June July 2021 Archives - The Instrumentalist

The Ictus

theinstrumenta — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 21:34:00 +0000

Reprinted from Flute Talk, July 2019.

Recently I attended a chamber music concert where there were many fine things about the performance, but the group was not rhythmically together or with the conductor. They were close at times, but in other places the tempo stretched or rushed in order to place chords together. As I looked at the conductor and each of the fourteen or so performers, I noticed several were tapping their feet while others were bobbing the ends of the flute to the beat. What concerned me is that this tapping and bobbing did not match the conductor’s ictus.

The Ictus
In conducting, the ictus is the exact point in each beat of the conducting gesture that indicates the pulse of the music to the ensemble. In foot tapping the ictus is the moment when the foot touches the floor just before its return to the up position. In flute bobbing, the ictus is the exact moment when the end of the flute is no longer going down, but is about to go back up to normal playing position.

Problems
The old saying “You get what you conduct” applies here. Many conductors are not careful in indicating the ictus. It tends to be more prominent in faster, staccato or marcato passages and absent in lyrical passages. If an ictus is not present, players look to someone else to indicate where to play – the concertmaster in an orchestra and the flutist whose part begins the composition or has the prominent line in a flute choir.
Assuming the conductor’s ictus is well-defined, then it is each player’s responsibility to play with it. This means that they should look up at the beginning of the composition and then at least once every measure or two. For flutists with vision problems (bifocals, trifocals, etc.) this can be a problem because when they look up and then back down, it may be difficult to find their place in the music or wait for the music to be in focus. For these cases, some memory work of the music may be required for the sake of good, accurate ensemble playing. Practicing looking up at the conductor each measure or two should be a drill during the warmup part of flute choir and other large ensemble rehearsals. With practice anyone can do it well, but without repeated practice, it will never be conquered.
In classical music, the chord changes are usually on a strong beat. If one group is early on the beat, then their entry clashes with the previous chord. If another group plays late on the ictus, then their note hangs on too long into the next chord. For a brief moment everything might be okay, but overall the approach to the chords is not clean or accurate.

Articulation Issues
Many flutists cannot play exactly with the ictus because when articulating, the tongue is too far back in the mouth. William Kincaid, the father of the American school of flute playing, suggested putting the tongue in the aperture, letting the air stream build up behind, and releasing the tongue on the conductor’s ictus. He laughingly called this “spit-ccato” tonguing. This is exactly the same type of tonguing as the forward or French (probably more correctly called German) tonguing gesture. (This is taught by having the student spit a grain of rice or a fig seed.) Flutists of all ages and levels of development should practice the following exercise on several scales each day. After the release of the tone, the tongue is replaced in the aperture during the rest to be ready to play the next note exactly on the ictus. Using a metronome with a background of four sixteenths ticking helps the player place the note on the beat.

Where’s the Beat?
Student and amateur flutists often play before the ictus. Seasoned professionals (especially those who have played in orchestras their whole careers) play late on the beat. To win an audition, you must play on the beat. Rhythm is both a talent and a discipline that must understood and practiced.

Pointing the Feet
To become cognizant of where the ictus is, have students sit on the floor with their legs stretched out in front and their toes pointed up. Next, they should take the index fingers of both hands and point them at the ceiling. Then pivot the index fingers towards the feet and as they turn down, quickly point their toes with the feet bending at the ankle. Practice this with the metronome set at q = 72. Most students do this best when the speed is similar to their heart beat. Saying down/up, down/up when doing this helps the less coordinated. Explain that at the moment the toes stop going down and begin coming up is the ictus. Each week work to increase and decrease the tempo from the starting point of 72. I always practice this exercise with students. It is good for me too.
After several weeks, begin the lesson using both feet and then transition into first the left foot only and then the right foot only. Return the metronome to q = 72. The left foot will move on 1-and and the right foot on 2-and. Be sure the movement of the feet is articulate and not mushy. The movement from the ankles should be as clean and as simple as possible as if imitating a modern dancer.
Repeat these exercises until students are comfortable, and the exercise seems simple. Then move on to foot tapping. In many flute studios foot tapping is considered a bad thing. I use it as a step to learning to playing with the ictus. Since children learn coordination from large muscles to smaller muscles, I teach foot tapping using both feet first and with the feet bending at the ankle. This seems like a simple concept, but I have found that many middle school students have difficulty moving at the ankle. You may have to spend some time reteaching the previous exercise to develop this movement. Many students have grown up primarily indoors with little exposure to movement and consequently have weak body awareness. Rectifying this is something to cultivate. Eurhythmic exercises are helpful.
The feet move down on the number part of the beat and up on the and. This motion should be clear and concise. Practice this with a metronome until students are comfortable, and the gesture seems simple. Then explain the concept that the moment the feet touch the floor and begin the ascent is called the ictus, and this is where they should place notes to play in time. Practice this at varying tempos both below and above 72. Point out that when the beat is faster the distance the feet move is shorter. Once there is success, move on to tapping only one foot which will probably be the right foot.
Besides working with a metronome, record a mix of sixteen bars in varying tempos and genres. Have students find the beat and tap (and perhaps clap their hands) to the beat. Work in simple meter first (beat divided by two) and later incorporate compound meter (beat divided by three).
One of my theory professors at Eastman mentioned in passing that we each should feel the beat in some part of our bodies when playing. In the theory sequence, a large amount of time was spent each on rhythmic reading. While doing this, the right hand conducted the beat pattern, the left hand tapped the background (eighths or sixteenths) on our desks, and we counted aloud. As we became proficient, we sang the music with the correct pitches. The important part of this exercise was how many body parts were involved in doing rhythmic reading. Perhaps that is why the Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings with Frederick Fennell are considered to be so fine. The rhythm is impeccable.
Periodically I work with my flute choir on foot tapping. We are always surprised at how difficult it is for everyone to do it exactly at the same time.

Flute Bobbing
After a student is proficient with foot tapping, then teach flute bobbing. Flute bobbing is when a flutist moves the upper body in unison with the end of the flute as if cueing a breath. The gesture is small but very clear. The flute is firmly in the chin, and the weight of the flute may rest more just above the left index knuckle. This gesture is used primarily for cueing; however, it can be used as an aid for getting all of the players in an ensemble playing on the ictus.
Put the metronome on quarter note = 72 and have the flutist move on beats one and three. By removing the movement on beats two and four, the flutist has time to prepare the next gesture. At this point beats two and four will serve as preparatory beats. Practice this in the mirror with you making sure the student’s gesture is the same distance as yours.

I had a flute choir at one time comprised of flutists of a wide variety of levels of playing. As a group we practiced this in the mirror, drill team style, to get everyone moving exactly the same. We all were surprised at how difficult this was. At the point where the flute stops going down and begins going up is the ictus. The goal is to get everyone to play exactly on the ictus. Counting subdivisions is a big help in achieving this.

Playing Off the Beat
Musicians regularly play notes on the beat. Because it is so common, they become sloppy in preparation and note placement. To revisit the preparation needed to play accurately on the beat, at each flute choir rehearsal or private lesson, we always play a few scales where the flutists play only on the off-beats. (In other words, the numbered beats are silent and they play on the ands.) Since this is less familiar, they count more accurately to place the notes correctly. After playing a few scales off the beat, we return to playing scales on the beat. The off-beat counting strategies are easily transferred to playing on the beat. This exercise also heightens rhythmic awareness and may help in reaching the goal of playing exactly on the ictus.

Intonation
When everyone does not play on the ictus, intonation problems occur because the weakest, non-rhythmic players play before the beat. These people become the ones setting intonation. If everyone plays on the ictus, then intonation will be greatly improved.

Long Term
This skill is something that should be practiced regularly. Once you play in an orchestra where there may be a lot of rubato or accelerando, the tendency is to go with the flow. Then the weeks, when there is a conductor who has excellent stick technique, it becomes apparent how sloppy the ensemble has become. Low flute players especially should work on not being late on the ictus because of the slow response of the instruments. A metronome set to subdivisions is a helpful aid. Having good intonation and ensemble playing is the reward for diligent work.

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Teaching with Determination

theinstrumenta — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:13:55 +0000

   It troubles me that so many young people become music teachers but either burn out after a few years or never turn on in the first place. Of two teachers who are well trained, eager, and enthusiastic, it seems that one will succeed as a teacher while the other will turn to selling realestate, abandoning five years of university training and a lifetime of music study.
   I have heard that the burnout phenomenon exists, but it is an expression I don’t understand. After thirty years of teaching I still whistle on my way to work every Monday morning. I love teaching because I love the children I teach. Anyone who does not love students should get out of education and sell cars or insurance because there is no reason to work at a school. Enjoying music is not enough to counter all the aggravation from parents, administrators, and the school staff. If you love teaching you do not think of the job as work. A few formulas may help avoid burnout, but they might also be called facing reality in music education.
   Never assume anything. Many teachers think that by sending a calendar home with students in September, all parents will read it. This is not so. To assure parents will open that letter, hand address the envelopes. As silly as this may seem, consider how different your reaction is to mail that arrives addressed to occupant or personalized and hand written. The next assumption to avoid is that each letter, having been opened, will be promptly noted in felt pen on family calendars, or even that there are family activity calendars. After 30 years in this business I do not assume anything.
   On the day of a concert I stand at the end of the hall as students leave with a bright smile and say, "See you tonight." When I did this last year one student responded that he had basketball practice that night and another didn’t have a ride to the concert. My response is to call the family during the dinner hour and explain that members of a musical organization are expected to be at the concerts. It may seem silly to have to do this, but I want to be sure.
   Avoid negative people like the plague. In any school system the people who are unhappy and wish they were doing something else will make your life miserable if you let them. It would be nice to find out why they’re unhappy and help them, but few people have that much energy; avoid them, especially on concert days. They say such things as "You won’t get much of a crowd tonight because…" and weigh you down. I surround myself with people who tell me to have a good concert and make life more enjoyable.
   Listen more than you talk in rehearsals and daily work with colleagues. By asking questions and listening to people you pick up a lot of information.
   I used to say a happy person accepts and adapts. One time after saying that, a teacher complained about having 60 beginners for 20 minutes once a week, and I told her sometimes we have to dig in our heels and say no. That is an important philosophy.
   Worry often and early. Waiting until the day or week of an event to worry is not soon enough; I wake up staring at the ceiling months in advance. For example, I once had breakfast with Vaclav Nelhybel and asked him to lead a clinic in Yellow Springs. I sweat blood over that little two-day festival: the financing, people who said they wanted to be in it but later changed their minds, and many other hassles. Three days before the clinic I went to Iowa to lead a workshop for teachers and could have managed that only by worrying early and working through all of the details. I made sure the fee was acceptable, the hotel was ready, and arranged his transportation. Each problem by itself isn’t much, but when collected together they become a migraine headache.
   When my children left home I told them to do what makes them happy, and to give everything away. When you ask some teachers a question they answer in monosyllables, giving just a small bit of information. If you press them for more, a door closes, as if it were a private matter, the secret to their success. I had read Elizabeth Green’s books, but never met her. One day I telephoned her and said, "Miss Green, I admire your work so much and would like to meet you." She welcomed my call and we spent two days talking, and she remains a mentor, encourages me to write, and asks questions. She said, "What have you written?"
   I answered, "Nothing, I’m no expert. I’m just a teacher doing a job." Green replied, "You’re in the trenches. Share what you know."
   Do what makes you happy simply means figure out how to manage your job so you are not running crazy all the time. If you spend more time in your car than teaching, talk to your music supervisor. If you spend more time yelling at students than teaching them, that is a discipline problem. If you lose 50% of your students, something is wrong. Look at these things because you cannot be happy having serious problems. High energy tells a lot about how you like what you do and that it is not boring.
   Stay active. Many people are so bored with their work that they use the same book and music each year. Only the kids’ names change. Students quickly discern boredom in a teacher or environment.
   My principal hates seeing me come through the door because I will ask for a minute of her time but a half hour later we will still be talking and planning something. It does not have to be an expensive project; it can be performing at a nursery school or nursing home.
   Always have some carrot out there to keep students’ interest alive. Last year my elementary students played the first concert of their season without me, with two high school students running the show. I told my principal not to worry because they know what they’re doing. Keep the excitement going the rest of the year with a lot of concerts. The carrot is always out there. If Nelhybel comes the first of January, in February we play in the village for different service groups. We may go downtown and play on a street corner or have a potluck supper on a Sunday night, trying to bring people together. Don’t go long without something exciting.
   Be a team player. It is absolute madness if the choir, band, and string orchestra directors never meet. In successful programs they not only work together but like each other as people.
   If a guidance counselor does not support the music department but encourages freshmen to take study hall instead of orchestra, I would take that counselor out for lunch. The wrong reasons why students should be in music classes are that their S.A.T. scores will go up, study habits will improve, and music will permeate their entire life. They should take music because music is wonderful. That’s it. Having good rapport with the counselor, I sit down with her in the summer before the schedules are set and give her a list of the students who should be put in orchestra. The high school freshmen automatically are scheduled for orchestra before another class is put on that schedule. It is only because of administrative support that I have built the program over the years and now have many students. The counselor and I go through the list together and find out which students have moved in, families have split up and the kids who were with the father now are with the mother, and other details. When we go on our spring trip, the school counselor will be with us. If a counselor stubbornly refuses to support music programs, then talk with the principal and to the superintendent, if necessary. Get their attention: many students who win scholarships are in music ensembles. Counselors should know by now that major universities look at a complete transcript.
   Some orchestra directors only have after-school programs or rehearsals scheduled at times that are inconvenient for students. These are logistical problems that should have administrative solutions. Sit down with the school principal to discuss and work them out. Music classes should be part of the school day to be successful, and music xeachers who have rapport with their principals have a better chance to obtain a good schedule.
   When I started teaching, I could schedule an extra rehearsal the night before a concert, and 95% of the kids would be there. Those days are gone. You had better get done what has to be done during the school day or have home practice and sectionals.
   Teamwork with administrators and colleagues and rapport with students and colleagues enhance one another. Rapport means establishing such a good relationship that if you make a loud and embarrassing mistake, as we all do, students and colleagues are with you. You can apologize, and they will forgive you. Establishing that kind of rapport with the community helps form a support network.
   Go to athletic events even though there seems to be little time for them. Make it a point to attend a girl’s basketball game and a boy’s soccer or football game to show interest in students. There is no shame in good public relations. Music teachers often are so focused that they get buried in their offices and paperwork. The result is that students may decide a director does not care about them as people outside of music. Be involved and show genuine interest.
   The best thing you can do to build rapport in the community is to ask for help. I don’t have time to run a bake sale, but a parent might. Ask a parent to invite the football coach to attend the concert and have his team pass out programs. This may sound absurd, but they might do it.
   Acknowledge private teachers at a concert, and invite them to attend. They work hard, and public expressions of appreciation build good feelings. Sharing the applause deepens rapport. Get involved in community life. When there is some major function in Yellow Springs, the band director and I will receive a phone call because schools are an integral part of our community.
   Good teamwork is essential to build a program and recruit students. I recruit cello and bass players from the band by telling middle school saxophone, flute, and clarinet students who express. an interest in orchestra, that they will have a long wait for their turn: "See you senior year," I respond. When they look sad I add, "Well, there is a way. This summer I will start a class of intensive viola. If you work hard, you can join the orchestra next fall with a viola under your chin." Seventh grade is late to start strings but works with band students who already play an instrument.
   This is not stealing band students, but adding to their education. They still play saxophone and clarinet in band. For a wind player to be in the orchestra he must also be in the band, cut and dry. Being in the band is a prerequisite to being in the orchestra and avoids the animosity that often results from taking another director’s students.
   Administrators in some school systems concern themselves more with the number of students than the quality of music, but when the quality is established, students will flock to you. Retaining students is much more important than recruiting. It is easy to recruit students; just put an arm around the kid and invite him to play an instrument. Retaining that student is where motivation enters. An example is taking students on an annual trip, as long as their behavior is good: omitting the trip if students don’t behave then makes quite an impression on them.
   Losing students can send teachers into mourning. A cure for mourning is action. Find out why a student is quitting, and often it will turn out to have been the parent’s idea. I make it hard for a student to quit. Some students feel pressured to study music because in their school playing in band and orchestra is prestigious. They really are not that interested, but they take lessons five years and walk in the door too lethargically even to open the instrument case. When a student is not interested, suggest other avenues and visit his parents. See them at the dinner hour and make it difficult for them to refuse. I don’t like loose ends, and so I go to talk with them.
   One student said she had to return her double bass to school because her mother said it was too hard for, the cleaning lady to vacuum around it. That bass did not come back. I explained to her mother that Jennifer has a lot of talent that she could easily develop by practicing at home. The bass had been in an awkward place in the house; she moved it in Jennifer’s closet.
   Parents sometimes pressure their children to quit because the family lacks musical interest and a tradition of music study. Take time and explain to parents how playing an instrument can improve their child’s self image. Get students in front of the public within three months of beginning study, and make their performance important, with posters and a radio spot. If a parent reads in the newspaper that his child will perform in a concert, he looks at music lessons a little differently. His child is getting something special, and that makes it more difficult for parents to let a child quit. "Mary can’t quit; the school orchestra is going to Cincinnati in January."
   To counter negative peer pressure from a student’s friends, it helps for a director to recruit the cutest girl, the best athlete, and even the toughest kid, not only the nice students. These people can help make the ensemble the envy of the school, particularly if music students have their pictures in the paper regularly and are viewed as the ones who do everything.
   Successful music teachers have competence and let their sense of authority show. A teacher is highly trained, competent, and enthusiastic. These should be givens because competition is tough and jobs not that plentiful. They better have all that going for them.
   A young woman who had been my student seemed a natural to become a teacher. She got her degree in teaching, taught one year and quit, explaining, "I could not handle those kids. They ran all over me and made my life miserable." This did not have to happen. Her problem lay in not coming across as an authority figure or an expert. Something in her demeanor stopped students from realizing what she had to offer; she would have been a crackerjack teacher but sadly, she left the field.
   Demeanor is important for students in an orchestra as well as for teachers; it is part of professionalism. Certain things are necessary for a good orchestra including sitting erect with a good posture, and being proud of what you are doing. You cannot play a string instrument with long finger nails and get a beautiful tone with vibrato or shift effectively. The minute you back off because a student balks at trimming her nails, you lose students. Instead, take those kids who want to learn and mold them, get them so turned on that cutting their nails is no big deal. If you start backing off, you lose your program anyway. You are the authority, the teacher; walk through the group and say, "Sit up and have your nails cut by this afternoon," and let your face tell them you mean it.
   I will chastise a student in front of a group if they’ve done something inappropriate; I don’t back off. Sometimes it is wise to prevent an ugly scene in front of the group by telling the student to see you later. Situations vary, but avoiding confrontations sometimes causes problems. Once you establish that you will not keel over and play dead with parents, administrators, students who try everything, it is not necessary to come on strong. They know that predictable results will follow some actions, and that’s the end of it.
   People say, don’t smile before Christmas. I can’t imagine teaching that way. Students know I have done my homework, studied the scores, can carry on a conversation and know what’s going on all over the room. I use humor as often as possible in the classroom because students respond to it. The more you can laugh at yourself with young people without being foolish, the more they enjoy being around you. They love to see you as a real person. Here’s an example. When I took my junior high students on a trip last year, I thought I wore a rather fashionable swimming suit at the Holidome. I saw eight boys standing at the pool laughing hysterically, and asked what was so darned funny. They answered, "We haven’t seen a suit like that since Hedy Lamarr movies." I wasn’t offended, because it was funny. If you can whistle on the way to work after 30 years or after 5 years and say, "I’m never going to retire, they’ll have to drag me out of here," something wonderful is happening.

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What the Fall Season Could Be

theinstrumenta — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 19:52:22 +0000

   The resumption of fall activities presents challenges and opportunities for those who teach and adjudicate the marching arts. This hit home for me recently when I judged the Maine All-State virtual jazz and solo and ensemble festivals.
   Many schools have had no in-person music classes this year. Others have had truncated student contact and socially distanced outdoor rehearsals. The groups that prepared recordings for the festival crammed six months’ of rehearsal work into a month. A few groups rehearsed virtually and made the recording that way. One group rehearsed virtually, and the only time they were in the same room was for the recording. The results were remarkable.
   I thought about the upcoming fall season as I evaluated these performances. The need for empathy was strong, but also the need for honest, accurate assessments. I constantly put myself in the shoes of the director. What will we be hearing, seeing, and teaching in the fall? In many cases, programs of less complexity. The groups that I heard played literature of more modest difficulty out of necessity. A test of great teaching is great programming. Directors who pay attention to this area will produce results that judges can praise and reward.
   Ensemble skills may be very rusty, especially early in the season. Judges should note this, but be sure to search for moments when the ensemble’s potential peeks through. Staffs need to redouble their commitment to the basics. The temptation to take shortcuts will be great. Both judges and staffs need to be patient with this part of the process. This is a great opportunity for a reset for the relationship between adjudicators and staffs.
   After suspending the 2020 season DCI faced dilemmas in how to approach programming. The results indicate that many groups wanted to reestablish a strong audience connection. Phantom Regiment and Cadets programmed greatest-hits material from previous years for DCI’s truncated, non-competitive season. The initial reaction was very positive. This audience-friendly approach extended to others. Blue Knights programmed music of Louis Armstrong, and Boston Crusaders planned music by Perez Prado and Billy May. Rosemont Cavaliers announced a show with a simple message — roses, riffing off the group’s physical location and including La Vie En Rose and Sing, Sing, Sing. Under normal circumstances, these groups would never have performed literature of this sort.
   A season without competition encouraged several groups to put concern for audience involvement first. This is encouraging. The world will certainly not be worse for having Rainbow Connection on the field. This may be an opportunity for a creative reboot
Drum corps has for some time grappled with a balance between esoteric and populist. Because of the groups that succeeded in competition, the pendulum had swung solidly esoteric, at the expense of audience engagement. Michael Cesario tried to reverse that trend when he was DCI’s artistic director and made a great deal of progress. Lessons learned post-Covid may accelerate that trend. Applause can be addictive. The question all marching arts organizations must ask is, "Do pandemic-weary audiences want heady programs or are they simply looking to be entertained?" History can offer a useful guide – whether it be the Depression-era escapism of Busby Berkeley’s films or the swing dancing craze that swept the nation at that same time. (The latter makes Cavaliers’ choice of Sing, Sing, Sing prescient.) How this translates to venues like Bands of America, where message shows have been predominant recently, will be fascinating to watch.
   Many teachers have had horrendous schedules and had to develop educational strategies and curricula on the fly. Their work to keep music alive has been heroic. The same applies to the students. This is the opportunity to revel in this work. Teachers and students will be eager for feedback. One suspects all involved will be ecstatic to have band back. Adjudicators probably can’t wait to judge again, and performers and staff long to thrill audiences again. This is a fresh start, a new and promising day.
   All concerned should be prepared for a rebuild, as some programs could have significant attrition. When continuity in music programs is broken, it is tough to recover the lost year of music development. There may be smaller groups and lesser skills on display for now. Some bands may be very young, but this fall marching band season can be a celebration of triumph over adversity. What a great lesson for our students!

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Working with Judges

theinstrumenta — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 19:45:50 +0000

   A key part of music contests is developing healthy relationships with the judging community. These relationships are important to the growth of your group and can sometimes be challenging and frustrating.
   No one wants rocky relationships, but that happens more frequently than we would like. If there is tension between judges and staffs, nobody is at their best and the free flow of information slows to a dribble. This is unfortunate and avoidable. At its best, interaction with the judging community is symbiotic. The possibilities for meaningful collaboration between judges and staffs are significant and central to student growth. That, and not the competitive result, should be the bottom line. When it isn’t, problems — occasionally major — occur. Ego has ruined more than a few opportunities for teaching and learning.
   I grew up in competitive drum corps in the mid-1960s and have taught it since the early 1970s. Many great professional relationships, but more than a few frustrations, have come from this experience. In the late 1970s and ’80s, Drum Corps International was like the Wild West for teachers and judges. There were such visionary judges as Bernard Baggs, Don Angelica, George Olivierio and Shirlee Whitcomb, but also those of another stripe. I recall one judge railing at my group’s performance, and then adding, "but everybody on the East Coast sounds terrible this year." This was a prominent judge, but one who had limited teaching and no writing experience. Two of the top three DCI finalists that year came from the East.
   John Phillips, then a young brass judge, was a much-needed mentor. Once, a constructive critique led a few days later to two unsolicited pages of suggestions from John. He was invested; he wanted my group to improve. Things later improved in DCI, and John remains an essential part of that. When I entered public education, this approach was vital for my staff and the progress of our groups. The judges and those judged are in this together.
   Here are some things to remember as you approach your next season of judge interactions:

You can choose to make the judging community be an extension of your educational faculty. If you believe this, your staff must share that belief. Hold them accountable for approaching things in that way. If they want to vent about a judge, let them vent to you.
Judges want you to succeed. No judge wants groups to look or sound bad. Most of us have walked in your shoes. We are pulling for you.
When judges offer ideas and suggestions, you have to momentarily suspend ownership and ego, and accept what is said objectively. This is particularly true for designers. It can feel like someone is calling your spouse or child ugly. It is helpful to think, "Maybe this isn’t as good as I thought it is. How can we make it better?" Then ask for help.
Avoid the trap of thinking that "The judges are trying to rewrite our show." Usually, this is not the case. Sometimes it may be that your design intent is not clear. You can point out politely what the judge has missed. As a judge, I love having that conversation because I learn more about the show and can help the staff define how to clarify the designers’ intent through the performance. The best approach is to say, "The next time I’d like you to notice…." Or, "We need you to credit…."
Do not disparage a judge to your students. Many of us grew up with directors who said, "The judges hate us" or "We’ll do better with out-of-state judges." This doesn’t explain an outcome or encourage the students. Instead, they end up thinking the system is rigged, which it isn’t.
Occasionally, judges make errors. If you must address this with the group, say, "I don’t agree with how this judge saw things, but let’s see what we can learn." Then, make your case to the judge administrator in a calm, factual way. This is a teaching moment for your students, and a good judge administrator will help you negotiate these rough seas.
The staffs that listen most closely and act on that input get the most information from the panels and ultimately come closest to their group’s potential. There is nothing more frustrating for a judge than to give good information and suggestions to staff and discover later that they have not implemented any of them. When I first started judging marching band, a director came into the critique and announced, "I am not going to change anything." So, a deeply flawed design was left unfixed. I felt bad for his students.
Make sure your show has pacing and transitions that you can defend. Those areas tend to be groups’ greatest weaknesses and are hard to fix in the short fall season.
Do not discuss or disparage other groups in critique. Word will get back to those groups, and judges will lose respect for you.
Take critiques seriously. It is disheartening to have staff from a band that has performed early in the show come into critique without having listened to the judge audio files. There is usually no good excuse for this, and it’s not very respectful.
Be the model for your staff and students. Competition is unhealthy only if you let it be.
Consider sending out a libretto that lists staff and a brief description of your program. If you can, include links to the source material. Judges who are invested will do their summer listening for two reasons: to better serve the bands and to become more musically literate. We are lifelong learners.
Be patient with inexperienced judges. Some may be evaluating you for years. You can help them improve or make them an enemy.
Be self-critical about why effects aren’t working. The idea in your head may be great, but does it translate? The rise in narrative shows has been a good development in the marching arts but creates problems if the idea is too abstract. Seek judges’ help in making the intent clear. What is clear to you isn’t always clear to us.

I recently did an in-service with one of the more creative staffs with which I deal. They had a clear narrative with a coherent story. The titles of the tunes furthered the narrative. However, somehow the intent was murky and didn’t articulate what the staff intended. Further study revealed that the lyrics told the story but weren’t reflected in the music the staff chose. (The band didn’t use voice patches.) That band would have been better served with music that had nothing to do with the narrative but reflected the moods of the show. Sometimes what looks great on paper is ineffective in practice. We discovered that in a post-season post-mortem, which leads to this next point.

Think beyond the season. Judge relationships don’t have to end with the finals. When I was brass caption head of the Boston Crusaders, I asked the chief brass judge’s permission to send a short survey to selected judges, that asked for their perceptions of our weaknesses and strengths and suggestions for the future. We got information that shaped our winter’s approach, and the next year the group improved exponentially.
Ask a judge you respect to do an off-season in-service with your staff.

The reward of judging is much more than the paycheck; it comes from the joy of helping staffs and groups develop. There are many groups with talented, creative staffs that just need a gentle guiding hand. Staff, it is up to you to be open and come with your ego checked at the door. Judges, it is up to us to always be willing to be patient mentors. We are all part of a continuum.

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A Conversation with Composer Shulamit Ran

theinstrumenta — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 23:43:04 +0000

Reprinted From Flute Talk magazine, January 2015

Among her many awards and honors, Israeli-American composer Shulamit Ran was the second woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in composition. She is a long-time professor at the University of Chicago and has been a composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Works for flute include Voices, Sonatina for Two Flutes; East Wind; Mirage for flute (piccolo and amplified alto flute), clarinet, violin, cello and piano; and Birds of Paradise for flute and piano.

Shulamit Ran moved to New York City at the age of 14 to become a scholarship student at the Mannes College of Music. She won the Pulitzer Prize in composition in 1990, is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and is also the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Music at the University of Chicago. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Avi Lotan, a recently retired ear-nose-and-throat, head-and-neck surgeon, and is the mother of two sons.

When did you become interested in music?
My earliest memory of music is from when I was going to school in Tel Aviv, Israel, and I had developed a love for reading, around the age of perhaps seven. I was reading books, not necessarily for little children, but for young people. I would come home from school and I would read the books I was learning in school to my mother. When it came to a point where a character would sing a song, I would sing it to my mother. She would ask me, “Where do these melodies come from?” and I would point to the book and say, “It’s right here!” As far as I knew, the melody was there. She would say, “I don’t see the melody; I see the words. Did you learn this melody in school? Where does it come from?” I kept pointing and saying, “Right here!” As far as I knew, the melody was part and parcel, part of the words I was reading. I felt anyone reading this would hear the same melody. It really was not something I felt I was inventing, but rather this melody was there, it was part of being.

Was your perception of the melodies cued directly from the text, as words or letters to pitches?
    My perception of music at this point was very intuitive, a very natural process. I would hear the characters’ singing not as an isolated event, but as part of the greater narrative. The melody itself, however, was attached to the words I was reading.
    One afternoon I went for a visit with my parents to the home of new family friends. They had a little spinet piano. I had never encountered a piano until then. I spent the afternoon playing on this fantastic toy that was a musical instrument and really loved it. I came home and said to my parents, “I really would love to have a piano.” I offered them a bargain and said, “You don’t have to get a babysitter for me anymore (remember, I was seven years old); instead you can put that money aside each time, so you can buy me a piano.” If they had taken me up on this offer, they would probably still be saving up for that piano. I think I probably still needed some supervision as well.
    They bought me a nice upright piano, and I started to take piano lessons. They were never pushy as parents. However, they did give me the sense that the sky is the limit. I owe very much to my parents. It was always about my own effort and sense of commitment. My parents found a piano teacher, a gentleman who lived on our street and taught the neighborhood kids. He was quite a wonderful pedagogue. In the beginning, without us giving it much thought, he would write down all the melodies I would sing. At this point, I was just learning musical notation, so I didn’t know how to write them down myself.
    I would come to my lessons, play through piano melodies, and sing for him. These songs were often settings of poems. The great Israeli poets of that era also wrote poetry for youngsters, which was filled with great imagery. These were the inspiration for my songs. My teacher wrote these down and without telling us sent some of these songs to the Israeli Radio. To my surprise, I received a letter saying that two of my songs would be performed by a children’s choir on a program called “A Children’s Corner.”
    I was attending summer camp just then, and all the kids were gathered around a big box radio. At the designated hour, there came my songs as part of this program. It was the most amazing experience. I remember that afternoon very vividly. Hearing my music coming out of the radio, there was a sense that these songs had an independent existence from me. They were mine, but in some way, they also had their own existence. It was a wonderful feeling, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to replicate this over and over again.

How did you begin to develop a more serious, intellectual, and eventually more professional interest in music?
    I became quite a serious student of music, both piano and composition. After about a year of study, my neighborhood teacher advised me to go to other teachers who could perhaps take me to a more advanced level of study. I then had the benefit of studying with some of Israel’s most renowned musicians, composers, and piano teachers. Obviously, I went to school and took it very seriously. However, I spent a good bit of time practicing and composing. If you want to be a musician, this is not something you can just do on the side.
    I recall the day, I was 10 or 11 years old, when a gentleman knocked on our door and introduced himself. He was the principal second violinist of the Israel Philharmonic, and he lived close by. He had heard about me and asked if there was something that he could do to help me. He introduced me to many of the great conductors and performers who played with the orchestra. The encouragement I received from these great artists was incredibly meaningful at that stage.
    There were other things that I pursued purely out of a sense of “this is what I want to do, and this is the way to go about it.” Initially, I either sang my songs, or composed small piano pieces. Then I started to do these full productions where I would play the piano, sing, and in some cases narrate a particular subject of interest. These were things I learned in school, tales from the Old Testament of the Bible, some really incredible stories that I was drawn towards, with tragic underpinnings and epic content.
    When I was 12, I felt the time had come to compose for an instrument other than my own. My very first work for non-piano and voice, such as it was, was the Sonatina for Two Flutes. It has had quite a remarkable performance history. As a child, I really wanted to hear the piece played, but I did not know any flutists. I often went to hear the concerts of the Israel Philharmonic, and I noticed that the person who wrote the program notes for the orchestra was the principal flutist. I knew that he did not live far from us, so I decided to tell him that I had written a work for two flutes. I hoped he might consider loaning me two of his students to read the music for me.
    I was very nervous and wrote down everything I wanted to say, trying to sound very formal. I called him and breathlessly went through my little speech. At the end of which, he said, “What did you say?” My heart sank, but I repeated everything all over again. He was really very nice, and in the end, he did lend me a couple of his students, both of whom had the first name of Rina. I gave them copies of the music, and they came to my home and played for me. Remarkably, two flutists of the Jerusalem Orchestra, a broadcasting radio orchestra, then picked up the Sonatina. They not only programmed it on a major concert in Tel Aviv, but they also took it on a tour of Israel, so it was performed in many different places. That was an extraordinary thing. That is the kind of thing that gives one the encouragement to keep going, to keep stretching and working harder.

Do you find that you still gravitate towards compositions with a literary connection?
    Yes and no. The no is that if you look at my catalog of works, you will see that music with voice takes up a certain part of the catalog, but by no means its lion’s share. However, I feel very connected to writing with text. It allows me to address topics, that are important to me as a human being. And I love the human voice and just love writing for it. I have one opera, and I am hoping to write more. There are various works for voice in different settings, choral music, a capella, song cycles. Throughout the years, I come back periodically to works with voice because it was such a major way for me to express my ideas, musical and otherwise.
    Certainly, works like Apprehensions for voice, clarinet, and piano, make a grander statement. It is a big work, about 20 minutes, and very ambitious in the demands it places on each of the three performers. It’s based on a poem by Sylvia Plath from her “Winter Trees” collection. It is a single-page poem, and each stanza revolves around a different color. Leading from white to grey to red to black, it is filled with powerful imagery. There is a kind of curve, a very dramatic shape, with a huge climax at its apex. It is a very powerful poem.
    What I did was set each stanza as a movement of the piece, so it is a cycle made of a single poem. I always think of that as a kind of mini-opera, monodrama just for three instruments. The clarinet is in some sense the alter ego of the singer. It is operatic in nature, even if not of the same scale.

How did you come to leave Israel at the age of 14 to study at the Mannes College of Music in New York City?
    I received a scholarship. It was a difficult decision, but very exciting to be in the center of the music world. It was a challenge; it was daunting, difficult, and very exciting. I did not know how long I would go to school or continue to receive the scholarship. My parents came with me and were very motivated to do whatever it took to make it possible for me to reach for and fulfill my dreams. They were truly exceptional people, and the most supportive parents anyone could have.
    I became a full-time student at Mannes College, both in piano and in composition, and simultaneously completed my high school degree through a correspondence course through the American School in Chicago, never realizing that I would one day end up in Chicago. At the time, I was a very serious pianist. Although I was performing, deep down, I was more dedicated to composing. That was where my heart was. Later, the life I would choose for myself would be as a music-maker, rather than as a performer.
    For a few years after Mannes, I was busy composing, performing, learning, and everything you would expect from someone who wants to get better. Then, something quite extraordinary happened. I was given the opportunity to give a recital on a prestigious young artists’ series at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For the first half, I played general piano repertoire. For the second half, I presented my own music, and the closing work was O the Chimneys based on the poetry of Nelly Sachs. There was a mishap that occurred at the concert. At the end of the piece, there was supposed to be a minute and 15 second electronic music tape section. But it never came in. Instead there was complete silence, right where the work’s shuddering climax was to have happened – and a new lesson on the realities of live music-making!
    Richard Kapp, a conductor who was involved with the Ford Foundation, had a special program for recordings by contemporary composers. Thanks to Kapp’s advocacy, an LP with George Rochberg’s Tableaux was released, with O the Chimneys on the flip side. Rochberg was a well-known composer, and this was a special honor for me as a young composer. Not long afterwards, the LP made its way into the hands of Ralph Shapey at the University of Chicago. At that point, there happened to be a faculty search at the University of Chicago Department of Music to fill a position for a composer, leading to a phone call that marked a turning point in my life.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Chicago Flute Club, you were commissioned to write Birds of Paradise for flute and piano. What is your your concept of the composition?
    Birds of Paradise intersperses music that is brilliant and energetic with the wondrous and songful. Its title notwithstanding, I did not set out to compose a bird piece. Messiaen’s music, which I admire immensely, would seem to render such an effort quite unnecessary. The title does allude, however, to the musical imagery that the music, as I was composing it, was evoking in my own mind, where shifting motion and brilliant color take center-stage.
    Birds of paradise do exist. This fact became known to me thanks to an extraordinary program that aired on PBS in September 2013. At the time I had completed all but the last phrase of the work, and had also settled on its title. My decision to name the work Birds of Paradise was based purely on an imagined vision of a fantastical bird of many bright and amazing colors with the ability to soar high and at different speeds. I also envisioned the flower with that name as well. Imagine my surprise at seeing the stunning photography of the real birds that carry such a proud title.
    The work is structured in three movement-like sections that are played without breaks and that together form a fast-slow-fast shape, more a large A-B-C than true arch form, internally shaped in ways that allow for numerous detours into further contrasting terrains. As the piece progresses, though, several main ideas that emerge early on assert their dominance and help tie together the various digressions and flights of fancy. The three sections are played without break and are sub-titled: Sparkling and energetic, With mystery and awe and Brilliant, articulate, propulsive. (Birds of Paradise was premiered at the 2014 National Flute Convention in Chicago, with Mary Stopler, flute and Kuang-Hao Huang, piano.)

What are your plans for the future?
I intend to keep composing, always in an effort to say something that will make my listener, and performer, want to take the journey with me. I consider myself truly blessed in that, for many decades, nearly every single one of the compositions I have written was a commission – someone, an individual, or an organization, made the decision to have me write music for them. This continues to be the case, yet how quickly, or slowly, a new work will evolve, remains a mystery. Every new piece is a fresh beginning. One always starts with a blank slate. Exciting and daunting at the same time.
Some future commissions I look forward to fulfilling are a work for the Tanglewood Festival’s upcoming 75th anniversary next summer, and a quintet for the wonderful Brentano String Quartet with clarinet virtuoso and Metropolitan Opera principal Anthony McGill. In particular, I hope to compose another opera. Composing my first and so far only opera, Between Two Worlds (The Dybbuk), premiered in 1997, was perhaps the most exhilarating creative experience of my life, as was the process of putting it all together for performance. I hope to be able to compose at least one other opera. So stay tuned!

Home page photo by Laura Hamm

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Stepping Towards the Stratosphere

theinstrumenta — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 18:30:00 +0000

Introduction
The altissimo register was once the domain of the greatest saxophone virtuosos. In the mid-20th Century, there was even a debate about the utility of the pitches above the standard, keyed range. However, much like the clarinet and flute, the saxophone is a flexible woodwind capable of comfortably playing three-and-a-half octaves with the proper technique and preparation. Once the domain of a few masters, every college saxophone major is expected to have knowledge and ability in altissimo. Interest in the skill is spreading to high-school and middle-school saxophonists as they hear videos of great performers. Even though only the most advanced contemporary wind ensemble pieces call for the saxophone’s highest octave, pieces requiring altissimo have appeared on solo and ensemble lists throughout the country. So, what should the non-saxophonist director know about this technique?

Preliminary Considerations
   First, a word of warning: There are many ways to achieve the highest notes on saxophone, but some will produce poor, shrill sounds. In addition, without the proper care, the young saxophonist can distort their embouchures to squeeze out these pitches, yielding negative consequences for the rest of their playing. As I told one eager young player last year, the desire to extend the range is to be commended. However, a solid foundation of good practices must be laid down first.
   Tone comes first on the saxophone. No matter the level of range or technique, no one wants to hear a shrill saxophone sound. From the outset, any student should be listening to the highest-quality classical and jazz saxophonists possible. (I have offered many suggestions in previous articles.) Emulating these great performers will lead to positive results in both the normal range and the altissimo.
   Perhaps the two most important physical attributes for good tone in any register are airflow and embouchure. Airflow will be dealt with at greater length below, but the embouchure deserves attention now. The embouchure and its tension on reed and mouthpiece remain fairly consistent, no matter what note is played. There should be no appreciable difference in pressure on the reed when playing in the altissimo register.
   The ideal embouchure begins with the neckstrap pulled up high enough that the mouthpiece will enter the mouth without any lifting in the hands while the performer is sitting or standing up straight, looking straight ahead. The student will then place their top teeth on top of the mouthpiece, anchoring saxophone by relaxing and letting the weight of the head rest on the top of the mouthpiece. This should be felt through the neckstrap on the back of the neck. Double-lip embouchures will always be detrimental to tone, intonation, and evenness. Students with sensitive teeth may find this uncomfortable, and plastic and rubber self-adhesive mouthpiece patches are encouraged to improve comfort.
   Once the head is anchored through the top teeth, the lower lip rests on the bottom teeth. The puffiest part of the lower lip should be a cushion for the reed. Before sealing, the embouchure corners are drawn in towards the center, further puffing up the lip. Finally, the embouchure is sealed to keep air from escaping. The teeth should be separated, with the lower jaw exerting no upward pressure into the delicate reed. The chin should not be flat as in a clarinet embouchure, but it certainly shouldn’t be dimpled or bunched up into the reed. Instead, the student’s chin should look the same when playing as when they are making a neutral expression without the mouthpiece in the mouth.
   An easy way to test for proper embouchure tension is by playing the mouthpiece by itself, seeking a specific pitch. For soprano, that is a concert C#, for alto a concert A, for tenor a concert G#, and for baritone a concert D. Students should make a habit of playing these mouthpiece pitches daily. They should then continually check to ensure that their embouchures should feel similar to when they are playing the whole saxophone.
   The embouchure should not move while the saxophonist is playing (except for the slight motion required for vibrato). The adages of dropping the jaw while going lower or tightening up to go higher, or to lip down for intonation are outdated and harmful to saxophone tone. For intonation, use the process of voicing or air direction. From the top to the bottom of the tessitura, the embouchure should remain still and unchanged. Otherwise, the tone is built on shifting sands that will lead to uneven timbre and intonation.

First Steps
Once the student has achieved a well-supported, consistent tone throughout the saxophone’s keyed range, it may be appropriate to introduce the altissimo register. The first step is to think about airflow. Airflow and changes in airflow conception are essential at every stage of saxophone tone and intonation. A consistent, well-supported stream of air is vital in any style, register, or dynamic. Further, a regular visualization of an entire phrase exiting the saxophone’s bell will aid significantly in tone and phrase-shaping. In addition, the idea of voicing can improve intonation adjustment, timbre adjustment, and the altissimo register. While a detailed description of voicing is out of the purview of this article, you can learn more about this vital technique, including through the text by Donald Sinta, listed below.

Overtones
One of the best exercises for any saxophonist is playing overtones. Like the flutist’s whistle-tones, these can greatly help develop the tone and resonance of any saxophone sound. In addition, they have enormous benefits for intonation and the development of the mechanisms necessary to access the altissimo register consistently. First, have the student perform a beautiful, well-supported written low B-flat on their instrument. Afterward, have them play the same fingering, but sound for them the note the octave above, then request that they try to perform the "middle B-flat" with the low B-flat fingering.

The student should achieve this through experimenting with air direction (visualizing blowing a stream of air at different points on the wall) or through experimenting with the feeling of different vowel sounds (ah, ee, ii, oo, etc.). There should be no "squeezing" of the jaw or embouchure.
Once this has been achieved, the student can finger the low B-flat while playing the B-flat an octave higher. Then, through voicing or air direction, they can transition as smoothly as possible down to the low B-flat. Again, the jaw and embouchure should remain still.

Once mastering this technique, it should be repeated on the written low B, low C, and low C#. After this has all been achieved at a consistently high level, the student can begin experimenting with the second overtone, an octave and a perfect fifth above the fundamental. For example, have the student finger a low B-flat, while seeking to play the written F5 pitch, then gently fall back to the fundamental.

Again, replicate the same exercise on the low B, low C, and low C#. After this, it may be helpful to start working from Sigurd Rascher’s long-lauded Top Tones for Saxophone. A large amount of the book covers overtone exercises for tone and intonation development and mastery of the mechanisms leading to fluency in the altissimo register.

The First Altissimo Pitches
   After laying the appropriate groundwork, the student can then begin worrying about specialty fingerings. While the theory behind the altissimo rests on overblowing overtones, the fingerings used in performance differ significantly from standard low note fingerings. Instead, they are mostly cross-vented formulations that optimize tone, intonation, and resonance.
   The first altissimo pitches are rarely viewed as part of the altissimo register, as they are fingerings using the same voicings and techniques as the altissimo but otherwise achievable through standard fingerings. These are written E6 and F6. Two fingerings exist for each of these pitches: the standard palm key fingerings, and the front fingerings (named for the front key, which is immediately above the B key), the latter of which are a perfect place to gain comfort with rudimental altissimo approaches.
   First, the student should be comfortable playing the standard palm-key fingerings for E6 and F6 with a beautiful, clear, in-tune sound. Only then will experimenting with the front fingerings be beneficial. Before attempting the new fingering, the student should play one of the notes in the palms, perhaps the F6, with a drone, firmly getting the pitch in their mind’s ear.
   After accomplishing this, the student should hum the note while fingering the following:

   Then, with the pitch firmly in mind, the student should attempt to play the F6 on the front fingering (the first finger in the left hand depresses the front key with the part of the finger between the knuckle and middle joint). The feel will be considerably different than the palm-key version, and the student may want to visualize blowing down through the bottom of the saxophone’s bow. Again, it may take time to perform this note consistently, but students should keep the same embouchure used for any other pitch.
   After a student can attack the front F consistently with a beautiful sound, have the student slur into the front E by laying down the third finger in the left hand:

From there, the student should work to attack the front E, as well.

The Next Pitches
Nearly all professional and intermediate-level saxophones today have an additional key for performing the written F#6 for use with both side-keys and the front keys:

However, in the days before these keys were standard on most saxophones, the written F#6 was largely only achievable by the following fingering, using the side B-flat key:

   This fingering is still used often to bridge into the altissimo register and is a logical next pitch to learn after the front E and F. Once this is consistently clean, clear, and in-tune, keep going higher.
   Next is a true altissimo pitch, the G6. The student should keep a smooth, steady airstream when transitioning to this pitch, with no letting up. They can think of aiming their air progressively farther down as they transition from the E, to the F, to the F#, to the G. All the while, tone and clarity should be foremost.
   Each member of the saxophone family has a different set of altissimo fingerings. These fingerings even vary from professional to professional or source to source. Many are similar, but the largest difference occurs for this G6, between alto and tenor.
   The appropriate alto fingering for the G6 is:

For tenor, one should play:

For those tenors not equipped with high F# keys, this fingering will work, although it is less stable:

One of the biggest challenges in bridging the front fingerings to this altissimo G is the fingerings themselves. The student is releasing keys in one hand while depressing them in another. Add that these fingerings are new and unfamiliar, and the technical aspects alone can throw barriers in the student’s way. To ease the path, break this transition into a few steps.
First, without playing, have the student slowly and smoothly switch between the fingerings for F# and altissimo G. Once this is smooth, have the student blow steady air into the mouthpiece while executing the fingerings, all without making a sound. Once this is comfortable, have the student attempt to play the two pitches, reminding them to blow downward from the F# to the G.

Further Exploration
Once a student consistently achieves all of the above, they should consult a competent private saxophone instructor. A specialist should be involved in developing this skill, as much mischief can result from improper technique. In addition, the student should consider consulting the following standard texts on saxophone altissimo.

Beginning Studies in the Altissimo Register for Saxophone (Ensemble), Rosemary Lang/Revised Gail Levinsky
This classic work has recently been updated and expanded by Susquehanna University saxophone professor Gail Levinsky. It is a wonderful resource for any saxophonist looking to expand their facility in the altissimo and seeking to integrate the register into the rest of their range. The book consists mainly of beautiful melodies that slowly expand into the altissimo, making the student think lyrically and musically, no matter the range considerations.

Top Tones for the Saxophone, Third Edition (Carl Fischer), Sigurd Rascher
This work was the first modern primer for the altissimo register and remains a standard reference for modern saxophonists. It is to be praised for its preparatory overtone exercises, which build the necessary skills for altissimo performance, while also developing tone and resonance. I still use this work every day in my warm-up routine, in addition to using it with collegiate saxophonists. However, many fingerings work better on the vintage American saxophones Rascher preferred, rather than modern French and Japanese instruments.

Voicing: An Approach to the Saxophone’s Third Register, Revised Edition (Blaris), Donald Sinta
Sinta, professor emeritus of saxophone at the University of Michigan, offers a logical approach to the concept of voicing, its use in altissimo production, and benefits for all other aspects of saxophone performance. The exercises are perfect for the advancing saxophonist, but a competent private instructor should lead the student, as these studies can produce negative results without the proper supervision. A wealth of useful and usable altissimo fingerings is included.

Conclusion
The advanced saxophonist is called upon today to have a complete mastery of the altissimo register. What was once optional is vital. With a bit of help, however, even young saxophonists can experiment with the top tones. Whether for a particular piece or just out of curiosity, this new skill can open up new possibilities for the saxophonist. The sky is the limit.

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