SEPTEMBER 2019
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Contents VO LU M E 8 8 ɵ I S S U E 2 ɵ S E P T E M B E R 2019
Features Every Student Needs a Job and a Friend . . . . . . . . . . 18 You can improve student retention by creating a sense of purpose and a sense of family for every student. [J A N E M A LOY A N D B R Y N R O B E R T S]
Celebrating TMEA’s Centennial: 1920–1940 . . . . . . . 26 The first 20 years of our association were marked by rapid growth and an evolution of purpose from running municipal band contests to influencing state music education policy. [K A R E N C R O S S]
How to Address Your Choirs’ Needs and Spotlight Their Strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 When you search for the right music for your choirs, there is much to consider. Carefully choose repertoire based on where your choirs are and where you want them to be following a performance. [J A N W I N O V E R S T R E E T- G O O D E A N D C H E R Y L W I L S O N]
Everything Old Is New Again. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 TMEA hosted its fourth Summer Dialogue, bringing together music educators from across the state to discuss the future of music education. [D I N A H M E N G ER]
26 Columns President’s Notes . . . . . . . . . 5 [J O E
M U Ñ OZ]
Executive Director’s Notes . . .8
Updates TMEA Offers Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2020 TMEA President’s Concert Featuring the Dallas Winds . . . . . . . . . 4 Update Your Contact Information on Your Membership Record . . . . . 11 2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention: This Is the Best Place to Learn . . . . . . 12 Congratulations, Honor Bands and Finalists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Congratulations, Honor Orchestras and Finalists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
[R O B ER T
F LOY D]
Band Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 [J O H N
CA R R O L L]
Orchestra Notes . . . . . . . . . 23 [M IC H A EL
S T R I N G ER]
Vocal Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [J E D
R AG S DA L E]
Elementary Notes. . . . . . . . 43 [A B I G A I L
H AW ES]
Time to Renew Your TMEA Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
College Notes . . . . . . . . . . . 48
on the cover
On the cover: Jasmine Liew, a junior at Independence HS (Frisco ISD), rehearses with the 2019 TMEA All-State Symphonic Band. Photo by Karen Cross.
[V I C K I
BAKER]
Southwestern Musician | September 2019
1
Editor-in-Chief: Robert Floyd UĂ R\G@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 101
Managing Editor: Karen Cross
kcross@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 107
TMEA Executive Board President: Joe Muùoz PXQR]M#SHDUODQGLVG RUJ 3775 South Main Street, Pearland, 77581 281-997-3219 – Pearland HS
President-Elect: Brian Coatney brian.coatney@pisd.edu 2200 Independence Parkway, Plano, 75075 469-752-9396 – Plano Senior HS
Past-President: Robert Horton rhorton@conroeisd.net :HVW 'DYLV 6WUHHW &RQURH 936-709-7806 – Conroe ISD
Band Vice-President: John Carroll MRKQ FDUUROO#HFWRUFRXQW\LVG RUJ 1800 East 42nd Street, Odessa, 79762 432-553-2780 – Permian HS
Orchestra Vice-President: Michael Stringer mstringe@aisd.net :HVW $UNDQVDV /DQH $QQH[ $UOLQJWRQ 682-867-7662 – Arlington ISD
TMEA Offers Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships To be eligible, complete all application requirements by November 1. TMEA is pleased to offer several scholarships each year for undergraduate and graduate study.
www.tmea.org/scholarships Graduating Senior Scholarships • Bill Cormack Scholarship: $3,000/year for up to five years. • Past-Presidents Memorial Scholarship: $2,500/year for up to five years. • Past-Presidents Scholarship: $2,500/year for up to five years. • Executive Board Scholarship: $2,500/year for up to five years. • One-year scholarships: $2,500 for one year only. One-Year Undergraduate Scholarships • TMEA awards one-year, $2,500 scholarships to current undergraduate students enrolled in a music degree program at a Texas college or university leading to teacher certification.
Vocal Vice-President: Jed Ragsdale MHGUDJVGDOH#WRPEDOOLVG QHW 1RUWKSRLQWH 5LGJH /DQH 7RPEDOO 281-357-3230, ext. 1106 – Memorial HS
Elementary Vice-President: Abigail Hawes DELJDLO KDZHV#FÀVG QHW 13734 Lakewood Forest Drive, Houston, 77070 281-370-4040 – Moore Elementary
College Vice-President: Vicki Baker 9%DNHU#WZX HGX 3 2 %R[ 'HQWRQ ² 7H[DV :RPDQ¡V 8QLYHUVLW\
One-Semester Student-Teacher Scholarships • TMEA awards one-semester, $2,500 scholarships to current college student members scheduled to student-teach within the two semesters following the application. One-Year Graduate Study Scholarships • Awarded to graduate students for one year only and range from $1,250 to $2,500.
TMEA Staff Executive Director: 5REHUW )OR\G | UĂ R\G@tmea.org Deputy Director: Frank Coachman | fcoachman@tmea.org Administrative Director: Kay Vanlandingham | kvanlandingham@tmea.org Advertising/Exhibits Manager: =DFKDU\ *HUVFK | ]JHUVFK@tmea.org Membership Manager: Susan Daugherty | susand@tmea.org Communications Manager: Karen Cross | kcross@tmea.org Financial Manager: &ULVWLQ *DIIQH\ | cgaffney@tmea.org Information Technologist: Andrew Denman | adenman@tmea.org Administrative Assistant: 5LWD (OOLQJHU | rellinger@tmea.org
70($ 2IÀFH Mailing Address: 3 2 %R[ $XVWLQ Physical Address: 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, 78754 Phone: 512-452-0710 | Toll-Free: 888-318-TMEA | Fax: 512-451-9213 Website: www.tmea.org 2IÀFH +RXUV Monday–Friday, 8:30 A.M.–4:30 P.M.
Go to www.tmea.org/scholarships
Southwestern Musician (ISSN 0162-380X) (USPS 508-340) is published monthly except March, June, and July by Texas Music Educators Association, 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, TX 78754. 6XEVFULSWLRQ UDWHV 2QH <HDU ² 6LQJOH FRSLHV 3HULRGLFDO SRVWDJH SDLG DW $XVWLQ 7; DQG DGGLWLRQDO PDLOLQJ RIĂ&#x20AC;FHV 32670$67(5 6HQG DGGUHVV FKDQJHV WR 6RXWKZHVWHUQ 0XVLFLDQ 3 2 %R[ $XVWLQ 7; 6RXWKZHVWHUQ 0XVLFLDQ ZDV IRXQGHG LQ E\ $ / +DUSHU 5HQDPHG LQ DQG SXEOLVKHG E\ 'U &O\GH -D\ *DUUHWW 3XEOLVKHG ² E\ 'U 6WHOOD 2ZVOH\ ,QFRUSRUDWHG LQ DV 1DWLRQDO E\ +DUODQ %HOO 3XEOLVKHUV ,QF 3XEOLVKHG ² E\ 'U + *UDG\ +DUODQ 3XUFKDVHG LQ E\ ' 2 :LOH\ 7H[DV 0XVLF (GXFDWRU ZDV IRXQGHG LQ E\ 5LFKDUG - 'XQQ DQG JLYHQ WR WKH 7H[DV 0XVLF (GXFDWRUV $VVRFLDWLRQ ZKRVH RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO SXEOLFDWLRQ LW KDV EHHQ VLQFH ,Q WKH WZR PDJD]LQHV ZHUH PHUJHG XVLQJ WKH QDPH 6RXWKZHVWHUQ 0XVLFLDQ FRPELQHG ZLWK WKH 7H[DV 0XVLF (GXFDWRU XQGHU WKH HGLWRUVKLS RI ' 2 :LOH\ ZKR FRQWLQXHG WR VHUYH DV HGLWRU XQWLO KLV UHWLUHPHQW LQ $W WKDW WLPH RZQHUVKLS RI ERWK PDJD]LQHV ZDV DVVXPHG E\ 70($ ,Q $XJXVW WKH 70($ ([HFXWLYH %RDUG FKDQJHG WKH name of the publication to Southwestern Musician.
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Southwestern Musician | September 2019
Vastly different.
Vast opportunities. 11 fields of study | over 26 major ensembles | 100% passion Find Out More: www.depts.ttu.edu/music
@ttuschoolofmusic
2020 TMEA PRESIDENT’S CONCERT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 • 8 PM • LILA COCKRELL THEATER The Dallas Winds is the leading professional civilian wind band in the United States today. The ensemble is under the inspired leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Jerry Junkin, who is in his 25th season with the ensemble and 30th
year with the University of Texas at Austin. The Winds makes its home in one of the world’s greatest concert halls, Dallas’s Morton H. Meyerson Concert Center. Learn more about them and listen to their recordings at www.dallaswinds.org.
Tickets: $20 | General Admission Purchase tickets when you register for the TMEA Clinic/Convention, or anytime following by returning to your member record. Ticket pickup will be at the convention Information Booth.
Learn more at www.tmea.org/presidentsconcert.
Celebrating Our Centennial with Music by Texas Composers
Artistic Director Jerry Junkin
r u o Y Get s t e k c Ti ! y a d To
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Southwestern Musician | September 2019
B Y
J O E
M U Ñ O Z
PRESIDENT’S NOTES
#TMEA100
W
hat is the greatest resource available to TMEA? From the inception of TMEA, our greatest resource has been our membership. As you might have read in the August issue, TMEA was founded in 1920 when a small group of band leaders got together to find a way to promote more and better bands and band leaders. On page 26 of this issue, you can learn even more detail about those early days. You’ll discover how, within the first two decades of our existence, continued discussion and dialogue by the membership led to the inclusion of orchestra and choral teachers, to our TMEA name, and to the focus on which our current goals still align: The Texas Music Educators Association promotes excellence in music education. TMEA’s goals are: • To provide professional growth opportunities. • To encourage interaction among music education professionals. • To foster public support for music in schools. September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention registration deadline. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
• To offer quality musical experiences for students. • To cultivate universal appreciation and lifetime involvement in music. • To develop and maintain productive working relationships with other professional organizations. How did we grow from a group of a few band leaders to over 13,000 active members in five divisions? This expansion was supported by the members’
One of our association’s strongest characteristics is the constant evaluation of what we do and provide, and more importantly, how we can do better. Southwestern Musician | September 2019
5
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vision and was shepherded by our leaders. One of our association’s strongest characteristics is the constant evaluation of what we do and provide, and, more importantly, how we can do better—never being afraid to ask the difficult questions or address the ever-changing dynamics in our state. The overarching goal is to provide high-quality activities for our students and better programs and professional development for our teachers and to ensure music education remains an essential part of the education of the students in Texas. As we take time to look back at all we have accomplished over the last 100 years, we also need to look forward to where we want to be in the next 100 years. Reviewing our history can give us valuable clues about what has worked and what remains the same. In July, TMEA held its fourth Summer Dialogue. An amazing collection of music teachers and administrators from around Texas met in Austin to discuss where we have been and, more importantly, where we need to go. You can find a summary report of this event by TMEA Past-President and event facilitator Dinah Menger on page 41. There was much discussion about how we can give our members applicable tools to help with music advocacy. As part of the TMEA Centennial, members will begin to see visible changes to TMEA’s look. TMEA staff members have been working on a redesign of the TMEA website for several months. This redesign will be more user-friendly, be responsive to your mobile device size, and have an updated look. It will also be better organized by division to aid our members in finding information. The TMEA Executive Board would like to thank the TMEA staff for their tireless dedication to going through hundreds of pages of content and editing and transferring content to the redesigned site—all while maintaining the current website and daily operations of the office. Creating a regular social media presence for TMEA is another area of focus as
we observe our centennial. This focus will take on two important roles—to share the positive music education activities that are going on across the state and to provide a visual representation of the importance of music education and fine arts curriculum in our schools. This social media presence can be important as we move into another election cycle. By consistently including TMEA hashtags on our content, we can help our content trend online and bring more attention to our message that music education is an essential part of a child’s education to be successful in today’s workforce. I encourage you to include #TMEA100 and #itstartswithmusic on your posts about your music education activities. Another benefit of this campaign is to create a constant presence of music education in our local communities. Consistent postings keep the value of music education at the forefront. By extension, we hope to develop a base of supporters who will help stress the importance of a quality music education for all. This can be advantageous as we work to communicate our legislative agenda during upcoming campaigns. Here’s the story titled “Whose Job Is It, Anyway?” from an unknown author. This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have. Take an active role and be part of the process of creating a buzz around music education as we lead up to our centennial celebration. If everyone does a little, it will add up to a massive footprint of the importance of music education in our state.
February 12–15, 2020 San Antonio, Texas CELEBRATING TMEA’S CENTENNIAL!
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Southwestern Musician | September 2019
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
SCHOLARSHIP
AUDITIONS
WE OFFER DEGREES IN: MUSIC EDUCATION MUSIC PERFORMANCE THEORY AND COMPOSITION COMMERCIAL MUSIC GRADUATE STUDIES
Graduate Teaching Assistanships Available*
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
500 W. University Ave. El Paso, Tx 79968 | 915.747.5606 | music.utep.edu
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTES
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In Memoriam Thomas H. Waggoner November 2, 1948–August 6, 2019
Culture and retention
I
have often spoken about these being changing times in public education. The emphasis on workforce training and A–F accountability continues to grow, and the numerous distractions enticing students away from our programs keeps expanding—robotics, coding, gaming, and high school graduation requirements being encouraged in middle school, to name a few. In last month’s Southwestern Musician legislative update, I wrote about additional challenges facing us as a result of the 86th legislative session. Specifically, I centered my concern on the expansion of weighted funding for career and technical education and technology application courses down into grades 7 and 8. Just one student enrolled in one such class in middle school could mean up to $360 in extra dollars in the district’s basic allotment for that student. Additional funding for participation in College, Career, and Military Readiness indicators were also inclusions in HB 3. Districts that choose to follow the money in making internal decisions that affect student endorsements or courses of study now have more opportunities than ever to do so. The good news is that CTE and Tech App funding down into 7th and 8th grade should have had little to no impact on your program enrollment for this school year. Master schedules were already created and students were already
The classroom experience must be something your students are not willing to give up when advisors suggest another pathway for their electives. 8
Southwestern Musician | September 2019
September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention registration deadline. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
placed in classes when the bill was signed into law. Secondly, I have been continually assured by upper-level administrators from across the state that most middle school campuses do not have either the classroom space or the staff to teach such courses, so that impact even over the long haul should be minimal. Of course, such impact will vary from district to district and campus to campus. It is your responsibility to stay attuned to how your district may include such course offerings in middle school for future school years. How do we counter such obstacles? The simple solution I have touted to such program enrollment threats is to make the classroom experience something your students are not willing to give up when advisors suggest another pathway for their electives. To support this mindset, the culture of your classroom must continually be reviewed and evaluated. In our urban music program discussions, we have learned that students in those settings are looking for a place they feel safe and accepted. Without question those are two criteria that should be fundamental in any music classroom, not just in an urban setting. (The article on page 18 by Jane Maloy and Bryn Roberts contains wonderful ideas for helping students feel accepted in your program.) But beyond those two givens, what should the cornerstone of your classroom’s culture be? In a recent meeting of a Band Division committee that was reviewing honor band procedures, much time was spent tweaking the rules to make the competition more fair and equitable for all, but ultimately a lengthy, deep, and thoughtful discussion ensued about how such an event fits into the culture of teaching music. Participants questioned whether it supports or negatively impacts the philosophy of creating meaningful experiences in music throughout the preparation process. Of course, the answer to that question rests solely with the teacher and how they choose to utilize the process to enhance the depth of musical understanding in the classroom, and not simply as an opportunity to hang another plaque or certificate on the wall. In this day, a win-at-all-cost mentality that wears students out on the same music for an inordinate amount of time, with added rehearsals and concerts in search of the perfect performance and recording, will create an undefendable 10 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
culture that students will not tolerate. The same could be true for choirs preparing for the convention invited choir selection process or orchestras seeking the honor orchestra title, or even an elementary ensemble seeking a convention invitation. The bottom line is that contests should represent a short-term goal that supports reaching a long-term objective of giving your students a valued experience in quality musical literature. The UIL rule change a few years ago renaming UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest to UIL C&SR Evaluation also supports a culture not tied to winning and losing. And most recently, a Commissioner’s rule change allowing academically ineligible students to participate in such events supports their academic nature and ensures they are evaluations of the level of success of teaching and learning in the classroom. In closing, the reality is that the recruitment and retention of students is one of the most important challenges facing a music educator today, and those challenges are
only going to grow, thus making a positive classroom culture more critical than ever. The Music Achievement Council’s A Practical Guide for Music Recruiting and Retention is a most valuable tool for both recruiting and retaining students through creating a culture of learning and musicmaking in our classrooms (available at www.tmea.org/MACrecruit). We must sell music education for its intrinsic and aesthetic value and not solely for the peripheral benefits of teaming, discipline, and work ethic. This guide has amazing suggestions for how to keep students in your program and how to market your program, it has a list of why students leave a program, and it outlines traits and characteristics of a successful music educator. This list of traits (see below) is a great report card for maintaining a culture for successful retention and effective teaching and learning in your classroom. Use it as a personal checklist to see if there are areas in which you might improve and thus elevate the musical experience and culture of your classroom for this school year.
Traits and Characteristics of the Successful Music Educator • Organizes and prepares all facets of the program with efficiency • Employs an open, nonthreatening manner with all students • Maintains a professional appearance • Uses an energetic and vivacious approach to teaching • Possesses a good sense of humor • Understands students’ likes and attitudes (is hip and with it) • Participates actively in professional development activities • Admits mistakes and learns from them • Supports all students • Cooperates with other school staff and administrators • Considers new ideas • Puts in the time that it takes to get the job done • Remains aware of students’ time and schedules • Knows the craft and how to relate to the students • Moves through the class often • Maintains a high degree of self-discipline and effective classroom management • Gives praise and support • Always works to improve the musical experience for the students • Serves as an exemplary role model—what they see is what you get
Update Your Contact Information on Your Membership Record
W
hether or not you’re ready to renew and register for the convention, please update your member profile and ensure all your contact information is correct. Know that TMEA’s online membership pages have changed. For members, an obvious difference is that those pages are now mobile friendly. You can easily update that contact information and renew anywhere you can connect to the website (www.tmea.org/renew). TMEA Directory & Your Privacy Options The TMEA Member Directory is a great member benefit, allowing you to connect with your colleagues locally and around the state. Our new membership software gives you more control over what information to show in the member directory (you can even add a headshot!). If you choose to be included in the TMEA directory, you also get to choose which contact data
items you want displayed in the directory. Note that changes you make to your directory listing take place overnight. The default setting for your contact information being in the Member Directory is off. To be included in the directory, you must go to your member record and update the settings on the Security and Privacy tab. Check Show My Personal Information. Then you will make further selections to choose what displays. Save those changes. Make sure other TMEA members can contact you in the way you prefer! First Time Logging In? If it’s your first time to access your record in the new system, you must first set a password. You can keep using the password you used before, but you will still have to establish it in the new system. You can access membership pages from the TMEA website, or go to https://my.tmea.org/account/profile.aspx.
Southwestern Musician | September 2019 11
2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention Fe b r u a r y 12–1 5 • S a n A n to n io W W W.TME A .OR G/CONVENTION
Celebrating Our Centennial!
r e t s i g e R Today!
IMPORTANT DATES October 3, 6 a.m. CT Convention Housing Opens December 31 Email/Mail Registration Ends January 23 Early Online Registration Ends
12 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
Our Convention Is the Best Place to Learn!
www.tmea.org/2020clinics for a list of clinics and clinicians
Southwestern Musician | September 2019 13
BAND NOTES
B Y
J O H N
C A R R O L L
It starts with music
I
hope you will join me in elevating our association’s centennial by utilizing the hashtags #TMEA100 and #itstartswithmusic whenever you can. You can also promote others’ use by including them on your printed programs, on social media, or within your email signature. #TMEA100 is in celebration of TMEA’s Centennial that we’re observing this year. I try to imagine what motivation the founders of that first group had for establishing what has evolved into today’s TMEA. Their names are mostly unknown to us, and obviously none of us had the honor of knowing them. (Learn more about our association’s beginnings in the article on page 26.) Aren’t we fortunate that our band ancestors helped pave the way for us, in both day-to-day teaching, and in helping to establish our association? This is a theme I have touched on in previous columns. I hope we always appreciate those who have gotten us here. As I write this, I think of specific names of people who, years ago, always wanted to raise the bar for musicianship. I consider individuals who were instrumental (pun intended) in getting TMEA to where it is today. I would like to mention names, but how could I? With so many to acknowledge—the list would simply be far too long! I hope each of us strives to be that type of teacher who students remember with the highest respect, esteem, and fondness after they leave and who band
Who knows—if he were here today, Neil Armstrong might indeed be saying “It starts with music.” 14 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. September 1—Deadline to submit All-State etude errata to the Band Division Chair. September 21–October 19—All-State Jazz audition recordings. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. October 22—Deadline to upload AllState Jazz recordings. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. November 9–10—All-State Jazz judging. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention preregistration deadline. January 11—Area Band and Vocal auditions. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
directors can appreciate for doing something now that still pays dividends as they experience their professions. I believe that as individuals we all want to make a difference. I am evaluating my teaching this year, to make certain I am teaching at as high a level as I can, while still maintaining the best welfare of each student. That’s what I have witnessed from others, and it is my desire to do the same. In the February 1940 issue of what we now know as Southwestern Musician, the state band chair wrote: “I have learned that some directors have to hold rehearsals before school or after school because they are not granted a period in the regular daily schedule.” Isn’t that interesting! Though many of our band classes are within the school day, we are still very aware of entire marching band rehearsals outside the school day. We conduct early morning and afterschool sectionals. Many jazz ensembles meet during afterschool hours. So we still see ourselves working outside the school day, but we are grateful we can do much of our work during the day. Somebody made that happen for us. Maybe we can do something today that will benefit directors 79 years from now. The hashtag #itstartswithmusic communicates a belief many of us share, essential to our everyday teaching lives. It is the theme for our amplified advocacy efforts as part of TMEA’s Centennial. We hope you will also use it throughout this year, but hopefully it will become a part of our band director/music educator permanent mindset. As I write this column, we just experienced the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. I realize many people already know this, but it’s fun to think about Neil Armstrong as a low brass player in his high school and college bands. There is no doubt that he had many fine teachers along the way, but I enjoy thinking about how the things he learned as a musician in a school band— work ethic, teamwork, dedication to excellence, punctuality, attendance, and the love of getting better at something—might also have had a major influence on what he accomplished in 1969. Who knows—if he were here today, he might indeed be saying “It starts with music.” Have the first few weeks of your school year gone well? Have you put into practice any new strategies? Many of us don’t like 16 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
change, and of course, if you have something that works well, continue with it. However, please always consider new techniques offered by others that have proven beneficial for them. I hope I never am afraid to try a new idea just because it is a change in my routine. But more than anything else, I hope I always remember that music can have such a profound influence on the lives of our students. Yes, indeed, it starts with music.
We are extremely fortunate to have Travis Cross, professor of music, University of California, Los Angeles, as our Band Division Featured Clinician. He is highly regarded in our profession. At our Clinic/ Convention, he will present a series of four outstanding clinics, including thoughts on why we teach, interpretation, rehearsal techniques, and conducting. Learn more about him here, and I encourage you to attend his clinics in February.
TMEA Clinic/Convention Update Please start planning now for your attendance at our Clinic/Convention in February, where we will celebrate TMEA’s Centennial. The dates are February 12–15. Beginning on Thursday, October 3, at 6 a.m. CT, you may make your housing reservation online. Many of these hotel blocks are fully reserved within hours, so don’t hesitate in this task. Hopefully, you have already renewed your membership. If you have done so, but didn’t register for the convention, please go back to your member record to complete your registration (www.tmea.org/register). You can save money and time in February if you will complete your convention registration online now.
Travis J. Cross Featured Clinician Travis J. Cross serves as professor of music at UCLA, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, directs the graduate wind conducting program, and chairs the music department. He was also associate dean for academic mentoring and opportunity during the initial years of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. He previously taught at Virginia Tech and Edina High School (Minn.). Cross earned doctor and master of music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University and the bachelor of music degree cum laude in vocal and instrumental music education from St. Olaf College. His principal teachers were Mallory Thompson and Timothy Mahr. Cross has appeared as a guest conductor, composer, and clinician throughout the United States and around the world. He has engagements in California, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming, Virginia, and Korea during the 2019–20 season. Cross is a Yamaha Master Educator.
President’s Concert I’m very excited that our 2020 President’s Concert will feature the Dallas Winds, directed by Jerry Junkin. In celebration of our centennial, they will be performing music by Texas composers. What an incredible event we can expect! When you register online be sure to purchase your tickets. The concert will be in Lila Cockrell Theater on Thursday of our convention at 8 p.m. This will certainly be a highlight at our centennial celebration! Volunteers I’m thankful to report that several members have volunteered to work at the convention; however, we still need more. You can go to www.tmea.org/bandvolunteer to serve. Two of the positions we can really use help with are Clinic Presiders and Performing Group Guides. Also keep in mind that TMEA always needs our help with convention registration. What a great opportunity—to be the first one welcoming attendees to this extra-special convention! When you complete the online form, check Convention Registration!
Honor Band Congratulations to the students and directors of the TMEA Honor Bands and finalists in Class 2C, 3C, 3A, and 5A. Our thanks go to the adjudicators and the playback operators of the recordings at the finals held during the TBA Convention/ Clinic. It would be impossible to have this process without the high level of professionalism demonstrated by these committed educators. The list of these incredible finalists and Honor Bands is on the adjacent page. I respectfully encourage you to make plans to attend the performances of these oustanding ensembles at our Clinic/ Convention.
Congratulations, Honor Bands and Finalists Join TMEA in congratulating the directors and students of the following outstanding programs!
Class 5A Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
School/ISD ........................................................ Directors Lopez EC HS/Brownsville ISD ...................George Trevino Highland Park HS/Highland Park ISD .... Reagan Brumley Friendswood HS/Friendswood ISD ............... Gregory Dick Dripping Springs HS/Dripping Springs ISD ..David Woods Heritage HS/Frisco ISD .................................Jason Prasifka Lone Star HS/Frisco ISD ...................................Mark Poole Lovejoy HS/Lovejoy ISD.................................... Paul Heuer Midlothian HS/Midlothian ISD ...................... Larry Doran Shadow Creek HS/Alvin ISD ..................... Joshua Mooney Crosby HS/Crosby ISD .................................. Kevin Knight Roma HS/Roma ISD.........................................Dena Laurel Cedar Park HS/Leander ISD ..........................Steve Wessels Poteet HS/Mesquite ISD.............................. Cody Newman Nederland HS/Nederland ISD ....................... Gregory Rose Hanks HS/Ysleta ISD ................................ Horacio Gomez Del Valle HS/Ysleta ISD ................................Keith Morales
Class 3A Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Class 2C
Class 3C Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
School/ISD ........................................................ Directors Cockrill MS/McKinney ISD .........................Gary Williams Aledo MS/Aledo ISD..........................................Joey Qualls Howard MS/Mansfield ISD .................. Nathaniel Neugent Miller JH/Pearland ISD ................................ Chris Bennett McCullough JH/Conroe ISD .........Susan Meyer Patterson Oliveira MS/Brownsville ISD.........................Gaspar Garcia Knox JH/Conroe ISD ..................................Jennifer Dillard Cedar Park MS/Leander ISD ........................... Britni Dunn Trautmann MS/United ISD .............................Jorge Garcia Walsh MS/Round Rock ISD .................... Jennifer Bergeron Pearland JH West/Pearland ISD ..... Meredith Bates Bishop Cooper JH/Wylie ISD ....................................Adam Powell Stiles MS/Leander ISD ....................... Darcy Vogt Williams Nimitz MS/Ector County ISD ................... Jordan Freeman Wilson & Young MS/Ector County ISD ........... Tyler Owen Byrd MS/Duncanville ISD .............................Russell Porter
School/ISD .......................................................Directors Mineola HS/Mineola ISD ...........................Chris Brannan Queen City HS/Queen City ISD .........................Billy Vess Eastland HS/Eastland ISD ............................. Stephen Cox McGregor HS/McGregor ISD.................... Timothy Grace Westwood HS/Westwood ISD..........................Shayla Skief Van Alstyne HS/Van Alstyne ISD .................... Tim Fulton Hitchcock HS/Hitchcock ISD...................... Kelly Brunson Odem HS/Odem-Edroy ISD........................... Steven Rash Shallowater HS/Shallowater ISD ......Donald Summersgill Florence HS/Florence ISD.............................Thomas Pena Grand Saline HS/Grand Saline ISD ................. Kyle White Karnes City HS/Karnes City ISD .......... Daniel Rodriguez Littlefield HS/Littlefield ISD.................. Bonnie Anderson Sonora HS/Sonora ISD ................................ David Andrus Troy HS/Troy ISD .................................Rustin Honeycutt
Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
School/ISD .......................................................Directors Roma MS/Roma ISD .................................... Corey Graves Colleyville MS/Grapevine-Colleyville ISD ......... Lauren Jones Arbor Creek MS/Lewisville ISD...................Rylon Guidry Bayside IS/Clear Creek ISD ...............................Kyle Mapp Coppell MS North/Coppell ISD ............ Jeremy Lindquist Nolan Ryan JH/Alvin ISD ............................ Beau Hunter Creek Valley MS/Lewisville ISD..................... Kim Cooley Hill Country MS/Eanes ISD ..................... Kristin Hames Vela MS/Brownsville ISD ........................ Mario Sarmiento Four Points MS/Leander ISD ...................Jessica Gonzales Woodridge Forest MS/New Caney ISD.. Gabriel Cancino Central MS/Nederland ISD .................................Eric Rose Hutchinson MS/Lubbock ISD .......................Jason Crump Coleman MS/Waxahachie ISD .................... David Ingram Lindale JH/Lindale ISD ....................................Bene Davis Canyon JH/Canyon ISD ...................................... Eric Rath
Thanks go to the TMEA members who served as Honor Band adjudicators and playback operators for ensuring a successful process. To view these and previous yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; results online, go to: www.tmea.org/honorbandhistory. Southwestern Musician | September 2019 17
Every Student Needs a Job and a Friend BY JANE MALOY AND BRYN ROBERTS
R
etention is an important topic for any director given how it can impact the quality of our programs and our job security. The subject of retention is complex because there are many factors that impact a student’s decision to continue in their music program. Some of these are external factors and outside our control. What we can control, however, is our program’s culture. How do we build a program our students can’t imagine leaving? One of the ways we do this is by making sure every student has two essential things: a job (or a sense of purpose) and a friend (or a sense of family). By creating a culture in which each student has these two, we ensure everyone feels valued, accepted, and essential. When young people feel this way, they are much less likely to leave our programs. Consider the following ways we have accomplished these essentials, understanding that while our focus is on a band program, these concepts clearly apply to any music program. Creating a Sense of Purpose First, every student needs a role and a sense of purpose within the program. This means that all students actively contribute to the goals of the band and they know they are making significant contributions. As directors, we can help students contribute by recognizing their unique talents and matching those talents with specific positions or assignments. It may seem overwhelming to find jobs for every student in the program, but we can do this through a mix of formal and informal positions. When we think of formal positions within the band, we probably first think of the traditional leadership positions: officers, drum majors, section leaders, and more. However, these positions often represent only a small portion of the band population. In
18 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
addition, these positions are sometimes held almost exclusively by older students and those in the top ensemble. We can include more students by having leaders at every level of the program and in every ensemble. Leadership should not be exclusive or limited to only a few elite students. Even when the number of student leaders is large, if they all have clearly defined roles and are utilized effectively, they can benefit personally from these opportunities while contributing significantly to the success and effectiveness of the program. On the other hand, having leaders in the band who don’t do anything isn’t healthy for the program culture. To prevent this, we must take time to effectively train our student leaders and then follow through, holding them accountable for doing their jobs. One way to involve more students in leadership at every level of the program is to appoint leadership positions within each concert band, such as section leaders, principal players, and librarians. The section leaders are the logistical leaders, chosen for their dependability and motivational qualities. They are responsible for ensuring their section is always in the right place at the right time with all needed materials. The principal players are the musical leaders and are expected to serve as musical models, demonstrating any fundamental skill or passage from the repertoire with a high level of competency. The librarians copy and distribute music. With these positions in each concert band, the number of leaders may be sizable. But so are the benefits! In addition to relieving some of the band directors’ burdens, these positions allow younger students to serve as leaders. These students would not normally have this opportunity for several more years. For example, in your lower bands, many of the leaders will be younger students. They are gaining valuable leadership experience from this early age. In addition, we can observe these young leaders and see who has the
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SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS Scholarships are available for both music and non-music majors. These awards are intended to provide recognition for scholarship and talent in the study of music. For specific qualifications for each award, visit www.tlu.edu/music-scholarships.
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Wei Chen Bruce Lin Asst. Professor, Piano
Beth Bronk Director of Bands bbronk@tlu.edu
Scott McDonald Instructor, Saxophone & Jazz Band
Shaaron Conoly Director of Vocal Studies sconoly@tlu.edu
Carla McElhaney Asst. Professor, General Music
Eric Daub Director of Piano Studies edaub@tlu.edu Eliza Jeffords Director of Strings ejeffords@tlu.edu
BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN ALL-LEVEL MUSIC EDUCATION | BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN PERFORMANCE | BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC
David Milburn Instructor, Double Bass Kurt Moede Instructor, Horn Sung-Eun Park Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist Keith Robinson Instructor, Tuba & Music Education
FACULTY Mark Ackerman Instructor, Oboe Adam Bedell Instructor, Percussion Carol Chambers Instructor, Music Education Paula Corley Instructor, Clarinet
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Deborah Mayes Choral Accompanist
Chad Ibison Asst. Professor, Guitar Hilary Janysek Asst. Professor, Flute & Music History Monica Kang-Sasaki Asst. Professor, Piano
Jill Rodriguez Instructor, General Music Robert Mark Rogers Asst. Professor, Bassoon Shaunna Shandro Asst. Professor, Voice Eric Siu Asst. Professor, Violin Sophie Verhaeghe Instructor, Violin Steven Vogel Instructor, Trombone & Euphonium Lance Witty Asst. Professor, Trumpet Simeng Wu Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist
potential to be excellent program leaders in the coming years. Another way to give more students formal positions within the program is to have student-led chamber ensembles. We can appoint leaders of each of these ensembles who are responsible for scheduling rehearsals, running rehearsals, and communicating with the band directors. These leaders will be most successful if they are given clear guidance on how often and how long they should rehearse and what they should accomplish in each week of rehearsals. Furthermore, these leaders
can complete a brief questionnaire each week to recap their rehearsal and alert the director to any challenges or issues the ensemble is facing. Yet even with all these formal jobs or positions, many students will not hold a title. This is where informal positions come in. It is our job to get to know every student, find their unique strengths, and help them use those strengths to serve the band and benefit their peers. Almost everyone can help someone else with something. Students can serve as buddies for new students, helping them feel welcome. More
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20 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
focused students can be assigned to help those they sit next to in rehearsal who have trouble staying on track. Organized students can help others organize their band binders. Academically strong students can tutor other band members who are struggling with grades. Older students can serve as musical models to younger students on material that was covered in previous years. We should always be on the lookout for those students on the fringes of our programs who need our help to get plugged in. By giving every student a job, we can create a culture in which every student knows they are essential to the program’s success. They know that if they don’t show up, the band won’t be as good or won’t run as smoothly. Our top students more naturally will feel this way, but we can help all students feel this way by treating every position, whether formal or informal, as important and vital to the program. Creating a Sense of Family Another key ingredient for developing a positive program culture is the sense of family. Often when students graduate from a program, what they remember most is that camaraderie, created through the enormous amount of time spent together. They talk about bonding with their section, classmates, and leadership teams. As directors, we believe in the power of teaching students musical skills and non-musical skills. Students can learn these skills only when they believe they are in a safe and trusted environment. This environment can and should be built purposefully within every rehearsal hall. Sometimes this doesn’t happen organically like we would want, and we must coax students to find friend groups and mentor one another. When students form a small group of friends within our band hall, they are more likely to spend time there, hopefully practice, and guide other students to do the same. A great way to foster these relationships is to give beginner band students a seventh- or eighth-grade buddy who can help them with their instrumental needs (chair tests, maintenance, and meeting others within their section) and their social anxiety about being in a new activity. The goal is for these pairs of buddies to remain friends as the older one joins high school so the younger can observe that transition and desire to continue in music. As
teachers, we need to be direct with how often they should meet and what their goals will be. We must be intentional about the environment we create within our rehearsal hall. It can be helpful to write down our specific intentions for each year, such as: “I will stop what I’m doing when I listen to students,” “I will check in on student buddy pairs once a week,” or “I will not allow myself to carry my phone during rehearsals.” Our goals should remind us to be mindful about students and their wellbeing, and these goals can be re-evaluated throughout the year. One of the ways we can further encourage these close relationships to develop is by organizing non-musical events in which the students have no musical responsibilities. For example, two or three times a year, Jane hosts “Movies with Maloy.” She simply informs her students when and where she is going to the movies, and they (along with their friends and family) are invited to come along. She also opens the band hall throughout the summer for students to receive short lessons, help clean out lockers, and do a workout video. While
these types of activities might seem silly and simple, they don’t require a lot of extra work, yet they can be an effective means for creating a sense of family. A buddy program can also be used to create a bridge between high school and junior high students. In addition to musical events, the program should include events where students don’t have to show up in uniform or play their instruments. The more often the high school program can host events and students from their junior high feeders, the more comfortable those students will become on that campus. It is so important for eighth graders to see the trajectory of their musical future through high school. For example, taking them to a high school football game and having them shadow the entire process (from getting dressed, to riding the bus, to dancing in the stands) can remove many doubts about marching band. The reality remains that the transition to high school can be nerve-racking, so we must do all we can to make that process as smooth and positive as possible. We want eighth graders to see the high school band as a puzzle where they are the missing piece.
The Director’s Role Coaxing by upperclassmen does have its limits when it comes to building this culture of family. Directors need to make sure that every day we are showing students how much we love and care about them. We must ask them questions about their lives and give them a safe space to talk about what is on their minds. This must also be done with intention; we can’t just assume that they already know. I’m sure we can all agree that one of the reasons we became music educators is because we felt a rich sense of belonging within our programs. It is critical that our students interact personally to feel part of something bigger than themselves and to feel connected to each other. We know that it is in their best interest to be in band and cultivate a true passion for music. Therefore, we must be willing to curate a purpose for them and embrace them into our musical families. Jane Maloy is Band Director at Westbrook Intermediate, Clear Creek ISD. Bryn Roberts is Assistant Band Director at Reedy HS, Frisco ISD.
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Southwestern Musician | September 2019 21
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC
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B Y
M I C H A E L
S T R I N G E R
ORCHESTRA NOTES
Find the time, find the passion
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September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. September 1—Deadline to submit AllState etude errata to the Orchestra Division Chair. September 15—HS String Honor Orchestra Part A online submission deadline. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention preregistration deadline. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
ave you ever stopped to think about everything that happens in the first 10 minutes of your class? What is the student experience? How much learning happens? How many of those minutes do the students play? I had never even considered asking these questions about my classroom until I was asked to clinic an orchestra not far from my school. As soon as students walked into the room, they took out their instruments and checked themselves into class using the technology in their classroom. Exactly one minute after the bell, a student leader stood up to tune the orchestra and led the orchestra through a quick but thorough tuning process. Within the first 10 minutes of class, they had verified attendance, tuned all instruments, and advanced the technique of the orchestra. I was amazed with the efficiency of the beginning of this rehearsal and realized that the beginning of my rehearsals were extremely inefficient and weren’t engaging my students. I had always started my rehearsals the same way, giving my students “a couple” of minutes to get into place, reading all the announcements for the day, and then beginning the tuning process. After a hard look at my procedure, I realized that almost 15 minutes passed before students were engaged and playing together as an orchestra. I immediately began working on my procedure, trying to emulate some of what I had witnessed a few days prior. I quickly realized that my circumstances were a bit different and that I couldn’t just “steal” those exact exercises, so I set out to create my own system that
Look for ways to become more efficient with your rehearsals and use that made up time to improve your students’ playing abilities through technique studies. Southwestern Musician | September 2019 23
worked for my classroom. I discovered that the couple of minutes I was allowing the students to unpack and get ready for rehearsal often turned into five minutes or more. I then began to train the students to come into the classroom, immediately take out their instruments, get to their seat, and begin to check tuning with their tuners. Changing this process took a significant time commitment from me as I had to make sure I was in the classroom as soon as the first student got to class so I could offer gentle reminders to place their backpacks in the back of
the classroom and to get to their seat and begin tuning as soon as possible. While this took a few weeks to get full student buy-in, it was worth the effort and saved me several minutes at the beginning of the rehearsal, which ultimately meant more instructional time for my students. I also determined that my students did not need the announcements read to them at the beginning of every class. Instead, I placed all the announcements in Google Slides and ran them on a loop in the orchestra room throughout the class period. This also offered the added benefit
of being able to link them to the orchestra website so the students and parents could find important information anytime (including what sections in each piece were going to be covered in rehearsal each day of the week). Immediately, I was able to shave off five minutes at the beginning of each rehearsal and found that my students retained more of the information because they were viewing it daily and only being reminded of the most important items that appeared on the announcement page. I was amazed how much time I had saved at the beginning of each class—it seemed that each day we became more efficient and faster at the unpacking, tuning, and announcement process. I soon found myself with an extra 10–15 minutes at the beginning of each rehearsal and decided to use that time to work on advanced technique exercises. Teaching Is Hard My best friend always said, “Rehearsing is easy, teaching is hard.” I never fully embraced this statement until I was faced with learning how to teach advanced technique to my students. As I found myself with extra time in my rehearsal and a new determination to advance the technique of each ensemble, I had to figure out the best medium to teach these important skills to my students. Each day I would try a new method book, scale patterns, or anything else I could steal from my colleagues. It did not take long for me to ascertain that the problem was not the medium for teaching technique, it was the teacher. As I tried (and failed) over and over, I just could not understand why these exercises that were working for so many others weren’t working for me. I was frustrated and about to give up expanding the technique portion of my lesson when my friend and colleague told me that I was not teaching advanced technique, I was playing through a bunch of scales and pretending it was a technique lesson. Those words from my associate director cut through me like a knife, but as I stormed out of the office at the end of the day, I began to realize that her assessment of my teaching was more accurate than I was willing to admit. From that day, I began to change every aspect of the technique portion of my lesson. I planned each exercise or scale to achieve the result for which I was looking. I would explain to the students exactly why we were doing each
24 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
exercise and tell them the exact passage of music where this technique was used. I noticed the dramatic improvement in my students’ performance, and they reported it was easier to play passages that once seemed impossible. I gained confidence in my teaching abilities and found joy in discovering new methods to teach every technique. As you continue through your year, I encourage you to find ways to become more efficient with rehearsals and use that found time to improve your students’ playing abilities through technique studies. Survey fellow educators and attend professional learning opportunities to explore a variety of creative methods that connect each technique you present directly to your repertoire. Most of all, remember when you are tired and frustrated that rehearsing is easy. Teaching is hard. Honor Orchestra Congratulations to each ensemble that submitted a recording in the honor orchestra competition this summer! The level of performance that was displayed was simply astonishing! We sincerely appreciate the expertise of our adjudicators and dedicated service of the playback operators and hosts who helped us have another successful competition. I encourage you to attend the honor orchestra performances in February—you won’t be disappointed! See the list of finalists and Honor Orchestras on this page. TMEA Clinic/Convention Update I hope you are making plans to attend the 2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention, where we will celebrate TMEA’s Centennial! We will be learning and celebrating in San Antonio on February 12–15. On October 3, convention housing reservations will open, so be ready to secure your room. If you haven’t already, take time now to renew your membership and register for the convention at www.tmea.org. Our convention is a great time to get away, hear some amazing performances, and get a renewed spirit from inspiring clinics. As of September 1, you can go to www.tmea.org/2020clinics to view a list of clinics and the clinicians who will be presenting at our convention. Read on to learn more about our featured clinician, Frank Diaz, who will present clinics on several engaging topics throughout the convention.
Honor Orchestras and Finalists Rank 1 2 3 4 5
High School Full
School/ISD ....................................................................................... Directors Seven Lakes HS/Katy ISD .....................................Desiree Overree, John Mays Allen HS/Allen ISD .......................... David DeVoto, Matt Cross, Philip Obado Tompkins HS/Katy ISD................................... Matthew Porter, Stephen Bond, Sundas Mohi-Truong Klein HS/Klein ISD ..................................... Creston Herron, Chris Lambrecht McKinney Boyd HS/McKinney ISD ................... Michael Link, Joseph Nunez, Michelle New
Middle School/Junior High Full
Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6
School/ISD......................................................................................... Directors Curtis MS/Allen ISD ................................................ Amanda Su, Linda Orrantia Ereckson MS/Allen ISD ..............Joanna DeVoto, DJ Vaccarezza, Rachel Boone Rice MS/Plano ISD ........................................................Barbara Fox, Josh Reyna Otto MS/Plano ISD ............................................Brandie Phillips, John Vanhook Robinson MS/Plano ISD ...........................................................Mary Havenstrite Canyon Vista MS/Round Rock ISD ..................Ragan Whatley, Brigette Parsons
Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
School/ISD......................................................................................... Directors Canyon Vista MS/Round Rock ISD............................................... Ragan Whatley Sartartia MS/Fort Bend ISD ............................................................. Sophia Hsieh McMeans JH/Katy ISD ................................................................. Amy Williams Rice MS/Plano ISD ............................................................................ Barbara Fox Fowler MS/Frisco ISD ................................................................... Karina Lindsey Kleb IS/Klein ISD ............................................................................Dawn Herron Curtis MS/Allen ISD ........................................................................... Amanda Su
Middle School/Junior High String
The High School String Honor Orchestra finalists and winners will be included in the January issue.
Frank M. Diaz Featured Clinician Frank M. Diaz is Associate Professor of Music Education at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he teaches courses on instrumental music education and teacher wellness. Diaz is a highly sought clinician and conductor for honors, community, secondary, and collegiate orchestras, and he is a frequent presenter and adjudicator for conferences, workshops, and festivals across the country. Previous to his posi-
tion at Indiana, Diaz taught on the faculties of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory and the University of Oregon School of Music, and he served as a public school music teacher for school districts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Along with his work as a teacher and conductor, Diaz currently serves on the editorial board of the String Research Journal and Journal of Research in Music Education, and he is an active member of the American String Teachers Association.
February 12–15, 2020 San Antonio, Texas CELEBRATING TMEA’S CENTENNIAL! Southwestern Musician | September 2019 25
1920
Celebrating
by Karen Cross
L
ooking through the archives of TMEA’s history is like dusting off a forgotten box of family photos and scrapbooks. As we study those old monochrome images, we contemplate what life might have been like so many years ago. And through those pictures and stories, we discover a connection to our past that somehow deepens how we feel about where we are today. This month, we offer snapshots of our association’s past from 1920 to 1940. In those 20 years, TMEA matured from a small group of idealistic band leaders into a well-structured association that was already steering state education policy. The pioneering work of our association’s founding fathers continues to benefit every music student today.
Photo of Lone Star Band courtesy of the Ellis County Museum
On April 21, 1920, Waxahachie’s Lone Star Band Leader James E. King met with six other band leaders to discuss how to improve Texas bands. They formed Texas Bandmasters Association and ÐăÐÆĴÐÌ LĉÐĮ 'Ș NðĊæ Į ĴìÐ ťīĮĴ ĨīÐĮðÌÐĊĴȘ AĊ ðĴĮ ťīĮĴ ǡǟ řÐīĮș the association evolved to include orchestra and vocal teachers and became known as Texas Music Educators Association.
1920s: Contest Pros & Cons Throughout the 1920s, the popularity of municipal bands grew. The day James E. King and six other band leaders met in Waxahachie and founded our association, three of their bands competed in the first statewide band meet. Given its success, those band leaders decided to continue hosting the contest as a means of gaining public attention and support. Band contests flourished in the 1920s, and our association membership numbers reflected that growth. By 1923, membership had multiplied from 7 to 49, representing half of the band directors in Texas. The association’s slogan was “More Bands, Bigger Bands, and Better Bands.” With increased contest popularity and inflated prize money, the motivation to win by any means was rampant. Association 26 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
leaders quickly realized the need to establish rules and a grievance process to promote fairness in these events. This trend toward more regulated contests included a 1924 rule that no union musicians could participate and a 1927 decision to ban cash prizes (not that either rule was immediately followed). In the mid ’20s, leaders had separated their annual meeting from the contest, demonstrating an emphasis on other priorities. They were becoming more focused on musicianship, instrumentation, and standardization of salaries. In 1925, this attention on instruction led the members to change their organization’s name to Texas Band Teachers Association. By the late ’20s, the complexion of band contests was changing, with the high school class participation surpassing that of the municipal band class. Still, some issues with this mixed participation continued, as evidenced in this account of a 1928 Eastern Division contest reported by Ralph Beck (a founding
2020
TMEA’s Centennial member of our association): One band entered whose director played cornet with the band, and another band could not recite its contest numbers because all the trombone section had passed out on that ‘East Texas Corn.’ Toward the end of that first decade, leaders asserted that only those who were professionally fit should be members, so the membership passed a constitutional amendment requiring new members pass a musical literacy examination to be admitted. While there are no records of the exam being administered, the 1927 minutes include, “To date, several members had been expelled for their shortcomings.” In 1929, the association adopted an important change by mandating that all contests be held without chamber of commerce assistance. This was just two years after they banned cash prizes. However, when the Texas State Fair officials presented a proposal for $10,000 in cash prizes if the association would hold its state contest during the fair under the auspices of the TBTA, the leadership agreed. This contest featured 85 bands, breaking the participation record, and march music master Karl L. King of Iowa was the sole judge. The high quality displayed by the participating bands was understood to reflect the improved instruction being given in school bands.
1949–1950 TMEA President Jack Mahan offered the following pros and cons of the early band competitions: This somewhat loose competition gave way to a sense of cooperation, individual and group development, and improvement before the groundwork for the present-day school music program could be accomplished. Because the contest idea was the original activity, it marks much of the initial history of our association.
By 1922, the thrill of conquests had begun to overshadow the ideals leading to a firm foundation for the music program. The attitude of deception rather than sincerity was prevailing in the contest. The elements of growth and organizational development seemed to be cast aside in favor of winning a prize.
(from Jack Mahan’s 1949 master’s thesis)
AĊ ǠǨǡǡ }ìÐ ZăÌ :īř TīÐ ĊÌ ďå īďœĊœďďÌș made up mostly of professional musicians, won ɄǢǤǟ ĊÌ ĴìÐ ĴðĴăÐ ďå ZŨÆðă ÐĮĴ }ÐŘĮ ìĉÅÐī ďå ďĉĉÐīÆÐ ĊÌ ðĊ ĴìðĮ ťīĮĴ contest of its kind. Chambers of commerce hosted contests as part of their conventions, in part because contest prizes were less costly than hiring professional bands. The presence of a municipal band almost became a must for a town to expect to be noticed. This focus led to what became termed as “Outlaw” or “Wildcat” contests, given these contest organizers didn’t appear obligated to adhere to our association rules.
Photo courtesy of the Brown County Museum of History Southwestern Musician | September 2019 27
Celebrating TMEA’s Centennial Soon after Texas Band Teachers Association was chartered, members were demonstrating that their concerns extended well beyond contests: In 1925, the association named the Texas Bandsman as its official journal—a designation that changed several times in these first 20 years. 1926 marks the first mention of a request for students to earn credit for studying band in school. This would be the first time the association pushed for band to be considered curricular. This is in addition to the earlier-mentioned membership music literacy examination. In 1927, leadership established several committees to study various topics of interest. The organizational structure grew in 1929, with the addition of a state vice-president and divisional secretaries (at this time, divisions were geographic). Much attention was being given to the problem of raising the quality of the music teacher, and at last a committee was appointed to write a code of ethics. These developments in the late 1920s set the stage for the association to expand its reach and influence throughout the 1930s.
1930s: A Maturing Association The Great Depression was the backdrop of this era, yet our organization continued its business, advancing the cause for music education through a focus on creating standards for instruction and for those delivering that instruction. For example, in 1931, the state meeting attendance from the Southern Division was so low they couldn’t hold elections. Still, the few present remained focused on the future of school music. State Vice-President R.J. Dunn explained his concerns about boys coming from other towns into his band, ill-prepared. He said this could be remedied if there were a standardization of teaching. “All stressed the importance of more music schools in Texas and more creative work in high school and municipal bands, expressing that it was up to us to raise our standards in order that the value of music in the schools should be recognized by the school board, and it was up to us to see that it was recognized as it should be” (January 23, 1931, annual meeting minutes). Other members expressed similar ideas about how band could be standardized in schools just like other courses were. In that meeting, Dunn even predicted that in the near future, certificates would be required for band teaching. With this greater commitment to standardization and teacher preparation, TBTA hosted its first summer band clinic in Lampasas. Seventy-five teachers attended this two-week summer camp, where a stated objective 28 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
1929 TBTA Code of Ethics Excerpts One must consider himself to be, primarily, a teacher of music and of wind and percussion instruments. Other vocations or side lines, especially that of selling musical instruments or merchandise, should be considered subordinate. • A member owes it as a duty to this organization to reserve a reasonable amount of time for serious study in order to keep abreast of current development in music and bands, in keeping with the second object of the association, which is better bands. • The band teacher should set a high moral standard of speech and conduct. He should be scrupulous in the prompt payment of bills, and careful in the incurring of financial obligations. (If we do not pay our own bills, we can not expect our pupils to pay us.) • It is unethical for a band teacher to take sides with factions in his band or community.
was “to coach and refresh the band teacher in the various subjects which concern him and to standardize the system of teaching instrumental music and bands.” The advertised curriculum included: • Rudiments of music
• Counterpoint
• Elementary harmony
• Form
• Band arranging
• Ear Training
• Advanced harmony and composition
• Conducting • Science of music (acoustics)
For $2.50, attendees were invited to stay the two weeks in an open-air dorm furnished with cots and a single washroom on each floor, “suitable for men only.” The brochure also invited them to bring their camping equipment at no charge and take advantage of the camping space at the park where this band clinic was held. This camp was considered a huge success and a pioneering event in the development of Texas bands. In the early ’30s, TBTA appealed to the State Department of Education to have band and orchestra courses recognized, but they were denied because no textbooks existed that would provide for consistent instruction. Fortunately, at the same time, John F. Victor of Abilene was completing his work on a four-year method book for band and orchestra instruments. The association worked for years to get these texts into the hands of Texas music students. In 1934, the state authorized that two
units of college credit be given to anyone who had completed four years of band or orchestra in public schools. TBTA continued to evolve organizationally and in 1934 created four divisions with state vice-presidents (Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western). There was also a push to include sightreading as a component in contests to promote fundamentals instruction. Fifteen years after our founder’s first meeting, members recognized a need to support orchestra directors and invited orchestra teachers to become members the following year. Thus it was during that 1936 convention that members would vote in the next name of our association—Texas School Band and Orchestra Association (TSBOA). With the association membership growing to 198, it was becoming difficult to conduct association business during the general meeting, so in 1936 a Board of Control was created—a precursor to today’s Executive Board. During the 1937 convention, a committee formed to explore an idea that band clinician William D. Revelli had suggested the prior year—to assemble a clinic band and orchestra composed of students from around the state. Over the next 80+ years, this idea grew into today’s 15 All-State ensembles. That year, the membership also approved a resolution to submit to the state department of education calling for free text books to be supplied to instrumental music students. Several members also began discussing the idea that UIL should host solo and ensemble contests, along with their music memory and other contests. The 1938 convention featured the first organized All-State Bands—the Blue Band and the Red Band—as well as the inaugural All-State Orchestra. Directors applied for their students to participate by documenting the number of years the student had participated, the contests entered, and the honors received. Students were sent the music two weeks in advance of the clinic. At this convention, just two years following the inclusion of orchestra teachers, the floor voted in a new constitution and bylaws to be presented later that year at a special session, making it possible for choral directors to join. While some members Advertisement in the February found this move controversial or 1938 issue of School Band and Orchestra Magazine a possible threat to their work, the
Members paid $1.00 to attend the 1936 convention in San Antonio, where they enjoyed the 1937 convention registration desk (State first-ever band clinic Secretary Ward Brandstetter, standing) as part of this annual event. A young William D. Revelli of the University of Michigan led the Weslaco Band through each class’s required contest pieces. Revelli returned in 1937, and Adam Lesinsky was invited to lead the inaugural orchestra clinic. William F. Ludwig was also present to give a drum exhibition during the event. motion passed and the organization became known as the Texas Music Educators Association. When the fall term opened, TMEA had been completely set up with a new administrative plan in which there were state, division, and region officers. Three vice-presidents were chairs of their divisions holding the rank of first, second, and third vice-president in accord with the seniority of the division (band, orchestra, vocal, respectively). Each of the 8 Regions had its band, orchestra, and vocal chairs who were members of the state Board of Control. Reflecting on this change, Charles Eskridge (1942–1943 TMEA President) said, “With the organization of the Texas Music Educators Association came the longest stride ever taken in Texas toward a well-balanced music program.” The first convention under the TMEA name was in Houston, with 308 active teacher members attending. This 1939 event featured concerts by four All-State groups: two bands, an orchestra, and a chorus. Some 400 students participated, and the music cost alone for this elaborate event was nearly $1,000. At the time, there were 528 TMEA members. During that 1939 convention, the TMEA membership passed several resolutions demonstrating their desire to influence state and national music education initiatives and standards. The final resolution read: That in view of the higher standards for all teacher training incorporated in a bill now before the Legislature that the Texas
The value of the discussions and the talks by the guest conductors and by Texas directors cannot be set forth concretely, yet this phase of the ĴìīÐÐ ÆăðĊðÆĮ œĮ ŒÐīř ÅÐĊÐťÆðăȘ }ìÐĮÐ åďīķĉĮ åķīĊðĮìÐÌ Ċ ďĨĨďīĴķĊðĴř åďī ÌðīÐÆĴďīĮ Ĵď ÐŘĉðĊÐ ĮďĉÐ ďå ĴìÐðī ĨīďÅăÐĉĮș Ĵď ĮķææÐĮĴ ĮďăķĴðďĊĮș ĊÌ Ĵď ìÐī ĴìÐ ðÌÐĮ ďå åÐăăďœ ĉķĮðÆ ÐÌķÆĴďīĮȘ —March 1939 Texas Music Educator ȵ}ìÐ wĴĴÐ ďĊŒÐĊĴðďĊȭ ăðĊðÆ qīďŒÐĮ AĴĮ ďīĴìȶ Southwestern Musician | September 2019 29
Music Educators Association recommends that no full-time teacher of music be employed after 1943 who does not hold a professional degree in music. This regulation is not to be retroactive.
1940: The End of the Pioneering Era Possibly the most exciting convention since the cutthroat days of the early band contests was in Mineral Wells at the 1940 meeting of the TMEA membership. One group was striving to change the construct so each of the three divisions would have greater independence in their activities—lessening the Board of Control’s power. Another group advocated for a separate bandmasters association. After long arguments and tense expositions, an understanding was reached, and administrative changes were proposed, preventing a split in the association. However, during that event, a group did organize the Texas Bandmasters Association, designed as a state version of the American Bandmasters
20 Years of Growth TÐĉÅÐīĮìðĨ ĊÌ ÌķÐĮ åīďĉ ĴìÐ řÐīĮ when this data was recorded: 1920: 7 founding members. Dues: $1. ȧ}ÐŘĮ ĊÌĉĮĴÐīĮ ĮĮďÆðĴðďĊȨ
1921: 19 members. Dues $0.50. 1922: 29 members. Dues $0.50. 1925: Dues: $1.
ȧ}ÐŘĮ ĊÌ }ÐÆìÐīĮ ĮĮďÆðĴðďĊȨ
1926: Dues: $5 + $10 initiation fee. 1927: 43 members. Dues: $5 + $10 initiation fee. ǠǨǢǟȚ AĊðĴðĴðďĊ åÐÐ īÐÌķÆÐÌ Ĵď ɄǤȘ 1932: Dues reduced to $3, and the initiation fee was removed to entice more members. 1934: 70 members. 1936: 198 members. ȧ}ÐŘĮ wÆìďďă ĊÌ ɪ ZīÆìÐĮĴī ĮĮďÆðĴðďĊȨ
1937: 261 members.
1938: Dues: $3.
ȧ}ÐŘĮ TķĮðÆ 'ÌķÆĴďīĮ ĮĮďÆðĴðďĊȨ
1939: 538 members. 1940: 580 members. 30 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
Association, with G. Ward Moody elected president (detailed in the adjacent frame). A significant bookend for TMEA’s first twenty years came in 1940 when the state began furnishing free textbooks for band and orchestra students in public schools.
A Brilliant Future Lies Ahead Days before the annual convention, TMEA President Ward G. Brandstetter shared his thoughts on the state of our association in the February 1940 issue of Texas Music Educator: Much progress has been made, but we should not lose sight of the fact that there is still much to be done. There are still many schools without adequate music programs. We cannot ask school administrators to suddenly change their entire program to accommodate us. On the other hand, our future depends on how well we, both individually and collectively, sell our work to the world. We now have the largest and strongest organization that we have ever had, and with the interest, activity, and cooperative spirit demonstrated at present, a brilliant future may be predicted.
Acknowledgements
This article is based on a variety of historical documents housed in the TMEA archives. Two sources have been particularly helpful and are the foundation of much of this presentation: TMEA Past-President Jack Mahan’s 1949 ĉĮĴÐīȸĮ ĴìÐĮðĮ ĊÌ tďĮĮ :īĊĴȸĮ ǠǨǧǨ doctoral dissertation. Thanks go to Dr. :īĊĴ åďī ìðĮ Ĵìďīďķæì ĊÌ œÐăăȭÆīåĴÐÌ work, which has guided this brief overview of our rich history.
Hoop Skirts and Cologne: The Band Tipping Point With inclusion of orchestra and choral teachers, some bandmasters were concerned about losing their autonomy. This colorful recollection by Jack Mahan appears in notes of a historical organization committee meeting held at a 1988 TBA clinic-convention: The reactivation of TBA was really tied to the beginning of Phi Beta Mu. I was one of the first people to be initiated in Houston in 1939 . . . At the time Phi Beta Mu was a secret thing, no one knew anything about it and they didn’t want to get it out in the open because people would not like other people if they didn’t get in first . . . The first meeting was in Mineral Wells in 1940 . . . We disbanded the Phi Beta Mu meeting and stayed in the room to have a session . . . Everybody was so irate about the fact that they had those little elevators there at the Baker hotel, and the night that they had the banquet, these choral directors all came out in hoop skirts and no more than one or two could get into an elevator at one time. The men had cologne on and they smelled. They got up in the room and they just had a big deal on what are we going to do about this thing. So it was decided that they would start a Texas Band Directors Association and TBA is what they called it. Lyle Skinner who was one of the first candidates with me was there of course and he agreed that he would have the first meeting in Waco. So in 1940 that summer in Waco they had the band directors come there and they did the old things like they used to. They had a beer bust and they even had the girls up on the tables dancing and stuff. They wanted to go back to the old hell raising times that the bandmasters used to have years before that. After that, they had one more and then the war came on and they had no more. Source: The Texas Bandmasters Association: A Historical Study of Activities, Contributions, and Leadership (1920–1997, Stephen Scott Schoop, Doctoral Dissertation, Univ of North Texas, May 2000).
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September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention preregistration deadline. January 11—Area Vocal and Band auditions. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
here are times in life that are chaotic, to say the least, and some of us even choose to constantly tread those fast and furious waters. We sometimes believe that to feel productive, we must have multiple irons in the fire. This can be okay, as long as there is method to our madness. The question we must consider is whether we’re truly producing or just spinning our wheels without direction. Be careful. We must remember to be swift, smooth, and steady. Develop solid goals and plans (as well as backup plans) to accomplish these goals. Be swift at informing your stakeholders of what these goals are and your course of action. Sometimes getting started can be the most difficult and challenging part— like writing these columns can be for me. We must just set the wheels in motion. The water will be cold whether we ease into it or jump in, and easing in might result in valuable time wasted. If you have direction, get going with map in hand. Make sure everyone understands your vision for the year. Involve the rest of your department and campus administration, or at least inform them. If people are informed, they’re less likely to become obstacles and they may help you and your students along the way. The fewer the obstacles, the smoother it will be for you and your students. Once you’ve set sail, keep your hand on the
Once you’ve set sail, keep your hand on the tiller and hold steady, because there will be rough waters to navigate. Southwestern Musician | September 2019 33
tiller and hold steady, because there will be rough waters to navigate. You must plan for these times. When it gets choppy, you’ll need energy and strength to hold steady and not run aground. Most importantly, don’t forget that you’re not alone. Radio other captains who may have navigated those waters before. They may give you strategies on how to best utilize your strength to return to calmer seas or at least survive the swells. Think about what it would be like if you were on rough seas, your boat heeling so far it felt like you might capsize. In that moment, do you
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want to hear from a captain who is clearly stressed and seemingly unsure, or one who is calm, collected, and seemingly in control? Which type is easier to follow, and which are you? We often discuss burnout among directors, but we must also consider the burnout of our students. I believe burnout happens when so much effort is made, but very little progress occurs, and when it feels like we’re barely keeping our heads above water. Relax, do the back-float for a bit, and if someone approaches the edge offering help, it’s okay to ask them to throw you a life preserver. Remember, you can always get back in the water, but you can never be sure when another person is going to pass by. So, are you and your students just treading? Can you maintain the energy needed to reach your destination? Your stakeholders must be on board with your vision, so that if the winds die, everyone will know to paddle for a bit. Hang in there and hang on—you will make it through. Convention News TCDA’s convention was amazing this year and I hope you’ll make plans next year to attend! It’s very much worth the investment to connect with 2,000 colleagues, attend sessions presented by the best facilitators in the state, and find some great music during the reading sessions! This was one of the best TCDA conventions in recent memory. Looking forward to the 2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention, I’m excited to
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34 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
TMEA Scholarships TMEA is pleased to offer several scholarships each year for undergraduate and graduate study. To be eligible, complete all application requirements by November 1. Learn more at:
tmea.org/scholarships
announce that our Vocal Division Featured Clinician is Emily Ellsworth. She will provide some great strategies to help your choirs’ performances. Emily Ellsworth Featured Clinician Emily Ellsworth is the recently retired Artistic Director of Anima, a youth choir based in Chicago. She is a nationally recognized leader in the field of youth choir conductors and is a highly sought clinician here and abroad. She has conducted state and festival choirs in 30 states as well as for Northwest, North Central, Southwest, and National ACDA. Her choirs have toured the world on six continents. Ellsworth has spent 20 years as a professional singer and voice teacher at various college and university settings. You can learn more about her at her site www.emilyellsworth.net. Ellsworth will be presenting sessions about connecting with text, building tone, using the performance space for dramatic impact and to enhance a song’s message, and elevating the artistry in our music-making. This series of clinics will offer both middle and high school directors incredible development opportunities. You can now review a list of selected clinics and their clinicians on the TMEA website. Go to www.tmea.org/2020clinics. The December issue will offer a full schedule preview of our 2020 convention, where we will celebrate TMEA’s Centennial! Membership and Registration If you haven’t yet, be sure to renew your TMEA membership. All 2018–2019 memberships expired two months ago, and if you purchase it through TMEA, the liability insurance coverage expired on August 20. Wherever you get that coverage, be sure it’s current. For more information and to renew go to www.tmea.org/ membership. Convention housing will be online starting October 3 at 6 a.m. CT. You will receive an email from TMEA the week before with a direct link to that housing system, so be sure your email address on your TMEA member record is current and that you have included TMEA email addresses in your safe list.
2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019 Memberships Have Expired! All 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019 TMEA memberships expired June 30. Also, if covered, liability insurance expired August 20. Renew now to ensure you receive the benefits of your TMEA membership for the entire year.
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Our association continues to be the largest state music educators association in the country, and for that we are justly proud. The strength of TMEA, however, is not only in its size but in the quality of its membership. The strength of music programs in our schools is rooted in the dedication of its teachers, all united in a mission to provide the best music education for all Texas schoolchildren. Membership in an organization of over 13,000 music educators carries with it benefits inherent from this strength in numbers. TMEA is your voice to the Texas Legislature and the State Board of Education. In addition to representation by TMEA leaders, members enjoy
a myriad of benefits, including access to group health insurance, low-cost liability insurance, professional development opportunities, online and printed pedagogical and advocacy resources, and more. TMEA strives to provide meaningful professional development for our members and wonderful opportunities for our high school students through the audition process and through Texas Future Music Educators. Renew today to continue supporting the future of music education in Texas. If you have any questions about renewing or about TMEA programs available to members, contact Membership Manager Susan Daugherty at susand@tmea.org or call TMEA at 888-318-8632, ext 105.
Renewing annually shows you support music education for all Texas students!
Renew now, and remind your colleagues to do the same!
www.tmea.org/renew Southwestern Musician | September 2019 35
How to Address Your Choirs’ Needs & Spotlight Their Strengths
By Janwin Overstreet-Goode and Cheryl Wilson
C
hoir directors in every program spend time and energy searching for the perfect repertoire for each choir, for every concert. This can easily become a daunting task and, too often, is overlooked or put off until the last minute. It’s important to recognize that the right repertoire can make all the difference in a successful experience for you, your choirs, and your audiences. Before selecting repertoire, you must know where your students are musically and where you want them to be following the performance. When you begin the search, you must first determine whether you are looking for a piece that addresses the needs of your choir, or a piece that highlights the strengths of your choir. Once you have that criteria in mind, you can more thoughtfully consider the many repertoire options. What Does Your Ensemble Need to Grow? Maintaining a simple worksheet can help you answer this question about what your ensemble needs to study so that they can grow. Go to www.tmea.org/choirworksheet for an example. By completing a worksheet like this, you will be more intentional about identifying the makeup and strengths and weaknesses of each group. When this information is documented, it can be a helpful guide for evaluating repertoire that will support each group’s development. Tone If developing pure and uniform tone is of primary concern, choose pieces that are slow and lyrical. Also select repertoire that feature pure open vowels—perhaps something in Latin or Italian. This will also facilitate a better blend. To reinforce this concept, encourage pure vowel sounds with solfège in your sightreading.
36 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
Music Literacy If music literacy is your focus, select repertoire that lends itself to the use of solfège. Again, when singing with solfège, use pure vowels to reinforce tone and blend. Be mindful of key changes and altered pitches. Rhythmic Precision and Alignment For rhythmic precision and alignment, choose something at a faster tempo. Be sure you have a counting system or method in place, and be consistent with its use. Make sure each student is physically feeling the pulse when teaching the repertoire. You might have students tap the beat. You could also have them conduct the appropriate meter while counting or singing. Intonation Select repertoire that is unaccompanied if intonation is your focus. Start with diatonic pieces with logical, traditional progressions. Add songs with chromaticism and lush harmonies as appropriate. Even in accompanied literature, rehearsing a cappella will strengthen your choir’s listening skills and, hence, intonation. Balance For choirs with balance concerns, first examine all voice parts for substance and interest. Select a piece that features sections other than soprano, or Part 1, with the melody. Choose a piece that is homophonic throughout. Rehearse in a mixed-section format so that singers will learn to listen for voice parts other than their own. Experiment with varied standing arrangements and placement of the sections in your singing formation. A Cappella Literature If your choir struggles with singing a cappella literature, start
with a round or partner song. Find repertoire that uses traditional harmonies, and practice singing the chords found in the literature during warmups and drills to strengthen singers’ listening skills. Avoid cross-voicing, and rehearse away from the piano as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to change the key for tuning or tessitura concerns. Musicality Musicality is often the final component we address, but it is what makes the piece most interesting to the audience and singers alike. Choose a piece with dynamic markings already in the music. Crescendo and decrescendo markings are especially useful for shaping phrases. Add the basic musical markings as you rehearse to reinforce those concepts. Also choose a piece that allows for ritardando, rubato, accelerando, and other tempo considerations. After basic musicality has been addressed, further nuance can be added as you progress in the music (syllabic stress, word stress, text painting, tenuto, etc.). Foreign Languages and World Music When initially introducing foreign languages and world music, start with Latin (only five vowels to match and blend). Expand into other “traditional” languages (Italian, French, German, Spanish, Russian) as you and your students become more comfortable with languages. Also consider exploring music of other cultures—so many options are available today. Be careful not to overwhelm your singers or your audience with too many languages on one program. Introduce the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)—it is a great resource for singing all languages and a shorthand to accurate pronunciation for your students. Repertoire Considerations Once you have evaluated each choir’s
needs for growth and you begin to consider repertoire, ask yourself whether there is something special in the selection that appeals to you and your singers. Does it have a beautiful melody? Lush harmonies? An interesting text? Is it artistic and lasting? Is there an emotional connection? Next consider the text and subject matter—is it age appropriate? Also consider whether the level of difficulty can be mastered by the ensemble. Is it too easy? Too difficult? Is this the right time of year for this selection? You also must consider vocal ranges. Don’t select music that has a higher or lower tessitura than your students can sing well. Sing through each part to determine if the voice leading makes sense and is well-written. Consider the rhythms—are they interesting and accessible? Are the tonal progressions logical? What about the form of the piece? Do the harmony parts change when words or sections are repeated? (This could affect memorization.) Is the structure of the piece sensible? If there are repeats or D.C. or D.S. sections, are they consistent and reasonable? Finally, when selecting repertoire, consider the length of the piece, bearing in mind audience attention span and your students’ physical, mental, and vocal stamina. You do want to stretch the group, yet the full program must not be mentally, physically, or vocally too taxing. Programming Considerations After you have made some initial repertoire selections, programming considerations come to the forefront. As you review your programming ideas, ask yourself these questions: • Is the program balanced, in terms of musical content? • Are varied time periods of historical significance represented? • Is there variety and contrast in style?
Save the Dates! February 12–15, 2020 San Antonio, Texas 38 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
• Are tempos of the pieces sufficiently varied? Along with considering your answers to these questions, be sure to have a mixture of meters and keys. Contrast rhythmic selections with lyrical selections. Use English and foreign languages on the program. There needs to be a give and take of style, tempo, and language for a wellrounded program. Take into consideration your ensemble: is the repertoire appropriate in terms of age, ability, and balance between parts? Is the music well-crafted? Does it have educational value for singers and audience alike? Do you have enough time to adequately prepare the literature for your concert, festival, or contest? Where Can You Find Appropriate Repertoire? Many resources are available for discovering appropriate repertoire. Attending reading sessions at clinics and conventions is very valuable. Visit music stores if you are fortunate enough to have one in your city. Listen to publishers’ recordings and visit their websites. Peruse the Mark Custom Recordings catalog. Also listen to recordings of choirs from TMEA, ACDA, or other conventions or concerts from around the country. Keep in mind though that listening to repertoire does not replace examining the repertoire. Check out the repertoire in your school library. Ask other teachers for recommendations or suggestions. Create a file of repertoire lists you acquire at conventions, professional development, or workshops— this file will become a wonderful resource that can be revisited yearly. Keep copies of concert programs and mark the pieces you want to investigate. Look at regional and national ACDA convention programs for suggestions, as well as festival and all-state repertoire lists from other states. Search college and professional choral group websites; many have their repertoire listed. As we mentioned in the opening, before selecting repertoire, know where your students are musically and where you would like them to be after the performance. Then keep in mind the following quick checks as you evaluate the wide availability of selections: • Explore repertoire written by composers beyond your short list of favorites and look beyond the first page.
• While perusing new literature write notes on the front cover, documenting the important concepts (key, rhythmic patterns, altered syllables, etc.). These will serve as quick references in your future searches for repertoire. • Find repertoire that will address the needs of your program and push those elements, especially for programs in the fall semester. • Select repertoire that fits the choir in terms of age, ability, and balance between parts.
• Introduce a cappella singing before UIL evaluation season. • Feature at least one piece on every program that highlights the strengths of your choir. • Include a variety of styles, historical periods, languages, and cultures in your concert programs.
Janwin Overstreet-Goode and Cheryl Wilson are Secondary Choral Music Consultants, following successful careers as high school choir directors. Overstreet-Goode is also a TMEA Past-President.
• Choose repertoire that will challenge your students but won’t defeat them. • Keep your students (and you) interested, involved, and committed!
• Select repertoire that facilitates student learning and work toward choir performance goals. • Select songs that broaden the choir’s musical skills and are interesting to the singers, the audience, and you.
Successful repertoire selection depends on the time you spend researching and studying scores. When you approach the process purposefully and carefully, the positive results will be obvious to you, your singers, and the audience.
• For contests and festivals, highlight the strengths of your choir with the majority of repertoire. If you want to also challenge them, select one element to address in one selection, especially with younger choirs (you can tackle more elements with advanced/ varsity level choirs).
Online Resources • www.choralnet.org (sponsored by ACDA) • www.acda.org • www.ifcm.net (International Federation for Choral Music) • www.chorusamerica.org • www.nafme.org (formerly MENC) • www.imslp.org
Don’t Just Play. PERFORM AT YOUR HIGHEST LEVEL.
• www.musicanet.org (Musica International, the Virtual Choir Library) • www.cpdl.org • www.hearchoirs.net • www.youtube.com • www.facebook.com (Texas Choir Directors group) • iTunes
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Southwestern Musician | September 2019 39
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Everything Old Is New Again TMEA Summer Dialogue IV by Dinah Menger
M
ore than 25 TMEA members paused their summer vacation in July, traveled to Austin, and took part in TMEA’s Summer Dialogue IV, held on July 8–9 at the TMEA headquarters. This timely event followed the 2019 legislative session, occurred on the 10-year anniversary of the 2009 TMEA Dialogue II, and led us into the school year where we will celebrate TMEA’s Centennial. In reviewing the goals that were formed from previous Summer Dialogues, we found that many are still matters of concern for music educators and fine arts administrators across the state. Previous goals included: • A greater advocacy push in getting the message out about the importance of music in the lives of the students as a critical concern. • Updating and making the TMEA website more user-friendly and marketable. • TMEA’s role in continuing to work with school administration and counselors in understanding the importance of the arts and how students across the state can participate in music courses and in various other activities. • TMEA initiating research correlating student music participation with academic achievement, better attendance, and graduation rates. • HB 3, the new accountability system, and inclusion of Fine Arts within it.
• Continued collaboration between TMEA and TMAC to develop assessment tools for measuring student achievement in music. Years later, we continue to encounter many of the same issues. This fueled our focus for more aggressively creating step-by-step plans for a statewide, grassroots movement. The goal of this undertaking is to facilitate immediate actions promoting a contagious awareness of the many benefits of music education in today’s global workplace. We added topics from our participants, who contributed to a survey sent out prior to this year’s meeting. These included: • How do we educate decision-makers of the important role of rigorous arts study on College, Career, and Military Readiness (a new funding source for campuses in HB 3 and part of A–F District Grading)? • How do we educate the business community on the value of arts education in training a 21st-century workforce? • How do we counter the negative impact that 7th and 8th grade Southwestern Musician | September 2019 41
weighted-funding for Career and Technical Education (new in HB 3) could have on our music program participation?
• Leading sessions on the why and how of marketing fine arts programs at the TMEA convention.
• How do we respond to increased dropout rates from secondary music programs?
• Unifying each district’s fine arts educators in their presence and advocacy and messaging.
• What are the greatest problems facing elementary music and how can we address them?
• Creating a “Profile of a Graduate” model that showcases the extensive experience a graduate has in a discipline, including how four years of fine arts electives is intentionally scheduled to further inspire and equip students for their futures.
• How do we influence and inform campus administrators and counselors in the role they play to support our programs and in scheduling for graduation plans? • Is TMEA addressing the needs of all members? • How do we advocate and market the need for music education to a layperson or business mindset? • How can we create a more tangible, data-driven body of evidence for the general layperson and business minds? TMEA lobbyist Matt Matthews presented information on an action plan to be implemented prior to the next legislative session in 2021, as well as a summary of a new statewide arts advocacy push with attention to branding and messaging targeting a 21st-century audience. His advice regarding immediate action by our membership was extremely relevant, giving us an 18-month window to create new relationships with those in public office and to create a resurgence of a strong and unified presence marketing the essential skills fostered by a rigorous fine arts education. Matthews urged participants to target businesses, those in political office, parents, students, and every fine arts teacher in Texas! He reminded us that it is up to each of us to educate and convince our government officials, with a unified and consistent presence, that all students must have rigorous fine arts as part of their education. Subcommittees were created to unpack and address the concerns presented. We discovered that most topics fell into three main categories:
Those in attendance left recharged, committed, and ready to take the next steps with tangible ways to ensure that all Texas music educators can implement statewide, aligned actions to empower themselves, their students and parents, their campus and district administration, and their representatives in public office regarding the necessity for music in the life of every child and how best to market this necessity in an ever-changing educational climate. Participants Our thanks go to the following TMEA members for their service and commitment to our association shown through their active participation throughout this Summer Dialogue: • Amanda Blackstone, Hutto • Chad Dempsey, Edinburg • James Drew, Fort Bend • Jim Egger, McAllen • Eric Grey, Gilmer • Karen Herrera, Killeen • Eric Hindman, Seminole • Katherine Johns, Floresville • Gary Keller, Northwest
1. Advocacy and a focused social media presence with effective how-tos in marketing a central message using unified hashtags (#itstartswithmusic and #TMEA100).
• Matt Knight, Abernathy
2. More specific data-gathering strategies clearly showing the benefits of music in correlation to graduation rates, attendance, academics, and retention.
• Dinah Menger, Fort Worth
3. A greater focus on convincing campus, district, and state leaders on the inherent value that studying music has on students developing 21st-century skills. The committees designed toolkits that will serve as a basis for the advocacy toolkit TMEA will make available to members from our website. The Social Media committee created an outlined process for promoting music and its benefits with a push to align campuses across the state to increase their social media presence. The group discussing the Teacher Toolkit on Advocacy and Marketing created very specific ways in which to create a vital presence from campus programs to district-wide involvement. The Fine Arts Administration Committee vowed to train fellow administrators in:
• Christopher Reidlinger, Amarillo
• Using the toolkits consistently. • Working with their teachers to set goals for media presence. • Continuing this push toward marketing at the TMAC November Conference. 42 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
• Tim Linley, Dallas • Jami Lupold, La Porte • James Miculka, Northside • Matthew Saltibus, Northside • Lauren Summa, Alvin • Hector Trevino, San Antonio • Jeff Turner, Allen TMEA Executive Board and staff members present were Executive Director Robert Floyd, Deputy Director Frank Coachman, Administrative Director Kay Vanlandingham, President Joe Muñoz, Immediate Past-President Bob Horton, Band Vice-President John Carroll, Vocal Vice-President Jed Ragsdale, and UIL State Director of Music Bradley Kent. Dinah Menger is Director of Choral and Elementary Music in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts with Fort Worth ISD. Menger is also a TMEA Past-President.
B Y
A B I G A I L
H A W E S
ELEMENTARY NOTES
Keep up the pace
I
September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention preregistration deadline. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
love the beginning of a school year. Students are excited, teachers are refreshed and energized, and most of my posters are still hanging in the right spots on the wall (thanks for that added challenge, Houston humidity). By this point, most of us have been at it for a few weeks. Depending on your rotation schedule, you’re past the backto-school routines and procedures and are well into reviewing each grade level’s known concepts. Perhaps your choirs or instrumental ensembles are already rolling, and that first performance is just around the corner. It’s full speed ahead! There’s so much music to learn, and you’re just getting started! But, wait—what’s that on the horizon? It’s looking a little cloudy up ahead, and maybe the shiny newness of the year is beginning to fade. Suddenly, you find yourself facing a different set of challenges. Just a few years ago, Houston-area blogger Kelly Treleaven (also known as “Love, Teach”) gave those clouds—the seemingly endless expanse of instructional days between the beginning of the year and Thanksgiving break—the name DEVOLSON (the Dark, Evil Vortex of Late September, October, and November).
When the kids see you enjoying music, they’re more likely to follow suit, which makes it even more enjoyable for you—and round and round the cycle goes. Southwestern Musician | September 2019 43
The good news? DEVOLSON is optional! And although we can’t change the calendar, we can take steps early on to keep those (potentially) dark clouds at bay. • Pace yourself. Remember that you’re just starting out, and that your school year is more of a marathon and less of a sprint! And, just like in a distance running, pacing yourself as an educator is critical. Keep that in mind as you set out, just like a runner would as they begin a 26.2-mile race. Take time for yourself, and carefully prioritize your commitments early on. Adjust as necessary, and remain focused on a strong and healthy finish to the school year. • Try something new. It’s a new year! Keep this in mind as you work on lesson plans. Just because you did it last year doesn’t mean you have to do it again this year, or that you must do
it in the same way. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Keep those proven lessons in place but ask yourself whether there is a way you can put a new spin on them. Reach out to other educators, find a fall workshop to attend, and keep expanding your pedagogical palate. • Have fun! I say this often when talking about my career with others, and I really mean it. I consider myself amazingly fortunate to be an elementary music educator. Truly, we get to have fun with kids—for a living! Remind yourself of this daily—write it on a sticky note above your computer screen, send it to a colleague, post it online. Granted, that fun is in the form of carefully crafted musical experiences, but at the end of the day, it’s still fun. And when the kids see you enjoying music, they’re more likely to
2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention Februar y 12–15 • San Antonio W W W.TME A.ORG/CONVENTION This Is the Best Place for Elementary Music Educator Professional Development! Download a one-page brochure at www.tmea.org/2020summary
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44 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
follow suit, which makes it even more enjoyable for you—and round and round the cycle goes. And, when you’re busy having fun and making music with kids, who has time for DEVOLSON, anyway? Is Your TMEA Membership Current? All 2018–2019 TMEA memberships expired on June 30, and if you purchased liability insurance through TMEA, that coverage expired on August 20. If you haven’t done so already, take a moment to go online and renew your membership today. Take advantage of the $30 liability insurance available to our membership; no educator should be without this important coverage. If you don’t purchase it through TMEA, be sure you are covered elsewhere. Volunteer at the Convention A successful convention would not be possible were it not for the countless volunteers working behind the scenes. Visit www.tmea.org/elementaryvolunteer to complete the online volunteer form and be part of TMEA 2020 in a very special way! TMEA Clinic/Convention Updates Make plans now to attend convention this February. Trust me, this is a convention you’re not going to want to miss! Our focus continues to be on offering the most inspiring performances and informative clinics, but with this being TMEA’s Centennial, everything will be even more exciting! Go to your member record to register online (either when you renew or after that). Print a one-page convention summary from www.tmea.org/2020summary to show your administrator and increase their support. This month, I’m pleased to introduce our two Elementary Division Featured Clinicians, BethAnn Hepburn and Jo Kirk. They are certain to offer us incredible learning opportunities through their combined 12 clinics in February. BethAnn Hepburn Featured Clinician BethAnn Hepburn is a Teacher Education Instructor for t he American Orff-Schulwerk Association on faculty for Orff courses. Hepburn teaches general music grades 4–6 and beginning and high school choir
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for the Streetsboro City Schools, with the distinction of Master Teacher from the State of Ohio. Hepburn is a conductor for honors ensembles and for beginning choir and Orff-Schulwerk ensembles. She is a former national board member for the AOSA, and she serves as the Ohio Music Education Association’s Professional Development Chair for General Music. She is a frequent presenter for AOSA National Conferences as well as for Orff chapters across the United States and internationally. Hepburn is coauthor of Purposeful Pathways: Possibilities for the Elementary Music Classroom Books 1, 2, 3 and 4. With a master’s degree in music education from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Hepburn is currently pursuing her PhD in music education at Kent State University in Ohio. Jo Kirk Featured Clinician Jo Kirk, nationally known Kodály and early childhood music educator, holds a master’s degree in music education from the
46 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
University of Akron and a Kodály Music Education Certificate from Silver Lake College and has completed early childhood studies at Hartt School of Music and Westminster Choir College. Her teaching experience spans from young students to Kodály graduate-level adults at several universities. As an adjunct faculty member of Muskingum College, Kirk instructed the elementary music education courses, directed the Muskingum College Children’s Choir, and developed and instructed the Kodály-inspired early childhood music and movementbased learning program. She served on the Community Music School faculty at Capital University and provided the music education training for the Columbus Montessori Teacher Education Program. Kirk is founder and President of WeJoySing, Inc., which provides Kodályinspired music and movement-based learning programs for parents and their children (birth through early elementary), as well as music therapy and childcare center music programs. She maintains an active conference and public speaking schedule and has
authored “A Kodály Approach,” Spotlight on Early Childhood Music Education: Selected Articles from State MEA Journals, published by the National Association for Music Education, 2000, and Lullabies to Circle Games–An Early Childhood Music and Movement Curriculum. See You at MATCH! The Music and Technology Conference of Houston is a TMEA-sponsored technology conference targeted for elementary music teachers. Held biennially since 2015, MATCH is a collaboration between TMEA Regions 13, 17, 19, 23, 27, and 33. This year’s conference will be held on Saturday, October 19, at North Pointe Elementary School in Clear Creek ISD. Register now or before October 1 at the “early bird” registration rate ($15 for TMEA members/$30 for non-members). You may also add a $10 box lunch or even purchase a MATCH T-shirt for $15. Act quickly, though—after October 1, registration fees increase. For more information and to register, go to the MATCH website, www.matchconferencehouston .wordpress.com.
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COLLEGE NOTES
B Y
V I C K I
B A K E R
Tidy mind + organization = effective teaching
I
n Estelle Jorgensen’s book The Art of Teaching Music, she states, “We cannot teach effectively unless we have tidy minds and can successfully manage time, space, instructional resources, and personnel in our instructional situation.” Jorgensen asserts that organization and teacher effectiveness are directly related. Her first admonition is for teachers to have tidy minds so they can serve as exemplars for their students.
A Tidy Mind We are regularly subjected to information overload. Our minds are filled with trivial, irrelevant information, unimportant details, and distractions that can serve as impediments to our pursuit of knowledge and formulation of ideas. We need to clear our mental clutter and make room for thoughts of great magnitude and consequence. A tidy mind also requires a clear set of principles to guide our thoughts and a structure around which to organize information. Jorgensen points out that students need to develop an organizational system to process the volumes of information to which they are exposed, along with a method of evaluating what they should keep, discard, or modify.
My goal is to teach students the value of having orderly minds and lives and to give them the tools they need to bring order to their thoughts, actions, and environment. 48 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
September—Renew your membership and register for the convention. October 3, 6 a.m. CT—Convention housing reservation system opens for members. October 11—College Division Fall Conference in Austin. October 15—College Division Call for Papers online submission deadline. November 1—Deadline for Collegiate Music Educator Award nominations. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. December 31—TMEA email/mail/fax convention preregistration deadline. January 23—TMEA convention online early registration deadline. February 12–15—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
Time Management According to Jorgensen, the primary rule of teaching technique is the organization of time, which she describes as “very limited and exceedingly precious.” She suggests that college students can prepare for being effective teachers by managing their time and adopting the following practices: 1) Be punctual. 2) Prepare for lessons. 3) Actively engage in class. 4) Study for exams. 5) Practice for performances. 6) Plan semester’s work in advance. 7) Write your daily schedule and follow it carefully. Mastery of time management is critical to successful teaching. Jorgensen provides the following examples of the value of time in an education setting: 1) Be prepared to teach before the class begins to capitalize on every available minute of instruction. 2) Establish a routine of beginning, transitioning, and ending the class so that it becomes habitual and no time is wasted. 3) To offset potential boredom from excessive routine and to keep the students engaged, incorporate variety within the lesson or rehearsal. 4) Plan lessons with objectives that are achievable within the allotted class time.
Evaluating Future Educators I support Jorgensen’s premise and I incorporate organizational training in my teacher preparation courses, beginning with Introduction to Music Education, which I teach each fall for incoming freshmen and transfer students. As I discuss the syllabus, I stress the need to stay organized and to avoid unnecessary stress by keeping a calendar of due dates and important events. To assess their organizational skills, I have them purchase a three-ring binder with dividers and tabs and provide them with a list of the major sections. The notebooks, graded at the end of the semester, account for 10% of the final average. Roughly 1–2% of students appear at the very next class with their dividers inserted into their binders and their tabs labeled. Although it is not required, their binders include a cover with the course number and name, personalized with distinctive artwork they have created specifically for the class. Most of the students bring a binder to the second class, but the dividers and tabs are still in their plastic covering and their papers are “filed” in the side pockets on top of the dividers. The remaining 10–15% of students use their backpack in lieu of a binder. These students tend to suffer from heightened anxiety and sleep deprivation because they operate in crisis management mode most of the time. My goal is to teach students the value of having orderly minds and lives and to give them the tools they need to bring order to their thoughts, actions, and environment. Why? According to Jorgensen, “To be effective teachers, we need to be organized. This organization starts with an
TMEA Collegiate Music Educator Award Fall Graduation Nominations Open September 1 Texas college faculty can recognize their elite music education graduates through this TMEA program. Award recipients should represent the finest and most dedicated future music educators across the state. One active TMEA member who is a member of the institution’s music education faculty may nominate that institution’s students. By nominating a student, the faculty member confirms the student meets the qualifications. Learn more and nominate students at www.tmea.org/collegiateaward. 50 Southwestern Musician | September 2019
ordered mind. What we teach is a way of life or being. The organization that needs to characterize our own lives can be an exemplar for our students.” TMEA Clinic/Convention Update I’m pleased to offer more information on our 2020 Clinic/Convention College Division Featured Clinicians. I look forward to the incredible learning opportunities they will offer at our annual event and hope you will add their clinics to your schedule. Ruth Brittin Featured Clinician Ruth Brittin is Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at the University of the Pacific, in Stockton, California. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses to music education majors and graduate courses to music education and music therapy students. Brittin will present sessions on the following topics during our convention: • A Magic Mix? Targets and Responses in Lessons and Rehearsal • Exploring a World of Research in Music Education • Collaborating Across Subjects • Coloring Outside the Lines: Busting Boundaries with Creativity in Classrooms 6–16 Brittin’s teaching and research interests span instrumental music and elementary general music. She has served on the editorial review board of Journal of Research in Music Education and was editor of Update: Applications of Research in Music Education and of International Journal of Music Education. She reviews regularly for journals such as Psychology of Music and Research Studies in Music Education and represents the U.S. for the ISME Research Commission. Brittin hails from Texas (Texas Tech University), taught in the Dallas metroplex, and received her PhD in Music Education at Florida State University. She has written teacher manuals for The Yamaha Advantage, a band method book published by Carl Fischer, and is an active clinician, conductor, adjudicator, and horn performer. Brittin has composed music for band and children’s choirs, has been a “Suzuki mom” for over 20 years, is engaged
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in approaches with her students such as “The Mark O’Connor Method” and “Little Kids Rock,” and has studied and taught music education settings as diverse as jazz, bluegrass, and El Sistema.
Deborah Confredo Temple University Deborah Confredo is Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in Music Education at Temple University. During our convention, she will present sessions on the following topics: • Gender and Instrumental Music Education: Breaking Down Barriers to the Podium • Spurring Progress and Honoring Tradition: Peering into the Future of Music Education • Lifelong Commitment Toward Lifelong Music Learning • El Mismo Sol: Building PK12—Higher Education Alliances to Strengthen Music Education Confredo is founder of Temple’s Night Owls Campus/Community Band and has served as conductor of the Philadelphia All-City HS Band. She coauthored The Complete Woodwind Instructor: A Guidebook for the Music Educator (Barnhouse) and Lessons in Performance
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(FJH) and is lead author for the band method book Measures of Success (FJH). She works with the bands of ANBIMA Piemonte in Italy toward continued development of school and community band musicians. Her numerous articles are published in major journals in the profession. She is an editorial board member for Journal of Research in Music Performance, International Journal of Music Education, and the Journal of Band Research and is chair of the Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. Confredo is in demand as guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and lecturer. Tau Beta Sigma, the Illinois Music Educators Association, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association have honored her for distinguished service to music and music education. Mansfield University (Penn.) has recognized her as a distinguished alumna. She is recipient of the Temple University Outstanding Faculty Service Award and the Florida State University Faculty Citation for Graduate Alumni Award. College Division Fall Conference The annual College Division Fall Conference will be held on Friday, October 11, at the TMEA headquarters in Austin. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and will end around 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided. If you plan to attend the Fall Conference, please make your reservation as soon as possible by emailing collegevp@
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tmea.org. If you have any dietary restrictions, include them in the email. The agenda will include important legislative updates and reports from the Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Board for Educator Certification, and the Texas Education Agency. Committees will meet during breakout sessions. If you have a specific topic that you would like to be included in the group discussion, please email me as soon as possible (collegevp@ tmea.org) and I will include it on the agenda. If you are unable to be in Austin for this event but want to benefit from the information presented live, know that we can include you on a Skype conference call. There is a limited number for this call, so if you want to be included, please email me soon with the contact information for us to use. Call for Research Poster Proposals Effective September 1, the submission portal is open for original research projects to be considered for inclusion at the annual Research Poster Session during the 2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention. Simply go to www.tmea.org/papers to submit your proposal. The deadline for submission is October 15. You are required to be a current member of TMEA in order to access the submission portal, so renew your membership well in advance of the deadline. For further information, contact Amy Simmons at asimmons@austin.utexas.edu. TMEA Collegiate Music Educator Award If you have outstanding undergraduate music education majors who are graduating in December 2019, go to www.tmea .org/collegiateaward to see if they qualify for the Collegiate Music Educator Award. Nominations are open on September 1 and close November 1. Award recipients represent the finest and most dedicated future music educators in the state. The designation of TMEA Collegiate Music Educator includes a letter of congratulations, a certificate, and a cord to be worn at commencement ceremonies.
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