It had already been a difficult semester. Our bandroom was being renovated, and my band was forced to take on a semi-nomadic existence with rehearsals alternating between three different venues. In the choir room, we had to set up and break down each day. In the gymnasium, rehearsals were like playing in, well, a gym, and on some days jackhammers shook the walls. In the auditorium, we were interrupted by everything from two custodians vacuuming at the same time to workers drilling on the outside walls of the auditorium. The coup de grace occurred during the penultimate rehearsal before our region concert contest. After removing props from a beauty pageant held in the auditorium the night before, we finally settled down for rehearsal on the auditorium stage. We were well into rehearsing Frank Ticheli’s Vesuvius when a bunch of noisy, giggly eighth-grade girls entered the auditorium for some unannounced assembly and plopped down in the front two rows while we were playing.
    As I grew more and more angry, somehow the increased intensity of my conducting actually helped the music — the work was about an eruption, after all. It was the best run-through we ever had of the piece. After the final cut-off, the unexpected audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically. I could not help but smile, my anger dissipating more quickly than I thought possible. (This did not keep me from asking the guidance counselor to meet with these students somewhere else for the rest of the rehearsal.)
    I also couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps I should have gotten angry earlier when the piece was not going so well. I have since learned that in sports, tirades can have positive effects. An article I read in Sports Illustrated suggests that one of the best ways for a baseball manager to spark his lagging charges is to throw a tantrum and get tossed from a game by the umpire. In 2012, managers were tossed from games 80 times. The expected winning percentage for those teams in any one game was .494. But in the games immediately following an ejection, these teams won at a .550 clip. In fact, many of the top meltdowns in history have preceded strong upturns in performance. One year the Atlanta Braves went 9-and-1 after manager Fredi Gonzalez was ejected from two games.
    The Vesuvius rehearsal was the rare instance in which true anger worked to my advantage, because anger is, ultimately, self-destructive. In the book Wishful Thinking Transformed by Thorns, Frederick Buechner writes, “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back — in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”
I don’t believe there was a time in my career when I had to control my anger more than in my first year of teaching. The students I inherited made the mistake of bragging to me about how mad they had gotten the previous director, even to the point that he would throw things and lock himself in his office. One day he even locked the kids outside in the cold. It tipped me off that my students saw this as some kind of game and would find great entertainment value in seeing me lose it. This was a competition I was determined not to lose, and I didn’t, although there were some days when I thought my insides were going to burst.
    Does this mean that we should never show anger? I believe not. As the example of baseball managerial ejections suggest, anger can have its place. Most of the managers seem to know this, and they will use it to their advantage. Indeed, I believe there are times when not getting angry would be the wrong response because it would show a lack of passion for what one is doing. However, a director should always have a good reason for showing any anger. If a director shows anger, it should be purposeful, calculated, and controlled. An ensemble director should never cross the line from acting it to feeling it, because at that point the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and students will stop taking matters seriously.
    On two occasions in my career I was so dismayed by the lack of focus and poor behavior of my band that I put down my baton halfway though the rehearsal, and in an angry yet firm and controlled manner I told my students that I had had enough. I told them that we would begin anew the next day, and that I would learn a lot about their character, their leadership, and their overall desire to succeed. It was a calculated gamble. I suspected that deep down they wanted to do better, but had just lost their way. Fortunately, on both occasions the next rehearsal was great, and so were all the ones after that.
    Unbridled anger usually results in irrational thinking, dysfunctional behavior, and spoken words that cannot be taken back. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The fastest horse cannot catch a word spoken in anger.” As band directors, we are in a position that gives us the power to crush a student with recklessly said words. Any volatile issue is therefore best dealt with the next day after reflection. As one writer has said: “Sanity rises with the sun.”
    It is ironic that some of the most beautiful music ever performed by bands and orchestras was played under the baton of conductors who could be best described as angry, musical tyrants. I suppose that beautiful music can be made under such circumstances, but it doesn’t seem right or much fun for that matter. Unless, of course, the music is about an erupting volcano.

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    Each year, it seems like we begin preparing for marching band earlier and earlier. A director has many tasks as the season approaches – preparing every measure of music and each set of drill, ordering colorguard flags, and establishing front ensemble instrumentation – and it is vitally important that we also focus on the individual preparation process for each of our students. We try to focus on three main areas in which we can help our students as they ready themselves for the coming marching season: musical preparation, physical fitness, and program connections/retention.

Musical Preparation
    Before we begin to prepare the music in our marching show, we must first prepare our students to sound their very best on the first day back from the summer. The first key is to establish a good personal warm-up routine. We try to tailor the warm-up process to suit each student based on individual ability levels after auditions are held in May. The warm-up process should begin with several exercises that focus on the initiation of sound. For this, we use the Low Bb Remington exercise (discussed in the January 2014 article), played at varied dynamics. From this, we transition into F Descending Exercises. This portion of the personal practice time is not too long; it may take up 10 minutes of a 60-minute practice session.
    Following the initial warm-up, we ask students to work on scales in the key centers that will be used in the coming production. In addition, we sometimes compose several daily drill exercises that will help sections prepare for their featured moments in the show. For example, we might write a double-tonguing exercise for the high brass, or we might design a scalar passage that modulates up or down in order to prepare for an upcoming woodwind feature.
    The next portion of personal practice time should be spent working on show excerpts. The first thing to emphasize in working on the excerpts is a set of expectations with regard to tempo. If a production will ultimately be performed at mm=160, we may ask that it be performed from memory at mm=120 by July 1, and at mm=144 by August 1. In addition, at an early stage, we begin to have the students mark drill sets into the music, so that, while practicing, they can learn the count structure of the show with step-offs and halts. We advocate a short, five-minute warm-down at the conclusion of the practice session, and for this, descending scales, Remington exercises, and long tones (low, descending chromatically) are very effective.
    Designing an effective musical work-out plan for our students to use in their individual practice sessions is a first step toward beginning the season with ease in July and August. It is vitally important to share this plan with each student, as well as with each student’s parents. We do not want to hear the parents saying, “He doesn’t know what to practice” or “She has nothing to work on.” The partnership between the band staff and the parents is critical during the summer months. Although we may not see one another regularly during this time, the band parents know that the best way they can help the marching show in October and November is to ensure that their child practices diligently in June, July, and August.

Physical Fitness
    To handle the increasing demands placed on our performers in both the marching drill and standstill body work, we have developed an exercise regimen tailored to students and the types of shows we program. Our goal with the exercise regimen is to help students be able to perform high-level drill and play their instruments well, without any risk of breaking down physically or mentally.
    We first introduce the physical fitness program at our marching band preview day in mid-May. On that day, every student who plans to audition for the ensemble next year takes part in a mini-camp in preparation for marching band. During the first hour, we present our system, which involves an extensive amount of both stretching and running, as well as some core strengthening exercises and yoga poses. Ultimately, it is important to introduce exercises that will prove useful when working through the drill and dance movements required in the show.
    The exercise system begins with a set of stretches. Many programs use a stretch-to-counts routine that cycles each student through a total relaxation and breakdown of the posture. After the posture breakdown, students are slumped over, and then they rebuild a lifted marching band posture that ends in a perfect horns-up pose without the instrument in hand. To see an example of what works for us, check out the video on our website (www.wakelandband.com/instrument alist).
    Following the silent stretch-to-counts exercises, we transition into some basic stretching exercises aimed at preparing the upper body. For this, we usually do 10 small forward arm circles; 10 small backwards arm circles; 10 large forward arm circles; 10 large backward arm circles; rolling the neck – forward, left, back, and right; and, at times, we add in some jumping jacks to begin to raise the heart rate.
    From there, we work to stretch the lower body with a set of 10 relevés in each of a few dance positions (1st position, 2nd position, 3rd position on the left, 3rd position on the right, 5th position on the left, and 5th position on the right). On each relevé, we ask the students not to return the full weight of the body to the ground, but to keep it slightly elevated, aiding in the stretch process. We also use a series of on-the-ground stretches, including toe touches with both legs out, and with one leg tucked under. At times, we also add a similar set of exercises, but performed in the standing position (especially if we are rehearsing on hot concrete or wet grass). We execute toe touches with two feet together, then with the left foot crossed over the right foot, and then with the right foot crossed over the left foot.
    Following the stretch process, we move into a light run. We begin the season fairly easy, often with running the quarter-mile. We have a timer going at all times so that students will compete against yesterday’s time rather than against each other. As we settle into summer band, we begin to add to the distance, eventually assigning a full mile. In our 300-member ensemble, 95% of the students are able to complete the mile in under 10 minutes with an average time of 8 minutes and 35 seconds. Before assigning the run, it is important to visit with parents and your school’s athletic training staff to make sure that the exercise program is safe for each student. In certain parts of the country (like here in Texas), limitations on exercise based on temperature and relative humidity may be in place. Please consult with your school administrators before implementing a stretch-and-run plan to ensure that it meets all guidelines for the campus and district.
    The final portion of our stretch-and-run exercise focuses on core strengthening. After returning from our run, we take a short water break and then move into a series of core-strengthening exercises alternating with push-ups or sit-ups. For core-strengthening, we employ left leg lifts, fire hydrants (held for 30 seconds), and Supermans (lie face down, lift arms and legs). We often find that core strength is one of the areas that helps us most on the field in terms of visual presentation. Good core strength helps our students to be able to present the look we want on the field. Students who at first appear slumped over with their horns up can quickly rise to great posture in just a few weeks after they practice core strengthening exercises. Most students experience rapid growth as they move through their middle school years and into high school, and very few students work on their core strength on a regular basis. Teachers in athletics at our school have sometimes commented that we in the marching band work on this aspect of physical training more than any other athletic team.
    Lastly, it is important to sell the physical fitness plan in order to get students committed to this work. One of the ways we are best able to institute our fitness plan is by having the entire staff (if they are physically able) perform the workout routine with the students each day. One staff member leads the workout, while the others position themselves around any students who might need help or who may need to be monitored during the process. When the students see their band directors, many of whom are twice their age, performing these exercises with ease, the initial complaints quickly give way to, “I can’t wait to beat Mr. Miller on the run today.” This approach of having teachers participate in exercises, while perhaps a bit non-traditional, helps tremendously in building a rapport with our performers as we embark on the long season ahead.

Program Connections/Retention
    As mentioned earlier, we annually convene for a mini-camp in the spring, a day that is referred to in our program as “Hype Day.” On a Saturday in mid-May, we gather every performer who intends to audition for us in the coming weeks to spend a day as a member of our program. This includes all new students preparing for wind, battery percussion, front ensemble, and guard auditions, as well as every returning member of the band program. This is a day for the full ensemble to be put through the paces of an average marching band day. The day consists of a stretch-and-run, a short marching technique block, a meal served by our band parents (as well as campus principals and district administrators), a short music block, and a show-and-tell at the end of the day.
    The agenda of the day provides a way to begin forging relationships and to help codify the members of the ensemble for the year to come. Each year, we see a number of fence-sitters – students who still aren’t sure about enrolling in high school band – come around as they decide that band really is a place for them to belong. Sections eat lunch together and get to know one another. Students moving into the attendance zone of our campus are also invited to this event, and they get a chance to be introduced to the ensemble. The day is about easing transitions, establishing a level of rigor, and building relatioships. Although our juniors may be only mildly anxious about becoming seniors, the 8th graders often approach the day with some nervousness and trepidation. After all, most of what they have seen from our ensemble takes place after months of preparation, and sometimes they cannot fathom how we could improve from where they are now to where the ensemble later will perform. Hype Day helps to ease those tensions. The new students gain a sense of how we teach, and they soon learn that our approach is methodical, patient, kind, encouraging, and enjoyable.
    At the conclusion of the day, we invite every parent of a student in the program (both old and new), as well as our alumni from recent years (many of whom are already home from college), to hear the first strains of the new marching band show. We do not play very much of the show, but we do offer a great indoor experience for all involved (we prefer to hold this show-and-tell part indoors because it makes the ensemble seem both larger and louder, which will help the students and parents feel confident about what’s to come). The colorguard performs a short flag phrase to a popular tune, the drumline and front ensemble play a short piece that they learned that day, and the wind section plays some show excerpts. At the end, we bring every student out onto the floor of the gym for a pep rally-style concert with all the community’s marching band favorites, concluding with the fight song. In talking with parents over the years, many of them have said that this was one of the most emotional experiences of their child’s career in our school. For many, this was the first moment when they realized that their child was about to be in high school, and about to begin an incredible journey in one of the most fulfilling activities that any campus can offer.
    For ongoing recruitment and retention, we use social media during the summer to generate some enthusiasm and energy. We post videos about the marching show, tweet pictures of guard uniforms and flags as they arrive, post videos of props being tested in the stadium, and albums of pictures from mini-camps, sectionals, and social gatherings. The more we can create a vibrant social activity that makes us seem always present, the more students will flock to our program. We refer to is as the “power of the re-tweet.” If the one 8th grader who chose not to play clarinet sees nearly every one of his or her friends posting and re-tweeting pictures of pool parties with band members, images of show artwork, or other updates, he or she may begin to re-think the decision not to join marching band, and we often see some of these students come back into the fold by the time summer band begins.

Conclusion
    Through diligent preparations in the spring and summer, students can begin the marching band experience with a well-prepared mind and a body that isn’t quite as sore as it might be. The right preparations will instill in students a great sense of commitment and a sharp focus on their work as they embark on a wonderful journey that will fill their high school years with memories to last a lifetime.

The post Physical, Mental, and Musical, A Foundation for Marching Season appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    At some point, every oboist and director has endured a dreadfully uncomfortable tuning experience. The oboist gives the A and sees the electronic tuner jump wildly from one extreme to another. The pitch is unstable. Reacting to the wildly fluctuating response on the tuner, the oboist wrestles with the pitch to make it point at zero, first overshooting the pitch and then overcompensating in the other direction. As this happens the other members of the ensemble begin to crane their necks toward the oboist, leading to whispers and gossip after rehearsal about the terrible tuning note. An experience like this may cause even the more polite players in the ensemble to become unsure of when to join the tuning note. A poor tuning note can rattle the confidence of the entire ensemble, setting a negative tone for the entire rehearsal or concert.
    Experiences like these can make both oboists and directors apprehensive about tuning. Directors who find the process too stressful and difficult may opt for another approach, such as relying on a strobe tuner or using another instrument to initiate tuning. While these alternatives may have some advantages, particularly for less experienced ensembles, it is important to work with oboists on the tuning process at every level. At some point, all oboists will be called upon to give the tuning pitch, and they should be well prepared to do so. The sooner oboists become familiar with the process, the more time they will have to develop this essential skill.
    Guiding oboists through the tuning process and providing good tips on how to tune the ensemble will serve the greater goal of improving the confidence and playing quality of the ensemble. The right guidance will also help reduce the stress and anxiety that oboists too often feel when it is time for tuning.

How the Professionals Start
    An established routine that begins early will give the oboe player a chance to warm up a bit first, which helps to limit any anxiety and create a situation for success. In professional ensembles, oboists are typically the first musicians to arrive at rehearsals and concerts. An early arrival allows the oboists to check their reeds, warm up, and establish a pitch center for the ensemble as more musicians arrive and warm up, joining the pitch center that has already been established. By the time the actual rehearsal or concert begins, the tuning A serves mostly as a final check that allows for small adjustments. The ensemble members have already tuned themselves by listening and joining the warm-up routines in progress. Although this sort of warm-up process, which usually lasts about twenty minutes, is generally not practical in most school settings or for less experienced musicians, some of the same strategies (starting early and developing good ensemble listening) can be used by student musicians and can lead to more consistent intonation for a school ensemble.

Tuning Equipment
    One of the first purchases every oboist should make is a high-quality tuner. The tuner should be able to produce a chromatic scale of reference tones, and it should have a needle with adjustable sensitivity. Many oboists prefer to use a tuner that includes a clip-on microphone, attachable to the bell of the oboe, which will make the needle respond faster. Oboists who are using the built-in microphone should wait a bit for the needle to adjust, because the needle takes longer to register the sound. Sometimes the quality of articulation will affect how the sound is initially picked up, and this is another reason to wait a moment. There are also several good tuning apps and strobe-style tuners available for smart phones. Although a good-quality tuning app is sufficient, it might not be appropriate for school rehearsals or for the concert stage. (Even in silent mode and when used only for the tuning feature, a smart phone is still a distraction, and there is also the risk that it could unexpectedly make a sound during performance.) Once students have a good tuner to work with, they should be taught effective ways to use it to help refine listening skills and memory.

Practice
    An oboist’s work on tuning should  include frequent practice at home. Ask your oboists how they practice giving the tuning note, and encourage them to make work on tuning a part of their daily practice routine. During a single practice session, an oboist should practice giving the tuning note several times, on multiple reeds. As they do this, oboists likely will find that their pitch tendencies vary during the session and from one reed to the next. Similar to what happens with most large ensembles, the pitch of most oboists will rise as the practice session goes on. Oboists typically want their sound to sing and to cut through the ensemble, and this preference for brightness often leads to sharpness in pitch. To counter this tendency, throughout the practice session oboists should recalibrate their ears back to A=440 through the use of a drone pitch. In addition to practicing the tuning note, oboists should practice scales and technical patterns while using a drone or reference pitch.

Good Habits, Practical Tips, and Some Advice on Equipment
    In advance of any rehearsal or concert, oboists should decide which reeds they plan to use, ranking their top three reeds. The feel and tone of a reed can vary substantially, and fluctuations in humidity and atmospheric pressure can quickly change a reed. By having the top three reeds identified before each rehearsal and concert, oboists can feel more settled and ready to give the tuning note more quickly. If oboists are making their own reeds, they should be discouraged from doing any significant reed work during rehearsals. Sometimes a reed might require an emergency adjustment, but as a general rule, this should be done very rarely in the rehearsal setting. Oboists should develop a habit of preparing reeds well and then playing on their reed choice with minimal fiddling once the rehearsal has begun.
    The best way for an oboist to develop consistency in internalizing the pitch center is to work on matching a drone pitch instead of working with the needle on a tuner. To give a good tuning pitch, oboists first must hear the note in their minds; after they have done that, they can then confirm that they are hearing the correct pitch by referring to the needle of the tuner as they play. Before any tuning note is given, the oboist should first listen to the reference tone on the tuner. This step can be done while the other players are still setting up, so it will not add any time to the tuning process. Just as the rest of the ensemble gets their reference pitch from listening to the oboe and the rest of the ensemble, it is equally important that the oboist receives a reference pitch from the tuner before the tuning note is given. If the oboist uses a reference pitch and then uses the tuning needle to confirm that pitch, it is less likely that the tuning pitch will be completely wild. If the oboist struggles with internalizing the pitch, you can suggest that the oboist try singing it first. It should be noted, however, that the mechanics of singing and oboe playing are quite different, so this exercise is not an ideal solution, and thus it is necessary for oboists to learn how to hear the pitch consistently in their heads.
    The French style of oboe played throughout the United States is constructed to be played at A=440. With intermediate-level oboes in particular, it is difficult to play any higher than A=440 if appropriate embouchure and air flow are used. Keyboard percussion instruments typically are tuned at A=442, because they are fixed pitch.  This higher pitch allows the keyboard percussion to not sound flat when the rest of the ensemble migrates a bit sharp in rehearsal or concert, which often occurs. Despite the typical tuning of keyboard percussion, it is important to tune the ensemble at A=440 and not to allow the pitch to be established too high initially. When players have a prominent line with the keyboard percussion, they will naturally make an adjustment to match that instrument. If the initial tuning were to begin at A=442, the players would have to work too hard to keep the pitch up, and the pitch would migrate even higher than it normally would.
    On oboe, pitch stability begins with the oboe reed. Oboe intonation is determined by the relationship between the reed, the air flow, and the embouchure. The oboe embouchure must be flexible so that the player can remain in tune throughout the range of the instrument. Because of the conical shape of the instrument and the vibration of the double reed, oboe players must have less reed in the mouth for lower notes and more reed in the mouth for higher notes. The key to playing in tune is to be able to navigate the reed fluidly in and out of the mouth, according to the range. If a reed is very flat in pitch, it will lack stability, and the player will bite the reed to try to gain control.
    When tuning is unstable, directors should check the stability of the reed. Ask the oboe player to crow the reed, placing the entire cane part of the reed in their mouth, and blowing strongly.  Ideally the reed will crow a C in two octaves. If the reed has a more complex crow, similar to the multiple pitches present in the crow of a bassoon reed, then it lacks stability.  Likewise, if the reed is significantly lower in pitch than a C, it will lack stability as well.
    Oboists at every level should play on hand-made reeds. The process used with mass-produced reeds tends to remove too much cane, which depletes the reed of its internal structure, and as a result, mass-produced reeds are often extremely flat and wild. As players try to make these reeds play in tune, they will tend to put too much pressure on the reed to compensate. The unfortunate result with these reeds is not only a higher pitch overall, but also intonation that cannot be maintained throughout the range of the instrument.
    Hand-made reeds are readily available online through double reed specialty stores. Because there are fewer oboe players in comparison with other instruments, most local music stores do not carry hand-made reeds. Double reed specialty stores on the internet are a wonderful resource to oboists at all levels. A hand-made reed has an infrastructure carved into it, which allows for clear articulation and serves as a container for the air. Oboists can freely blow through a hand-made reed without the worry of the tone spreading or a wild and unrefined sound. Even with good hand-made reeds, there is still a significant range on which oboists can place any given pitch, which is why ear training remains an important element for oboists at all levels.
    The oboe reed should be fully inserted into the reed well at the top of the instrument at all times. Oboists should never be asked to pull out or push in their reeds. It is also important that there is no gap between the staple or tube of the oboe reed and the reed well. Sometimes the cork that covers the metal tube may be too thick to fit within the reed well. If that is the case, first try cork grease on the reed. If that does not allow the reed to fit easily, use a file or an emery board to remove some of the cork uniformly.
    Tuning on the oboe depends on the relationship between embouchure and air flow. This is why pulling the reed out of the instrument will have little effect on intonation. However, pulling the reed out, even a little bit, will severely degrade the tone quality of the instrument. This impact on tone quality varies throughout the range of the instrument, but it is particularly obvious on the C in the middle of the oboe’s range. This adjustment makes a very open and thin sounding note even more unstable. Oboists will try to cover the instability with more embouchure pressure, and the pitch will get even sharper and the tone more thin. If the oboe is playing consistently sharp, first check that the reed is not flat. When reeds are flat oboists tend to overcompensate by using too much embouchure pressure, which causes the pitch to go sharp. If the reed is not flat, ask them to pull the reed out of their mouth. Less reed in the mouth, along with a more flexible embouchure, will fix most sharpness.

Ensemble Etiquette
    It is not appropriate for other ensemble members to look at the principal oboist’s tuner. Sometimes other players, particularly the second oboe player, may be tempted to look to see how the tuning note registers. Other players should make a concerted effort to divert their eyes from the tuner. It is distracting and can be stressful when others move around to look at the needle.
    Ideally, when the oboist sounds the tuning note, the rest of the ensemble will wait a moment to hear the settled pitch and then join the note. There is no need to wait many seconds before joining the sound. The rest of the ensemble should focus on matching the pitch with their ears rather than their eyes. Other oboists in the section should also wait until most of the ensemble has joined the tuning note, so that the additional oboe timbre does not distract or disorient the rest of the ensemble.

Additional Tuning Pitches
    Often in band settings, the oboe player is asked to give a Bb tuning note following the A. One common tendency for oboists is to place the Bb too low, because they hear the A as a leading tone to Bb, and they tune to the true interval rather than to the equally tempered interval essential for tuning. There are two ways to address this situation. First, the oboist can get a reference pitch of Bb from the tuner, listen to the pitch, and then return to the needle setting, which will register the tuning note. This reference pitch can be played softly so that it will not be audible to the audience. Secondly, the oboist can think of the A as scale-degree two in a G-minor triad.  Finding Bb from the tonic pitch of G will tend to make Bb seem higher than it would be relative to A, and the resulting Bb will tend to be more accurate.
    Occasionally oboists are asked to give an F as well. This pitch tends to be even more problematic as a tuning note. First, because the lowest note on the oboe is a Bb, the F has many overtones. The timbre on the F is also much stronger than it is with other notes. To counter these difficulties, oboists are often tempted to give the tuning note with the forked F fingering, rather than the regular F fingering because this will mute the tone a bit. However, oboists should be encouraged to play using the regular F fingering whenever possible. The forked F tends to have a muffled sound and usually sits flat in pitch. On most oboes, there is usually one very unstable note between E5 and G5, and on many oboes, the unstable note is the F. The lower octave F is not a better choice, because it can be more difficult to articulate, particularly if the instrument is even slightly out of adjustment. If directors find the F essential to the tuning sequence for some instruments, one solution may be to have those instruments play the F when a second Bb tuning note is given, and then they can tune intervallically.
    Developing a consistent tuning ritual and teaching key tips to the oboist, such as how to find a good quality reed and how to practice internalizing tuning pitches, are important tasks for any director. The right advice and habits can improve the tuning process that starts off the ensemble’s work, which can go a long way toward achieving greater ensemble intonation and confidence.

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The Clarinet vs. the Saxophone
    Many years ago, the clarinet and saxophone were often seen as very closely related instruments. The saxophone was commonly viewed as an instrument that could easily be picked up once the clarinet was mastered.  Fortunately, this erroneous belief, with its terrible ramifications for the saxophone, has largely gone the way of the dodo. Unfortunately, however, some of the pedagogy that originated in this time period has remained, and as a result, many people still equate some of the performance basics of the two single-reeds.
    The tendency to treat clarinet and saxophone pedagogy as the same was common in the 1920s and 30s, but if you look back further, there was not a unified approach to the instruments. Although Adolphe Sax was trained as a clarinetist, he did not advocate a clarinet-like embouchure for the saxophone. When you look at early method books, the recommended approach was still a more cushioned embouchure for the saxophone than for the clarinet. Then, after a long time had passed, especially after the Sousa band players faded away, much of the original saxophone pedagogy went out the window, except in places like Detroit and Chicago, where there were plenty of great players who knew the differences between the two instruments. Unfortunately, some of the resultant misconceptions have carried over into the modern day.
    The problems that result when clarinet and saxophone are taught in the same way are numerous. The biggest of these problems are poor intonation, thin sound, strident tone, and difficulty playing in low and high ranges. Mostly these problems arise because the pedagogy does not properly transfer between the two instruments. Embouchure is a critical difference. Many problems occur when a student tries to play saxophone with a clarinet-like embouchure. If students are taught a correct saxophone embouchure, many of the problems that students often have with low range playing are not nearly as pronounced.
    When teaching students, the clarinet and saxophone should be treated as distant cousins, at most. Acoustically, the instruments are quite foreign to each other, and the proper sound concept, instrument response, and even reed construction are radically different from one another. Although both instruments share a single reed and some similar fingerings, and while a skilled doubler could become extremely proficient at both, the two instruments should be approached pedagogically as different animals.

Instrument Carriage
    The differences begin with something as basic as the position of each instrument in relation to the player. As simple as it may sound, even just the angle at which the clarinet or saxophone mouthpiece enters the mouth can make all the difference in the world, timbrally. For the clarinet, the instrument should be held at approximately a 35- to 40-degree angle from the body. This can be easily visualized with the student clarinetist sitting down, bringing the clarinet to the embouchure (while sitting up straight with the head facing forward), and centering the bell of the instrument between the knees. For most people, this approach will yield the appropriate angle, and it can also be used to generate proper position while the player is sitting or standing.
    For the saxophone, the angle at which the mouthpiece enters the mouth should be quite different, at about 70 to 75 degrees in relation to the player. Have students think of a straight saxophone. The bell would not be pointed straight out or at a 45-degree angle, but rather, somewhere in between. Any students who struggle to visualize this should try it with just the mouthpiece and the neck.

The clarinet should be at a 35- to 40-degree angle to the body, while the saxophone mouthpiece should enter the mouth at about 70-75 degrees.

    This can also be easily achieved through a few physical steps. First, have the alto saxophone player stand up and adjust the neckstrap so that the saxophone will be at embouchure-level without having to hold the bottom half of the saxophone out away from the body. The Eb  keyguard on the back of the alto should be in contact with the front of the player’s body at all times when standing (except for during marching band playing, for obvious reasons). With the neckstrap supporting all of the weight of the instrument, bring the mouthpiece directly into the embouchure (while the player holds his head naturally, with no bending down or craning up). Then, if the Eb keyguard on the alto remains in contact with the player’s body, the proper angle should be achieved.
    As insignificant as this first step may seem, it holds the key for much of the embouchure advice to follow. Indeed, finding the proper mouthpiece angle is a critical first step toward achieving a characteristic sound on both instruments. This subject also leads to the topic of the proper hand position.

Holding the Instrument
    The proper technique for holding the instrument is an important subject that deserves attention. The key difference in holding the clarinet and the saxophone properly is that the clarinet should be held away from the body, whereas the saxophones, with the exception of the soprano, should always make contact in some way with the body when the player is standing. Just as the Eb keyguard should touch the right hip or leg of the student playing the alto saxophone, for tenor or baritone, the instrument should contact the student’s right side. It is important to remember that under no circumstances should the saxophone ever be held out from the body (except when marching). Holding the saxophone away from the body can cause fatigue and tension in the right hand, which causes problems with technique and possibly physical problems as well.
    For sitting while playing the saxophone, when it feels comfortable to do so, the alto sax should be moved from off to the side to straight in front of the player. This is a change that is usually made when the student is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall.
    The soprano saxophone, because of its construction, must be held away from the body, but the saxophonist should pay careful attention to the angle at which the mouthpiece enters the mouth. The soprano should always be at the proper angle for saxophone, rather than at the angle for clarinet.   In addition, the soprano’s weight should always be supported by a neckstrap. (On the clarinet also, a neckstrap is advisable in order to help avoid fatigue and tension.)
    With regard to hand position, there are slight differences between saxophone and clarinet. For both instruments, the hands should be naturally relaxed, with no excess tension. To visualize this, students should drop their hands at their sides and relax.  Then they should raise their arms, with the hands still in a relaxed state.  If this is done correctly, the fingers should form a shape like the letter C.
    The difference between clarinet and saxophone hand positions arises in where the fingers make contact with the tone holes or keys of the instruments. On the clarinet, the fleshy part of the last joint of the finger should be used to seal the tone-holes. On the saxophone, the slightly harder skin closer to the tip should be used. On neither instrument should the absolute fingertips be used, and the fingers should never be straight. Rather, something close to the initial C-shape should always be used, with all finger motion originating at the knuckle.

Embouchure
    The embouchure is the area where there should be the greatest difference between the clarinet and the saxophone, but unfortunately, on this subject, the instruments are still too often equated with each other. For the clarinet, the mouthpiece should be pushing up very slightly into the teeth (as a result of the right hand pushing up slightly into the thumb rest), and this anchors the mouthpiece. The lower lip then should be brought over the lower teeth as a cushion. None of the wet area of the lip is to be exposed, but the reed should make contact with the red, fleshy part of the lip. The clarinetist then should firm the corners of the mouth outward, as if drawn by a string, sealing in the air. The chin points downward, yielding a firm, but certainly not tight, embouchure.
    The saxophone embouchure, by contrast, should be a bit more cushioned. The top teeth should rest on the top of the mouthpiece, with the weight of the head anchoring the embouchure in place. The lower lip will be used as a cushion over the teeth, in a manner similar to the position used on the clarinet. However, before sealing the embouchure, the corners of the mouth should be brought in, creating a more pillowy lower lip. Finally, the chin should be drawn downward, although not to the degree of pointing it, as is done with the clarinet.
    Both of these embouchures can be checked to ensure appropriate tension through a fairly easy process. On clarinet, the mouthpiece and barrel should be removed and played alone. The resultant pitch should be a concert F#5. Similarly, the mouthpiece of the saxophone can be removed. A soprano saxophone should produce a concert D#6, an alto a B5, a tenor a G#5, and a baritone a D#5 (this will be much more difficult to do than on clarinet).

Tonal Models
    Some of the confusion surrounding differences in clarinet and saxophone performance stems from the fact that many of the pedagogical materials and recordings floating around band rooms are from a different generation. In the 1950s and before, the saxophone and clarinet were often viewed as being analogous. However, since that time, the pedagogy of both instruments has diverged significantly, and the result has been better sounds and tonal concepts for both instruments. Despite this progress, many of the models that young people now listen to still can be outdated, which can lead to sounds that are anachronistic and not consistent with top performance standards today.
    To avoid this problem, students should be introduced to some of today’s finest players on both instruments. On the clarinet side, recordings by Richard Stoltzman, David Schifrin, Jon Manasse, and Robert Spring will offer students a great idea of what a clarinet sound should be. Similarly, saxophone recordings by Timothy McAllister, Clifford Leaman, Kenneth Tse, and Taimur Sullivan (just to name a few) will provide a fantastic representation of great modern saxophone sounds.

Vibrato
    There is a basic point about vibrato that should be common knowledge today, but it is still worth mentioning: the clarinet, generally, should be performed without vibrato (Stoltzman recordings noted), whereas the saxophone usually should use vibrato. There are exceptions to these general rules, but those are for a teacher to address in specific instances. It is also universally agreed now that saxophonists should perform with a jaw vibrato. (On this subject, please see “Teaching Saxophone Vibrato” in the September 2013 issue of The Instrumentalist.)

Articulation
    A problem that has affected generations of players (to the detriment of saxophonists especially) is the tendency to teach clarinet and saxophone articulations in the same manner. Although the difference in proper articulations for the two instruments may seem slight, there is a rather large, practical difference. On the clarinet, the articulation that should be taught is a tip-to-tip technique; that is, the tip of the tongue should come into contact with the tip of the reed. Because of the difference in mouthpiece angle, this technique would cause problems (such as pop, slap, and thud tongues) if used on saxophone. To avoid this, the saxophonist should instead use an area just behind the tip of the tongue to contact the tip of the reed.

Conclusion
    If the right instruction is given to clarinet and saxophone students from the beginning, without introducing the wrong pedagogy from the other instrument, it may help to head off many of the common problems noted above. With the right instruction on each instrument from the start, my hope is that beautiful and characteristic saxophone and clarinet sounds will develop and be heard in band rooms all over the country in the coming year.

The post Differences in Clarinet and Saxophone Pedagogy appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Great original music can be captivating for students to play. However, these works often present some extremely difficult passages, which can put the piece outside the reach of young ensembles. It is true that there are many arrangements available for school orchestras, but often these arrangements are oversimplified to appeal to everyone and lose some of the character of the work. My solution is to adapt music specifically for my orchestra.

Graded Music
    Under the grading system for music, educators know that a grade 4 piece is appropriate for high school students but a grade 6 piece will be beyond most high school ensembles. However, grading the work as a whole overlooks that a grade 6 piece will have some sections that are really only a grade 4 or even a grade 3. Take that one step further and it is possible to have a grade 6 piece where the violin 1, flute, and trumpet parts are all very demanding (and the reason for the grade 6 rating); the viola, bass and oboe parts are really only a grade 3; and the other parts are somewhere in between.
    Over my teaching career, I spent an increasing amount of effort selecting the perfect literature for my specific orchestra. I would think, “This may be the year to challenge my cello section,” or “This is not the year to feature the bassoon section.” The key is to find the right literature for each ensemble, even if it is necessary to make a few alterations. The best result usually occurs when most of the players are playing the original parts while a few others are playing parts with only minor changes. Often I would make different alterations the next time I performed a piece years later because the orchestra’s needs would be different. I have always enjoyed the challenge of trying to make suitable adaptations of my favorite works for orchestra so that my high school orchestra students can enjoy the vast repertoire by the world’s greatest composers.

Changing Octaves
    The easiest way to adapt parts is simply to change octaves. With challenging high parts, one approach that works well is to have a portion of the section play an octave lower. A band director I observed would frequently ask much of his flute section to take passages down an octave, leaving only a few students to play the part as written. Orchestra directors seem less willing to make such changes to the score. Perhaps it is our long tradition of great literature or the notion that one cannot improve Beethoven.
    Changing octaves can also help to address problems with ensemble balance. An orchestra with more upper strings than lower strings will sound better if some of the first violins play down an octave. Many composers already write some of the string parts divisi in octaves, but it may be beneficial to do this even more often. If the first violin part goes above fifth position, it is time to consider the option of having some students to play an octave lower. With a little practice, students can become quite proficient in playing up or down an octave at sight. I just have them think note names. This is also great practice because some students need work on note names. Another option is to pencil in the lower octave right in the part. If this gets too difficult to read, I take the time to enter the part in a notation program (both octaves) and paste it into the original part. I would estimate that I change octaves on at least a few notes in every concert. Sometimes this is to help with balance, but more often it is to assist less experienced players who would be frustrated or struggle to play the high parts in tune.

Tchaikovsky: Swapping and Reducing Parts
    The Finale of Symphony No. 4 is one of my favorite works and an instant hit with students. The famous opening 16th-note scale passages are challenging for any orchestra, but there are a few other string passages later in the movement that are actually more difficult. By simplifying the most difficult passages, it allows students to focus all their practice time on the opening scales, which really cannot be changed without altering the piece drastically. My goal, again, was to find options that could be performed right along with the original score. So, some students will play the original part from beginning to end while other students perform a modified part simultaneously.
    One situation I have encountered is a second violin part too difficult for some of the players and a viola section with too few players. One change that works to address both problems is to rewrite the viola part in treble clef as a divisi second violin part. With that change, some of the second violins will be helping the violas while still playing notes written by the composer.

Cello Parts in the Finale of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

    I have also used a similar approach by adding some of the highest cello notes in one section to the viola part. This made the cello part a bit simpler because I could leave out those higher notes. In another section, I gave the bass part, which was the melody, to half the cellos. It never hurts to have more melody. Changes that involve switching parts from section to section, while time consuming, are not difficult at all. Making these changes can address problems with balance and make difficult parts manageable. This works in reverse also. Think about challenging a talented bass player by writing a cello part an octave higher.

Addressing Difficulties in Accompanying Parts
    In some pieces, Mozart for example, the first violin part is less demanding than the second violin part. While the first violin plays the melody, the second violin parts often play ostinato patterns that can be quite challenging. After careful analysis, you can determine which notes or measures are causing the pulse or intonation problems. I look for patterns that fit the fingers and avoid string crossings. Minor changes to the accompaniment are not going to be as noticeable as long as the melody is left untouched.

Modifying Parts in “The Moldau”
    One work I have performed several times with my orchestras is Bed˘rich Smetana’s “The Moldau,” from Má vlast. The first violin part plays a wonderful melody, but the seconds, violas, and cellos play the undulating river theme, which is quite difficult.
When I studied the score, I realized that it wasn’t the entire second violin part that was difficult; rather, it was just one note every few measures that caused pulse and intonation problems. This prompted me to revise the parts. Although I kept the original parts for the first violins, cellos, and basses, I wrote a completely new part for the second violins and had the violas play the original up to a certain point before switching to an adapted part. Overall, the orchestra was playing 90% or more of the original notes composed by Smetana. However, the second violins were only playing about 60% of Smetana’s original part. I started out with just a few changes to the second violin and viola parts, but soon it became difficult to read as more modifications were made. At that point, it was just easier to write a completely new second violin part in a music notation program. This also makes future modifications extremely simple. Notice in the example that only measures 2 and 6 were altered. Measure 2 was just an intonation concern with the Cn and En. In measure 6, it was the D# that caused all the trouble. While I miss that note in the chord a bit, I do not miss the intonation problems that it caused.

    Later in the same piece (St. John’s Rapids), the violin parts are extremely high with many accidentals and large skips. By penciling in a few optional notes in the first violin part, some large leaps are eliminated, and the part can be played in third and fifth position. In addition, the modified part is designed to be played alongside the original first violin part, challenging top players and assisting the others. The second violin part was a different story. Few students in my second violin section could play the original, even with a few modifications. Therefore, I decided to write a much simpler part. Although there were second violin students who could still play the original part, most opted for the revised part.

    At the end of “The Moldau,” there is an E major section in which the strings are playing moving notes on every eighth note. I took out one of the notes from the arpeggio in the second violin (quarter, eighth) and viola parts (eighth, quarter). Although these parts are still playing 16th notes, they do not change notes as often. However, someone is still moving on every 8th note. I made this change partly because of the tempo in this section, but also because of the key (E major), which is tricky for intonation.

Explaining and Notating Parts
    Sometimes addressing difficult parts does not require changing something; rather, it may simply be a matter of explaining clearly to students how the parts should be played. This may be as easy as adding in fingerings, finger spacing, and positions. Asger Hamerik’s Symphony No. 6, Movement 1, is a work that many directors would consider a challenging work for high school students. After reviewing the parts, I realized that the problem is that the parts are tricky, but not really so difficult that they cannot be played. What makes them playable is for students to be in the right position.
    Orchestra directors often will spend a great deal of time studying scores to figure out bowings before passing the music out. In a work like the Hamerik, however, fingerings are almost more important than bowings. When I first tried playing this work with the orchestra, my cello section was extremely frustrated. I then added fingerings, and explained the shifting required. As soon as the cellists started thinking across the strings instead of first position, the piece immediately became easier and students started to enjoy it. Young string players often think of first position as the default, but sometimes playing in second, third, or fourth positions will actually make the part easier to play. It is my experience that cello and bass students should have more fingerings in the parts than the upper strings.
    I do not shy away from challenging students when selecting literature or when adapting parts. It is not my goal to remove all technical passages from the music. However, if the part is way beyond their ability, you are doing them a disservice by allowing them to fake it. Parts that challenge students without overwhelming them can be a real benefit. In the case of the Hamerick, I don’t think you could compose a better etude.

Changing Keys
    The Barber Adagio for Strings is a wonderful work for advanced musicians. The two most challenging aspects of this piece are bow control and the key of Bb minor, which can create all sorts of intonation problems. I was curious to see if I could eliminate one of these challenges, so I transposed the Adagio for Strings a half step lower to A minor. Choral directors have few qualms about trying music in a different key. Sometimes this is to match singers’ vocal range in one or more parts, and sometimes it just feels right in a different key. It makes me wonder why orchestra directors are more reluctant to do this. My decision to switch to A minor had to do with fingerings. After all, the key of Bb major is a lot easier for band than B major. Similarly, five flats for strings is much more difficult than no flats.
    At first, I was unsure whether I would perform the Barber in the new key, but I figured it would be a great way to introduce the piece to my students. It turns out that I have performed the Adagio for Strings in A minor twice since then and have never gone back to the original key. I thought it would bother me that the piece would sound too bright in A minor, but the better intonation far outweighs the darker sound of Bb minor.
    I only made one other minor change in the Barber. Right at the most powerful point of the work, every part has a shift up that was almost impossible to play in tune. When I analyzed the score for this section of the piece, I realized that revoicing this one chord would make every part much easier. Choir directors sometimes do this to avoid difficult skips.
    For example, the bottom second violin part note is only a step from the new viola note. The same was true in all the other parts. I simply had to make the first violin part divisi, half the section shifted up for the new note, the other half moved to the second violin note, while the second violins moved to the viola note. A very simple rewrite made a big difference, and we are, in essence, still playing the exact same pitches the composer intended. Immediately after this chord change, there is a grand pause and the perfect opportunity to go right back to playing the original parts.

Mendelssohn Sinfonia: Viola in F
    Mendelssohn wrote twelve string symphonies when he was young. These are popular pieces for high school orchestras, but a few of his them have more than one viola part. His String Sinfonia No. 10 has two viola parts, so the ensemble overall has parts for Violin 1 and 2, Viola 1 and 2, and a Cello/Bass part (the cello and bass are in octaves, which is typical of that time period). The problem is that this work would sound best with an orchestra that has an equal number of violins and violas. Most high school orchestras have at least twice as many violins as violas. The difficulty is achieving balance without eliminating violins.
    One solution is to rewrite one of the viola parts for violin. Some music even comes with a Violin III part. This is not ideal because both viola parts use the C string and violins lack the deep sound of a viola. The best solution is to have violinists learn to play viola. I have had success in teaching violinists to read alto clef and switch to viola, but some students just get frustrated with alto clef and give up.
    Examples from the band world inspired me to try transposed parts. Almost every set of band music comes with euphonium parts in both bass and treble clef, which allows band directors to convert a trumpet student to euphonium in minutes without learning new fingerings or a new clef. I entered the entire second viola part into music writing software, transposed it up a fifth, and put it in treble clef. I gave six of our violinists school violas and had them play the transposed part.
    This is similar to oboists transitioning to English horn. It is a simple transition because the English horn is a transposing instrument. The fingerings for both instruments are mostly the same. The English horn player is reading the same notes in treble clef; they just sound a fifth lower. True, the embouchure and perhaps the resistance of the air stream are somewhat different, but players of these instruments adjust quickly and alternate between the two often. The same is true with violin and viola. The technique is exactly the same, and it often takes little time for a student to adjust the finger spacing and use a little more pressure with the bow. 
    I have done this with no adjustment time. Just hand a violinist a viola and the Viola in F part and put him in the viola section. This change immediately doubled the size of my viola section without anyone having to learn alto clef for one piece; rather, they just had to space their fingers a little wider. I learned that I could turn a violinist into a violist in five minutes just by having them practice that spacing.

The Future of Viola in F
    I am not sure viola in F will ever catch on like the euphonium treble clef, but the idea that a trumpet player can be turned into an instant euphonium player is quite helpful. I think the orchestra world needs a similar option to create viola players just by providing transposed viola parts. For now, I use the viola in F for the works that require extra viola players, and I am happy to share those parts with colleagues. The side benefit is that some of my students who have played transposed parts were inspired to learn alto clef. I have found that once students get started playing viola in the orchestra, some of them will like the deep rich sound, and they are then willing to spend a little time to learn alto clef.

Mendelssohn Sinfonia: Advanced Cello
    After creating the transposed viola part for some of my violinists, I noticed that the viola 2 part was quite low and in the perfect range for cello, so I also transposed the viola part to bass clef for some of my advanced cellists. Later, I made a few changes for notes that were too high or did not fit the cello, but this took little time. The cello students enjoyed the challenge of playing the viola 2 part, and the balance was actually improved because the remaining cellists and basses were playing the same part. We performed the Sinfonia No. 10 with six violinists playing transposed viola parts on school violas and four cellists playing the viola 2 part. The balance that resulted from making all of these changes was quite good, and it sounded the way Mendelssohn intended, with equal numbers in the violin and viola sections.

Mendelssohn Sinfonia Viola Parts Written for Viola in F and Cello

Simplifying Shostakovich
    I had the privilege of conducting the Illinois All-State Orchestra this year and chose the Finale of Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 for my program. It may be important to note that Illinois has two All-State Orchestras, All-State and All-State Honors. The Honors Orchestra typically programs grade 6 music, but the Shostakovich was a stretch for the All-State Orchestra, especially in the brass and a few string parts. I also happened to be studying the score of a band transcription of this same work to guest conduct with a local community band. In reviewing the trumpet parts in a transcription by Charles Righter, I observed that the highest trumpet parts near the end of the finale were all written down an octave. To make up for this, Righter added the horns to double the trumpets and some woodwinds playing the notes in the original octave. With these changes, few noticed that the trumpets were playing down an octave. This is how we performed it with the All-State Orchestra. I rewrote all of the trumpet and horn parts for the last 32 measures and handed out to the ensemble what I referred to as optional brass parts. Some of the woodwinds received edited parts as well. Students played the original part until the final 32 measures. I also made a similar change to the first trombone part in the same section. Instead of lowering it an octave, I wrote out the second trombone part as an option. This works since the horns were now doubling the trombone parts. I just had more horns play the top part.
    The other changes to brass parts were to assist with low horn parts. The third and fourth horn parts go into bass clef, down to a range that is a struggle for most high school hornists. These notes happen to be in a perfect range for bass trombone and tuba. I simply moved the fourth horn to the third horn notes and put the fourth horn note in the bass trombone and tuba. I rewrote these two parts from about the middle of the piece to the end so the students would not need to switch back and forth.
    The only other changes I made were optional parts for the violins and violas. Many of the players could perform the original parts, but there are some high sections that would be a stretch for some students. My solution was to write out divisi parts for violin 1, violin 2, and viola. The original parts are only divisi for ten percent of the piece, but they are difficult to read because the originals are in manuscript print. I created new divisi parts that left off the top parts. When there was an option to play in octaves, these parts only had the bottom octave. I also added some lower octaves in a few places. Students had the option to play either part, and the balance worked out just fine.
    In all, we played 95% of the Shostakovich finale as written, with a few string and trumpet parts lowered an octave, tuba and bass trombone helping the low horns, and woodwinds covering the highest trumpet notes. My feeling is that with changes like this, you are just adapting the music so that the players can perform with more success. I wish I had made these changes years ago. I have since shared them with two colleagues and would be happy to share them with others.

In Conclusion
    It is time-consuming to rewrite parts. Now that I am retired from my full-time position, one of my goals is to continue adapting music and to clean up all of the music files that I have collected on my computer over the years. As I work on this project, I will be sharing these adaptations with colleagues. I am currently working on a website that will list the works I have available. Look for this at FrankLestina.com. My ultimate goal is to create a sharing website where one could search for pdf or midi files. Instead of a fee for using one of these files, I would simply ask for a donation of something that someone else has created.

The post Adapting Original Music to Fit Your Orchestra appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

     In Ron Carter’s office at Northern Illinois University, a mammoth poster of trumpeter Miles Davis hangs over his desk. The picture reminds Carter of his early years spent teaching at Davis’s old high school in East St. Louis and of the musical tradition he has devoted his career to spreading. Carter retired this spring after 20 years leading the legendary NIU jazz program. He is a member of  DownBeat magazine’s Jazz Educators Hall of Fame and program director for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Band Director Academy. He has taught and performed around the world and is active as a clinician, performer, and author. We asked him to take a look back at the lessons from his distinguished and eclectic career and share his hopes for the future of jazz education.

Who first nurtured your passion as an educator?
    My high school band director, Sam Berry, started me on trombone first, but I was so small I couldn’t get the position. I switched to bass clarinet and then Bb clarinet. My family was the only black family in the middle school. This was in the early 1960s in Georgia, so you can imagine what was going on. They actually closed all of the black high schools and bussed all of the black kids over to the larger white high school. Sam Berry took the job at Lowndes County High School for one year before becoming director of bands at Berthune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach. He instilled in us a strong work ethic and demonstrated great dedication to students. It made me want to do the same thing. I was an all-state clarinet player in my junior and senior year in high school, and I played in the youth orchestra in the local college, Valdosta State, at the time and studied clarinet with a professor named Robert Barr. At this time I wasn’t into jazz at all. I was a classical nerd. I told my mom that I wanted to go to school and major in music. Berry said that when I graduated, he wanted to give me a scholarship to come there, so that’s where I went.

How did you get into jazz?
    At that time, my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I asked for a tape recorder and would sit down and imitate sounds and imitate all of the singers. That’s when I started transcribing, although I didn’t call it that. I started singing in this professional gospel choir when I was in the tenth grade. They were looking for somebody who could play saxophone and sing in this professional group near the Air Force base. I didn’t play saxophone so I borrowed my cousin’s saxophone, and I started playing in the group and singing.
    These older guys in the group were in the military, and we played at all of the dances in the area. These guys would give me a 45 [record] and tell me things like, “Go copy this and write this out for the band.” So I just started doing it. There was no training for it. I would go write out (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay or whatever it was, for the whole band.
    I played some jazz in high school, but not at a high level. We were just playing corny rock tunes. I played bari sax, and there was only one guy in the band who could improvise, and he just did it by ear. In college I started playing in the jazz band under Sam Berry. I also started arranging because I was the copyist for the marching band. I learned to arrange through osmosis from copying so many marching parts.
    Sam Berry graduated from Florida A&M University, and our school, Berthune-Cookman, became an offshoot of Florida A&M. This was a great experience because we learned so much about dedication and hard work. We would practice at 6 in the morning, go to breakfast, and then come back and have afternoon practice until eleven or twelve at night, just to get something right. That dedication was very important.
    During the summer after my first year in college, I played with a professional group called The Morning After. We were opening for people like Buddy Miles and Gladys Knight. I wanted to drop out of school and be a professional musician but my mom said, “You’re going back to school.” I went back to school and continued my degree. I am glad I did.
    Sam Berry went to University of Illinois in Champaign to get his master’s, and he talked me into going to grad school. I auditioned at a few schools, and I went to the University of Illinois, because that is where Sam Berry went. He died a few years later, at age 40. He was a great musical influence in my life.

What are of some of the major highlights that stand out for you as an educator?
    I still remember taking my high school band to Europe for a week. I was working at the high school in East St. Louis. Most of these kids from East St. Louis had never been to downtown St. Louis. You can see the arch from the school, but they’d never been to downtown St. Louis. We went to the North Sea Jazz Festival, stayed in Amsterdam, and traveled to Belgium. I actually took the band to Europe twice. It was a great experience.

Did you agonize over what pieces to perform at your last concert at Northern Illinois?
    Not really. I have always picked tunes that fit well with the band I’m conducting. Nothing has changed, so I haven’t agonized. All the agonizing has been about trying to bring in a guest artist. When I first started here I would bring in older guest artists. This year I brought in all of the guys that I’ve known  and worked with over the years. So we brought in Rodney Whitaker, who I’ve mentored for many years. He leads the Michigan State jazz program. I also brought in Donald Harrison, a good friend of mine. Vincent Gardnes is our tour guest for my final tour at NIU.

What qualities do you look for in a guest artist?
    In addition to how well they play, how well a guest artist can interact with the group is important. I also look at how comfortable they are working with young people. When we go out on tour, it’s not just a tour, but we give clinics and workshops in addition to the concerts. The guest artist has to work with all of the bands and students through masterclasses, clinics with all the students, sectionals, and rehearsals.
    When we go out on tour, I’m teaching my students how to teach. I think that’s why we have had such tremendous success at Northern Illinois at placing students into teaching positions, both at public schools and at universities around the country. Going on tour allows students to make connections before they graduate, but it also shows them how to teach, how to get along with directors, and also how to work with students of all different ages.
    In looking at people who come in here during job searches, I find many people who can play, but the teaching part is just not there, because they have never had an opportunity to do it. They have read about it, but they haven’t actually had a chance to do it. Very few players can make a living just out of performing. Even Wynton Marsalis gives clinics, and he makes a pretty good penny.
    When I started at NIU, I told one of the professors here that I was going to gear toward pedagogy and performance. I learned this from Clark Terry, who I did a clinic with in 1977. He said, “You have to be able to teach and you have to be able to play.” My thing has been to tell students, “Never stop playing,” but also “Never stop working on what you teach and how you teach.” That is one reason I write books and still give clinics. When I was asked to join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Program with Wynton Marsalis eighteen years ago, I told him that if it was just about a competition or festival, I did not want to be involved. If it is about education, then I would be interested. He and I are the only two who are still involved from back then. It has been effective. That program has put more great music in kids’ hands than any other program out there.
    If you’re working with an orchestra, it is almost a travesty if the students are not playing music like Beethoven’s Fifth. It’s wrong if a concert band is not playing the Holst Suites or Lincolnshire Posy. With jazz bands, too often all they are playing is just sub-grade music.
I was doing a clinic at a high school in St. Louis recently, Lindbergh High School. The director said to me, “What I’ve decided is that I want to have a jazz band – not a band that just plays big band charts,” which means that he wants to play real literature and have his students learn to improvise.
    One thing that I have emphasized is this: if you truly understand the essence of this music, then you can make a living because all popular music is based on the same tradition that jazz came out of. You have to know the concepts and where they came from. If you’re just reading notes, then you’ll never know or understand the relationship between the music and dance, between the music and the different things that make popular music work.
    I guess that’s one reason why I’ve got the head of the Glenn Miller Band as a former student from here, the drummer for Kanye West, Dianne Reeves’s drummer, and Wynton Marsalis’s pianist, Dan Nimmer. These players cover so many different things, and students who can play in all different styles can build a career in music. I think that’s why this program has been so successful, because students can come here and get an opportunity to play in the orchestra, the jazz orchestra, the marching band, whatever. You can cover all the bases, and there are no barriers to playing in the Latin group or the jazz group. You’re actually encouraged to do them all. So I think that makes our students versatile.
    I do wish that music education students here were able to encounter more of the jazz curriculum. I think a lot of times it is assumed students know about jazz because they went to NIU, but a great percentage of them do not. They might participate in the band for one semester, but they never would take the jazz band class. I’ve opened up the intro to jazz studies class and the jazz pedagogy course to any music major.

Has there been a guest artist or two who stood out to you as being particularly special?
    Jimmy Heath is just fabulous, with the stories he can tell, and he’s just such a great composer and arranger. He’s 86 now, but he can relate to young kids, walking around with his cell phone and texting. Working with people like that inspires me. Ed Thigpen and Benny Golson also stand out as great folks we have worked with as guest artists.
 
What are some ways in which you have seen jazz or music education change since you started working in East St. Louis through your time at Northern Illinois?
    The biggest change is that because of technology, students don’t really communicate with each other anymore, so they don’t know how to listen. I teach all over the world, and students in other countries listen to the music and study it. Students in this country learn a solo or they learn some scales, but do not commit to learning the jazz language. I think that’s the biggest breakdown that’s happened now.
    Students have the illusion that you can learn a scale, core relationship, and improvise, and think that was the foundation of improvisation, not realizing that it is a language that you have to study. I taught at Lincoln High School for all those years, where Miles Davis went to school. I talked to Miles Davis about whom he listened to, and I also talked with Dizzy, when Dizzy played with my high school band, about what you should listen for. There’s no such thing as stealing in jazz; you learn the language and you use it.
    There are still many jazz bands that play great traditional jazz and teach students that musical foundation. We don’t speak negatively about traditional wind literature or traditional orchestra literature. I realize the importance of making that foundation. It is essential to study and perform that music. I tell students all the time to study Duke Ellington, who is the foundation for everything. The foundation for every voice spoken out there came through that Duke Ellington band or the Count Basie band in some kind of way. If you study those two bands, then everything else falls somewhere within there. A student might say he likes Michael Brecker or Stan Getz, and I will ask “Okay, who’s he coming from?” Whoever you like, go back and find out who they studied, and go study those people as well. Then put your own spin on it – put that in your language and personality and develop your own voice. That’s the point you’re trying to reach. Benny Golson taught me something that stuck with me for many years. He said, “When you hear something and you really like it, it’s already a part of you. Your job is to connect with it.” If students don’t listen, they never connect with it.
    There are many factors involved in teaching students how to listen and learn the jazz language. I am giving a workshop at Midwest on this. Students are listening, but then they don’t know what to listen to and they are not committed to listening the same way we were committed to listening to learn language.
    I give students names of jazz artists with the instruction to put these players’ names in their cell phones, because they are not going to lose that. I give them very few names for people to listen to now. I say, “Just go listen to Lester Young and listen to Ben Webster” for tenor saxophone. Some directors give out these long lists, but it is wasted ink. Students are not going to go through these long lists. It’s like saying, if you want to learn English, I’m going to give a thousand different folks to listen to from across the country who speak English differently. Atten-tion spans are extremely short now, and that makes this very difficult.

If I was to start teaching at a school without a jazz band, what would you tell me are the benefits my students could gain from jazz that they would not learn from concert band or marching band?
    They will learn how to use the human voice. Once you start singing phrases, you start listening to how you fit, balance, blend, and intonation – all of the things that most directors address. I am constantly working with my college group by singing phrases. If they get used to hearing when the focus is pitch, and they are singing and reproducing it, then it helps with their instrument. On all the instruments, you’ve got to be able to hear. It’s not just pressing the right valve, putting the right slide position out, you have to be able to hear.
    Also, jazz is an essential part of this country’s history. You can study classical literature, but it is really music from a foreign land. Jazz is the only music that was actually molded in the United States. Everyone else in the world realizes that and respects American jazz musicians at a high level, but in this country everything is taken for granted.
    Of course, I am classically trained, so I’ve studied Brahms, Mozart, and Webern, but I couldn’t really study who I am through that music or what happened in this country through that music. I just loved the music and still do. I learn so much from understanding what Duke Ellington went through –  how he had to buy his own passage car because he couldn’t ride in the other cars. In all these different Ellington songs you hear train effects or how he voiced a chord sounded like a train horn blowing or steam coming from a steam engine. Those insights are very influential.

Why do you think it is that if you go to a jazz performance, there are very few African-Americans in the audience?
    I was just in Iowa City and worked with four high school jazz bands, a combo, and the middle schools. There were maybe three African-American students in the middle school bands, and maybe two in the high school bands. If you cannot afford an instrument in fifth grade, you never get a chance to play jazz – or any other school ensemble – later. In too many places economics is the determining factor for who plays music. There are also so many economically deprived areas that are not necessarily all black. 
    When I arrived at NIU, I asked, “Where are all the minority kids in the program?” There is a significant African-American and Latino population in Rockford and Chicago, but these students were not represented in the college music program. You have to make a conscious effort to grant access regardless of economics or when you started.
    The first thing I did was start the Rockford Youth Jazz Orchestra, and I started the youth jazz ensemble in Chicago to get minority students involved. The Rockford program generated a few students, but in Chicago the jazz ensemble generated tons of students, where many came through NIU and graduated. When I got here, there were very few minority kids who even graduated from the program.
    A lot of times students have come here and graduated, and some of the most outstanding students probably would not have even qualified to get into a lot of other schools because they had never taken private lessons or been given the opportunity. I hope that will still happen here after I am gone.

What are your hopes for the future of jazz education?
    I really want to see jazz education as a truly integral part of the education of our music educators going out there. I work all over the country and see a lot of directors. I think that if you have a music education degree, you should be able to teach all kinds of music at some level. You will not be an expert at all of it, but I think you should at least know enough to get started. That is one of the reasons that we started the Band Director Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center. For the past sixteen years, it has helped many directors fill that gap in their training. I hope whoever follows me at Northern Illinois shares the same inclusive kind of attitude that I have. Anybody who wants to learn music should be given an opportunity. 

What is the best advice you can offer to fellow educators?
    Never stop learning. I was telling a young man recently that during my first ten years of teaching, I went to school every summer to take jazz arranging, brass methods, and rhythm section methods because those were areas in which I needed more expertise. I didn’t run from what I didn’t know. After a while, my rhythm section was always the best rhythm section. I learned how to play trumpet all over again, so if a student had a problem, I knew how to help. I truly believe that the only thing that can hold a student back is the teacher, because students will learn anything if you give them the opportunity and have patience to give them enough time.   

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