James T. Rohner
Publisher Emeritus

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Ideal Marching Contest Day Diary
6:15 a.m.: Check the local weather. No chance of rain. Temperature for the final rehearsal and contest will be a mild 65 degrees with a slight breeze.
6:20 a.m.: Read newspaper while eating Lucky Charms.
7:00 a.m.: Leave for work, passing through three consecutive green lights.
7:20 a.m.: No morning duty.
8:30 a.m.: Club pictures for the yearbook begin. I was assured earlier in the week that they will be over by my 11:00 a.m. marching rehearsal.
8:40 a.m.: Beginning band. The energy and enthusiasm of young players is inspiring. “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie” is played with great passion.
9:27 a.m.: Prep period, spent gathering supplies and equipment for the trip.
10:55 a.m.: Club pictures end.
11:00 a.m.: Final marching band rehearsal begins. Everyone is present. The review of the show is efficient, students are focused, and the run-through goes without a hitch.
Lunch: The school cafeteria has chicken teriyaki for lunch. Cafeteria worker piles it on. Mmmm.
2:00 p.m.: Band is dismissed from class. Students put on uniforms. Equipment is all loaded onto band truck.
2:45 p.m.: Bus arrives.
3:00 p.m.: Bus departs and travels three miles to contest site.
3:15 p.m.: Band unloads without incident.
3:45 p.m.: Warmup.
4:10 p.m.: Band performs up to full potential remembering everything I’ve emphasized.
8:00 p.m.: Drive home with First Division trophy clutched by the drum major in front seat.
10:00 p.m.: At home in bed sleeping with a smile on my face.
Unfortunately, my view of a perfect day rarely lines up with actual events.
Actual Marching Contest Day Diary
4:30 a.m.: Wake up and glance at iPhone to see what time it is. I should feel sleepy but am wide awake. A text message from a parent says her trumpet-playing son will not be at school today and will not be attending the contest. No reason is attached. I smell a rat.
4:30-6:00: I try to sleep but spend time considering alternatives.
6:00 a.m.: Get up and check the weather. There is a 50/50 rain chance all day and evening with a major drop in temperature expected as a cold front moves through.
6:30 a.m.: Text the parent asking why her son will not be at school. No response.
Breakfast: There is no milk, but it doesn’t matter. Fiber cereal the only thing left anyway.
7:10 a.m.: Leave for work, catching each red light – the last one three times. What a difference ten minutes can make.
7:25 a.m.: Sneak in the back way for morning duty. Break up a fight between two seniors big enough to play for the Packers.
7:45 a.m.: Finally receive a text back from parent. She says it is her son’s 18th birthday, and he will not be at school or the contest because she has a birthday party planned for him that evening.
7:46 a.m.: I fight off a major stroke and text a carefully worded, but firm response about consequences. The mother says her son will be at school and the contest.
9:27 a.m.: Club pictures begin late despite assurances from the powers-that-be.
11:05 a.m.: Final band rehearsal begins. Ten members of the Fishing Club are missing because of club pictures.
11:08 a.m.: Fishing Club members return. Nine leave for Robotics Team picture.
11:23 a.m.: Robotics Team returns. Six leave for Pep Club.
11:48 a.m.: Pep Club members return. Twelve leave for senior class photo.
11:50 a.m.: Run through show.
Lunch: For lunch I gobble down two beef sticks that we are selling as a fundraiser.
1:00 p.m.: Temperature begins to plunge. eventually reaching 30 degrees.
2:00 p.m.: The secretary forgets to dismiss band members from class by intercom. I call to remind her to make the announcement.
2:01 p.m.: Assistant band director calls and says equipment truck will not start.
3:25 p.m.: School bus mechanic gets truck running.
3:30 p.m.: Bus arrives late. Volleyball team has taken the large passenger bus by mistake. Band students are piled onto the smaller bus like cordwood. Load the truck in record time. I hope that we have everything.
3:45 p.m.: Unload quickly. Missing items: Bass drummer left a carrier at school. Trumpet player claims his mouthpiece has disappeared. (I surmise spontaneous combustion.) Borrow both items from host band.
4:10 p.m.: Band performs up to full potential remembering everything I’ve emphasized despite frost-bitten fingers and lips.
8:00 p.m.: Band equipment truck will not start and is eventually locked down. Bus starts on the third try.
8:10 p.m.: Drive home with First Division trophy clutched by the drum major in front seat.
10:00 p.m.: A parent finally picks up the last remaining student.
11:00 p.m.: At home in bed sleeping with a smile on my face.
What can I say? I like happy endings.

The post Hope vs. Reality appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    In the competitive world of college entrance auditions, a growing number of schools are accepting video auditions. Videos offer some distinct advantages over audio CDs; viewers can observe the applicant’s posture, hand position, and embouchure, and with videos you cannot edit out mistakes with the same ease as audio files. This offers a truer picture of the applicant’s abilities.
    In spite of these advantages, it is always better to play a live audition if possible. The audition committee will be able to interact with you, and live playing better conveys your sound and expressiveness. However, there are many valid reasons to submit a video audition: it may be required as a pre-audition screening, there may be scheduling problems, or you may simply live too far away from the school.

Preparation
    Prepare your materials as thoroughly as you would for a live audition. Even though a video means that you can record a number of takes and choose the best one, recording can create almost as much pressure as a live performance. The audition committee will assume that you have recorded a number of takes to achieve the best performance, and may expect an even higher level of performance than in a live audition, where there is only one chance to play your best.
    Check deadlines and audition requirements and make sure the video is received by the due date. Audition committees will meet shortly after that date, and must have time to watch the videos beforehand. If particular repertoire is required for the live audition, make sure that to include it on the video.

Equipment
    The most important element of the video is sound quality. While colleges don’t expect you to hire a professional videographer, a video should convey tone and dynamics accurately. Many home video recorders don’t handle instrument tone well, especially when used in small, low-ceilinged rooms. Make practice videos with the equipment, preferably in a large room. Experiment with the different microphone settings available on the recorder, such as a Zoom microphone or noise reduction. If the recorder has a setting that equalizes dynamics, sometimes called “automatic gain control,” turn it off, so the committee can hear the full dynamic range. These videos will allow you to practice the recording process and assess how well the camera records the tone. If the sound on the video does not represent your tone accurately, borrow, rent, or buy better equipment. Video cameras offering an external microphone input will allow you to use a better quality microphone than the one built into the camera. However these cameras tend to be more expensive. Your school may own good video equipment, or a community TV station might have a professionally equipped studio where you could record your video. Do not record audition videos with basic equipment, such as a cell phone.

Format
    A video audition is no good if the audition committee cannot play it. Edit the videos in a computer file format that will play well on a variety of players, not just your own computer or Smartphone. Videos recorded in QuickTime often do not play well on PCs; videos recorded in Windows Media Video may not work on Macs. Use a program that makes movies, not data encoded DVDs. For the Mac platform, the recommended program is iMovie, which is available at the iTunes Store. For PCs, use Movie Maker, which is a free download from Microsoft’s website. Movies made with these programs will play on a wide variety of players.

Recording Space
    In choosing the room you will record in, consider the acoustics, background noise, and how the room will look on camera. Look for a large room with a high ceiling. This could be a band room, an auditorium, a large classroom, or a house of worship. Consider the amount of background noise bleeding into your room – the microphone often hears things the ears simply ignore. The audition committee will not expect the absolute quiet of a commercial recording session, but sounds from others practicing, traffic, airplanes, or loud ventilation systems should be avoided. Make sure the visual background is neutral: a tangle of chairs or music stands, or religious imagery, will detract from the professional image you want to project. A clock on the wall behind you tells the committee exactly how much time you spent recording – and that is information you want to keep to yourself. A highly personal space, such as a dorm or bedroom, is not appropriate.

Recording Session
    Dress appropriately and wear something similar to what you would select for a live audition. Show the committee that you are respectful and serious about this audition. It does not have to be formal concert wear, but avoid extremely casual clothes, such as jeans, t-shirts, or shorts.
    Record as many takes as necessary. Make sure that there is plenty of time to record. When you try to cram a recording session into a short space of time, it makes you feel pressured and nervous. Use a tripod or put the camera on a level surface so the picture is stable. Start by recording and playing back a few test takes to check the sound and picture quality.
    The audition committee prefers to see the entire body in the picture, so that they can assess posture and playing position. Make sure that your embouchure, hands, and arms are visible in the picture and not hidden by the music stand.
    Record as many takes as you feel necessary for each piece. Each selection should be recorded in one complete take, without editing. It may be helpful to start by recording the most difficult pieces first while you are fresh. While it is possible to record yourself, it may be easier and more efficient to have someone else run the camera and provide feedback. Since this is not a blind audition, it is acceptable to talk on the video to introduce pieces. Make sure you pronounce piece titles and composers’ names correctly.

Preparing the Final DVD
    Watch all of the takes and choose the best recording of each piece. If you have recorded yourself, trim off the beginnings and ends that show you walking towards the camera, or any other unnecessary frames. Do not attempt to edit out mistakes. Save the files in the highest quality possible.
    Make each copy from the original, not from a compressed file; every time you compress a file it loses quality. For example, a file that has been compressed for video streaming will not be high enough quality for a DVD.
   Rename each file with the title of the piece, so the committee can tell at a glance what piece each track contains. Also, if you do not rename the tracks, the numerical file names the camera assigns will tell everyone exactly how many takes you recorded.
    Burn the final choices to a DVD-R (as opposed to a DVD+R). Make labels for both the DVD and the case with your name, instrument, program you are auditioning for, pieces, and the format it was recorded in. Finally, play the DVD all the way through on a variety of equipment. The committee may play the DVD on a DVD player, Mac, or PC. If a DVD only plays well on one type of equipment, the committee may not get a clear idea of your playing. Mail the DVD in plenty of time to reach its destination by the deadline.           

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    Someday your beginning instrumentalists will perform Holst Suites and Mozart Symphonies on concert stages large and small. Someday they will experience the joy, the emotion, and the exhilaration of the closing chords of a Strauss tone poem or a Sousa march or a patriotic medley. Today is not that day, but it is difficult to describe the enthusiasm, the excitement, and the energy exhibited by students during their first few full ensemble classes. This is an ideal opportunity to transform that energy into good behavior, while at the same time teaching proper technique and musicianship skills. Here are some tips on teaching beginning instrumental music ensembles.

Rules
    Establish the rules at the first rehearsal, then reinforce those rules at the next rehearsals. At their first rehearsal students will be eager to play their instruments immediately, but failure to insist on order will result in chaos. Be sure students fully understand your expectations. If necessary, formally or informally quiz your students about the rules for band or orchestra over the course of several classes.
    I have also found it useful to have students help create the rules for the ensemble. Acting as facilitator, teachers can solicit questions from the group, write them on a blackboard in front of the class, then summarize them into a few clear, succinct rules. Having students take ownership of their goals and subsequent behaviors can be extremely valuable in fostering success throughout the entire school year. When it becomes necessary to reinforce the rules, it is easy to remind students that we all created these rules together.

Seating
    Beginning bands do not need a first chair trumpet player, nor do beginning orchestras need a concertmaster. The divide between the first and last chair students of any particular beginning ensemble is usually insubstantial. Some students may work harder or learn musical concepts more quickly than others, but rather than establishing a first chair, create seating charts that best help all players. Place problematic or unruly students in your direct line of sight, and place reliable, well behaved ones on the outsides of each row. This should reduce the number of behavior problems, which will lead to increased instructional time. Have stronger players seated next to weaker players. Young students are still learning the fundamentals of instrumental music, and many will lack confidence, so placing strong players next to weaker players may help boost the confidence of the weaker players, while simultaneously creating leadership opportunities for stronger players.

Leading Rehearsals
    Music teachers are much less interesting to beginning students than their shiny instruments will be, and the attention spans of nine-, ten-, and eleven-year-old children are shorter than those of high school students. Limit your talking as much as possible for the first few rehearsals, then gradually increase the amount of time spent talking as needed. Plan varied and numerous activities for the first few rehearsals.
    Similarly, silence and down time can be effective tools in leading a rehearsal. Rather than raise your voice to bring unruly students to order, simply stand in front of the group with arms folded or with hands on hips until students become quiet. In some cases, extended silences can be dramatically effective; when unruly students realize their inappropriate behaviors, and become focused on awaiting your response, their attention often increases.
    One of my undergraduate music education professors had a rule that when he was on the podium behind the conductor’s music stand, band members were to remain on task, but when he would step to the side of the music stand, students were free to stand and stretch or talk to neighbors quietly. Adapting a strategy like this can significantly increase a conductor’s overall effectiveness during rehearsals.
    Hearing instruments separately and together in large ensembles is crucial to the success of beginning instrumentalists. Teachers should perform short passages on their instruments for students and play high-quality recordings of soloists and large ensembles for students. Perhaps the most valuable tool available is recordings of the compositions we teach our students. Many publishers include a recording with the purchase of a piece. If a recording is not included, visit the publisher’s website to determine if a recording may be purchased or is available online. It might also be beneficial to ask the conductors of the local high school or college bands and orchestras to create recordings for you. It should not take an advanced group much time to make recordings of beginning literature.

Non-Traditional Conducting
    The traditional style of conducting may not be especially useful to beginning band and orchestra students. Sometimes clapping or stomping a beat or amplifying a metronome is more effective than traditional conducting, particularly during the first few rehearsals. Ultimately, students should learn to follow a conductor’s beat patterns and gestures and should sit in such a way that allows for them to be able to see the conductor, but non-traditional techniques can and should be used during the earliest large ensemble rehearsals.
    Decreasing physical space between the teacher and a student can be an effective classroom management tool. If a student is not on task, walk directly toward him. Most young children are pleasers, they do not want to disappoint their teachers. Simply standing in front of an unfocused student can be an excellent means to help him get back on task. Doing this while the ensemble is playing is a good way to corrected the behavior of one student without stopping the entire group.
    There are better ways to get students’ attention than trying to shout over them. Turn your back to the ensemble, and conduct the air behind you. Walk away and sit down. Hop on one foot. Do anything to alter what they are used to, which will draw their attention to you. Students should know to watch you at all times, but there may be instances when it does not happen. In cases like this, be interesting in how you indicate that the band or orchestra should stop playing. Any change from the norm adds variety to a rehearsal and keep your students attentive and wondering what you will do next.
    If students are experiencing difficulty responding your tempo, teach them to conduct. Have the students carefully put their instruments (and bows, for string players) in their laps or on the floor, and invite them to conduct along with you. Model a two-beat pattern and have students imitate you. Make tempo and style changes to your pattern while students adjust their gestures to match. Explain the role of a conductor or enlist students to help define it. Teaching how to conduct can help students understand why a conductor is necessary.

Assess
    It is best to give students specific information about what they do well and what needs improvement. Such phrases as “Very good!” or “Nice job!” are less useful than “That crescendo at measure 16 was really good!” or “Nice job keeping the tempo steady!”
    Students are often hypercritical of themselves and can be tougher on themselves than we are. Try this with your band or orchestra. After the ensemble finishes playing a piece in rehearsal, ask students to share something that was really good about what they just played. Then ask, “In a nice way, tell me something that we need to improve about what you just played”. Record the group’s performance during rehearsal, then immediately play the recording back to the students and ask the same questions. This technique can also be very effective in making an ensemble aware of both its strengths and weaknesses.

Make It Fun
    Beginning band and orchestra classes should be fun. Students have all sorts of other options, both inside and outside of school. Although it is necessary to set goals and reach them, it is better to meet 95% of them and only lose five percent of students than to accomplish everything on the list but lose half the beginners after the first year. Do everything possible to encourage and inspire beginners to succeed in instrumental music, while at the same time make band or orchestra the most enjoyable class in the school.    

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    The composer and conductor are two independent agents functioning on two remote levels.
    The composer operates as an individual. He is ego-centered and the impulse for his action comes from within. His tools are a collection of disciplines geared to enable him to translate individual sounds and complex simultaneities of sounds, rhythms, and tone colors into visual symbols. He must choose his materials carefully in order to achieve a constant relation of all elements resulting in his own musical style. Finally, he has to mold all the chosen shapes into the tight framework of a structural form. He does not hear, but imagines sounds, combining them vertically and organizing them horizontally. All of this happens only in his mind. The piano is of very limited help. He can rely only on previous experiences with performances of his own works or on the analysis and study of recordings.
    The conductor, on the other hand, operates with live sounds produced by a collective body of individual players. The composer’s score is the point of departure for his activity, and the performing group is the material that he is working with. His tools are a collection of virtually the same disciplines as those of the composer, but they are geared to enable him to understand the composer’s score and to imagine its actual sound. From the printed page, the conductor must find the thematic elements and their interaction; he must recognize the structural make-up of the composition  and  have the know-how to materialize all this into live sound. The conductor is the mediator between the composer and the performing musicians. First he has to de-compose the work in  his own mind and then he has to recreate it in live sound. In this phase of his activities he communicates the printed score to the musicians and leads them in the final communication of the composer’s ideas to the listeners through the medium of performance.

The Guest Composer/Conductor
    While standing in front of a performing group as the conductor of my own music, I too have to make up my mind on how to transfer the printed page of a score into sound. Of course, I do have the considerable advantage of knowing the score thoroughly, but I am still functioning only as the re-creator of a score.
    Let us take an actual situation – I am in a high school band room with a group I have neither seen nor heard and with whom I am supposed to perform some of my own compositions.
During the ten years that I have been a guest conductor I have developed a certain system, an unwritten checklist for this type of situation. First, I look at the band and check the size and instrumentation. I might find a preponderance of brass instruments, a great number of Bb soprano clarinets and only one bass or contrabass clarinet (perhaps none), and a disproportionate number of saxophones. Although I have not yet heard a single note played by the band, I already have some information on possible balance problems that will have to be taken into consideration.
    The warmup starts, and I begin to check my visual findings with the actual sound. I might find out that this band does have overpowering, brilliant trumpets and trombones, yet the tuba sound is not focused enough and the horns should be doubled in number to match the rest of the brass; the woodwinds might be top-heavy and the double reeds might be below the general technical level of the band. The percussion might be only a glorified drum section, with inadequate efficiency and subtlety in the mallet instruments. (Fortunately, this is less and less true.)
    During the warmup, I have learned about the balance,  sound quality,  and dynamic sensitivity of the band, and I have gauged the players’ reactions to the conductor. Following the warm-up, I usually ask the local director to take the band through a part of the composition that I am supposed to conduct, so that I can measure the overall technical efficiency of the band as well as make an evaluation of each section. After the band has played for about five minutes, I am quite aware of its good and bad qualities, and it is time for me to go into action.
    Let us assume the band has many weaknesses and is ill-prepared. Now I will have to decide what I might be able to change in the short rehearsal time available and to what degree I will have to compromise – or in general, what kind of adjustment I will have to make in order to achieve the maximum result that I think I can reach with this band, without damaging the composition. It is in this area that the composer/conductor has a unique insight.
    Often a rather minor reduction in tempo can result in a more relaxed and convincing performance. Whenever I feel that the players are struggling with fast passages, I find the tempo at which they can play all the notes comfortably without neglecting dynamic and other markings. If that tempo turns out to be somewhat slower than necessary to achieve the required drive of the music, I will still maintain the adjusted (slower) tempo and try to compensate for the lowering of the speed by other means, according to the specific character of the composition.  In many situations of this kind, a strong emphasis on detailed dynamics and somewhat exaggerated expressive phrasing will result in a convincing rendition of the composition. It is important to remember that, even though the technical difficulties that necessitated the adjusted tempo occurred only in one segment of the composition, the whole movement (or perhaps the entire composition) will have to be adjusted. A movement with the tempo indication allegro con brio might become an allegro poco marcato. It will still be an allegro, but because the whole movement was stretched out and intensified expressively, no real damage was done.
    The same thing – in reverse – can be done with very slow movements. Breathing and intonation problems caused by long sustained phrasing can at times seriously impair the projection of the musical content. Speeding up a heavy, very slow dramatic movement will result in a somewhat lyrical, lighter performance, but strict consistency in the adjustment will justify the change of tempo.
    Perhaps because of the finger technique of young players, the question that band directors ask me most frequently is: “How fast do you want such and such a composition to be played?” Whenever I don’t know the band, my answer is never a dogmatic metronomic indication. The more mature (musically) and the more efficient (technically) the band is, the faster you can play the fast movements and the slower the slow ones.
    The right choice of tempo for the band is, I feel, the first and most important decision to be made. A major misjudgment of tempo can result in a total misrepresentation of the score, even if the musicians are able to play all the notes with all the markings. Music lives in time, and therefore the right tempo is the first concern for me.
    After I have found what I feel is the right tempo, I concentrate on dynamics, a vital and structurally important dimension of music. The lack of dynamic differentiation is a rather frequent problem in band performances, so I spend considerable time in the rehearsal to make the players aware of the expressive power of dynamics. Dynamic differentiation of culmination points and long stretched build-ups, the variety of shapes of expressive dynamic curves in phrases, sudden dynamic contrasts – these are some of the dynamic guidelines that I try to establish in great detail and on whose execution I insist relentlessly.
    Tempo and dynamics are the first two elements that a conductor must deal with in his approach to any composition. This, then, is the very general answer that I would give when asked how my music should be performed: choose the tempo in which the players are able to execute all the notes with all expressive markings; if the chosen tempo is either slower or faster than indicated in the score, compensate with dynamics by over-emphasizing all expressive markings in fast movements, and deemphasizing slightly in slow movements. Whatever the situation, a logical relation between tempo and dynamics must be maintained. Without it, a convincing performance cannot be achieved.   

The post The Composer Conducts appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Select High-Quality Reeds
    While good-quality reeds may seem quite expensive, it is inadvisable to have students play on bargain-bin brands. From the beginning, students should be playing on the finest reeds available. Cheaper alternatives can cause all manner of problems. The cane used may be of inferior quality, the reed may not have been cut correctly, the strength marked on the reed may be inaccurate, etc. The two most commonly used, reliable reed brands are Rico and Vandoren.
    There are warning signs that a reed might be trouble. Make sure that the fibers of the reed are straight. They should not slope off to one side or the other. If they do that, it might be unsalvageable. Usually reed manufacturers catch these and discard them, but one occasionally slips through.
    The heel of the reed should also be checked. Ideally the two sides of the reed should be relatively similar in size. If a reed is uneven to the point that one side is twice as thick as the other, the reed might take a lot of work and still play poorly.
    Although both novice saxophonists and clarinetists frequently play on softer reeds until embouchure strength is built up, after the first few months all players should be using medium-strength reeds (3 or 31⁄2 for saxophone; 31⁄2 for clarinet) and should probably continue to use that strength for as long as they continue to play. A moderate reed is ideal for almost any situation. Students should buy reeds by the box; it is unwise – and expensive – to only buy one or two reeds at a time.

Breaking Reeds In
    Reeds can be made to last much longer if they are broken in. Taking a reed out of the package and immediately playing it for long stretches of time will put undue stress on the fibers of the cane and prematurely weaken it. Instead, students should play on each new reed for about five minutes the first, second, and third days, avoiding extreme ranges or dynamics. The reed will gradually adjust to the stresses of striking the edge of a mouthpiece several hundred times a second, and the reed will, generally, show its true performing-character.
    Many woodwind specialists recommended prolonged soaking of reeds in a glass of water before using them. I have always found the best method of dampening reeds to be the simplest: Soak the entire reed in the mouth a few minutes before playing.
    The first playing is not an indication of how the reed will perform; a reed’s sound and tendencies will not be set until after it has been put through its paces with those five-minute break-in sessions. A reed that is at first difficult to play might be fantastic after it is broken in, and an initially wonderful reed might prove to be junk. Cane is a natural organic material, and with a bit of controlled use in the beginning, you can greatly prolong its life. If you start playing on a reed from the get-go, it will be worthless in a week and a half, but if you break it in properly and rotate it, it will last six to eight weeks.

The Life of a Reed
    It is important that these expensive and fragile pieces of cane are sufficiently protected and kept from warping. After playing, excess moisture should be wiped off of the reed with the thumb and forefinger, and the reed should be placed in the storage unit. Warping occurs when a reed is allowed to dry out completely, so storage that retains a moderate moisture level is essential.
    A storage unit that can hold several reeds at once is most desirable, as students should have four or more reeds in rotation at a time. If a student plays on only one reed for several weeks, the reed will wear out rather quickly, growing weaker and weaker. As this happens, the student’s embouchure will also grow weaker, as it adjusts to the new physics of the softened cane. Then, when it is time for a new reed, the student has to spend several days rebuilding muscle tone in the embouchure. It is a far better idea to rotate through several reeds, and, as soon as any of them begins to weaken, discard that reed and add a new one into the rotation.
    When pitch starts to fluctuate wildly both flat and sharp, this is a good indication that a reed is dying. It is difficult to hold a stable pitch on a weakening reed. In addition, the sound will get thinner because the embouchure is doing more to compensate for weakness in a reed. Students playing on such a reed will start squeezing, trying to control that thin reed more and more. If you hear a saxophone’s intonation becoming increasingly squirrely while the sound gets thinner, that is a good indication that the reed is dying.

Basic Reed Working
    Extensive reed working is inadvisable for most clarinetists and saxophonists, and will largely be unnecessary if the above advice is followed. If massive changes are necessary to most or all of a student’s reeds, the strength, brand, or method of reed care should be addressed first. However, the occasional adjustment to a reed may be necessary. Many professionals use reed knives, although these are illegal to carry into most schools and require a rather extensive amount of practice to learn to use correctly. The first step for any student doing reed working should be a piece of fine grit sandpaper.
    The most common problem for any reed is a back that is not completely flat. The reed must make complete contact with the table of the mouthpiece to work correctly, and most problems with otherwise good-looking reeds stems from slightly inaccurate cutting or warping of the back. To ascertain whether or not this problem exists, place the reed on a completely flat surface, on top of a piece of paper. With downward force, quickly rub the reed back and forth, “shining” the reed on the paper. Once this has been done for about 25 seconds, look at the reed.
    A perfectly flat reed will be equally “shiny,” as the surface of the paper rubbed across the entire surface of the reed evenly. However, if any portion of the back of the reed is not shiny, it is not flat, and should be adjusted. The exception to this is the tip, which is too thin to shine.
    To adjust a reed that is not flat, lay it on a piece of very fine grit sandpaper (#320 grit works quite well) on a flat surface. Very carefully, rub the back of the reed against the sandpaper. Allow ten or so passes and then check the reed. It may take quite a while to eliminate the high spots, but too much sanding can quickly destroy a reed.
    Never sand or otherwise alter a reed before the initial breaking-in phase. Until a reed has been played upon for a few days, it is impossible to correctly evaluate it and gauge its limitations. A reed can change quite remarkably after a bit of playing, and adjusting a reed that has not been broken in may make it entirely unplayable.
    Another problem area on some reeds is an uneven tip. One side of the reed might be very slightly thicker than the other, causing the reed to respond incorrectly. To check the balance of the reed, tilt the mouthpiece to a 45-degree angle while holding the head straight. This will cut off one half of the reed against the embouchure, while allowing the other side to be heard by itself. Do this to both sides of the reed and compare their response and resistance.
    If one side is harder than another, some material may need to be taken off that part of the reed with a reed knife. For students, I recommend an inexpensive single-draw knife. Never scrape the heart of the reed. Take just a bit off of the affected side to balance the reed; one or two scrapes may be enough to fix the problem. Check the response of the reed on the mouthpiece frequently to ensure that too much material is not taken off.   

The post Caring for Single Reeds appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Multiple tonguing is a mysterious and frightening concept for many young brass players. While diligent practice is necessary to master them, the concepts of double- and triple-tonguing are quite simple. Here are some of the basics of double- and triple-tonguing, how they are executed, and how to help young students get started.

When to Start
    Although multiple tonguing is sometimes considered an advanced topic, I have found that students who are introduced to this skill in middle school year learn it more easily than those who begin in high school or college. Once a student can single tongue sixteenth notes at a moderate tempo it is time to attempt multiple tonguing. Initially this might be best accomplished through imitation and rote exercises instead of presenting written music that may be beyond young students’ reading ability.

Choosing Consonants and Patterns
    With regard to which consonants should be used in multiple-tonguing, brass players and teachers sometimes debate whether ta-ka or da-ga is best. While some advocate strongly for one pair of consonants or the other, I leave this question to personal choice. The action and placement of the tongue between the two are really not that different, and differences in dialect and language can mean that one person’s da is harder than another’s ta. An individual player might even choose to use ta-ka in some situations and da-ga in others. As long as students understand that they are striving for an alternation between a normal tongue strike behind the upper teeth and a second articulation towards the back of the mouth, I see no harm in allowing them to decide whether ta-ka or da-ga works best for them.
    A more difficult question is determining the pattern of syllables used. For double-tonguing this should be obvious; the pattern is ta-ka (or da-ga). For triple-tonguing, however, there are more options available. Most brass method books suggest the pattern ta-ta-ka or da-da-ga, and many teachers require all students to use this pattern. I have found, though, that some students succeed more with the alternative pattern ta-ka-ta (or da-ga-da), and thus I allow students to choose the pattern they prefer.
    An additional possible pattern for triple-tonguing that I do not allow is simply double-tonguing and then placing accents to create the triplet feel (TA-ka-ta-KA-ta-ka). In practice the intended triplet feel is rarely achieved using this pattern.

Strengthening the Ka (or Ga)
    Inevitably, the notes articulated with the ka/ga syllable are weaker and less consistent compared to those articulated with ta/da, at least when first beginning to multiple-tongue. To correct this, first have the student place the ka/ga syllable more forward in the mouth. This is in some ways a mind trick as much as a reality, but it makes that syllable crisper and helps avoid the tendency to swallow it, which reduces clarity.
    Second, use slow exercises that isolate the ka/ga and which aim to promote matching of the ta/da and ka/ga sounds. Here are a few examples, which can be played on single pitches (my preference) or in patterns of multiple pitches:

    Third, practice multiple-tongued passages with accents on the ka/ga syllables. This is easier to do slowly, and as speed increases the accent becomes almost imperceptible. Still, merely thinking about an accent on the weaker syllable helps bring it to the place where its sound matches that of the ta/da syllable.

Improving Tone and Response
    Often young students learn to multiple-tongue fairly rapidly but the sound is choppy and noticeably inferior to that produced when single-tonguing or slurring. To solve this problem, have students blow multiple-tongued passages the same way they would slurred or legato passages. While multiple-tongued passages usually call for more of a staccato articulation, the rapid tonguing is usually sufficient to create the needed detachment, and thinking of legato air ensures that the notes will still have enough length to have a full sound.
    Response problems often result when the inside of the mouth is too large or too small for the desired pitch because of which vowel sound a student is trying to produce. While many teachers and players advocate using various vowels to aid in moving between registers (for example, oh for lower notes or ee for higher notes), students who use these in other situations will sometimes abandon them when multiple-tonguing, leading to difficulties when multiple-tonguing in the higher and lower registers. Ta-ka should be modified to tee-kee, toh-koh, or any other vowel shape that produces the desired pitches more efficiently. 

Increasing Speed
    Ultimately, multiple-tonguing exists to enable faster playing, and the metronome is the best tool to measure progress and promote further development in this respect. Have students determine the fastest speed at which they can successfully perform assigned multiple-tonguing exercises, and then every 2-3 days increase that speed by 1-3 beats per minute. Using the metronome whenever practicing multiple-tonguing promotes measured development of this technique, preventing erratic changes in tempo from day to day while ensuring steady, incremental progress.

Suggested Materials for Practice
    Every brass player’s daily fundamentals routine should include at least a bit of multiple-tonguing, as even after this technique is mastered the player’s abilities will decline rapidly without daily maintenance. At minimum, I will include the following pattern in each day’s practice, performed on each note of a selected major scale, with the eighth notes single-tongued, the triplets triple-tongued, and the sixteenth notes double-tongued. I will set the metronome just a few clicks beyond what is comfortable, but not to a speed that is altogether impossible.
    For more extended practice, the multiple-tonguing exercises in the Arban method are extensive, thorough, and progressively arranged. Any of the multiple available editions for trumpet/cornet, trombone/euphonium, and tuba will suffice; horn players can use a trumpet/cornet edition with little difficulty.   

    Multiple-tonguing can be difficult, but its simple underlying concepts can be mastered by any brass player with diligent and systematic practice. The tips and techniques discussed here will help even the youngest brass players to get their multiple-tonguing practice off to a good start.   

The post Getting Started with Multiple Tonguing appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    There is nothing that drives me crazier than having a student sit in band without an instrument while it is being repaired. I am a certified band instrument repair technician with a repair shop in my basement, but I want to spend my days teaching rather than fixing every instrument that needs it; I became a band director because I love teaching, not fixing instruments. If I can spend no more than five minutes doing minor repairs at school to keep an instrument up and running, it is worth the time. If a repair is going to take more than five minutes or require tools that I don’t keep at school, I send it in for repair. I have a good relationship with my local music store, and if one of my students needs a repair, I send it there, but I also ask for loaners so my students can play in rehearsal rather than twiddling their thumbs.
    For brass and percussion repairs , the tools I keep on hand are screwdrivers, pliers, a few stem and cap felts, some waterkey corks, an old cut-off drumstick, an old rawhide mallet (chime mallet), a small rawhide mallet, a mouthpiece puller, French horn string, a waterkey spring tool, drum keys, snare and beater heads, slide grease, and valve oil.
    Avoiding repairs is always preferable. If your trumpet students are like mine, they want to put their band folder in their case on top of the trumpet, which must not be permitted under any circumstances. Cases are built to hold a trumpet snugly. If a folder or lesson book sits on top of the trumpet it will push down on the high point of the instrument, which is the second valve slide. When this valve slide gets forced down, it makes the second valve stick. If this happens, it is possible to carefully (gently, fearfully) pull the slide back to where it belongs, but be careful not to pull it too far or it might come off completely.
    For brasswinds, cleanliness is next to godliness. A clean mouthpiece plays better, feels better, and certainly smells better. I tell students to wipe their mouthpieces out with a clean, soft cloth after they use them. A mouthpiece brush used regularly will clean out the inside. If a mouthpiece is especially dirty or smelly, it can be put in a sink with warm, soapy water for a few minutes to loosen any debris, then students should use a mouthpiece brush on it.
    At my beginning band parents meeting, I tell the parents never to try to unstick a mouthpiece at home with pliers. The average father is much stronger than a trumpet. As a technician, I have had to replace twisted mouthpipes and broken braces caused by well-meaning dads. I tell students to bring an instrument with a stuck mouthpiece to me, and I’ll pull it for free with my puller, which beats having to pay a couple hundred dollars for a repair that should have been avoided.
    In my repair business, I always finish a repair by cleaning and polishing the mouthpiece and rerounding the shank using a mouthpiece shank mandrel in my bench motor and a rawhide mallet. I have tried to use a mouthpiece truing tool on my students’ mouthpieces at school but had little luck. In my shop I have a mandrel that I insert into my bench motor, which I use as a vise. The bench motor/mandrel combination gives me a secure holder to re-round the shank with my small rawhide mallet. If a mouthpiece shank is not too badly misshapen, as a teacher I choose to ignore it.
    Giving a brass instrument a bath every month or two will prevent a build-up of what gunk in the instrument and also helps prevent red-rot (or de-zincification) in the mouthpipe and slides. I show my fifth grade brass players how to give their instruments a bath. If they give their instruments a bath regularly, they avoid many problems down the road, but if they fail to maintain the instrument, a chemical clean is needed.
    The differences between giving an instrument a bath and a professional chem-clean (also known as a chem-flush or acid bath) are many. If the instrument is fairly clean, with good stem/cap felts and waterkey corks, then a bath is a great preventive choice. If the gunk in the instrument is solid and will not come off with a bath, then the acids in the chem-clean will loosen the gunk in order to remove them. If the felts and corks are worn, they need to be replaced, and that is part of a chem-clean. If slides are stuck or there are dents in the bell, fixing those is included in a chem-clean. Even with a monthly bath, it’s a good idea to chem-clean a brass instrument every year to keep the instrument playing well for a long time.
    I provide bulk slide grease and valve oil for students. I buy a tub of the gold-color wheel-bearing grease from an auto parts store for $1.50 and put an acid brush from the hardware store with it to apply it to the slides with less mess. For valve oil I use lamp oil for $4 from a hardware store that I pour into little dropper bottles from the drugstore. By providing these I have fewer problems with sticky valves and stuck slides. I also do not have students asking to borrow either of them, because both are readily available.
    I have the piston brass players oil their valves by pulling them out, one at a time, so only a half inch of piston is showing. Five to six drops of valve oil on the piston is plenty, and it is unnecessary to spin the piston because the oil wicks around and covers the whole piston. Also, if students do not twist their piston while oiling, they don’t have to struggle to find the groove for their valve guide and can put back in the casing without much aligning or turning. Piston brass players should oil their valves before they play for the first time each day.
    Rotary valves should be oiled in two different ways. The rotor face can be oiled by taking out the valve slides. Put five or six drops of rotor oil down the middle of the valve slide tubing closest to the rotor. Another option is to put the oil in the valve slide and then replace the slide and let it run onto the rotor face. This method works best if the valve slides are clean. The spindles should be oiled with a heavier oil in a needle-applicator bottle. Put a drop or two in the space below the stop-arm and on the other side under the cap where the spindle moves in the back plate.
    A stuck valve cap is a sign of lack of use. Bottom valve caps never get stuck if you put a little slide grease on the threads after you clean the instrument. If they are stuck, I lightly and gently tap them at a 45-degree angle with my small rawhide mallet in the direction I would unscrew it. Like tapping a stuck jar lid with a butter knife, the rawhide mallet loosens corrosion and debris that can make a valve cap stick. If a cap will not loosen, avoid temptation to use pliers. Just send it in for repair.
    A stuck valve that won’t move after being cleaned and oiled may have a dent in the valve casing. This is a job for professionals. If the valve sticks, do not force it. One band director once brought me a baritone valve with an interesting screwdriver-shaped hole in the bottom of the valve. I could have repaired it if it had not gone right up into the ports of the valve. If you must get a valve out, unscrew the top and bottom valve caps, then gently tap on the bottom of the piston, lightly striking a cut-off drumstick with a small rawhide mallet. If it still sticks, don’t force it. Send it in and have a qualified repair technician get it out.
    Stuck rotary valves can often be freed by oiling the rotor face and both spindles, then working the stop arm back and forth until they can be moved with the key. Sometimes a rotary valve gets so corroded that it needs to be chem-cleaned before it will move again. Let a repairman do that. Loose valves that rattle also need a professional’s gentle touch.
    Trombone slides can be a great source of irritation to directors and students alike. If a student moving his slide makes a sound, the slide needs attention. First, keep the slide clean. Giving the trombone a bath will keep it moving well. After giving the trombone a bath and cleaning the inner and outer slides with a flexible cleaning brush (snake), have trombonists wipe out the inside of the outer slide with a trombone rod wrapped with a four inch wide piece of sheet or cheese-cloth.
    If a trombone is dirty to start with, have it chem-cleaned by a professional. Additionally, the barrel corks and felts, waterkey corks, and the rubber bumper tip should be replaced. I also remove accessible bell dents and do basic handslide repairs.
    I cannot stand playing a trombone with a dent in the slide; it makes the instrument extremely difficult to play. Have a repair tech raise the dents and align the slide. It is well worth the expense to have a trombone that is fun to play again.
    Broken braces and solder joints should be sent in for fixing. A little masking tape is okay for an emergency but makes a sticky mess if it’s left on for any length of time. Never superglue a broken soldier joint. It won’t hold anyway, and it gives off noxious fumes when heated by the technician who has to remove it before he can resolder the joint.
    Percussion repair for me, as a director, consists of replacing snare drum batter and snare heads. For this I keep a couple of 14" concert drum heads (batter and snare) as well as a set of 13" marching heads. I have two drum keys: a regular one and one with the arms cut off and ground down so it will fit in my electric hand drill. I use the cut-off drum key for fast and dirty removal and replacement of heads. I use the regular drum key for fine adjusting. I also keep a spare snare and some marching lugs.
    The ball-end on my 5th graders’ bell mallets always seem to fall off. I keep a tube of superglue gel handy to put them back on.    

Links
Oiling piston valves:
Oiling rotary valves:
Additional information on instrument care and maintenance: and (click on the resources link)

How to Give a Trumpet a Bath
Tools needed:
two old towels
dishwashing detergent
paper towels
a cup
a flexible cleaner
a valve brush
valve (or slide) cleaning rod
two handkerchiefs or pieces of old sheet
a mouthpiece brush
valve oil
slide grease

    First, put an old towel in the bathtub. Put about four inches of warm, not hot, water in the tub. Add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to the water  – enough to make suds. Take some of the soapy water in the cup. Set the cup on a paper towel.
    Remove one valve, wipe it off with a paper towel, put it in the cup of soapy water. The water level in the cup should be high enough to cover the piston but not so high that it wets the stem or cap felts. Repeat this with the other two valves. Remove the bottom caps, wipe them out with a paper towel, and put them in bathtub.
    Remove each slide, wipe them off with the dirty paper towel, and carefully place the slides on the towel in the tub.
    Wipe out the valve casings and outer slides. Carefully place the trumpet body in tub. Put the mouthpiece in tub.
    Scrub the valves with valve brush. Rinse and dry them, then and set them aside.
    Scrub the trumpet body and valve slides with a valve brush and flexible cleaner, then rinse and dry. Wipe out valve casings with the rod and clean cloth. Scrub, rinse, then dry the mouthpiece and set it aside.
    Put grease on the slides and threads. Reassemble the slides and bottom caps. Oil the valves and reassemble the rest of the instrument.
    Clean up your mess.

The post Simple Brass and Percussion Repairs and Maintenance appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Highland H.S. Symphonic Strings
Gilbert, Arizona
William Bitter and Amy Bennett, directors
    This school in the suburbs of Phoenix has witnessed staggering growth in the past 30 years. The school district has grown from one high school to six. William Bitter has taught in the district for 33 years and works closely with Amy Bennett, a former student who now teaches at the local middle school and also assists at Highland High School. The school is making its third trip to Midwest.

On returning to Midwest:
    William Bitter: It is an amazing experience, not just the performance but the entire process. This journey takes students to a level of excellence we cannot normally reach. The task of building up a 45 minute program during the semester is somewhat like a competitive marching band show – you keep adding a little bit more and it gets cleaner and better. In our normal routine we give a concert in October and another in December, with two different sets of literature. Working on a performance like Midwest raises student awareness and commitment.

Favorite pieces on this concert:
    Amy Bennett: I would have to say Eric Whitacre’s Goodnight Moon. It is so different, one of the most gorgeous things I have ever heard. It calls for a soprano soloist and ours is a graduate of the program from 1999.
    Bitter: She was a violinist in the first group that we took to the Midwest Clinic back in 1997. She majored in vocal performance at Brigham Young University and now teaches vocal and violin students. She is the perfect person to perform it with us.
    Bitter: My favorite is the Tchaikovsky Serenade, one of my top three pieces of all time for strings. To play that for the Midwest audience is really exciting.

Honoring a mentor:
    Bitter: One of our guest conductors is Phil Hatler. When I started teaching in the Gilbert School District 33 years ago, Phil was the band director at the lone high school at the time. I worked alongside him, directing the orchestra and serving as assistant band director for 12 years. He made me into the teacher I am today. Amy was a student of Phil’s and mine at Gilbert High. She graduated, went to college, and came back to work at her old school district.
    When I am came to Gilbert, the music program was much smaller and everything that has grown since then was because of Phil’s vision. He had the foresight to encourage a fledgling string program because he knew that was important. We tell our students that everything you have are a direct result of Mr. Hatler. He was music in Gilbert. As a former band director, he will be conducting National Emblem march. This is an unusual choice for an orchestra but it is perfect to honor his contributions to our program.

The seamless transition to high school:
    Bennett: I teach the junior high and high school, and one key to our success is long-term planning. As a junior high teacher you have to make students aware of where they are going to be in four or five years. That is the most important way to prepare them for high school
    Bitter: Highland Junior High is just a quarter mile away from the high school. Our numbers have just exploded. Because Amy teaches at the high school, the transition from junior high is painless. We usually have a 95% retention from 8th to 9th grade. This year it was almost 100%. We are fortunate that students look at it as a six-year activity.

McCracken M.S. Symphonic Band
Skokie, Illinois
Chip DeStefano, director
    McCracken Middle School is making its second trip to the Midwest Clinic, having previously performed in 2006. Director Chip DeStefano praises the strong support of the Skokie community for all areas of the arts. Though the group’s performance occurs on Wednesday, students will bus downtown all three days to take in various aspects of the convention.

On auditioning again:
    When we attended in 2006, the entire process was great. The band improves just through the process of submitting the application. We applied the previous two years, so this was our third application. We were thrilled to be accepted.

A soloist from the family:
    Our soloist is Jeff DeRoche, an alum who is a percussionist with the Canton Symphony Orchestra. He was a fifth grader during my first year at McCracken and will perform Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo. His dad, Don DeRoche, is the retired director of bands at DePaul University and will conduct the piece.

Some favorites on their 45-minute concert:
The audience is going to like a piece called Melodious Funk by David Biedenbender, a young making his Midwest debut with this work. It’s a great little piece with some jazz influence.

The clinic I would give at Midwest:
    I gave a clinic on tone and pitch in 2008. When I have a chance to visit and judge around the country that tends to be the area where I can help the most. If I were to give another clinic it would be about developing the culture of excellence and professionalism in the middle school band program.

My favorite Midwest sessions:
    I get so much out of the open rehearsals. You see the interaction and what outstanding directors do and don’t do to make ensembles succeed. Amanda Drinkwater’s clinic last year with her band was incredibly inspiring. I love watching master teachers when they forget that the audience is there and just dig in; I could watch that all day.

Westlake H.S. Wind Ensemble
Austin, Texas
Kerry Taylor, director
    Director Kerry Taylor took a group to the Midwest ten years ago and felt his current group was up to the task. His traveling party will include 59 students and several adult chaperones.

Working on a grade 1 piece with high school students:
    We try to focus on the compositional techniques of that specific piece. Our grade 1 composition is by Frank Ticheli, and my students are already familiar with his music. We talk about the compositional techniques he uses in his other works. I also emphasize the importance of shaping phrases and musical lines.

Benefits of Midwest:
    The exposure to a variety of new and old music early in the school produces considerable advances in their skills and ensemble playing. We look forward to seeing the Canadian Brass and Chicago Symphony. Traveling to Chicago in winter will be a nice change for all of us from Texas.

Favorite Clinics at Midwest:
I love to hear from of the old masters on selection of music, rehearsal techniques, and even unique experiences with their ensembles. I enjoy listening to the giants of the industry share their experiences.

One concern:
    Although we have finished the competitive marching season, our football team is expected to advance far in the playoffs. If they are fortunate, they would play in the state championship on the day we perform at Midwest. I try not to think about that.

Amador Valley H.S. Wind Ensemble I
Pleasanton, California
Jonathan Grantham, director
    A group of 57 students will travel to Chicago from Pleasanton, a suburb 30 miles east of San Francisco. Director Grantham has taught at the school for 12 years and has seen band enrollment grown from 130 to 300. The school recently turned 90 and has had bands for nearly the entire time.

A memorable commission:
    Julie Giroux wrote a heartachingly beautiful grade 3 work called Before the Sun for our performance. It is my favorite because it reminds me of growing up in a small, rural town. She captures the eloquence and beauty of morning and evening in a small community. She uses solo violin with a double-string Appalachian effect, and it is an excellent implementation of that color.

A double-threat soloist:
    My principal euphonium player is also a violin player in the San Francisco Youth Symphony and plans to major on violin. Band is her side gig. In conversation about our commission, Julie wanted to know if we had a hook. Having such a strong violinist in the band proved too interesting to pass up.

Why we auditioned:
    As the high school program has gotten stronger, my colleague Paul Perazzo at Harvest Park Middle School has looked at ways to improve his teaching. Both schools push each other to keep moving the bar forward. Four years ago when this year’s seniors were incoming students, I was impressed with their skills. Paul told me that the next two or three years of players were great as well. I knew if things played out as we hoped, our group might have a chance to go to Midwest.

A golden state of music:
    Few concert bands from California have participated in Midwest, so there is a real sense of pride and responsibility to represent both our community and our state. It seems like few know what is happening in California music education, other than stories about budget cuts. We want to help redefine that narrative.

My philosophy of music education:
    At its best your job is about the students; at its toughest it is also about the students. I have found that when the job gets difficult, it helps to focus on the faces in front of you. I wish I could go back ten years and remind myself of that.

* * *

The Clinics
    The Midwest Clinic also features master teachers, excellent conductors, and legends of the industry sharing their wisdoms. A few of the clinicians agreed to give us a sneak peek of their Midwest presentations.

Beginner Students: The Balance of Fun and Fundamentals
Alicia DeSoto and Chris Meredith
Wednesday, 10:30
    Maintaining student motivation throughout the first year is centered on students perceiving that they are progressing musically. Create a sequential system of short-term goals within a long-term project, such as a progression of increasingly complex rhythms, for which students can see measurable progress by receiving stickers for daily achievement. Sequential systems provide all students with a clear path to success and offer those who are doing well with the upcoming material to work on ahead of time. Set aside a few minutes daily to work with every beginner student on a sequential system.

Percussive Articulation
Adam Groh
Wednesday, 10:30
    College freshmen are showing up to percussion lessons unable to identify even the most basic articulation markings and indications. They wouldn’t know legato if it smoothly and connectedly slapped them across the face.  If you want percussionists to reach the same level of artistry as wind and string players, talk to them the same way that you talk to everyone else. Consider each sound that they make to be flexible and capable of changing, and give students opportunities to learn how to elicit a wide range of sounds. Ask them to interpret written articulation markings, use their ears to match the sounds of their colleagues, and think creatively about every note that they play.

The Mysteries of Cello Technique Revealed
Lynne Latham
Wednesday, 11:50
    You may ask, what do elephants have to do with executing the perfect extension? If you are a cellist, everything. Hold your left hand in front of you. This is your elephant, your index finger is the trunk and the other fingers are the legs. For the backward extension, the trunk will do all the work. Someone has placed a peanut outside the elephant’s cage and the trunk (your index finger) reaches outside the cage to retrieve it. Once retrieved, the trunk comes back inside the cage. So, therefore, once the extension is completed, the index finger comes back to rest in its usual place. The thumb stays under the second finger for this extension.
    For the forward extension, someone has tied the elephant’s trunk to a tree and it is pulling away from the tree with all four legs. The forward extension is actually a half step shift up the fingerboard, where the second finger will replace the third finger in standard 1st position. The thumb will move with the second finger for good balance. The first finger (or trunk) will remain in position. The end result is that all four legs of your elephant move and F# on the C string and C# on the G string will consistently be played in tune.

Music-Induced Hearing Loss
Douglas T. Owens, Kris Chesky, Amyn Amlani
Wednesday, 1:10
    Music-induced hearing loss is easily preventable, but music rehearsals can be potentially hazardous to healthy hearing. Ensemble conductors can implement and model various strategies to make people aware of this topic. This includes understanding the importance of regular comprehensive hearing examinations, the basics regarding music-induced hearing loss (including such factors as sound pressure levels and exposure time and amount), and the inherent dangers present in ensemble rehearsal and performance environments.

Looking at Conducting from the Player’s Perspective
Rick Fleming
Wednesday, 2:30
    What is the most essential quality that one needs to be a successful conductor: musicianship, intelligence, moral standards, technique, professional connections, or all of the above? Of 24 professional players, 17 answered musicianship, four chose technique, and one each chose intelligence, moral standards, and all of the above. The 48 college players and 96 high school students asked also overwhelmingly chose musicianship, with intelligence and technique receiving the remaining votes.

Using Motivic Development and Other Compositional Devices in Improvisation
Bob Mintzer
Wednesday, 2:30
    As improvisors we strive to be composers in the moment, where what we improvise has a real sense of purpose and construct coupled with the excitement and urgency of making it up as we go along. A great improvised solo can sound like something someone wrote down a hundred years ago. The ability to do this kind of improvising takes a lot of work and consideration as to how to form our ideas in the moment and play these ideas with the rest of the musicians in the band. This clinic demonstrates some of the devices I came up with and practiced to add connectivity and a compositional slant to my improvising. By practicing a compositional approach to improvising it is possible to remove some of the randomness from the performance and create a stronger connection to the music. A good story line keeps the listener engaged. In a similar way, a well constructed improvised solo tells a compelling story.

Music, Multimedia, Education, and Audiences in the Digital World
Alex Shapiro
Wednesday, 2:30
    Composers are creating accompaniment tracks for electroacoustic works that broaden the scope of the band genre, adding to the band a new section that offers textures not found in traditional instruments. Electro-acoustic music is especially wonderful for younger players: an electronic track enables a composer to add sophisticated rhythms and extremely high and low frequencies that students cannot yet play, resulting in exciting repertoire. Musicians can download a prerecorded track, practice at home, and improve their intonation. Band directors can log on to Skype or Google Hangouts and instantly bring the composer into the band room for rehearsals, or into the auditorium to speak to the audience. Teachers and students can use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to create community and build excitement about concerts. Because many people spend a great deal of time staring at a telephone or computer screen these days, bands can devise visual, multimedia performances that go viral on YouTube. Technology is a tremendous boon to both artistry and education.

Scales and Left-Hand Technique
Kathleen DeBerry Brungard
Wednesday, 4:00
    If notes are the building blocks of music, then scales and arpeggios provide the blueprint for its design. It is most important that we lead students to understand that scales and arpeggios go beyond just the development of left-hand technique, and how they provide the blueprint for musical design. As soon as beginning students learn their first one-octave scale (usually D major) and its related key signature of F# and C#, this knowledge should be immediately connected to the music they are learning, even if this is just an eight-measure melodic line. Students should mark any occurring half-step relationships in their music. Such connections should continue throughout all new scale and arpeggio study.

Better Classroom Management
Sarah Labovitz
Wednesday, 4:00
    Conductors should know their scores well enough so that they can make direct eye contact with their ensemble members while conducting and rehearsing. When conductors’ heads are buried in their score, they are creating an opportunity for an ensemble member to act out without being noticed. Knowledge of the score will also help with the pacing of rehearsals. If conductors rehearse a passage, cut off the ensemble, and then immediately begin rehearsing without thinking about what went wrong in the passage or hunting through their score they are eliminating an opportunity for the band members to begin talking. Full knowledge of the score will also help conductors cue and rehearse not only the melody but also inner lines, harmony, and percussion. If students know that they will all be held accountable for their parts, they will be more likely to be engaged in learning and less likely to be caught off task.

Using Smart Board
Jeff Nelson
Thursday, 9:00
    Using an interactive whiteboard in a band or orchestra classroom can open up a world of educational possibilities. The trick is in narrowing the large number of options down to things that fit the music program and schedule.
    Interactivity is the best means of incorporating such technology into rehearsals and classes. Find as many ways as possible to have students write musical terms, notes, and symbols on the Smart Board. Then have them play and perform what they see and create there. Interactive whiteboards work well with many web sites and help make music writing software an amazing mixture of sight, touch, and sound.

Drummers in the Jazz Band
Rodrigo Villanueva Conroy
Thursday, 9:00
    Internal dynamic balance on the drum kit is one of the most important aspects to portray properly any given style of music, all of which have distinctive stylistic qualities that should be conveyed to get the correct feel and acoustic mix. However, sometimes the way the sounds on the drum kit are put together by young drummers fail to portray a given style properly. This may be the result of learning a new style or groove from a book, article, or chart, without spending enough time listening to professional performances of it. During my presentations I introduce some interesting techniques and concepts to facilitate the assimilation of new styles and grooves. Learning new rhythms and grooves should happen in the same way we learn a new language, by listening very closely and then imitating what we heard to understand how the sounds feel and blend together from an aural perspective, without paying too much attention to how those sounds are notated on a piece of paper.

The Kaleidoscopic View Through the Conductor’s Looking Glass
Eugene Corporon
Thursday, 11:30
    Using kaleidoscopic, panoramic, telescopic, and microscopic view points to uncover and explore the layers of sonic strata within a piece brings into focus the importance of repertoire that enhances aesthetic purpose and supports educational goals. Clarity informs comprehension and is the key to connecting with and delivering the ideas and feelings embedded in the music. The primary goal of any rehearsal is to interact with and influence the soundscape while charting the aural topography. The goal of a performance is to prompt the imagination while moving someone through the terrain.
    Music ultimately takes place in the mind. It is considered generative when composing or improvising your own music or interpretive when performing someone else’s creation. However, if we interact, our choices can become generative as we search for the implied meaning buried in the printed page. We must be willing to authentically and respectfully go beyond the notation in order to make responsible decisions that achieve an appropriate and authentic idealized version of the composers work.
    A successful performance relies on 360-degree hearing, which puts the conductor inside the sound rather than in front of it. This facilitates our ability to listen deeply, make discoveries, intuit ideas, express feelings, decipher codes, deliver messages, experience change, and ultimately contribute to humanity through our art. Simply stated, music’s purpose is to link one human with another. Keeping that in mind we must remember that learning is transformative and growth is the result.

Musical Improvised Solos
Jim Snidero
Thursday, 11:30
    When it comes to teaching beginning improvisation, I focus on melodies, timing, and balance. This gives students defined material that they can then use to develop musical instincts, enabling them to construct musical improvised solos. The first step is to search out a bunch of melo-dies and melodic fragments, which I will call ideas. The best way to find great ideas is by listening to recordings of giants of jazz and transcribing them. In fact, these recordings are the best source for all elements of improvisation and jazz style. However, transcribing may be a bit daunting for many students, so in the beginning it is fine to use other sources, such as books or course material, to build a collection of ideas. An idea could be something as simple as one or two notes using a syncopated rhythm, a scale fragment, or an arpeggio. It could be a blues idea or ideas using timeless concepts such as enclosures of chord tones or lines guided by goal notes. Students should have a variety of ideas, mostly two measures or less, at their disposal so that they can assemble phrases that sound both interesting and logical.

Warmups for Young Band
Bruce Pearson
Thursday, 1:30
    Few tools can be of more value to directors than the effective use of rehearsal time. A purposeful warmup is an important key to building a better band. Teaching good intonation in a group setting can be difficult and time consuming, but it does not have to be. First, teach students how it sounds to be in tune, followed by techniques to eliminate the intonation beats, all without the aid of an electronic tuner. Some of the many factors that affect intonation are temperature, pitch tendencies, balance, blend, tessitura, and the note context within the chord. All of these can be taught within the ensemble setting while using very little rehearsal time.

Ten Ways to Maximize Your Student Teaching Experience
Brett A. Richardson
Thursday, 3:00
    One of the initial ways to experience success while student teaching is simply trying to look and sound like the teacher you want to be. The first impression student teachers make can be strongly influenced by how they dress and present themselves. For young teachers on a budget, developing a professional wardrobe can be difficult at first. I suggest following the lead of mentor teachers and modeling their dress habits.
    How a teacher sounds is of equal importance. Although delivery is different from content, how someone speaks and what he says are closely tied together. Avoid filler words in the quest to fill the silence between thoughts. Inevitably there will be a moment where thoughts may occur much faster than the ability to communicate them. When this happens, practice three simple steps: Breathe (take time to pause and calm any thoughts), think (focus on the task at hand, collect ideas, formulate the way in which they would be best shared with students), and then act.

Train Young Bands to Sound Great Today
George Hayden and RoAnn Romines
Friday, 8:30
    Band directors from various states and backgrounds will join together to create a mock sixth grade band for a rehearsal that will demonstrate how directors can succeed with younger students. Learn to develop young bands with practical knowledge and a comprehensive outline that will help build a mature ensemble sound, excellent pitch, creativity, and knowledge of individual instrumental skills. We have found a leadership system that imparts knowledge at a high level, develops interactions of rigorous teaching and learning with respect and discipline, enthusiastically rewards eager students, and stimulates weaker students. This system develops teamwork, teaches the strong to help others, increases cognitive activity and builds everyone up to their highest potential.

Beginning Through Advanced Right-hand Technique for Strings
Bob Phillips
Friday, 10:00
    It is my firm belief that right-hand technique influences everything we do as string players, including intonation. Proper use of the bowing lanes, bow weight, bow speed, and bow placement is the most important thing that we can teach string students; centuries of pedagogy support this belief. Often we tend to concentrate on getting the right notes and then wonder what sounds wrong. When the tone is less than ideal, even the right notes can sound incorrect. In my orchestras and as an all-state conductor, I invest quite a bit of time on bow exercises and games and then often get comments that the orchestra sounds the best ever.
    A game I often use is Follow Me, in which the orchestra has to do what I do. I take the group through bow exercises appropriate for their level. For beginners this may be what end of the stick is on the string. For intermediate players, it may be starting with weight and releasing as a precursor for martelé. Subsequent to that, I often ask students to do anything but what I do. This way students have to perceive what I do, process that, and make a decision to do something else. My preference is to use a background accompaniment during these exercises to provide rhythmic and harmonic context. Great gains can be made with focused bow development.

From Worst Division to First Division in 52 Days
Stan Mauldin
Friday, 12:30
    How do you take a fourth-division band that is arguably the worst 3A band in Texas, in a Title 1, underachieving school district and make them first division? This clinic offers four simple leadership principles that helped Pecos High School, Pecos Texas make a first division (for the first time in decades) in just 52 days.
    One principle is that students have to show up. At the start of my first rehearsal at Pecos I had no students in the band hall. No one came on time. I started the rehearsal on time anyway, with breathing exercises, and continued those exercises by myself. Finally, the first student came in ten minutes late. The second day six students were on time; the next day ten were on time. Now almost everybody comes on time. Some days we bring donuts, brownies, or hot chocolate for those who are on time.

Teaching Improvisation to Young Musicians
Timothy Groulx
Saturday, 10:00
   Improvisation is easily approachable for every student at every level, and the sooner it is introduced, the better. Too often the first time we talk about improvisation is when a student joins a high school jazz band, which is like trying to start a car in fourth gear. Improvisation should begin in kindergarten, and it should also be a part of band, orchestra, and choir every week from beginning through twelfth grade, rather than the exclusive property of jazz programs.            

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