A Project for the Band Literature Class –Gary Barton

A PROJECT FOR THE BAND LITERATURE CLASS

BY GARY BARTON

If you follow the many Facebook band director pages you may notice that there are topics that appear fairly regularly. I’ve recently seen multiple requests for sharing activities that people use in band literature courses that have a significant and long-lasting impact. I’m not going to be sharing any new or unique ideas, but rather I’m going to revisit a fairly standard assignment and discuss how it was done in the past, followed by how that project is just as valuable today but enhanced by our access to twenty-first century resources.

1977: CREATING CONCERT PROGRAMS As a graduate student at Indiana University in 1977, I was in the band literature class taught by Frederick Ebbs, then Director of Bands. As is done in most classes, we were assigned to create concert programs. Mr. Ebbs was never one to rest on stale curriculum, so my experience may not match that of past or eventual students in the class, but I’ll present how we did it in 1977.

We were to create three concert programs: one for middle school band, one for small high school band, and one for advanced high school band. At this time, school concert bands were often larger than today’s bands. If a school had 90 band students, then they were probably all in the same performing group as opposed to creating two independent ensembles as is frequently the case today. With this in mind, we were creating programs for one band performing a full evening program, with the exception of the middle school being limited to more of a halfhour to forty-five-minute program. The need to balance a program considering audience appeal was more of a concern than it might be today if a concert includes three ensembles with each only playing three to four pieces. Stamina was also more of a concern if bands were playing longer programs.

Mr. Ebbs kept two boxes of miniature scores in the staff room in the band department. He told us we could use them as a reference if we wanted, in addition to the band library. Publishers would create small study versions of their publications and they would have them on display at conventions where they were free for the taking. Recordings were only available on records and primitive, flimsy sound sheets and the internet was non-existent, so these miniature scores were a primary avenue for advertising. Though still not standardized today, there really wasn’t a grading system for reference. Pieces would be marked “medium-easy”, “easy”, “advanced”, for example, but didn’t necessarily include ranges, rhythmic considerations, or other technical specifications that are provided today. Unless we already knew pieces, we had to rely on studying the scores to determine where to place them on our programs.

When we shared our work in class, there was the expected discussion of length of the programs, musical balance, and whether selections were appropriate for the group. For me though, the most striking part of the discussion was Mr. Ebbs’ challenging of some of the pieces as worthy of being included on any program. We didn’t expect to be discussing the quality of the music and we certainly didn’t agree on everything, but by doing so Mr. Ebbs forced us to consider what is arguably the most important consideration when

Gary Barton retired from the La Porte, Texas Independent School District after thirty-seven years of teaching in five states. He received the Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and the Master of Science in Education from Indiana University. A Past President of the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association and Past 2nd Vice-President of the National Band Association, he has written for numerous publications and has done clinics and presentations in sixteen states.

A Project for the Band Literature Class, Gary Barton, cont.

choosing music for our students.

FAST FORWARD TO THE TWENTYFIRST CENTURY Today, except for the task of finding pieces to program, this assignment is not much different from how we did it in 1977, but the impact can be greatly enhanced using modern resources. I would suggest three separate but related assignments.

Assignment #1 Provide the students with three short lists, one for each level of ensemble. Perhaps ten to fifteen pieces could be included on each list. Include a timing for each piece. Specify an approximate length for each program. Ask the students to create a program from each list. Allow some crossover of pieces with the idea that there is great music available that is appropriate for any band whether middle school or advanced high school. Some Clare Grundman and Percy Grainger pieces immediately come to mind. This is more of a practice activity and shouldn’t require many days.

Assignment #2 This assignment is basically the same as the first except students will create the three programs using pieces of their own choosing. Perhaps allow a certain percentage of pieces from the three short lists provided earlier, but there needs to be plenty of incentive for the students to seek out pieces on their own. Most publishers provide scores and recordings on their websites. Encourage students to explore the publishers on the internet; this is real on-the-job practice. Point out that all music should be considered, not only new music. This assignment should be given more time than the first one.

Assignment #3 Pick festival/contest programs. If the university is in a state that has a prescribed list, create appropriate programs using the state’s format. Ask for any march followed by two pieces from the prescribed list. Even if a student doesn’t eventually teach in the state, this is good practice. Since only three pieces are needed for each program and a pool of titles is already provided, this assignment will require about the same amount of time as the first assignment.

Creating concert programs in band literature classes is not a new idea. If approached as such, it can be invaluable practice in searching out quality literature, making decisions about musical balance, and potential for instruction and curriculum. Some assignments could be done with a partner or with a group. Think outside the box. Provide guidelines and boundaries while at the same time allowing freedom for exploration. With today’s resources from books to the internet, creating programs can be much more than simply listing titles.