Dennis Zeisler 
    It is important to balance your band to the clarinet section. Bands have become too brass heavy these days to the point that many ensembles have lost the color of the woodwinds, especially the clarinets. Ideally having enough clarinets – 12 to 15 of them –  will take care of balance problems. With any fewer clarinets, you have to control the brass so the color of the brass and woodwind choirs is equal.

Steve Nendza
    In an effort to help the saxophone section play with a characteristic and blended sound, have students produce a specific pitch alone on the mouthpiece to develop that sound. Once  they consistently produce the correct pitch, many tuning and tone problems disappear.

Mary Land
    Encourage trumpet students to buzz a pitch on their mouthpiece, then put the mouthpiece in their trumpet and play the pitch. Play long tones on the mouthpiece, then long tones on the instrument. If students can buzz it, they can play it.

Michael Doty
    I often joke with my trombone players about the fact that they hold the world’s longest tuning slide in their right hand. The slide does little good, however, because if they cannot hear miniscule variances of pitch, they will always play terribly out of tune.
    During lessons with private students, I play a steady pitch on my trombone and have them match it exactly until the instruments’ vibrations coincide.  I also sing a pitch and have the student match it exactly on trombone, or I reverse it by playing a pitch as the student sings it back, exactly on pitch.

Michael Golemo
    Young saxophonists sometimes play with a clarinet embouchure. For a good sound, I have these players think of the concept of round and imagine putting a rubber band around the mouthpiece – and not like a vise. To check this roundness I’ll ask students play an A or B flat on the mouthpiece, but they often produce something around a B or C.
I also encourage directors to learn as many alternate fingerings as possible, such as bis B flat for arpeggios vs. side B flat for scales, and open C#4 played like D5 but with the left-hand B and A keys removed. 

Jeffrey Bishop
    Be sure your oboe students can wield a reed knife without hurting themselves. They should have at least three working reeds at any given time. Invariably the one good reed an oboist brings to state contest usually has goes bad as the ensemble warms up.

Matt Moore
I have percussion students play as much as possible on mallets, especially for daily warm-ups. This sometimes means I have more preparation and parts to write, but the benefits are substantial.

Ken Force
    There is nothing worse than telling a student to fix that when you can’t explain what to do. As a trumpet player, I learned about the idiosyncrasies of woodwind instruments by talking to professionals about their particular instrument. I also made it a point of teaching elementary level students, even though I was a high school band director.
    Through the repetition of teaching, I grew to know each instrument well and had the added bonus of becoming ac­quainted with my future high school students. Occasionally I was only a lesson ahead of some young students, but it paid rich dividends later. 

Thomas Bough
    Many tubists struggle with tone quality, projection, and articulation. Today there are many recordings available of professional tuba players that are outstanding models of tone quality for students to emulate. Once a student tubist plays with a good tone quality, projection becomes much easier.
    Clarity of articulation is frequently difficult for young players. Even if they are playing at the right volume and with great tone, poor articulation limits their effectiveness. I tell my students to consciously start each note. Articulation on the tuba requires a great deal of tongue, supported by a great deal of tongue. The type of sound at the beginning of each note is a critical component of being heard. Again, professional players can provide a model of sound for good articulation.

Matt Eaton
    The best tip I can give to directors is to have the utmost patience with the percussion section. Be sure players have a thorough understanding of technique – wrist turn, grip, stick height – timing, and relaxation in all areas of percussion performance.

Mel Kessler
    My first best tip is that trumpet students should always go for a great sound. Anthony Pas­quarelli at Car­negie Mel­lon preach­ed about the sound in every lesson. A great sound helps with so many things, including being able to adjust playing to be in tune with others. My second best tip is to remember that air compression – how fast the student moves the air – is important in increasing his range, not the volume of air.

Brad Meyerdierks
    For a large flute sound that projects to the back of the auditorium, directors should tell their players to use a  highly focused tone. All to often the only suggestion players hear is to increase the air speed or volume.
    Students of Albert Tipton, the late flutist and pedagogue, will remember his special attention to interval tuning and the importance of just intonation. He was also emphatic about playing with a tone that was focused and in tune for good projection.
    Some of the best examples he demonstrated from orchestral repertoire were notes within the middle range of the flute, not necessarily high notes that could easily project over an orchestra. No matter where you sat in a concert hall, hearing him play the solo in Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faune made each person in the audience think Tipton was next to him.

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Volume.
    90 points; groups playing below
        ffffff receive an automatic 20-
        point deduction.
Choreography, Horn Flashes,
    Gyrations.
    5 points.
Prompt Cut-offs.
    5 points; during the performance,
        bands must be able to stop
        promptly when judges sound a buzzer.
Extra points will be given for any
    permanent fixture that falls from
        the gymnasium walls or ceiling
        during the performance.

Awards:
    Southwest Airlines Decibel Award
        for the loudest pep band.
    Dancing with the Stars Award
        for the best choreography.
    Clanging Cowbell Award
        for the loudest cowbells.

Rules:
    No pair of drumsticks can match.
    Absolutely no tuning permitted.
    No earplugs allowed.
    Munching of popcorn and dill pickles
        allowed and even encouraged during
        the performance.

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    In variations a composer transforms original ideas that are always recognizable in some way. Jazz musicians do this sort of thing all the time, a fact made all the more amazing because they do it extemporaneously.
   From this point, there are fewer hard and fast boundaries between one type of musical work and another, such as the differences between composing and arranging. Even an experienced director might mistake a set of variations for an arrangement because, after all, arranging is composing with someone else’s ideas. A composer, however, transforms the original material, even while keeping it in the listener’s ear. Jazz improvisations on known tunes are often considered variation-ar­rangement hybrids.

An arranger, on the other hand, creates a kind of framework for a particular piece of music by adding new introductions, fills, interludes, and endings. He may reharmonize important themes, possibly develop countermelodies, and add his personal ideas to an existing work, all to present it in a new way without transforming it into a new piece of music. Think of the classic arrangements of standard tunes that Nelson Riddle did for Frank Sinatra for many years or Frank Foster’s renditions created for Count Basie and you’ll have an idea of what arrangers can do.
    Transcriptions or orchestrations are the rescoring of an existing work, usually done without making changes to the composition itself. A transcriber  changes the colors of the music while retaining the form, melodic shapes, harmonies, and rhythms of a work as much as possible. The work is consistently recognizable even though the overall sound is different.
    The terms transcription and orchestration are interchangeable, although the former implies that the rescoring includes no liberties as to the addition, deletion, or changing of octaves, as well as with other aspects of the original work.
    There is no one way to orchestrate or transcribe music, and two different orchestrations can be equally inventive and creative. For Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Maurice Ravel orchestrated the opening two bars of the first movement, “Promenade,” to feature a solo trumpet, while Carl Simpson gave the tune to four French horns in unison.
    I recast Mozart’s Divertimento, K.136, a work for strings, by adding winds and horns in pairs as well as timpani to recreate the sound of a typical Mozart-era orchestra. The project in­cluded being familiar enough with the composer’s orchestrational style to ap­proximate it in the transcription. I added only tone colors; every harmony, melody, and rhythm were Mozart’s own. In that case I considered myself a transcriber or orchestrator, not an arranger.
    Editions are prepared published versions of a composer’s work; the amount of preparation depends on the type of edition a publisher wants to create.  There are many types of editions, the most common being facsimile, ürtext, scholarly (or critical), performance, and educational. Again, no hard lines of demarcation exist among them, and many hybrids exist. Creating these editions requires a wealth of knowledge and skill, but not always that of a composer or arranger.
    Facsimile editions are photographic reproductions of the composer’s original, unchanged manuscript, although an editor may include comments and suggest corrections within the publication. Facsimile editions are useful for musicologists who want to explore a composer’s work habits, correct or discover works, or help to prepare a work for performance. They can also be fascinating to observe on their own, such as when a composer has a particularly messy or quirky handwriting, as in the case of Bee­thoven and Satie, or when the score is written in different color inks or pencils, an interesting habit of Stravinsky.

Ürtext editions, which are literally true editions, are engraved versions based on the best available forms of the music – most often the manuscript – with few or no additions or corrections unless the composer originally asked for them. It is an attempt to present the music as close to the composer’s original intentions as possible in an engraved, easy-to-read format.
    All ürtext editions are considered scholarly or critical editions, although not all scholarly or critical editions are ürtext. Engraved music is produced through any means except handcopying. Computer notation programs like Finale, music typewriters, and musical symbols punched into lead plates are all forms of music engraving.

Scholarly or critical editions correct mis­takes based on an editor’s examination of the original source, if it is available, and additional reliable sources, including a composer’s letters, reviews, or copies of scores marked up for performance by the composer or another dependable source. Editors of scholarly editions are usually well versed in a composer’s work habits, the notation and performance practices of the composer’s time, and the work of other such editors. Choices have to be carefully made to present the work in as close to definitive form as possible. These editions are used for performance but lack bowings, fingerings, and the other indications performers rely on except for what the composer originally included; it is up to the performers to add the rest.
    Performance editions always include an editor’s suggestions for fingerings, bowings, tempos, and any number of other interpretive indications based on musicological research, performance practices of the work’s time period, the idiosyncrasies of particular performers or conductors, or the needs of a particular level of technique.
    Collections of piano works, or works for any instrument for that matter, with fingerings and other technical suggestions added by well-known pedagogues are performance editions. Ed­itors of these publications can impose as much or as little of their own fingerings and extra articulations as well as commentaries as they like. A comparison of any two performance editions of Beethoven’s piano sonatas will show one to have relatively few suggestions by the editor while the other might be so full of commentary and additional markings that they appear messy and overwhelm the score.
    Performance editions are considered hybrid editions that balance respect for the composer’s intent with the needs of the performer. Educational versions of musical works are performance or hybrid editions because an editor makes adjustments to the score so that specific groups, such as high school string orchestras, can perform them. Some are transcriptions or orchestrations. Some works are heavily truncated with simplified harmonies that may even be rescored. The best educational editions present the music as close to a composer’s intent as possible, using the lightest possible touch of the editor’s (or orchestrator’s) pencil.
    Directors should know the differences between these various types of musical works. It will help them to select the best music for their ensembles to play in the most suitable form.

The post A Maze of Editions appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Sound Sources
     In college my goal to play with good intonation began by practicing with a tuning fork (chromatic tuners had not yet been invented). I would hit the tuning fork against the heel of my hand, then hold it to my ear and at the same time grab the clarinet with a free hand to finger the same note. Before the sound of the tuning fork died away a few seconds later, I tried to match the exact pitch of the note. It proved to be an arduous method with only limited results.
     I soon tried experimenting with the piano as my sound source, which turned out to be easier. While holding down the sustain pedal with my foot and hammering a note forte, I could grab the clarinet with both hands and play the corresponding note. Again, the sustained note on the piano died away quickly, but it was slower than the decay of a tuning fork and gave me a better chance of matching pitches. At least I could check any note on the clarinet with this method.

Playing Sharp
     Differentiating flat from sharp notes took careful practice. I quickly realized that a flat pitch seemed sour to my ears and made me impatient and uneasy. I also learned that I was much more tolerant of sharp pitches, although both are out of tune; my response to sharpness was more forgiving. Perhaps flatness suggested a weak, unsupported, unenthusiastic tone while sharp­ness suggested one that was strong and well supported.
     One day when I was rehearsing with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, a colleague in the clarinet section chimed in that it is always better to play sharp than out of tune. It was a joke of course, a statement that seem­ed pretty funny at the time; but the more I thought about those words, the more they made sense.
     My colleague’s statement clearly supported the notion that another professional shared my view toward pitch. The notion that sharpness is better tolerated than flatness soon developed into a playing concept for me. If you are going to have an intonation error, then it is better to err on the sharp side than on the flat side of the pitch.
      One day before an opera rehearsal, I noticed the principal horn player marking pencil lines on several tuning slides of his horn. Curious, I asked what he was doing. He explained that he was pretuning some of the tuning slides on his high horn to the sharp side for a particular upcoming solo passage.
     I questioned him further, asking whether there was an advantage to tuning sharp. He explained that to play this particular passage with a full-bodied tone at the required forte dynamic, without straining or reaching for the high notes, he preferred to tune those notes sharp. It helped him to open up, relax, and drop into the notes from above.
     This was a revelation to me because it related directly to the clarinet’s al­tis­simo register. Although the clarinet does not have tuning slides like the horn, clarinetists can use alternate fingerings to produce sharp notes and provide the same advantages. These fingerings open up the instrument so players can relax and drop in notes from above. The result is a more full-bodied tone and a greater sense of ease when negotiating difficult altis­simo passages. It reduces tension in the embouchure and produces a perception of ease and control by the performer to the audience.

Facts About Pitch Perception
     By now I thought it would be helpful to review a few basic principles regarding pitch perception. When a musician plays either sharp or flat compared to a sound source, the wave patterns of the sound he produces conflict and create an audible beat or beat pattern. The slower the conflicting beat pattern the closer the musician is to playing in tune, and the faster the beat pattern the farther out of tune he is. The goal is to reduce the beat patterns entirely.
     Whether you are sharp or flat on clarinet – or any other woodwind or brass instrument – the best way to practice is to play your note and compare it to a reference note, then experiment by tightening and loosening the em­bouchure. This allows you to listen to the subtle changes in the speed of the beat patterns. When the beat patterns are silent you are playing in tune, which is the ultimate goal.
     With practice, even student musicians can develop the ability to recognize the difference between sharpness and flatness as well as begin to understand how to use the embouchure to raise and lower the pitch of the instrument efficiently as needed.

Electronic Tuners
     Years ago the easiest and most reliable instrument to use as a pitch reference was a piano. Today there are a number of tone producing chromatic tuners whose ranges cover every note on a piano keyboard. They give clarinetists just about any reference pitch for an indeterminate length of time.
     By practicing with a tone-producing tuner, you will begin to hear the patterns of pitch tendencies of your clarinet, which is a huge step toward gaining control of intonation. All clarinets have individual, distinct pitch tendencies. Since the early instruments made by Louis Buffet in 1839, clarinet designers have made any number of acoustic changes in bore and key placement to improve the response, tone, and intonation of instruments. Even with the use of computers and modern manufacturing technology, however, clarinets do not play in tune throughout their entire range without careful adjustments made while playing.

Qualities of Good Clarinets
     Professional-model clarinets have very good pitch characteristics with good, reliable notes, but they are not perfect. What defines a good clarinet is a high percentage of reliable in-tune notes when compared to the number of flat and sharp notes.
     The clarinet is ultimately an instrument of acoustic compromises. A manufacturer can po­sition tone holes to produce reliably in-tune notes in the chalumeau register, but they become sharp or flat when a player adds the register key producing a note a 12th above in the clarion register. Recog­nizing that most clarinet tone holes serve multiple notes is important.

Adjusting Pitch
     The first steps in playing with good intonation include recognizing and memorizing the pitch tendencies of your clarinet. This means every single note and at all dynamic levels. Being able to anticipate the intonation tendencies and adjust them quickly will improve your playing dramatically and help you to control intonation like a professional. For example, if E4 on your instrument tends to be flat, you can immediately compensate by tightening the embouchure and thinking sharper. If the reference pitch is reliable, it helps to anticipate the pitch tendencies of notes as you play and compensate for them, whether sharp or flat; it works most of the time.
     Through practice and experience a player becomes programmed to adjust notes by force of habit. After a while the clarinet will sound like it is playing with improved intonation all by itself when in fact it is the clarinetist’s pitch adjustments that make the difference.
     You may think that professionals have access to better equipment – brands of clarinets, mouthpieces, barrels, and reeds – than amateurs, but that is not the case. If you wonder why professionals play consistently in tune and amateurs struggle, it is because professionals hear and anticipate pitch tendencies and adjust to them before audiences sense an intonation problem. The difference has little to do with equipment.

Improving Intonation
     To improve intonation my first suggestion is to chart every note of the clarinet moving chromatically from low E3 up to the highest note in your range. Next calibrate a tuner to A=440 and check to see that the ambient room temperature is 70-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
     Turn on your tuner and select the concert pitch D3, which corresponds to the unison low E3 on the B-flat clarinet. Set the tuner to its loudest output level while playing the E3 with the tuner at a mezzo forte dynamic level. If you are out of tune, do not immediately adjust your embouchure to the pitch of the tuner. At this point you are trying to determine the pitch tendency of the note being tested.
     Listen to the beat pattern and experiment with the pitch by tightening and loosening the em­bouchure and hearing the changing speed of the beat patterns. If you are flat, for example, tighten your embouchure to raise the pitch, which minimizes or silences the beats, then take note of the effort you applied to the reed. I show students how to chart these physical adjustments num­erically using a scale of one to three. Number one represents minor adjustments and number three major adjustments; a zero means the note is in tune. A negative sign can delineate flatness and a positive sign can show sharpness. Record this information on your chart.
     When you finish determining and adjusting the pitch tendency for E3, play the octave above and listen to the pitch tendency of E4 in the staff. Later, this will be a good reference when you plot that E in your chart.
     A note that is out of tune at the unison will also be out of tune in the same way as a fourth, fifth, or octave, so this might also be a good time to check the fourths and fifths against the E3. It will help with ear training as well as reinforce the pitch tendencies of those notes as you chart them later. Con­tinue to repeat this process through the entire range of the clarinet and then memorize the results.

Other Ways to Alter Pitch
     There are several other ways to adjust the intonation of an instrument. First, it is helpful to understand the properties of the harmonic series of the clarinet. The chalumeau register (fundamental register) over-blows at the 12th into the clarion register and then over-blows again a sixth into the altissimo register. You will notice that on a many B-flat clarinets, A3 tends to be sharp. When you activate the register key and over blow the A3, it rises a 12th to E5 in the staff, which also tends to play sharp.
     If you release the left-hand index finger and over-blow the E5, you will produce a high C#6, which also tends to be sharp. Because the pitch is consistently sharp through all three registers, a reliable clarinet repairman can mechanically lower the three pitches by adding material such as epoxy steel to the topside of the tone hole. In this case it is the tone hole played by the right-hand third finger that produces the A3, E5, and C#6.
     The epoxy has to taper at the shoulders of the tone hole so it blends in seamlessly with it while being humped in the middle. This added material physically lengthens the clarinet at the top of the tone hole, thus producing a lower pitch on all three notes in their respective registers.
     Through­out this process the repairman should carefully check the pitch with the tuner so that the amount of epoxy material he adds to the tone hole is the best compromise for all three notes being considered. A fine file can be used to adjust and shape the epoxy material.
     There are several other ways to alter clarinet pitch. To raise pitch you can undercut the top of a tone hole and/or raise the height of a pad by reducing the thickness of the bumper cork. To lower pitch you need to add thickness to the bumper cork, which lowers the height of the pad.
     A combination of one or several of these adjustment techniques will give you more control over the basic pitch tendencies of the instrument. Always remember, however, that most tone hole adjustments affect several notes, so consider all the notes being affected before making any changes.

An Average Embouchure Range
     Another technique is to play the clarinet with an embouchure that accommodates an average range of notes in a given register. For practical purposes this is simply easier than trying to adjust wildly to individual notes.
     A good example is the throat tones. I have students adjust their instruments so the pad height or key height of the throat tones, A3, A flat 3, and G3, uses the same embouchure. If one of these notes is noticeably out of tune with the others, then the student adjusts it to balance with the others. It  improves intonation because the one- embouchure approach can be used throughout a moving passage.
     Regulating the resistance of specific notes to balance a range of notes is also useful and is done by adjusting pad height. The lower the pad, the more resistant the response; the higher the pad the less resistant the response. If, for example, C#4 is sharp but is more resistant than D4 and C4, then it is helpful to raise the pad to free up the resistance and also add epoxy to the top side of the tone hole to lower pitch.
     All of these suggestions will give clarinetists the information and tools they need to improve intonation. The two most important skills are training the ears to interpret beat pattern disturbances – out-of-tune notes – and learning the pitch tendencies of every note on your clarinet. It is also helpful to have your clarinet mechanically tuned to correct out-of-tune notes and regulate resistance.
     Clarinetists who know about the intonation tendencies of their instrument and work to improve them, will grow to become confident musicians with a uniform approach to the embouchure and to playing.    

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Psalm, Op. 53/Pageant, Op. 59 (1952, 1953)
     The popularity of Pageant has eclipsed the equally meritorious Psalm, even though these works were written close to­gether and have many similar characteristics. Pageant, along with the Divertimento, Op. 42, is easily the most popular and frequently performed work of Persichetti’s, particularly among high school bands. Many horn players have been intimidated by the difficult opening of this work; it  leads to a beautiful clarinet choir melody and a section Persichetti termed the “expansion of motive” in his notes. After 72 measures of chorale, the writing breaks out into raucous and rowdy music that is rhythmically driving and exciting.
     Psalm similarly opens with a chorale initiated in the clarinets that continues for 82 measures. The fast section has a few more gradations in tempo and a bit more technical difficulty, particularly for woodwinds. Psalm is a slightly longer and more difficult work than Pageant with an equal amount of musical reward.

Serenade #11, Op. 85 (1960)
     Another undeservedly underperformed work,  Serenade #11 is in some ways like the Diverti­mento, composed ten years earlier and the Bag­atelles, Op. 87, published in 1961. Coming from the rich legacy of commissions initiated by Frank Battisti at Ithaca (New York) High School, the Serenade consists of five descriptive movements – “Pastoral,” “Humor­eske,” “Noc­turne,” “Intermezzo,” and “Capriccio.” While it has short, exposed solos for flute, clarinet, trumpet, and horn, Persichetti scored the bulk of the colors for the larger ensemble. As with most of his music at this difficulty level, the percussion writing is organic and important but not particularly difficult or requiring a large number of players. This is a charming, delightful work.

Bagatelles, Op. 87 (1961)
     Written shortly after the Serenade, Persichetti’s four movements of the Bag­atelles are similar in form and scope but more difficult. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music’s description of a bagatelle – “a short unpretentious piece, often for piano and often presented in sets with contrasting memos and moods” – fits this work perfectly.
     The movements have the tempo indications of Vivace, Allegretto, Andante Sostenuto, and Al­legro con Spirito. An evolving orchestrational characteristic of Persichetti’s band scoring at the time is evident in this piece. He writes with prominent solos and much exposed scoring that features distinct colors and textures.

The Chorale Preludes
     Persichetti composed five pieces with the words chorale prelude in the title, three of which are for band: Chorale Prelude: So Pure the Star; Chorale Prelude: Turn Not Thy Face; Chorale Prelude: O God Unseen. A fourth band work, O Cool is The Valley, does not use the chorale prelude label even though it has many characteristics similar to the pieces that do. Many other larger works, including the Symphony #6, have movements or portions derived from either the Persichetti’s Hymns and Responses for the Church Year or other similar sources.
     These works can be among the most problematic of the composer’s to rehearse and perform; Persi­chetti even referred to them as “gritty grace.” While the chorale melodies are elegantly lyrical, when Persichetti combines them with his harmonic and rhythmic treatments, the result is a much different effect than those of Bach or the Romantic composers. During rehearsals as with other chor­ales, it helps to isolate the melody. Be sure to guide students through the nontraditional harmonies, particularly the added tone chords; this will help the younger, less-experienced band members. Also, each of these works has a story and text based on a wide range of literary sources that show Persi­chetti’s love of poetry rather than a specific religious belief.

Chorale Prelude: So Pure The Star, Op. 91 (1962)
     Persichetti’s first chorale prelude, So Pure The Star, was inspired by Hymn #7 in his Hymns and Responses for the Church Year (anonymous author):

    Motionless share of thought at last
    Our evening prayer unfold
    Motionless depths of love impart
    So pure the star we hold
    Sorry and grief shall be revealed
    Conceiving mounting dreams
    Lift every soul against the dark
    Celestial fortune gleams

     The scoring is one of the most unusual aspects of this piece. There are just two half-beat occurrences of tutti scoring in the entire work (on the downbeats of measures 43 and 53), and there are frequent one- and two-measure exchanges between instrument groupings. Although the groupings are often homogenous, Persichetti produces fascinating colors by mixed groupings of instruments, such as those found in the first measure: a combination of piccolo, cornet, horn, euphonium, and timpani. The ranges are modest for most high school groups, with first cornet going up to a high B; and the only
unusual instrumentation is the need for a competent piccolo player.

Chorale Prelude: Turn Not Thy Face, Op. 105 (1966)
     Written just a few years after So Pure The Star, this work is distinguished by a beautiful flute solo that opens the work, accompanied by subtle percussion. The clarinet section enters at measure ten in the chalemeau register, establishing a dark and mysterious mood in the music. Another distinguishing feature is that the piece is in cut time, which makes it essential to keep the phrasing moving forward at all times. The hymnlike voicings  produce vertical sonorities that will give ensembles a chance to work on tuning and playing dissonant and added chord tones with resonance.
     This work was written for Frank Battistti and the Ithaca High School Band. It was Persichetti’s reaction to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, an event that interrupted that band’s performance in Yankee Stadium during a trip. Although not technically difficult, a good performance will require attention to phrasing, color, and identifying and emphasizing the melodic line.

O Cool is The Valley, Op. 118 (1971)
     Although not labeled a chorale prelude, O Cool is The Valley has many of the same characteristics of Persichetti’s chorale preludes as well as an extra-musical reference to a poem by James Joyce. The work has more contrast in meter and tempo than the other chorale preludes. The outer sections are in 4/4 with the inner material in 6/8, and the only two metronome markings are 80 and 88. The construction is logical and symmetrical, but Persichetti would have objected to finding any correlation between the structure and Joyce’s verse. Even though the composer frequently used poetry and text as inspiration for his instrument works, he believed that program music was inherently weak. Persichetti used text purely for inspiration.
     O Cool is very similar to So Pure The Star in that tutti scoring is almost nonexistent. As with much of Persichetti’s writing, the clarinet choir is an important timbre, and there is a fair amount of independence between each part. The music is less difficult than a typical grade four composition, but performing it well requires careful listening.

Chorale Prelude: O God Unseen, Op. 160 (1984)
     The last work Persichetti wrote for band, O God Unseen, has the most intricate ensemble entrances and rhythms of any of the chorale preludes. Much of the difficulty in performing the work comes from frequent rhythmic and harmonic displacements throughout the music. Stability and predictability seem to be studiously avoided, with entrances and motivic material frequently happening off the down­beats.
     Harmonic stability is also elusive, with every chord progression seeming to be only the next in a series of deceptive cadences through to the end where the last notes are concert F, C, and E in the clarinets. Perhaps the angst showed an aging composer (he was almost 70 at the time) or perhaps just the evolution of his composing style. Whatever the cause, the result is an incredibly powerful work.

Rehearsal Suggestions
     Whether playing one of Persichetti’s better-known works or an overlooked piece, certain strategies will help in navigating his music:
     Authenticity. Approach the piece on its own terms. Do not try to make O Cool is The Valley fit into an Irish-Tune-from-County-Derry mold. While both are slow, lush works, their musical materials are quite different from each other.
     Harmonic Language. Persichetti’s unusual harmonic language can make his music seem more difficult and less rewarding than it is. Embracing the dissonant, gritty textures of his unconventional chord tones and bitonality can help turn his works into something that is quite beautiful, even for young ears.
     Scoring. Persichetti’s scores and parts often have  large amounts of blank space. I find it refreshing to play music with thin textures, even though these pieces can sometimes be a hard sell to less-experienced players who equate good music with technically difficult parts. It is important to convey the importance of each part, no matter how simple.
     Music for Other Media. Persichetti’s primary instrument was piano, so he composed many wonderful pieces for the piano at a variety of difficulty levels. Even some experience playing these works can provide remarkable insight into the interpretation of his music. Musicians who have minimal piano skill would enjoy his Little Piano Book, which Dorothea Persichetti, the composer’s wife, says includes a distillation of the rest of his music. Advanced pianists will enjoy any of his various Sonatas and Poems, and all of the music is widely available. When playing any of the pieces derived from the Hymns and Responses for the Church Year, it is useful to obtain a copy of this booklet.
     Vincent Persichetti left a wonderful legacy of music to directors through a variety of works for concert band and wind ensemble. I hope these suggestions and comments will remind everyone of the valuable pieces in our repertoire that at the very least deserve more recognition and more performances than they currently receive. 

The post Rediscovered Gems of Vincent Persichetti appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Thin Texture
     From a student’s perspective there is safety in numbers, such as when the word tutti appears in his part. As the textures of a score become thin, however, these same players may become insecure, especially if a solo passage comes their way.
     Solution 1: Before you begin work on a piece, point out thinly scored passages where texture changes from full band to a few solo instruments are significant. When students can anticipate their playing will be prominent, they are more apt to play well. If you assign solos ahead of time, students will know who is to play them once the passage arrives and not be surprised.
     Solution 2: Include small ensemble groups for all students as part of the band curriculum. This helps young musicians become accustomed to playing with only a few students and hearing the sound of their instrument. Further, each student becomes a stronger player as he learns to rely on himself and not hide behind another musician. The end result is that the band is less likely to be affected by thinly scored textures.
     Solution 3: Devise a warm-up routine with some exercises in which only a few people play at a time. This also helps each student become accustomed to hearing his sound.

Incomplete Instrumentation
Several sightreading problems may develop be­cause of incomplete instrumentation. It is common for the percussion section to sightread through a score, only to arrive at a percussion interlude with the parts not covered, even when there are enough players.
     Wind players need to know whether to play cues for the solos because sometimes solos are cued in more than one part; they need to know who will play the solo. Sometimes solos are not cued in any part, so there is the possibility of holes in the music.
     Solution 1: Incomplete percussion instrumentation results if directors fail to distribute all the parts. Before sight­reading a piece, be sure to look through the entire score and decide which parts are the most important to include. Good principal players often will do this, but directors should take the lead in being certain the right players have the essential parts.
     Solution 2: Assign wind cues where necessary, and be sure the ensemble knows who will be playing each solo.
     Solution 3: During sightreading the winds will have the same difficulties with balance as they do with repertoire, only the problems will be accentuated. Be sure the band members understand the problems and solutions caused by specific instrumentation. Frequent sightreading in class will help them to resolve these problems and play with a good, balanced sound, even during sightreading.

Uncomfortable Key Signatures
     Playing in unfamiliar or uncomfortable keys is a problem because of the potential for wrong notes, especially if students don’t know the scale associated with each key. Uncom­fortable keys are generally the furthest away from the keys of band instruments, which are the flat keys. B-flat instruments simply don’t play well in the key of E. It is harder for them to play in tune in E, the fingerings are often more complex, and the ranges may be a problem.
     Solution 1: Before a rehearsal begins, have students warm-up by singing and fingering through uncomfortable scales. Point out the notes they are most likely to miss: in flat keys it is the fourth note of the scale; in sharp keys it is the seventh note of the scale.
     Solution 2: Use warm-up time to review all the scales so everyone can play them like second nature; only then will the entire band be able to play in awkward keys without a blink.
     Solution 3: Have students sing chor­ales in uncomfortable keys during each warm-up so they become accustomed to playing in tune in every key. You can also have them play chorales in B flat, E flat, F, etc., up or down a half step, which develops their ability to think quickly.

Scalar and Nonscalar Motion
     In general, it is easiest for students to move their fingers in stepwise scalar motion; leaps within a scale pattern are more difficult. Nonscalar patterns are much more difficult because young students do not have well-developed muscle memory. Leaps in atonal music are the most difficult to move to because they are hard to predict and to hear. 
     Solution 1: Point out areas in a new work that don’t include scales and have students sing and finger through them before sightreading. Never as­sume students will notice leaps in music, even if they are good at finding other obvious problems.
     Solution 2: Practice scales in intervals – 3rds, 4ths, 5ths and ascending and descending – during warm-ups.
     Solution 3: Practice leaps between two scales, such as playing B flat and D and alternating between the notes of the scales: go from 1 of B flat to 1 of D; 2 of B flat to 2 of D, and all the way up both scales. More difficult possibilities are easy to imagine.
     Solution 4: Develop exercises that use leaps for warming up all members of the ensemble.

Irregular Phrase Lengths
     Years ago I realized that playing music with ir­regular phrase lengths forced students to count carefully and to trust their counting. Entrances that do not occur where they feel like they should can take some maturity on the part of students to play well.
     Solution 1: Talk to the band about playing irregular phrase lengths and the fact that many entrances in this kind of music will not feel right. It might be a good idea to point out specific instances that include several sections of the band so everyone understands what to expect as they sightread such a piece.
     Solution 2: During sightreading portions of the rehearsal, include examples of music with irregular phrase lengths. Although atonal pieces often have irregular phrases, try to find tonal works with irregular phrases. It is generally more difficult to play irregular phrases in tonal music because the tonality sets up certain expectations for ensemble members, but a composer may not always write what is expected.

Extreme Ranges
     During sightreading the notes at the top and bottom of your strongest players’ ranges will be more difficult to reach. Expect to have a reduced usable range for sightreading.
     Solution 1: Give students the flexibility of playing music an octave higher or lower during sightreading. While this will change the textures and chord voicings of a piece, it is better than having the right notes played with poor tone and faulty intonation or even wrong notes.
     Solution 2: Include ear training in your warm-up and fundamentals practice. Young students often play with a press-the-button-and-go mentality, never an­ti­cipating what will come out of the instrument or whether it is right or wrong. Through ear training, students improve in their ability to predict the sound of a musical line before they play it, so they know what to expect. Singing in class is one of the best ways to develop good ears.
     Solution 3: Tension affects range, so be sure your students are relaxed before they sightread. The result will be a better sound in the extreme ranges. Gary Green, director of bands at the University of Miami, Florida, once helped an ensemble of tension-filled student musicians with these simple words: “Relax; it’s only music!” The effect on the group was amazing. Once students realized they could make a few mistakes, they made fewer mistakes.

Meters with Large Beat Notes
     Meters in which the half note gets the beat, such as 2/2, 3/2, etc., often cause sightreading problems from which recovery is nearly impossible. This is especially the case when these meters are mixed with 4/4 or 6/8 where shorter durations get the beat.
     Solution 1: Before the opening downbeat of a sightreading session, tell the ensemble the note value that gets the beat and relate how you will conduct the work. You don’t necessarily have to conduct 2/2 in two, but you need to decide how you will conduct based on the abilities of your players and the difficulty of the music.
     Solution 2: During rehearsals include music in a variety of meters and be sure students understand each one. There is a difference between 3/2 and 6/4, just as there is a difference between 3/4 and 6/8. The more you train students to understand these differences, the more easily they will be able to sightread them.

Mixed Meters
     Meters that change frequently can confuse the entire ensemble, particularly if the music moves between even- and odd-measure lengths or between simple and compound meters, such as 4/4 to 6/8 or 2/4 to 5/8.
     Solution 1: Be sure that your conducting chops are up to the task. You will not be able to help your players if too much of your focus goes to beating time correctly.
     Solution 2: Before you begin, everyone in the ensemble should know how the different meters relate to one another. If the eighth note prevails, make sure this is something the ensemble knows and understands.
     Solution 3: Point out passages that have a continuous pulse and explain that this pulse will be the metronome for the piece, such as when the trombones have repeated eighth notes throughout a work.

Complex Subdivisions
     After identifying the primary beat, students should also know the primary subdivision. A piece in 4/4 with an abundance of eighth notes has a quarter-note pulse and a subdivision of eighth notes. Some players may have quarter notes and eighth notes while others have eighths and 16ths, which means different subdivision levels may be necessary for different players.
     Solution 1: During rehearsals be sure all of your players understand how to subdivide. If they do, this means they are using some type of counting system to read rhythms instead of learning them by rote or imitating their neighbors.
     Solution 2: Before you begin, point out where subdivision errors are likely to occur. You should tell the band to think ahead: “Woodwinds, you need to start thinking about 16th notes in bar 12 so you are ready for them when you get to bar 13.”
     Solution 3: Review exercises in subdivision on a daily basis. Have students play a scale with four beats per pitch, then play the subdivision. Hand signals are helpful to switch from one subdivision to another. Use one finger to signify quarter notes, two fingers for eighth notes, and four fingers for 16ths. You can include triple subdivisions and even more complex variations. This will increase students’ comfort in switching between subdivisions and give them the tools to sightread and play complex subdivisions.

Extreme Tempos
     Very fast and very slow tempos will cause sightreading problems, depending on the complexity of the music. Fast whole notes are not too hard to play, but slow whole notes can be quite difficult. It is usually fine to use a moderate tempo for a while in the first reading of a piece, but be aware that it may be difficult to change to the correct tempo at a later date once students learn the wrong tempo.
     Solution 1: Your conducting has to be crystal clear in terms of tempo. Don’t create problems with indecisive tempos.
     Solution 2: Tempo should be one criterion by which you assess the difficulty of the music. Reducing the tempo will not necessarily make the music easier to play. Think of such technical areas as articulation, melodic motion (stepwise versus leaps), the key, and meter. Select a tempo that retains the character of the music while giving players a chance to do well.

Tempo Changes
     Changes in tempo come in two varieties. Un­prepared changes are sudden or come from a stop in the music, such as a fermata or caesura. Prepared changes are accelerando or retardando (also ri­tenuto). Prepared changes may also signal a switch from common time to cut time with the underlying pulse remaining the same.
     Solution 1: Know the tempo you want, and then stay with it. Pre­paratory beats should be clear to everyone.
     Solution 2: The entire ensemble should know where each tempo change takes place and the tempos at the beginning and end of the work. I also like to have my students sing through the transition sections.
     Solution 3: Add tempo changes – prepared and unprepared – to your warm-up routine. Use your materials in creative ways and find novel ideas to include as you review basic skills with the ensemble.
A part of teaching music is helping students develop the skills to interpret music without your help. Just as English teachers have students read out loud in class to demonstrate their ability, music teachers need opportunities to show that their students are learning musical concepts, not just pieces.

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What led you to move beyond band, orchestra, and choir to include other styles of music in the program?
Eric Songer: The starting point was having a strong interest in and enjoyment for that kind of music. I have always loved a wide variety of music, so it was a fun change for me to teach classes that did not involve classical music. Even with the hip-hop academy, I did not start out as a huge fan of the music, but have developed an appreciation for it through extensive listening.
     It takes some time to figure out how to run these classes in the best way for your teaching style. I enjoy working in a concert or jazz band setting and teach the rock classes the same way. I will write out charts or buy them, and the group will work through the music in a fairly structured way.
     The school of rock started after my wife and I went to see the popular movie of the same name several years ago. By the end of the movie we knew we needed to teach a class like that but with more structure. My wife is a piano and voice teacher and teaches the class with me.
     The school of rock was open to anyone who wanted to join, regardless of instrument. We started with about ten students and almost no equipment. We wrote a number of successful grant applications to buy guitars, keyboards, amps, computers, and microphones. We also brought in some local rock artists as clinicians. Eventually we decided to start an auditioned rock band. From there we began the hip hop and mariachi groups, which were born in part out of an effort to get more minority students involved in the music program.
     Our newest program is a radio morning show that will start in February. We already have broadcasting equipment that permits us to broadcast throughout the school on closed circuit television and our public address system. We will meet for four or five weeks to discuss how to run a morning show, talk on the air, take phone calls, and run a radio contest. Then students will be on the air once a week starting at 7 a.m. until the school day begins.

What benefits do you see from having so many ensembles and classes?
Eric Songer: For those students who are in band, choir, and orchestra, they have even more opportunities to get involved in music. For students who enjoy music less, some of the other classes can provided an unexpected spark. I recall one student who played saxophone but was wavering on whether to continue playing in the concert band. She loved singing in her rock music class. Eventually she grew more enthusiastic about saxophone and became one of the top players in the school and even joined the jazz band. I attribute the change to participating in an after-school program with music she loved.

How did the composer of the month program get started at Chaska Middle School West?
Scott Prescott: With so many initiatives we have attempted, the administration has bent over backwards to help us, and that certainly has been the case with the composer program. We pick a composer and then share information with the entire school about that person and his music. This month we have John Coltrane. In other months the pick might be Brahms or Debussy or even the Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.


What other projects have you used to keep students interested in music?
Tricia Stolz: We give students various projects and presentations that require internet research. We might tell students to imagine they are news reporters in the 1800s attending the premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony #9. They will work in small groups to develop a presentation for the class. This is a great way for students to learn about composers and look deeper into the history behind music.

Eric Songer: In the band program we give students the opportunity to become composers using various software programs. We might ask students to write a theme and variations or a duet using Finale. At other times we have them use the Garage Band software program to compose a piece in any style they want and incorporate their own instrument. Other popular projects include developing a music history website and organizing a school talent show.

All of the band students start playing in 5th grade, but the orchestra students begin a year later. Why did you make this decision?
Tricia Stolz: When we started the orchestra program three years ago, some of the classroom teachers were concerned about losing more students to pullout lessons, and the band directors were worried that the new program would hurt their enrollment. They had nothing to worry about because the band program is so strong.
     In the first year orchestra met outside the school day. We had about 10 players at the time and a few others who started playing a string instrument for the first time. Two of the original string students were top band students looking for a new goal. In the second year, the program met during the school day. The late start in 6th grade is detrimental, but we have grown despite the obstacles. For next year the school board will consider a proposal to start the string program in 5th grade. That change would align the string and band programs.

Scott Prescott: The success of the 5th grade band program has just been remarkable. Some of the 5th grade classes have 80-90% participation in band. Unfor-tunately, there is a big drop-out rate between 5th and 6th grade as students move up to middle school and have the opportunity to pursue a wider range of activities. However, if we can keep a good percentage of the band students in middle school, this provides a good foundation for the entire music program.

What steps have you taken to keep students interested in music when they come to middle school?
Scott Prescott: Our 6th grade band and orchestra classes are short, just 30 minutes each, so students learn to work efficiently. They have two minutes to get ready at the start of rehearsal and then we get down to work.

Tricia Stolz: Moving quickly can sometimes be more difficult in orchestra classes because the instruments are so vulnerable to intonation problems. Today I had three basses that were wildly out of tune and couldn’t allow that to persist in rehearsal.

Eric Songer: We really plan the school year carefull and try to increase the amount of material we cover in method books. I find some students are bored by the review of playing fundamentals at the start of 6th grade, but we spend considerable time working on dynamics, articulations, and commonly missed notes. If students move into 7th grade thinking about dynamics and articulations, we have succeeded.
     By 8th grade most of the students have been taking lessons for four years and if you work on dynamics for nine weeks at the start of the year, they will tune you out. I try to come up with innovative projects, some using technology, that help students employ concepts they have learned. Regardless of what projects are assigned, the focus always remains on making great music. Our 8th grade music classes aren’t just having fun with computers.

In what ways have you used technology to enhance your program?
Eric Songer: Technology comes up in everything we do from lessons to concerts. We even have a music technology class and one part of that is teaching
students how to use moviemaking software. In our rock class we have students make a music video for the unit on the 1980s because that was when MTV started. These skills are also applied to recording many of our 45-50 performances each year.
     The rise of podcasts has made it easier to help students when they miss a lesson. Most of our pullout lessons have about ten players at a time. In the past, if one student missed the class, it would have been difficult to make up the session. Now, I can record everything from the lesson, put it on our website, and tell the student, “Go home and listen to me talk to you in your house.” They laugh, but a podcast allows them to get almost the full experience of having a lesson except for receiving direct feedback from me.

How are the pullout lessons handled at Chaska?
Gina Ford: I will pick a day of the week for each section, so the flute players might always get pulled from class on Mondays. I’ll rotate the class period so that students only miss a particular class once a month. Teachers like this approach, but the constantly changing class time can be confusing for students.

Does it cause problems for students to have a different band director for every year of middle school?
Gina Ford: There are pros and cons to this approach, and in some ways, this part of the program is harder on the teachers because you are always learning the names of a new group of students. I do think it is valuable for students to hear different perspectives and ways of having material presented to them. Because all of the music teachers at Chaska work closely together, there is consistency in ideas even if there is a wide variety of teaching approaches.

Eric Songer: When you are a beginning teacher it can take time to find your strengths. It is so common to have a difficult first year in teaching and conclude that things won’t get any better. One of my best skills at a teacher is talking to students about their hobbies and what motivates them. Other teachers may not feel comfortable with that and have greater abilities at meticulously working on a piece of music until it sounds great. The benefit of having such a great team of teachers at Chaska is that students work with directors who share great passion for music even though it is expressed in different ways.

Gina Ford: Sometimes people think I am either crazy or a saint because I enjoy teaching 7th grade so much. Students at that age still have a huge desire to learn new things. When they overcome struggles with playing techniques, the resulting excitement makes it all worth it to me.

Eric Songer: Working with students fires me up every day. I see my job almost as a ministry. We have the ability as teachers to affect so many lives in positive ways and reverse the negative influences of our culture. A number of our students come from broken homes, and I cherish the opportunity to provide a good role model every day. From a musical standpoint, my passion in life is music. Once I had a colleague who noted that he had turned his hobby into a job, and I feel the same way. I love music so much that I sometimes can’t believe it is my profession.

Meet The Directors

    Scott Prescott directs 6th grade concert bands, 6th and 7th grade general music, and the 6th grade jazz ensemble. He has taught at all levels of instrumental music in Minnesota from grades 5-12. He earned a degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan.

    Eric Songer has taught at Chaska West for 12 years. He earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University St. Thomas. He is also active as a freelance trombonist and plays in a variety of ensembles in the Twin Cities.

    Gina Ford teaches 7th grade band and general music. She has taught for 13 years, including nine at Chaska West. She earned degrees from St. Olaf College and the University of St. Thomas. Ford performs in the Brava Brass Quintet and the Valley Big Band.

    Tricia Stolz teaches 6th through 8th grade orchestra, 7th and 8th grade choir, and 8th grade exploratory classes. A Twin Cities native, she earned instrumental and vocal degrees from Luther College and a master’s from Saint Mary’s University.

Photos in this article were taken by Jeanne LaMoore.  Dan Blaufuss is managing editor of The Instrumentalist.

The post Everyone’s In Music appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Practicing Sightreading
Directors whose ensembles sightread fluently usually schedule sightreading practice on a regular basis, such as once a week or biweekly through­out the year. Most festivals ask ensembles to sightread one grade level below the music they perform, so it is a good idea to practice with music a full grade level or more below the pieces a group typically plays. This gives students an opportunity to practice new skills and improves their chances for a good experience. For many ensembles having students change their idea about sightreading is a big part of the process. The event becomes something they feel equipped to handle and not something to fear.
     I like to begin each semester by selecting a stack of music to read over the next 12 weeks that includes a variety of levels of difficulty, keys, and time signatures. When reading older scores the horn parts should be in the key of F and not Eb, as was once the practice. If the score indicates solo cornet or clarinet parts, remember that in this case the term solo refers to the division of the part (solo, first, second and third) and not to the number of performers. Of course, be sure to have an adequate number of parts for the ensemble before rehearsals begin.

The Percussion Section
     When sightreading assign parts to the percussionists in advance, giving timpani to a certain student, mallet parts to another, snare to another, and so on. During re­hearsals the percussion section should rotate parts so each student develops skill on all the instruments, but when practicing sight-reading for a festival, assign each player to the instrument he plays the best.
     Two or three students can be re­cruited from the band as librarians and help to distribute the music to read, collect, and refile once the rehearsal is complete, thus reducing the workload for directors. Regular sightreading practice is also a way for directors to expand their knowledge of literature because many fine pieces of music lay unused and unknown in school band libraries across the country.
 
Suggestions From Students
     After each sightreading practice session, you should discuss the results with students, asking for their thoughts on which elements of reading went well and the ones that need improvement. Young musicians can be remarkably harsh in evaluating their own work and may need help to notice parts of the music that went well.
     The feedback from one session will help prepare for the next reading opportunity. For example, if a sightreading session shows that many students lack skill in playing scales fluently in several keys, then include a few minutes of practice for these keys during rehearsals. If sightreading with precise rhythms is a problem, then invest a few minutes of each rehearsal in clapping or playing rhythms or include drills that subdivide the beat.
     Directors can either prepare scores for sightreading in advance or simply sightread along with the students. Although both choices are valuable, remember that directors need to practice the skill of sightreading just as students do.
     Years ago a parent who chaperoned students to a festival expressed amazement at the process as I guided the group through a sightreading session. He was an executive in the corporate world yet re­marked that there were few moments in his professional life that required such a quick reaction as sightreading a score while being evaluated by judges.

Strive for More
Once an ensemble consistently keeps going, focuses on rhythm, and easily plays in a variety of keys, challenge them to sightread with an even higher level of proficiency. This can include playing with expression, maintaining a high level of dynamic contrast, and observing the stylistic markings in a score while sightreading.
     Many directors emphasize the skill of sightreading by having ensembles sightread as part of their concert performances. Rick Lorenzin, a band director in California, routinely sightreads with students at the end of concerts to help them prepare for upcoming festival performances. After one such the performance, many of the students remarked that sightreading for the festival was much easier than reading on stage as part of a concert for their family and friends.
     Josh Lamar, a band director at Cape Central High School in Cape Girar­deau, Missouri, explains in careful detail what students can expect for the sightreading portion of concert band festivals. He describes how the sightreading room will look, what the judge will say, and describes how the students should act. To make the explanation relevant, he places music in large envelopes on each student’s stand, which the band sightreads based on the contest’s rules.
     Years ago Bill Palen, my band director at Republic High School in Missouri, practiced sightreading in much the same way. He explained the festival’s rules to the ensemble and then had us sightread by following them. We became ac­customed to hearing the instructions, to working under the time frame dictated by the festival, and to reading a composition from beginning to end without stop. When I taught high school in Arizona, I prepared my bands in a similar way.
     Whichever path you select to help your ensemble improve its sightreading, students will learn new music quickly and have more time for higher-order skills, such as playing with improved intonation, phrasing, and interpretation. It is worth the extra effort because as students grow in skill, the overall level of the ensemble increases. Besides, a shiny award plaque may be in order for the band room for a job well done.

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