An Interview with Michele Fernández

Michele Fernández has been on fire since becoming a full-time composer a few years ago. Her symphonic and jazz compositions were performed by five groups at the 2023 Midwest Clinic. She has published works with several companies as well as some through her own MF Music. She directed middle school and high school bands in Miami, Florida, for 30 years. Her Miami Senior High School groups were twice invited to perform at Midwest. She is active as a clinician and conductor for all-state and regional honor groups.

How did you get started in music?
I did not intend to be a band director. It was my goal to be a trial attorney. I went to University of Florida on an oboe scholarship and majored in music education and took law school prep classes on the side. I intended to apply to law school and even took the LSAT. Getting into the band directing world was a beautiful accident. In the spring of my senior year, right before spring break, the phone rang. I was vacuuming my room and didn’t even turn it off to pick up the phone.

It was my high school principal, Mr. Garcia, and the high school activities director was in the room with him. They said that my old director was leaving to become an assistant principal somewhere else, and they wanted somebody home grown to keep the program going as it was. I was the drum major, in high school, so they were familiar with me as a student. I decided to try it for a year. If I didn’t like it, the worst that would happen would be that I would get some life experience and money to help my family. Thirty years went by, and if I had to make the same decision again, I would. Interestingly, if you open up my high school yearbook, right next to that principal’s name he signed “Michele – you have been a bright spot at Miami Senior High School. When you are ready for a job, see me.”

What do you remember from your own high school years?
I have generally fond memories of my high school years; our band program was very involved in performing for the community. Our band room generally had a cooperative and familial atmosphere, and the band director, Victor Lopez, worked hard and inspired many of us to continue in music in some form. Interestingly, during late spring of my junior year in 1984, I was doing math homework in the band room and was doodling notes in the upper-right-hand corner of the page when he walked by and noticed my manuscript handwriting. He had recently started arranging for Warner Brothers if memory serves, and had arranged a few stand tunes for our marching band. He offered me $2 per page to hand-copy the parts off the score. Being a high-school kid, I just wanted money to gas up my car, so I accepted the gig. As far as I knew, I was headed to law school someday.

Although I never really analyzed the scores as I copied the parts back then, through osmosis I did learn some general things about navigating a score, and transposition. I went on to college to play oboe in symphonic groups as well as some piano in the jazz bands before unexpectedly returning to teach band at my old high school. By the time I took my first teaching job, I became interested in arranging some of our own stand tunes, especially since my college director at UF also arranged our marching band music. Thirty years later, although my writing does not emulate anyone’s style and has its own voice (especially in my approach to writing for the rhythm section), I can definitely say that seeing my own directors arranging for the band made it feel more “normal” to just slip into that role when it was my turn to teach.

When you spoke about your music at a Midwest concert last year, I was touched by how stories from your personal life come across in your music. How did that approach affect your decision to compose full time?
My family’s personal story has a lot to do with my choice to retire from teaching. I reached my 30 years requirement to retire with Dade County right around the time when COVID happened. Over the years, I had written pieces that my students had performed, including a couple of pieces at the Midwest Clinic back in the 1990s. I always kept that interest in writing.

When the Hillgrove High School Jazz Band from Powder Springs, Georgia, was invited to perform at the Midwest in 2023, they chose a piece entitled Iluminada, which I had written for my daughter, Sara. Incidentally, Sara recently graduated with her Masters degree and is now a new music teacher as well as a very capable performing flutist (she actually recorded the flute solo for the Hal Leonard release of this same publication).

The story behind this piece is especially poignant, as I had written it to thank her for talking me into going back to music after our three-year-old son Sean (her brother) passed away in 2002 due to a series of very serious medical mistakes. We had lived in the hospital for a year.

After that happened, I did not want to go back to teaching band at all. The last thing on my mind was deciding if somebody was in tune or not, so I started teaching special education and some other subjects. Four years later, when my daughter was 6, her K-8 principal tried to recruit me to teach band. I politely said “no” several times. One evening I was reading her a book when she sat up and said, “Mom, the principal stopped me in the hallway today and said you were going to be the band director.” She seemed excited, but I told her I wasn’t interested. She lowered my book gently and said, “Wait a minute. We go through a lot, right? And music made you happy, right? I said yeah. Then she said, “So what’s your problem?”

That hit me like a 2×4 to the head. Here was a six-year-old telling me to get back to what made me feel exhilarated. The next day I jumped in the car and drove over to the school. The principal smiled when he saw me at the door of the office and called me. That was it.

I approached teaching from a different perspective after that. I borrowed my husband’s truck, purchased a foosball table from Craigslist, a mini air hockey table, and a mini pool table. I set up bean bags in the corner of the room. I tried to create as much of a family atmosphere as I could. I used to go around school and look for kids sitting in the hallway by themselves. I would sit down on the floor next to them and invite them to join band. I got their ID numbers and went to the counselors to switch their schedules.

I turned the band room into a home where every student would feel comfortable. I reminded students to avoid hurting people’s feelings and to invite others to the foosball table. I had a rule that you could not use the foosball table unless there was someone from each grade level there. You would see upperclassmen calling over the brand new kid sitting alone. Before you knew it, the older kids were high-fiving the younger ones.

One reason why people respond to your music is because of the emotion that you write with and your willingness to let people in. Have you always been comfortable talking about your life and how it impacts your music?
Yes, absolutely. I find it difficult to sit down and start to write just because somebody says we need a grade 2 work. Often, it is a memory or a meaningful experience that triggers a new composition. Once I have the inspiration, my family might have to slip food under the door for the next few weeks. Sometimes, I have had 12-hour sessions where I can’t tear myself away. When I start writing, I’m not too worried about the mechanics. I’m just feeling the catharsis, and later I come back and make it work mechanically.

Fernández’s Composing Setup at home

When you are writing, are there specific goals or ideals in your mind?
Because my music is based on emotions, I start with the excitement of getting a feeling out. With much of the music I write, I picture something. I just finished a jazz chart called The Pursuit of Funkiness. It came to me while I was driving around and hearing people honking. It recreates sirens and being chased by the police. It’s a fun chart that tells a story. I don’t intend to tell a story. I envision a story, and it spills out that way. Later, I work on the technical aspects. I might adjust the ranges to fit a grade 3 or water something down to make it more accessible, perhaps simplifying a 16th note run in a way that keeps the same idea. If I allow emotions to rule me, I might end up in a marathon writing session. I have composed for as long as 14 hours with my spine hurting and ignoring the pain. This is not a good idea.

When I wrote the piece Of Endless Miles and Empty Rafts for Braswell High School Wind Symphony to perform at Midwest last year, the music came as a movie playing in my mind while I was playing and writing it. Director Aaron Snipes III asked me to write something that deeply connected with me, and I instantly thought of when I was a little girl growing up here in Miami in the 80s. Back then we would hear about another raft washing up on the shore empty. As I child I wondered who was in that raft, what did they go through, and where were they now?

As I wrote the opening chorale, I pictured a family in a raft being tossed about by the heavy seas in the dark. The rain is beating down, and cymbal crashes represent waves smashing against the side of the raft. The big climactic part is someone falling overboard and sinking down into the water. Then, it seems almost like a wave washes over and there is a flashback to that person’s dignified, gentle life at home.
I don’t realize any of this when I am writing. I see the movie in my mind, think about what is happening, and capture the melody coming into my head. Later, when I come back, the music sounds like the movie. Students really received the story well. The couple of times I’ve done clinics on this work, students have written me letters or walked up in person to tell me about stories from their family and friends. They all can relate to someone in the family leaving home for some reason.

I remember getting an email from a young lady in Minnesota who told me that there were only a few kids from different places in her town, but now she wanted to know more about their history. She felt more comfortable asking about their families and their stories. The letter brought tears to my eyes because that is what I was praying for. This piece isn’t a political statement; it’s about having empathy for anyone who’s had to leave home to protect their family.

How do you incorporate elements of your culture into your music?
There are some fantastic works out there with hybrid elements of various musical styles that are incredibly interesting to me. However, if we call a piece a mambo or a bolero, I want students to learn the authentic pattern. I just finished a 3/4 Spanish march that I promised my father I would write 32 years ago when I was a young band director. His mother was a flamenco dancer in Asturias, Spain who died when he was only 6. My dad remembered all the details from watching his mom dance, the dress and the castanets, and these memories made him tear up.

I didn’t know how to write for symphonic band back when I was 24, so it really felt good to start the piece last month. I just finished it and called it La Fiera Asturiana because she fought to stay and raise her three little kids but didn’t make it. I am so proud of my Spanish heritage and love to share it. I recently finished another work entitled, Embers of the Ancient Realms because I am fascinated by Middle Eastern music and the historical aspects of African rhythms and Middle Eastern forms. All of these elements came together to create an intense tapestry in this work.

What was music like at home when you were growing up?
When I was in high school, I was the one who painted AC/DC and Van Halen logos with shadowing on my folder. When my dad was waiting in the car for me, he listened to salsa on the radio. As soon as he saw me coming down the driveway, he turned it off because he knew I had my Van Halen cassette in my hand. My tastes obviously broadened as I went through college.

My musical interests broadened after graduating from college and taking the job at Miami. A friend asked me to play piano in a very busy salsa band that gigged all over town. I said I didn’t know how to play that stuff, and my friend told me not to worry because the bass player also played piano and would show me what to do. I stayed with the band for the next ten years and learned it all. During breaks, I went up to everyone and asked questions about what they were doing. My interest in the music took off, and it was no longer the music of the old country. I felt it in my blood, and it was burning the whole time. I really treasure it.

Who are some of your favorite musicians and composers?
I have a wide taste in music. When I’m making dinner, I listen to Earth, Wind & Fire, or Blood, Sweat & Tears. My favorite Classical piece of all time is Barber’s Adagio for Strings. I also find the music of Brahms just intensely moving. Debussy is also a heartfelt favorite. However, now that I am writing for so many hours a day since retirement from teaching, I might not listen to music at all during my free hours, just to clear my head.

What advice do you have for directors?
I encourage directors to help kids tell a story when playing. Read them the program notes and ask what they picture happening at various parts of the music. If there are no program notes, ask them what kind of movie scene they would write for any given section. They will raise their hands and share different ideas. This often sparks very interesting conversations and the kids do enjoy sharing their movie scenes. That approach gets them involved emotionally and also puts them in a movie in their minds, so that they will play the music with more emotional feel. The other advice I have is to choose music that is challenging enough to help them progress, but not so much that you are chasing notes until the last minute. Over the years, I found that kids have the most fun when add nuance, discussing storylines and expression, not fixing wrong notes.

Lastly, try to write an (easy) arrangement of a favorite pop tune for a concert each semester. Why not? You don’t have to major in composition to be able to write something that the audience and the kids will enjoy. I should know; I never majored in composition, either.

2022 Midwest Clinic premiere of “La Luz En Ti” (Hal Leonard), University of North Texas Two O’Clock Lab Band

“I love to talk about life lessons with the kids and give them something they can take away. At Tennessee All-State, we played six charts, and all were demo recording quality. We finished early, and I asked the players to put the chairs in a circle for the last hour before the evening rehearsal. We ended up talking about life. I asked them about their fears and hopes about continuing in music. I asked how music affected them or helped them overcome anything difficult in their lives. I could not believe how much these students opened up. It turned into a long talk that lasted for over an hour, past their release time for the evening. None of the kids wanted to leave. They were sharing life advice and reassuring each other. I stepped back and just let them take over. It was beautiful.”

The post Writing Her Own Soundtrack appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

An Interview with Brian Sours

As students from Tenaha, Texas, prepare for their Midwest Clinic debut, many do not fully grasp what they have accomplished. With the motto “It’s Not Okay to be Okay,” their director, Brian Sours, has instilled his musicians with a sense of possibility and fearlessness. The program’s accolades over the last 11 years include selection as the 2025 TMEA 2A Honor Band, a 2022 appearance at TBA as a demonstration group, a 2024 appearance at TMEA as a demonstration group, a first place finish at the UIL Class 2A Marching Band Contest, and recognition as National Winner in the Medal of Distinction National Wind Band Contest in 2022 and 2023.

Now, the band has become the smallest school band ever invited to the Midwest. Before moving to his current position in Tenaha (a town of less than 1,000 citizens), Sours taught for five years at another small school, San Saba ISD. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Arkansas and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University.

How did you get started teaching music in a small school?
I didn’t know I wanted to be a music educator until my junior year of high school. To that point, I had always wanted to be a lawyer, or a politician, and as silly as it sounds, I even wanted to be a professional wrestler at one point. However, realizing that my strengths were in music rather than bodybuilding, I decided it would be best to pursue a career as a band director. I came to this conclusion while watching my band director, John Young, at Wills Point High School turn the band from a division III program into a division I program in a very short time frame. I thought to myself, “That is what I want to do. I want to rebuild a small school band program as well.” After all, I had always enjoyed building/re-building things and making them better when I was younger.

When I arrived at The University of Arkansas, it was an eye-opening experience. I didn’t have the skill set I have now and didn’t even read music that well. I certainly didn’t feel like I fit in with the other very talented musicians around me, but I ended up growing quite a bit as a musician over my years in college. Looking back, I truly enjoyed my time at the University of Arkansas.

After I finished college, I knew I wanted to return to Texas to become a head band director at a small school and turn around a struggling program. I didn’t want to be on staff at a big school. I wanted to do my own thing. Later on, I realized that I probably would have learned even more as a member of a large staff, but it ultimately worked out for me. I decided to come back to Texas because I knew it well. I started applying for jobs and was hired at San Saba ISD. They had a big band for their size school, but they were not a disciplined program when it came to attending rehearsals and other elements that make up a strong program.

The director before me tried to make things better, but he was fighting the established culture of being just okay. I was so bullheaded at first that I refused to accept resistance. This stubbornness resulted in the band shrinking by a third in size during the first year. After making a II-II-III in my first marching contest, I felt defeated. I called John Young, my high school band director and mentor (who is the reason I got into this career), for some advice. He said, “It stings, doesn’t it? Well, you have to get up tomorrow because you still have your job to do, and you will grow from this.” Five years later, that same II-II-III band program marched in the Alamodome to a fifth place finish in finals at the 2013 UIL State Marching Band Contest. Perseverance prevailed!

Along the way during those five years, both the San Saba high school and middle school bands received their first sweepstakes in school history! I very much enjoyed my time in San Saba, and that program continues to be successful today.

My advice for new teachers is not to be afraid to become a director at a small, rural Title I school with a music program that needs attention. So many of those schools have students struggling with home life issues and poverty. Those students need a positive influence in their life and a place where they realize they have talent just as much as those students in affluent suburban school districts.

I would caution first year directors that although they learned a lot in college, they haven’t learned as much as they think. College offers a chance to show that you can stay organized, prove you are willing to learn and grow, develop the life skills of living as an adult, and earn the required diploma. However, most of what you learn happens at your first job. You discover that you are more than just a music educator. You learn that you also have to be an accountant, counselor, medic, and trip planner. Without that first job in San Saba, I would never have had the career I have now with an honor band ensemble, a state championship, or an invited ensemble at the Midwest Clinic.

Without the resources of so many programs in Texas, how have you achieved such incredible success?
Tenaha is one of the few schools in Texas that has been invited to the Midwest Clinic that doesn’t come from a large metro area. Those larger Texas programs that have been invited to the Midwest Clinic have multiple directors and oftentimes 90 minutes to rehearse during the school day (and practice marching band almost exclusively after school). We have just 45 minutes during the school day, and that time must be split with marching band preparation. We share 50% of our band kids with sports and other activities so marching exclusively after school is not an option.

We share so many students because we only have about 390 kids in our entire school district (K-12), and about 75% of the district comes to the band hall every day. Thankfully, I have help from two other directors in the district, Middle School Band Director Shannon Rios and Percussion Director Kale Page. We usually divide up the woodwinds, brass, and percussion between the three teachers, and that is one of the reasons we are successful. I am a tuba player but teach all brass. Shannon is a clarinet player and takes care of the woodwinds and middle school band. She has taught our woodwinds to be some of the best in our classification and has led our middle school band to become one of the most successful small school middle school bands in the state. Kale is a recent alumnus who teaches percussion and was just hired earlier this year after our long-time percussion teacher, Cristie Roye, moved to a larger school just this past year.

Tenaha Directors: Kale Page, Brian Sours, & Shannon Rios

How is parental involvement in your school, and how do you approach the financial side of running a small program?
At our school, 91% of students are economically disadvantaged, 66% are considered At-Risk, and about 30% are ESL. Due to these factors, our school district provides every item that students need for band – instruments, marching shoes, band shirts, reeds, mouthpieces, and oils. I did initiate a $30 band fee a couple of years back to offset costs, but that does not burden our families too much. The school has provided nice instruments, and the program has an inventory of instruments that has been built over time. We would have a shell of our current program if the school district expected students to rent instruments.

One of the difficult things for our band program is that some of the parents do not speak English, so you can’t call them at home as easily as you would like. When I have a parent meeting, I have a translator. Having to wait for each phrase to be translated does make the meetings longer, but it is what is best for our parents. Having parents feel comfortable and informed is our ultimate goal.

In the end, sometimes you have to adjust. You have to be flexible. We must take down the obstacles so that all students can have the opportunity to enjoy music education. While we have a lot of students that participate in multiple activities, we never ask a student to choose between activities. A former superintendent once told me that if you ask students to choose between music and other activities, you are not going to like their choice. Due to our success, if we made students choose, we would probably keep most of our students, but not all of them. We would lose out on some great students, and it’s completely unnecessary.

What made you decide to apply to perform at Midwest?
I attended the Midwest Clinic for the first time in 2023 when Tyler Junior College became the first junior college ever invited. While at the convention, I noticed the small school initiative, and it garnered my interest. Since we had just been invited to appear at the 2024 TMEA convention in February, I considered applying for the Midwest Clinic even though I thought we had a snowflake’s chance in Hades of being invited. Our recordings were great, and along with a solid application and letters of recommendation, we were invited. I told my administration that there is a chance that we might win Honor Band and get invited to Midwest in the same year but that it was very unlikely. The Chief Financial Officer at our district turned to me and said, “Every time you tell me it probably won’t happen, it ends up happening. I’m just going to put money in the budget just in case.” Then, it happened!

In preparing for the Midwest Clinic, the level of balance needed to get everything done has almost been harder than raising money for the trip. My students are excited about the invitation, but they still don’t understand it completely. They have a million other things going on in their lives. For many of the other invited ensembles at the Midwest Clinic, music is life. They may have other activities, but none more important than music. My students just want to go to Chicago. They are working hard for the performance but may not have the same dedication to practicing that you might see from other invited ensembles. We might have won a state championship, won Honor Band, and been invited to the Midwest Clinic; but that still doesn’t mean our students and families place band as their number one activity. Trying to balance a TMEA honor band performance and a Midwest performance with all of the other activities and family responsibilities they have is a difficult task. They have a lot more going on in life than just the band. I’ve learned to respect this and place more value now on their time with their families.

Are you commissioning a work for Midwest?
Yes, Julie Giroux wrote a piece for us. I called her up and said I would like to have something written by her, and she said she would love to do it. I thought it would be something different because you don’t have small schools play Julie Giroux music. When I talked to her on the phone, I discovered that she is the funniest person.

She wrote a piece called Artesian Spring. My understanding is that she was born in South Louisiana. She told me a story that her family used to travel to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and on the way back they stopped at this artesian spring. She started writing the piece and told me that it reminded her of that artesian spring. It was originally going to be a darker ballad, but she said that the music came together in a different way. We will do our best to convey her vision.

How did you craft your Midwest program?
The program developed organically. I started looking up all of the new music. I wanted our program to be almost entirely new music from the last year or two. There were certain pieces we couldn’t select because someone else had played it in the last two years. I really wanted to play Encanto by Robert W. Smith, but another group is playing it. I also wanted to program Declaration Overture by Claude T. Smith but someone played it last year, so I added it to our honor band program instead.

I wanted to play two Grade 1 pieces. Even though we are a high school band, the Grade 1 works deserve to be heard in the Midwest Clinic just as much as the grade 5s. Who else is going to do it? Should a 5A band play more than one Grade 1? No. I believe that should be more of the goal of the small school high school bands. I tried to pick a slow one, a few fast ones, a silly one, one for Christmas, etc. I wanted to have a variety of literature on our program. Something everyone could enjoy. I knew I wanted to include a guest artist so we have included a piece called Party Potatoes by Dr. Benjamin Dean Taylor, which includes a tuba soloist. That’s how our concert fell together.

For our honor band performance in February, we don’t have time to prepare a whole new program. We will add Decoration Overture and drop our Christmas tune and the two Grade 1 works.

Is there anything you had to cut from your program that you regret?
We cut Leroy Anderson’s Sandpaper Ballet, a piece that features three students playing sandpaper blocks at the front because it just wasn’t working out. We may have also programmed one or two pieces too many. We will see. Right now, we can’t look back, we just have to get it learned and perform the best we can.

(At this point in the interview, ten football players arrived at Sours’ office door seeking the supplies to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches after football practice and before band practice. He reports that his students prefer strawberry jam over grape jam.)

Have there been moments of joy and surprise in your preparations?
Our students have grown in maturity and become much better players. It has been fun to watch the growth. Another side effect of being invited to the Midwest Clinic is that we were finally able to convince our administration to purchase concert attire. We have always worn marching band uniforms even during concert season, but this year we set aside money to buy concert dresses and tuxes. In the future, we will wear the concert outfits during concert season, and it will really feel different from marching season. We are excited to be the smallest school ever invited to the Midwest Clinic and perform for an international audience. Only a handful of schools have ever been a TMEA honor band and Midwest performer in the same year. While it is incredibly demanding, emotionally and physically, we are going to make a lifetime of memories.

The post The Band from Tenaha Takes the Biggest Stage appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Remembering Quincy Jones

(1933-2024)

Quincy Jones, a multi-talented, multi-genre musician whose enduring influence stretched across several decades, died on November 3, 2024, at age 91. Born in Chicago in 1933, he was raised by his father and grandmother (his mother was institutionalized for schizophrenia). He later moved to Seattle. Jones earned early notice as a jazz trumpeter and joined Lionel Hampton’s band in 1951. Jones got his first taste of recording in Hampton’s band.

Although Jones later had to give up trumpet playing for health reasons, he flourished as a highly-sought after arranger for Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, and Ray Charles. After touring with Dizzy Gillespie on State Department tours of the Mideast and South America, he moved to Paris and studied composition with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen.

After taking a position in New York as music director at Mercury Records in 1964, Jones began writing music for film and television including work on In the Heat of the Night, Roots, and The Color Purple. He achieved some of his greatest recognition for his record producing, including three acclaimed albums by Michael Jackson. He also led the creation and recording of We Are The World, released in 1985.

While it is nearly impossible to capture the full range of Jones’s career, he sat down with Ron Modell in 2007, and we include excerpts from this session below.

Are you still writing music?
Absolutely. I am working on the theme for the Special Olympics to be held in Shanghai next October. I am also producing a film in Brazil for a festival that I have attended for the last 52 years. How about this for a combination – an album featuring jazz legend Clark Terry and rapper Snoop Dogg.

When I was 19 years old, Ben Webster told me “Youngblood, when you go overseas or anywhere you travel, eat the food the people eat, listen to the music they listen to, and learn 30-40 words in every language. I learned some Turkish, Greek, French, Swedish, and Japanese. I’ve learned Arabic writing, and I speak Russian. I have a wonderful girlfriend in Shanghai who is teaching me to write and speak Mandarin. It’s a great way to live.

Many years ago Dizzy Gillespie and I went everywhere on State Department-sponsored tours of the Middle East and South America, and we witnessed how far our culture and our music have spread. We listened to everything. Good musicians have an interest in many types of music. We studied Ellington, Bill Evans, and everyone else. Charlie Parker would listen to Stravinsky all night. Nadia Boulanger was Stravinsky’s mentor, as well as Bernstein’s, and she commented that there are only 12 notes to learn; the difference is what everybody does with them. That’s the way we were brought up.

Back when you worked with the Basie band, what did you learn about how to create and play the authentic Basie style?
All of the top arrangers used to hang out at Birdland for Basie’s rehearsal hoping to have their newest pieces played. Among these were Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Johnny Mandel, and Neal Hefti, who was the biggest arranger at the time. One day Hefti came in with a new piece, Lil’ Darling. He wrote it in cut time, and the band started off at a brisk tempo until Basie said, “no, no, no.” The band started over, but at a much slower tempo, and suddenly the music was transformed into a classic, Basie’s trademark piece. The Basie style is all about space economy, tempo, and feel.

As I sat there and watched, this was the greatest moment of my life, and I learned the importance of tempo, or being in the pocket. Being in the pocket is what it’s all about. I couldn’t believe the transformation when Basie pulled the tempo down; it was like walking into another planet. Basie milked every note. I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live.

Sinatra, Ella, Peggy Lee and other singers wanted to sing the way jazz musicians played. That’s the secret, and why they had 70-year careers. On one of the last records we made together, L.A. Is My Lady, as Frank sang, the trombones could barely play because they were listening to how he phrased each line.

Why doesn’t America have a minister of culture? The single most powerful cultural contribution America has given to the world is our music. Everywhere on the planet – Estonia, Monte Carlo, Rio, Sao Paulo, Beijing – they play our music. People have pushed their indigenous music aside and use this music as their Esperanto.

Do you still see a bright future for musicians?
Yes I do because in time the pendulum always swings the other way. The young rappers are at my house all the time. They know that the money will wear off, and the only thing that will be important is to be a real good musician. I’m 74 years old and I feel 22 – I have more work than I could ever do in the next 20 years. The cardinal rule is that you approach your creativity with humility, and treat your success with grace.

The post A Life in Music appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Gregg Gelb has directed the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble for the past 13 years. The ensemble is part of the Triangle Youth Music Program based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The organization serves over 500 students year-round and offers multi-level programming including three orchestras, four jazz bands, two string orchestras, several small ensembles, and an after-school beginner violin program. Students audition annually to play in this regional group, which meets once a week on Sundays for three hours. Gelb and the advanced band were invited to the 2024 Midwest Clinic.

How has the jazz program developed during your time there?
In the Triangle, there are several local universities including UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University in Durham, and North Carolina State in Raleigh. These schools present great jazz artists plus there have always been many fine local players. All of this helps create a big interest in jazz in the area. The Essentially Ellington program in New York has been the biggest motivator for improving the program. I learned of it just as I started directing and was interested in the free teaching materials. Our band auditioned three times without making it and then earned invitations eight years in a row.

The chance to travel and play at Essentially Ellington has been a driving force for the organization and has increased the number of players who auditioned for our band. When you start aiming for perfection, students know it and want to take that trip. This year we are going to Midwest. I don’t know that much about Midwest, but I know that it is really top notch, so the players are very excited about the performance.

With Essentially Ellington, the music is such a great teaching tool even though it predates the students and their parents. What makes that music such powerful motivation?
The music is of the highest quality, and it is amazing every year that high school students can make it sound good with enough practice. We bring in other teachers for clinics and spend considerable time discussing and listening to the music. Our rehearsals are dedicated to matching the original feeling and style as closely as we can. The music is an art form just like classical music. Everything you need to know is on the page and the recordings. The key is putting in the rehearsal time needed to get it right. When you go to Essentially Ellington, all fifteen bands in the finals are fairly close in ability.

How have you approached the music for your Midwest concert?
With the Midwest Clinic, you have to perform music at various grade levels. I have found that the band had to rehearse the easy music just as much as the harder music. I haven’t done anything differently for Midwest than for Essentially Ellington except that we have eight charts to play instead of three. It is liberating to prepare new and unfamiliar music from a range of composers and publishers. There is also no competitive pressure with Midwest. You just do your best.

How did you select music for your Midwest performance?
Music selection for Midwest was challenging for several reasons. For the last dozen years, I have relied on tunes from the Essentially Ellington library. Every year Jazz at Lincoln Center sends out about eight new transcriptions free to bands around the country. For bands applying for competition, at least one of those new charts has to be recorded for the audition. If the band makes it to the finals, then all three pieces performed have to be from the EE library, including at least one from the current year’s catalog.

This process has kept it fairly easy for me to select tunes. Of course, I had to figure which fit my band the best, which feature the soloists I want featured, and which have a dynamic show quality to them.

Preparing for the Midwest Clinic was completely different from our other prestigious performances. I had to select 45 minutes worth of music or about eight tunes. The basic rules for selection are that half of these pieces have to be grades 1-3 and the other half grades 4-6. Also, most of the works have to be recently published and represent many different publishers. There are also rules for diversity in the composers represented on the concert.

I am not the typical jazz band director. My group meets for 3 hours on Sundays, and I am most familiar with the EE repertoire. I’m an independent educator, performer, composer/arranger, and don’t teach at a school full time.

It took intensive research to pick music for this performance. I listened to a bunch of Grade 1-6 big band music and tried to listen to everything offered by about a dozen publishers.

By June, my list narrowed to about sixty arrangements, and I kept weeding out tunes over the summer. As I narrowed the list, I considered how the pieces contrasted in tempo, style, and rhythm to develop a varied and interesting program. I also figured which tunes would be good for our soloists, which was difficult because auditions for the band were held at the end of August. When the band finally met for its first rehearsal around Labor Day, I knew which students should be featured. I try to give equal solo space to our many fine soloists and finally decided on the final program in early September.

What are some of your favorite tunes on the program?
I like all of the tunes because each has a special character and purpose. I am impressed with the writing of all the composers: Kris Berg’s Bartók Takes The Trane, Mike Tomaro’s Art-istry, and Michele Fernández’s arrangement of My Favorite Things are our most challenging charts to play and have the brightest tempos. They are really fantastic pieces.

Surprisingly, the grade 1 and 2 pieces have been just as challenging because it’s hard to play slower tempos. The students need to bring some big feeling and expressive skills to make these pieces come to life.

The chance to work with guest artists has also been a great part of the Midwest experience. Our guest soloists haven’t rehearsed with us yet, but I think they will fit in perfectly. Summer Camargo and Pablo Muller will play on Art-istry and My Favorite Things. Rodney Whitaker and Colleen Clark will play on Colleen’s combo tune Car-o-lina and Todd Stoll will perform Such Sweet Thunder. I’m looking forward to this performance and think the audience will have a great time listening to the selections and our group.

How do you develop a cohesive sound with your group, given the limited rehearsal time?
I can’t take all the credit. Lisa Burn and Kobie Watkins also direct bands in the program, and their work contributes greatly to our success and cohesion. Because the students go to various schools, we encourage them to hold sectionals and play together outside of rehearsal, but it usually ends up happening before or after rehearsals on Sundays. We try to get as many coaches as we can. Ron Carter moved to this area after retiring from Northern Illinois University and worked with us at least once a year. He was such a great motivator. His entire philosophy has worn off on us and influenced how we teach.

How do you make the most of rehearsals?
It is a regional group, so I can work hard with these kids because they want to be there. They understand why we go over and over the music to get it right. I know the arrangements and the recordings well, and know what my students are supposed to sound like. I am still learning, but every time I look at a score, I get excited and want to produce an authentic performance using the music and the recordings as a guide.

It all goes back to Ron Carter. He emphasized that if the music isn’t swinging, it isn’t going to be right. It starts with getting the bass and rhythm section swinging. We talk about the importance of following the lead players on intonation and articulations. If I hear something that isn’t right, I stop right away and sing to them. Then, I get them to sing the correct articulations.

What are you looking forward to besides the performance?
Because we only meet on Sundays, we don’t really know each other that well. I’m looking forward to seeing what going somewhere together will do for our group. I know they will be inspired by watching the other jazz bands there. It is going to be amazing.

* * *

In addition to his work with the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble, Gregg Gelb is a saxophonist and clarinetist and leads several groups: his Jazz Quartet, La Fiesta Latin Jazz Band, Second Line Stompers, and Swing Band. He is founder and director of the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Society and co-founder and player with the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra. His groups have recorded over a dozen CDs. He has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Berklee College of Music, a Master of Music degree from the UNC School of the Arts, and a DMA from UNC Greensboro.

The post A Midwest Journey Takes Flight appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

In 2011, I interviewed legendary flutist Robert Willoughby (1911-2018) on his 90th birthday at Oberlin Conservatory where he taught for so many years. I started the interview mentioning I can always pick out a Willoughby student by the way they play large interval slurs. He chuckled and said, “Yes, I work very hard on that.” He went on to explain in playing an ascending octave he had the student fill in the octave chromatically and then play the octave without the extra notes. After the student could fill in with a chromatic scale, then the interval was filled in diatonically, and finally with all four triads (major, then minor, diminished, and augmented). Once they could do that then the octave was played seamlessly. I have used this technic with my students through the years and have found nothing better. The two secrets of this idea are after filling in the interval, the student accurately hears the octave (or 4th or 5th) in their heads and have better control of air speed.

Breathing is always a concern when playing the flute because along with the tuba, it is the highest air flow instrument. Tim Day, a former Willoughby student and retired principal flute of the San Francisco Symphony said his favorite Willoughby quote was “I find I never run out of air if I’m always breathing.” Willoughby also thought that Pavarotti had found a wonderful way to breathe and support. He said, “The thing I like about his singing is it is so effortless, but he is putting a lot of energy into it, and it is coming from down here. When he breathes in, he relaxes and lets the air in.”

Mary Kay Fink, Cleveland Orchestra piccolo, commented, “Everything about lessons with Robert Willoughby reflected how seriously he took his responsibility as a teacher. It was clear that his goal was not simply improvement or the ability to win an audition. He wanted us each to graduate with all the tools necessary to face any future musical challenge. In other words, when we left Oberlin, he expected us to have the ability to teach ourselves and to keep growing.”

On Willoughby’s 95th birthday a group of former students gathered at the Wentworth Marriott Hotel and Spa on the island of New Castle, NH, just across the island from Willoughby’s home. This is the hotel where he had performed several summers in his youth and where he and his wife, Mac, spent many happy times through the years. A few days before the event, former students – many of whom have successful careers as orchestral players, university teachers, chamber musicians and soloists throughout this country and abroad – were solicited to share a favorite memory or saying from lessons with Willoughby. At the celebration each person in turn shared one of these 95 lessons, as well as other favorite stories and memories. With his usual good humor and enthusiasm, Willoughby added to and corrected as appropriate, asking for some of his own favorite stories from those gathered.

Thanks to Katherine Borst Jones and Leela Breithaupt for collecting these submissions (first printed in Flute Talk, September 2016). They are tangible evidence of a lifetime of extraordinary teaching and are presented with admiration, respect, and gratitude from his students and colleagues including Francesca Arnone, Angela Blueskies, Mary Boodell, Sarah Brady, Leela Breithaupt, Joy Cline (Phinney), Trisha Craig, Tim Day, Philip Dikeman, Judy Dines, Marisa D’Silva, Aralee Dorough, Greer Ellison, Mary Kay Fink, Leonard Garrison, Susan (Hahn) Graham, Adrianne Greenbaum, Eileen Grycky, Vanessa Holroyd, Danielle Hundley, Katherine Borst Jones, Jim Lyman, Michael Lynn, Robin McKee, Vanessa Mulvey, Linda Pereksta, Juliana Perez, Diana Powers Rettie, Wendy Rolfe, Jennifer (Clarkston) Rundlett, Peggy Russell, Emma Shubin, Pat Spencer, Nancy Stagnitta, Sarah Swersey, Elizabeth West, Courtney Westcott, and Lisa Wienhold.

The following are some of the quotes that apply to all musicians, not just flutists.

1. I think the best lesson from Bob has been the enthusiastic and unflagging support he has offered decades after my graduation. He is the model of a perfect gentleman and mentor.
2. Integrity and intelligence, always learning.
3. He gave his most to each of us in every lesson. We were all students with great potential in Bob’s eyes.
4. His teaching was so fine and he treated everyone with such respect.
5. Vibrato, Legato, Rubato. Always!
6. Lum–pa, Tee–ta! (How to think of appoggiaturas)
7. Musical solutions resolve technical demands.
8. I don’t care what you do with the phrase, just do something.
9. Make me love it, make me hate it, but don’t bore me!
10. Okay, Ella Fitzgerald, how about starting the vibrato at the beginning of the note?
11. Play the structural melody only, one note per bar.
12. Move down with the strong beats, up with the weak beats.
13. 99% of the time, the peak of a phrase is on beat one or three.
14. Practice musically with no vibrato for a week – or more.
15. Once we have heard it once, we don’t care anymore. This simple concept can really solve lots of phrasing challenges, especially in Bach.
16. Rubato in the Allemande of the J.S. Bach Partita. Steal time to set up the breaths. Then give back time in an organic way. Pacing makes it all make sense.
17. Pendulum image for timing and feeling of heaviness and lightness in the phrase.
18. You have a beautiful sound, but you sound like a pop singer. (Vibrato too slow and wide)
19. Keep the vibrato going from note to note through the phrase. When I could finally do it, my flute felt more connected to my inner voice.
20. Say something convincing. The instrument is the least important part. The best players can make the worst flute sound terrific.
21. Use a wider vibrato to project in a big hall. (Brahms Symphony No. 1 solo)
22. While playing in the orchestra, if you are already playing your loudest and the conductor tells you to play louder, just move energetically, and the conductor will be satisfied.
23. Read favorite passages from the Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame aloud to demonstrate nuance and phrasing.
24. Think analytically about playing the flute.
25. Any fingering that works is ok. Pick up your pinkie on high E, it is easier and it sounds better.
26. Use the Kincaid vocalise exercise to warm up – for sound and phrasing.
27. Practice purposely, never mindlessly.
28. Always consider the natural balance issues of the flute and compensate for them. (Long notes are louder than short notes. High notes are louder than low notes. Slurred notes are louder than tongued notes)
29. Breath and melody. Ride the flow of air.
30. If you’ve said the chord the first time, don’t emphasize it the second time! (Bach Sonata in E Minor, BWV, second movement)
31. You are too good for this kind of playing. Show me something better next week.
32. Know the piano part for any piece played. Pay attention to the bass line in Baroque music.
33. Everyone is treated with equal respect.
34. Intensity, imagination, decision making and how to practice.
35. 8:00 am lesson! Insatiable cheerfulness.
36. Have a good sense of humor, especially during less than ideal situations.
37. Let me tell you that you are doing too much with regards to dynamics and phrasing. I have never told anyone they are doing too much!
38. Expression shouldn’t always be with time; it can be with dynamics, articulation, vibrato, and shape.
39. His belief in teaching the great repertoire rather than glitzy show pieces. Every piece has his words of wisdom imbedded in every measure. (Prokofiev Sonata, Messaien Merle Noir, all the Bach Sonatas and Partita, CPE Bach Partita, Roussel’s Joueurs de Flute, Density 21.5 and many more.)
40. Learn modern flute and Baroque flute. Explore historical context and challenge yourself.
41. Why are you phrasing that way? You have to have a good reason. Be a thinking musician, not just a flute player.
42. Start with the skeleton of the piece finding the basic phrase structure – then add the other notes. Breathing and phrasing will fall into place, making more sense.
43. Rubato and timing: the train slows down and picks up speed but never stops at the station.
44. Practice the siren exercise, pitch bending for control.
45. Vibrato is an expressive tool. Practice different widths and speeds and changing intensity. Vibrate on appoggiaturas and not on resolutions.
46. Don’t step too loudly on the resolution note and don’t play it too long, lest it sound loud by default.
47. Music is not static. Phrases are going to or from somewhere.
48. Use silence/pauses for increased expression. Hardly anyone ever waits too long.
49. Recognize and show off hemiolas in Baroque music.
50. Crescendo into a weak note to provide a smooth, legato transition between intervals.
51. Explore whistle tones, but don’t overdo them. They can be surprisingly tiring. Warm up with note bending and harmonics – and scales in groups of 6s.
52. Listen to cellists and singers and musicians other than flute players to learn about phrasing and color. (The three tenors)
53. Use the air to resonate the sound of 16th passages – especially going down. Blow through the lines.
54. Search out unusual composers – play contemporary music and find hidden or neglected pieces.
55. The dynamic level before the breath should equal the dynamic level after the breath.
56. Imitate the look of the bulldog to find the relaxed embouchure. (To drop the jaw)
57. Use puffs, i.e. tongue-less attacks, to begin the day for relaxation of the embouchure.
58. The unevenness of the scale, (strong and weak notes) on the Baroque flute is the beauty of the instrument. Beauty comes in all forms even if it does not fit the usual expectations.
59. Notes of the same rhythm within a beat or longer, may be played unevenly. This makes all the difference for expressive playing.
60. Do you want to borrow my arm? (After student plays Brahms 4 conducted by RW)
61. I thought I might look like one of those cartoon characters with eyeballs spinning hopelessly as I worked to process information, make solid choices, and defend them eloquently, both verbally and musically.
62. Find the internal structural notes of the phrase and base your interpretation on this musical foundation.
63. Keep air pressure up even as you get softer.
64. Don’t shoot your wad all at once!
65. You’re a budding genius.
66. Why are you playing it that way?
67. How about some sightreading? (to an unprepared student)
68. To counter one’s desire to physically move vertically on every beat, move in a horizontal line.
69. Sing everything out loud, with your voice to find natural legato and phrasing.
70. Music first. Tension and release. Merely having musical intention is not enough for creating an expressive performance.
71. Large intervals invite time. Practice playing between the notes by filling in the intervals chromatically, then with a scale, etc.
72. Lean on the first note of a slur.
73. Practice starting a note with a soft attack, like a singer.
74. The importance of mastering fundamentals: the art of cheek puffing, legato line, tonal flexibility, shaping notes and expressive phrasing.
75. Strive for a first-class musical performance without the listener being aware of the mechanical/technical aspects.
76. He is an expert at timing, in life and music, always with humor.
77. How many ways can this phrase be played?
78. Always so many questions. Why are you phrasing to this note? Why not that one? Where is this line going, is it here? Are you sure it is not here?
79. I find I never run out of air if I’m always breathing.
80. He has patience, beyond measure, no matter the level of the student.
81. Always be sure to have a beautiful first and last note, no matter what happens in between.
82. Release your note the way a singer would so that the air can replace itself.
83. Lead. Don’t shy away from the goal of the phrase – go courageously forward.
84. Start at the end of the phrase to find the last possible sub-phrase that makes sense, then find the next sub-phrase. Find the structure, skeleton, the focal point of each phrase.
85. Less tongue, more sound.
86. Be your own best teacher, an artistic architect.
87. In a class or a lesson, always say something positive before giving a criticism.
88. Follow your heart when making life decisions, as well as when playing the flute.
89. Explore and perform music of our time. Commissions. Composers: Heiss, Martin, Musgrave, etc.
90. You know where I will be sitting. Just look at me. (To calm student recital nerves)
91. Give’em hell! (Advice before a recital to inspire courage.)
92. His goal is for students to become thinking, self-sufficient musicians.
93. Uncompromising intonation. Your C# is sharp! Don’t play sharp. Go work with the tuner. The end!
94. Inspire students to rise to a new level. Always have a smile and a gentle manner.
95. It seems impossible to single out one thing that we learned from you, when we feel like every professional success we have ever had, was made possible by your teaching. We think of you every day and strive to emulate your incredible model to our students and our own lives. You are an incredible musician and an extraordinary human being.

The post Remembering a Legend appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Why Quartets?
Chamber groups of all kinds can inspire talented students. These ensembles may be able to perform more difficult music than the full band or explore repertoire that directly fits the tastes of the students. Saxophone quartets can also satisfy young players who prefer the tenor or baritone voice. If a student wants to explore a new saxophone type, the quartet is an excellent laboratory to gain comfort and facility.

As an educational tool, chamber ensembles can spur greater musical independence. The democratic structure of small groups encourages students to make artistic choices in repertoire. This sense of ownership and the skills that it engenders can open greater avenues for continued music making. Small ensembles also offer ideal opportunities for mentorship: More advanced students with leadership potential can be paired with younger musicians, yielding opportunities for peer tutoring.

Finally, saxophone quartets and other small groups can widen the public relations mission of the school band. It may be impractical for a full band to play for every civic function in a community, but small groups can perform anywhere. If enough chamber ensembles exist within the program, the band can increase its public presence without overtaxing students.

History
Saxophone quartets are nearly as old as the instrument itself. The range, versatility, and timbral cohesion of the saxophone family made the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone combination a logical extension of Adolphe Sax’s ideas from the earliest days. Beginning in the 1860s, less than two decades after inventing the instrument, Sax published original works for quartets by Jean-Baptiste Singelee and Jerome Savari that are still performed.

Later in the 19th Century, the quartet came to America. In addition to his pioneering work as a saxophone soloist for the bands of Patrick Gilmore and John Philip Sousa, Edward Lefebre formed the New York Saxophone Quartette Club in the 1880s. The group included the earlier French standards in their repertoire and commissioned new works, including Caryl Florio’s Allegro de Concert.

Despite these early activities, saxophone quartets remained obscure until the 20th Century. Then, saxophone pioneers introduced the ensemble to wider audiences. In the late 1920s, Marcel Mule and other members of the French Republican Guard Band formed a quartet. Through this ensemble and the later Paris Saxophone Quartet and Marcel Mule Quartet, dozens of composers wrote now-standard works for SATB groups, including Alexander Glazunov, Gabriel Pierne, Eugene Bozza, and Alfred Desenclos. Similarly, near the end of his groundbreaking career as a saxophone soloist, Sigurd Rascher founded his eponymous quartet in 1969, resulting in even more quartet literature.

Along with their work as performers, Mule and Rascher were active teachers. They and University of Michigan saxophone professor Larry Teal advocated for the educational use of saxophone quartets among their students, leading to the ensembles spreading throughout the world. Now, quartets exist in most collegiate music programs, and many high school and middle school music programs include them as well.

Instrumentation
Most professional-level literature across the saxophone quartet’s existence has been written for the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone instrumentation (SATB). However, there is a wide body of pedagogical and developmental literature for the AATB configuration. There is even a small body of repertoire for AAAA or AAAT groups, if local conditions favor such an instrumentation (The Saxophone Quartet collections of the Apollo Saxophone Quartet Series, published by Astute Music, are an ideal resource for the latter groups).

Forming a Quartet
One of the greatest determining factors in student success is motivation. If students have buy-in, there is a great chance that they will be able to achieve their goals and yours. A student may approach you wishing to form a quartet. If they are given independence (with proper supervision) and support to do so, the sky will be the limit. Many budding saxophonists hear chamber groups online, where there is a wealth of fine recordings. If there is no organic desire to form such groups, the pump can be primed a bit by sharing exciting performances of excellent, modern literature with students.

Once the desire to form an ensemble exists, consider the personnel. A group of four students may self-select to form a group. If this happens, do not worry if the instrumentation is askew. Four alto players can easily learn the other saxophone voices if needed. If one or more students is motivated, consider picking promising younger students to fill out the group. Even if their playing experience lags behind their older peers, enthusiasm, and achievement, can be infectious. Dedicated intermediate students can make big strides when paired with advanced colleagues.

Organization
Any educator who has played in a college chamber group will be familiar with the standard ensemble coaching: A group meets weekly with an instructor. The teacher gives feedback, and the group rehearses independently throughout the week, applying the advice. This model also works with younger groups, given modifications for the age and level of the student.

If a wider chamber ensemble program is desired, weekly coaching for each group will prove impractical. Instead, a floating method may be used, as described in my Duet Club article (June 2018 Instrumentalist). Chamber ensembles can be spread throughout the rehearsal space, before or after school, or during a dedicated period. In early instruction, the director can show all students common organizational, tuning, and rehearsal procedures. Then, the director can float between groups, offering brief feedback before moving to other groups.

A similar strategy can succeed with a single quartet. The group might rehearse at the end of the school day, and the director can deal with office tasks while monitoring the group. The teacher should always offer suggestions based on their musical experience and perspective with the goal of guiding the ensemble to greater independence.

Rehearsing
Directors should establish basic rehearsals procedures from the outset – warm-up, tuning, fundamentals, and repertoire rehearsal. For a new group, fundamentals may fill a large part of rehearsal, but never forget that people play music to play music. Performance goals from the first day can provide shape, structure, and form to a young chamber ensemble’s vision. A short gig after a month can kickstart any quartet.

As a warm-up, the group can perform something as simple as a unison scale, with attention to ensemble articulation, movement together, blend, and intonation. A simple scalar exercise can help students feel comfortable with visual communication. Many young musicians feel at ease performing with a conductor, but in a quartet, students must learn to play without one. Instead of having students count each other off, encourage them to practice body cues in these warm-up exercises.

Once instruments are warm, tuning should take place. Intonation comes from the ears, not the eyes, so the quartet should tune together, rather than from individual visual tuners. The lowest voice should tune either concert Bb or concert A. Once this pitch is in-tune, the baritone player (or whoever is the lowest) should look at the rest of the ensemble members. The tenor player should tune to the pitch first, then, while the baritone and tenor continue to play, the next highest voice tunes, etc., until the group has pure intonation, with well-supported, full sounds.

In the group fundamentals block, the quartet can use many of the same exercises that bands employ. Scales in rounds (resulting in diatonic chords) are a wonderful option, as are unison Remington exercises. The quartet should remain focused on pure intonation, balance, blend, articulation style, and ensemble in attacks and releases. Chorales are also an excellent resource. Standard options written for quartet include John Nichol’s Five Bach Chorales (scored for either SATB or AATB quartets) published by Watchdog Music or Dan Gelok’s Chorales for Saxophone Quartet, published by Murphy Music Press. David Newell’s Bach and Before for Band (Kjos), also works well for saxophone quartet.

A new resource from Conway Publications is Chops 3: The Sinta Quartet Method, a nearly inexhaustible resource for building and refining quartet sound. Through all these fundamental exercises, visual communication and the development of cuing for all players should be developed, along with musical principles.

In the repertoire rehearsal, good habits of individual and group practice should be strengthened. In the early stages, a clearly audible metronome (perhaps a phone with a powerful speaker) can build group precision and technical accuracy. Small-chunk practicing should be encouraged with an emphasis on intonation, balance, and blend.

Even the youngest groups can explore musical ideas (e.g. How short should this staccato be? How do we want it to compare to this tenuto?) and express their opinions. To encourage musical independence, each rehearsal should have a designated leader. While every voice in the group should be equal, the leader can steer and guide the conversation. From rehearsal to rehearsal, this role should shift, giving each member a chance to hone musical decision-making.

Repertoire
Incredible repertoire exists for the saxophone quartet. Unfortunately, as with saxophone solo repertoire, most of this music is for collegiate or professional players. After the mid-20th century, developmental literature for saxophone quartet was neglected by composers, arrangers, and publishers. Many warhorse resources can still help young groups, however. The following readily available collections for AATB quartet can fulfill the needs of intermediate performers:

• First Book of Saxophone Quartets, arr. by Himie Voxman (Southern)
• Five Centuries for Saxophone Quartet, arranged by Sigurd Rascher (Bourne)
• Quartet Repertoire for Saxophone, arr. by Himie Voxman (Rubank)
• Ten Saxophone Quartets, arr. by Larry Teal (Schirmer)

As groups advance, many other works of yesteryear will appeal to today’s young musicians. Bill Holcombe’s wonderful arrangements for Musicians Publications can provide quality options for holiday and patriotic concerts. Lenny Niehaus’s arrangements and original works, published by Kendor, range from gorgeous lyricism to ebullient, jazz-soaked fun. The British publisher Saxtet also offers quality arrangements and new compositions at a variety of ability-levels.

For some young saxophonists, these options may not be enough. Students who are inspired by the exciting, professional level works of Chris Evan Hass, David Biedenbender, or Jenni Watson may want something more. Luckily, several saxophone educators are filling in the gaps in developmental repertoire. This allows eager students with less technical or musical maturity to play exciting music by contemporary composers as their skills grow.

The Assembly Quartet (Jeff Heisler, Ian Jeffress, Matthew Younglove, and Adam Estes) have undertaken a long-term project to commission and promote excellent repertoire by diverse composers in both SATB and AATB configurations for developing quartets. This project has yielded new works by Hass (such as his Final Boss), Avner Dorman, Gala Flagello, Russell Holland, Marc Mellits, Steven Bryant, and many others that will appeal to modern students and are also developmentally appropriate for high school groups. Assembly’s website has an invaluable list of educational works, including such gems as Fernande Decruck’s Pavane, Henry Cowell’s Sailor’s Hornpipe, and Rendez-Vous by Andre Waignein. ()

Listening Examples
YouTube and other streaming services allow saxophonists to hear a world of wonderful examples. The PRISM Quartet is a leader in the saxophone quartet field. Since their founding forty years ago, they have commissioned works by such luminaries as William Bolcom, Julia Wolfe, and Jennifer Higdon. For the past decade, the group’s roster has included Timothy McAllister (University of Michigan), Zachary Shemon (University of Missouri-Kansas City), Matthew Levy (Temple University), and Taimur Sullivan (Northwestern University), all leading soloists, teachers, and chamber musicians.

The pantheon of saxophone quartets also includes the Capitol Quartet, who have premiered works by Stacy Garrop, John Anthony Lennon, and Carter Pann. Their roster is also a Who’s Who of the American saxophone world: Christopher Creviston (Arizona State University), Joseph Lulloff (Michigan State), David Stambler (Pennsylvania State University), and Henning Schroeder (Western Michigan University) all serve as current members.

Along with these long-established groups, younger quartets are also fixtures of the genre that can inspire any student. The H2 Quartet’s incredibly polished, exciting, and beautiful recordings should be required listening for any young saxophonist. In addition to their pedagogical contributions mentioned above, the Sinta Quartet and the Assembly Quartet will likewise inspire any young performer. I also shamelessly recommend my Palmetto Saxophone Quartet.

The saxophone quartet has become an international medium. Leaders in France in the form are the Quatuor Habanera and the Quatuor Ellipsos. Japanese saxophone virtuoso Nobuya Sugawa is the long-time leader of the incredibly refined Trouvere Quartet, and Masato Kumoi’s eponymous quartet is notable for its prowess, as well its long-term association with composer David Maslanka.

The saxophone quartet is a vibrant ensemble that can inspire students and supply tools for musical growth. This can lead to making music far past their school years. In addition, the quartet can extend a band program’s reach deeper into the community. It’s another way to help music shape young lives and to share beauty with the world.

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Legendary flutist and piccoloist, Walfrid Kujala died at the age of 99 on November 10 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His career spanned 47 years with the Chicago Symphony and 50 years at Northwestern University. He appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony under conductors Fritz Reiner, Sir Georg Solti, Antonio Janigro, and Seiji Ozawa.

Kujala was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, studying with Joseph Mariano. After graduation he began his career as second flutist to Mariano in the Rochester Philharmonic. In 1997, the National Flute Association awarded him the NFA Lifetime Achievement Award for his artistry and pedagogical contributions. He is the author of several pedagogical books including The Flutist’s Progress, The Articulate Flute, Orchestral Techniques for Flute and Piccolo, and The Flutist’s Vade Mecum of Scales, Arpeggios, Trills and Fingering Technique.

A memorial service will be scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, in memory of Kujala’s lifelong musical legacy.

Editor’s Note: We received news of his passing as this issue was going to print. We will include additional coverage of his extraordinary life and career, including his many contributions to Flute Talk and The Instrumentalist in future issues.

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Here are a few suggestions I give students to avoid rehearsal brain rot:
• Concentrate on producing consistently clean attacks where a good tone starts immediately. Little t and big OH – tOH. Be meticulous.
• Examine tone quality on sustained notes in different parts of your register.
• Are you in tune with others in your section?
• Are you in tune with surrounding sections?
• If you have any accidentals, listen extra carefully to make sure the notes they accompany are in tune with notes played by other band members.
• What other instruments in the band have you noticed playing especially well? (Tell them the next time you see them.)
• Listen for who in the band has the melody at any given time.
• Listen for who has the same note or part that you do. Are you tuning with them?
• What timbres and tone colors can you hear with the different instrument combinations? What instruments are you expected to blend with at any given time?
• Do you need to go beyond the written page and play the varying dynamics that are in the melodic parts?
• Does your breathing/phrasing work with the melodic parts? Should you breathe in the same places? Should you stagger breathe in your section?
• Work on vibrato. Vibrato is not an optional part of euphonium playing – it is essential. The good news is that it can be practiced frequently during rehearsal.
• Finger through a difficult passage.
• Work on double-tonguing by beginning all attacks with a “Ka” or “Ki” syllable, making them as clean as possible.
• Employ alternate fingerings. See how they tune compared to more common fingerings. See if they make any of the passages easier technically. I recommend David Werden’s Advanced Fingering Guide (Cimarron Music Press) to help with this endeavor.
• I hesitate to recommend this but keep some more difficult music on your stand (possible audition material) and finger it during lulls in rehearsal.
• But don’t miss the next entrance!

Composers and arrangers should give more melodies and countermelodies to the euphonium. Why should horns and altos have all the fun with countermelodies? It can also be effective on the upper octave of the bass line and blends nicely with the tubas. However, don’t overuse octave doubling in marching band music. The euphonium can also carry the bass line alone in lighter passages. It provides a wonderful supporting voice and should be used as such. It can shore up the unison sounds of the trombones and horns and add strength to the second and third trombone parts when the first trombone part doubles the horns.

Euphoniums can also extend the horn section by doubling the 4th horn part. Its mellow tones will blend nicely with those of the horns. Contemporary pieces often use horn rips, but these are rarely given to euphonium players, who could really add some power to it. Half-valve glissandi can be used to help cover trombone smears, particularly if the smear is over a diminished fifth in range.

Band directors should freely adjust the music if this leads to a better performance and keeps euphonium players more engaged. During rehearsals, directors should show euphonium players a little love by not cutting off right before they are about to play something challenging for the first time in twenty minutes.

Unfortunately, there are no ideal solutions for less than challenging rehearsal music, but maybe it will warm your heart that the consolation prize for such a situation is the knowledge that boredom can lead to patience, which builds character.

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