinco de Mayo: Mexican Army defeats French Suez Canal opens Henri Matisse is born Telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell First car built by Henry Ford Brahms dies in Vienna, Austria.

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