Trey Reely – I’m running late for work after cleaning up an unpleasant and unexpected mess in the dog kennel.
13 October 7:35 a.m.

Trey Reely – sulks at his desk as it continues to rain with a halftime performance only three days away.
13 October 8:50 a.m.

Trey Reely – The band just finished playing. I am picturing Aaron Copland rolling over in his grave.
13 October 11:17 a.m.

Trey Reely – stares at his hardened chicken fries wondering why he didn’t bring his lunch.
13 October 11:46 a.m.

Trey Reely – loves beginning band.
13 October 12:45 p.m.

Trey Reely – is crawling on the floor trying to find a clarinet pad.
13 October 1:30 p.m.

Trey Reely – rejoices because the sun just came out of hiding.
13 October 3:00 p.m.
Trey Reely – was just hit by a flagpole. The color guard member giggled.
13 October 3:30 p.m.

Trey Reely – gives an inspirational talk no one listens to.
13 October 5:00 p.m.

Trey Reely – waits for the last parent to arrive.
13 October 6:00 p.m.

Trey Reely – is shopping for nuts and bolts to repair drum carriers.
13 October 6:16 p.m.

Trey Reely – is cooking Polish sausages at the band concession stand.
13 October 6:45 p.m.

Trey Reely – sits down to watch a CSI rerun.
13 October 9:00 p.m.

Trey Reely – wonders if there are better things to do with his time than provide entries for Facebook.
13 October 10:05 p.m.

Trey Reely – thinks he might quit Facebook.
13 October 10:06 p.m.

Trey Reely – wonders if Twitter might be more fun.
13 October 10:07 p.m.

The post Updates appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Flammed Chords
   Flamming can occur when two or more mallets playing a chord strike the bar at different times. This can happen when multiple players are playing the same chord, but it can also happen to just one person.
   One possible cause of this is players’ mallets starting at different heights. Each mallet player should make sure his sticks are held at the same height, and all players should coordinate stick height for both the start and end of the stroke.
   Another possibility is that a player is not bringing both mallets down at the same speed. If stick heights match, the director should watch carefully to see if mallet speed is the problem.

Playing on the Nodes
   The nodes are the area on a keyboard percussion instrument where the cord runs through the key. Striking this area produces a less resonant and therefore undesirable tone. Young percussionists may be unaware of this problem and not pay attention to where the mallet strikes the bar. They may also not be listening to the sound and simply perceive any sound that comes from the bar as good, as long as there is a sound.
   Show students the difference between playing on the node and playing on the middle of the bar. To get students to pay attention to mallet placement, have them practice something relatively simple, such as scales. They will probably find that they hit nodes fairly often.
   Sometimes students hit nodes because they are standing too close to the instrument. Rather than strike in the middle of a bar, strokes will land on the nodes. Have close-standing students take a small step back from the instrument. This may feel awkward for some students, but they will quickly become accustomed to the distance.
   It is worth noting that for accidentals, students can hit either the middle of the bar or the edge. In fast passages it is usually more desirable to strike the key on the edge because there is less distance to move.

Maintaining Tempo
   Students may be unaware they are out of tempo if they have not been trained to listen to themselves and the ensemble. Some students also either don’t watch the conductor at all or use him as a timekeeper rather than keep time themselves. In addition, too few students practice with a metronome.
   Students should practice with a metronome daily. Improvement will be gradual – usually over a period of months – but it requires daily work. It is ideal for students to purchase a metronome with a headphone jack so they can hear the click over their instruments.
   I suggest you have players clap their parts to the metronome. Clapping will let them hear attacks more clearly and show whether a person is playing in time. Students who listen intently to their playing should be able to identify whether they are playing in time.

Roll Speed Too Fast
   The bars on a marimba begin losing resonance if the roll strokes happen so fast that a bar is not allowed to vibrate. That a roll can be too fast is sometimes a revelation to students who are accustomed to playing rolls that match the tempo, which is the technique often taught on snare drum.
   Students usually assume that the best sound is produced by fitting as many strokes as possible into the tempo. Explain that the type of sound obtained is more important than tempo. A roll should be at the speed that sounds best, and the best sound will be one that is sustained with as little pulsing from the stroke as possible. The sound should be similar to a person singing the syllable oh. By experimenting with roll speed, students will begin to hear the different amounts of sustain that different roll speeds create.

Not Enough Rebound
   Inexperienced percussionists may not allow a stick or mallet to rebound off the bar when playing. This can lead to the use of a stroke with no rebound at slow tempos and one that has some rebound at fast tempos. This use of two different techniques can lead to production of different tones at various tempos as well as an inconsistent stroke.
   I teach percussionists to think of the stroke as one motion, with the down and up parts connected. Young players frequently try to make these motions separate. In addition, students sometimes talk about how a mallet feels without looking at it to see what they are doing. It is important that students watch their stroke and describe what they see rather than what they feel. There is often a disconnect between the two. I also like to use analogies, such as bouncing a tennis ball, to describe a proper stroke.

   Although good technique is important, be sure to remind mallet players that in addition to paying attention to stick heights and mallet placement, they should play musically as well. Style often suffers if there is too much focus on technique. With this perspective, mallet players will be well-equipped to use proper technique to play beautifully.                     

The post Mallet Percussion Tips appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Identifying Problems
   There are a large number of variables that confront oboe players. These variables include tenon cork fit, bridge alignment, adjustment mechanism, rods and keys that bend, condensation, grime, cracks, and most notably, the double reed; and a lot can go wrong with each one. For directors who have little experience with the instrument, figuring out what is going on with a malfunctioning oboe can be frustrating. Here are some reasons why oboists might struggle and why some notes may simply not work.

Tenon Cork
   A firm connection between the top joint and bottom joints of an oboe is important for the instrument to function correctly, but unfortunately the tenon cork that makes this connection can easily compress and wear down over time. Even if the instrument is not played much, the tenon cork can lose moisture, causing it to shrink. When the top and bottom joints lack a firm connection, the instrument wobbles while a student plays it, causing the adjustment mechanism to shift and make many notes unplayable. This problem typically comes and goes as the connection shifts in and out of position.
   To check an oboe for this connection, first assemble the instrument. Next, hold the bottom joint firmly and push the top joint forward and back. There should be no movement between the joints. If there is movement, the tenon cork should be repaired. For temporary help, cut a small piece of paper the same width and length of the tenon on the top joint and wrap it around the tenon. Carefully reassemble the instrument while watching to be sure the paper does not shift off the cork. The paper will degrade quickly, so this technique is good only as a short-term solution to the problem.

Adjustment Mechanism
   When looking at an oboe, the amount of key work can seem astonishing. The mechanism of the oboe is constructed through relationships between what are called primary keys and secondary keys. After a player depresses a primary key, secondary keys move up or down as well. The relationships between primary and secondary keys are regulated through minute turns of various adjustment screws. Even the slightest imbalance between the primary and secondary key relationships can cause notes to sound fuzzy or to not sound at all. Difficulty producing low notes or a delayed response to articulation can indicate that the instrument is out of adjustment.
   Learning to adjust an oboe is a useful skill that takes some patience and the help of an oboe adjustment guide. Several excellent editions of these publications are available, such as A Method for Adjusting the Oboe and English Horn by Carl Sawicki or Oboe Adjustment Guide by J. Patrick McFarland. When working through this process, turn the adjustment screws in tiny increments, the distance equivalent to about one minute if you are looking at the face of a clock. Do not allow young students to adjust their instrument without help, because they do not have the fine-motor skills necessary to do this.

Bridge Alignment
   For the adjustment mechanism to function correctly, the bridge key on the right side of the instrument should be perfectly aligned. After the right side is aligned, the left side might be significantly misaligned. Misalignment on the left side is fine and will not have any mechanical effect.

Fragile Mechanism
   The key work and mechanism of rods and posts on oboes are extremely sensitive to pressure. Keys are prone to bending, so players have to handle them with care, avoiding unnecessary pressure or stress. When assembling the oboe, grasp only the primary keys and avoid touching any rods. Lubricate the tenons and the reed cork with cork grease and then assemble the instrument using only gentle pressure. When resting the oboe on the lap or any surface, keep the keys facing up, and do not allow the instrument to rest on the group of keys on the left side (low B and Bb, Ab, left F, and left Eb). This part of the mechanism is particularly prone to bending and damage.

Condensation
   Tone holes easily trap condensation, which then accumulates in the vent holes on the side and back octave keys of the oboe. These holes are closest to the top of the instrument where the air is the warmest and moistest. Accumu­lated condensation can cause a gurgling sound or a note to speak in the lower octave.
   If a student has any difficulty playing in the second octave, blow strongly across the octave key tone holes at the top of the instrument. Ungummed cigarette paper is helpful to whisk away moisture. If octave condensation is frequently a problem, ask an oboe repair technician to remove and clean the octave vents. Condensation can accumulate in other tone holes and will sometimes greatly affect the pitch. An F might sound an E and a C might sound a B.

Swabbing
   Consistent swabbing of the instrument with silk pull-through swabs removes condensation so it does not accumulate. Some oboists avoid swabbing because they think the swab will get stuck inside the instrument. To avoid this, hold the oboe upside down and drop the weighted end of the swab through the bell. Gently shake the oboe until the weight comes through out the top joint through the reed well. Slowly pull the swab through the instrument and watch the entire length of the swab as it enters through the bell so that it does not twist or knot. Once the swab is inside the instrument, you can pull it more quickly.
   If the swab suddenly becomes more difficult to pull, stop pulling immediately. Take the instrument apart and gently pull the swab back toward the bell. If the swab does not move easily, do not pull on it. Instead, directors might try a thin and smooth metal rod to push it out. If the swab seems tightly stuck, then take it to an instrument repair technician.
   The oboe should be swabbed after every time it is played. Sometimes students with plastic oboes mistakenly believe that only wooden oboes need to be swabbed because plastic does not  crack, but it is equally important to swab a plastic oboe to remove condensation and reduce grime.

Grime
   Accumulated grime may prevent an oboe from working correctly. Look down the bore of the instrument and check to see whether it is smooth and shiny. A rough appearance means there is grime that needs to be removed with a swab. Sometimes so much grime accumulates that it collects in the tone holes and makes certain notes out of tune or altogether absent. After swabbing a filthy instrument, wash the swab in warm water with a mild detergent. Open up the swab so it is flat and can air dry on a flat surface.
   After many summers of teaching at middle school music camps, I have learned to always look down into the bore of an instrument for dirt before volunteering my best swab to a student. The amount of grime waiting to be removed can be staggering. When an instrument is loaded with grime, I talk to the parents of the student about cleaning or swabbing it at home. Never use any kind of liquid to clean an oboe, because it will cause damage to the cork and skin pads.

The Top-Joint Suction Test
   The top joint of an oboe should be free from cracks and warped pads for the instrument to function correctly. To test for this, take the top joint and press down the B, A, and G keys with the left hand; next place the palm of the right hand firmly across the opening of the tenon and suck all of the air out of the top joint, forming a tight seal between the upper lip and the palm of your hand. Ideally, this seal should hold for at least seven seconds. If the suction is weak, a pad could be cracked or warped, or in the case of a wooden instrument, a crack could be present. Wood oboes that have cracked should be immediately re­paired by an oboe repair technician.
   Students should not attempt to play a cracked instrument, because the air flow and condensation can cause the crack to expand and immediately become more severe. Cracks are often very thin and hard to see, making them difficult to identify. They might be entirely covered by key work and not visible until a technician removes the keys. Cracks are typically repaired by pinning, although minor cracks are sometimes repaired with glue. The most common place for an oboe to crack is between the two trill keys on the upper joint, because of the tiny amount of space between them. If you suspect a crack, try looking for it under a bright light at the trill keys.

Instrument Selection
   Beginning-model wood oboes are not always the best choice to purchase. The quality of wood on these instruments does not make them sound better than resin or plastic models; prone to leaks and cracks, wood instruments quickly become a liability. Wood oboes require special care and should be played consistently, so they are not a practical choice for most school programs where students might not be careful with them or the instruments sit in storage during the summer and are not played regularly. There are many high-quality resin and plastic oboes that are particularly well suited as school instruments and are a better choice.
   The term full conservatory is often used to describe intermediate and professional oboes. Full conservatory means that all of the standard keys such as low Bb, left F, and F resonance are included. There are expensive intermediate oboes that lack important keys, such as left F and low Bb, and are not full conservatory models. I recommend avoiding these instruments all together.

Finding a Good Reed
   Many oboe reeds that are available for purchase are unsuitable for players at any level because they do not function correctly. When students play on a poor-quality reed, they do not make adequate progress with good air flow, embouchure, tone, intonation, dy­namics, articulation, or vibrato.
   Many student oboists assume that if their reed produces any sound, then it is fine. Consequently, as they notice that their sound is louder and more raucous than the other instruments, they become frustrated. All potential for an acceptable tone quality and intonation is built into the reed. Students should learn how to recognize the characteristics of a good reed from their first lessons because that information is an important component of oboe playing.

Crowing the Reed
   Try this quick reed test to determine if an oboe reed is suitable for playing. Put all of the cane in your mouth so the lips touch only the thread. Take a slow and deep breath through the mouth and then blow strongly to produce a robust sound. The reed should respond immediately, vibrate freely, and have the pitch of C in two octaves.
   If the reed is flat in pitch or if the sound is wobbly and unstable, then adjust or discard it. This process is called crowing the reed, and it gives oboists important information about how well the reed is working. Once placed in the oboe, a reed’s qualities become magnified, so if it does not play well on its own, it will be impossible to play the oboe well either. Crow a variety of reeds until you find one that easily crows octave Cs. If a reed does not crow, the problem is the reed and not the player.

Reed Characteristics
   One characteristic to listen for in a reed is an immediate response. If a high-pitched chirping sound precedes the tone or if students are reluctant to articulate with their tongue on the very tip of the reed, then there is a problem with the response of the reed.
   When looking at the profile of the reed, the two blades of the reed should stay tightly together all the way to the tip. If the blades splay apart even slightly, the reed will not respond well and can chirp. This type of reed problem is typically caused by a warp in the cane and cannot be fixed.
   A reed should respond to air and articulation without any delay. If there is a delay in response, the very tip might need thinning or the reed might be leaking air through the sides. Learning basic reed adjustment techniques can benefit students greatly. Sometimes a couple of small scrapes of the cane can make an unusable reed into a good one. Basic reed adjustment can be learned through short summer workshops, books, or DVDs.

Handmade Reeds
   I encourage students at every level to play on handmade reeds instead of machine-made reeds, which usually  play flat and have a loud, unfocused sound. Most oboists quickly find a good source for handmade reeds, then eventually learn to make their own. Local music stores rarely stock handmade reeds or even oboe supplies, forcing student players to find specific specialty shops that are scattered throughout the country.
   A great variety of high-quality handmade reeds and other oboe supplies are available through the internet and mail-order catalogs, and private oboe teachers often have them for sale. Students should try reeds from a variety of sources. Although handmade reeds can cost more than twice as much as machine-made reeds, they  last much longer and are absolutely worth the investment.

Adapting to a Handmade Reed
   Students who switch to handmade reeds at first may not like them because they feel uncomfortable to play. Although better in quality, these reeds have more resistance and require greater air flow, and some students are sensitive to the increased sensation of the vibration on their lips.
   Ask students to take in a slow and full breath and blow on the reed only for a few brief periods, a few seconds at a time. After a few days of blowing on just the reed, it will no longer feel too resistant to play, and the correct embouchure muscles will begin to develop. Most players make this transition quickly.

Playing Sharp
   In a recent masterclass with 18 high school oboists, everyone – from all-state musicians to students who had played for two months – acknowledged playing excessively sharp. This is something many oboists struggle with. There are two primary reasons for sharp pitch: the reed is flat or the embouchure is inflexible. Sometimes the embouchure is not flexible because it has become accustomed to playing on flat reeds.
   It seems counterintuitive that oboists play sharp when their reeds are flat, but there is good reason for it. When the reed crow is lower than a C, the player responds to this flatness by pinching or biting the reed. The ear is much more sensitive to flatness than to sharpness and is inclined to make this adjustment. Pinching the reed will bring the pitch higher, but the pitch center is unstable and uncontrollable. There is no good way to consistently pinch the reed, and consequently, the correct pitch is not sustainable. Players overshoot the pitch, which becomes excessively sharp.            

The post Taming the Oboe appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Computer Equipment
   When deciding on com­puter hardware, remember that the faster the processor speed and the greater the memory, the better the performance. While there are many other factors that contribute to good-quality computer performance, these two are paramount, and both Macintosh and Windows-based computers are available at reasonable prices. 
   Deciding whether to buy a desktop model or laptop depends on each director’s personal preference and his facilities. Laptop computers offer the greatest flexibility with the least amount of extra equipment; however, some people think they get “more bang for the buck” using desktop computers with their larger hard drives for storage, faster processing speeds, and greater memory capacities for the same amount of money as a laptop.
   The equipment necessary for video conferencing includes a computer purchased within the last two years (it should have enough space and speed to perform well, following the suggestions in this article) and a high-speed internet connection. Although wireless technology is growing in popularity, video conferencing necessitates having a strong signal, which isn’t always reliable with a wireless format. When available, both the host director and the guest clinician should use the fastest and most reliable connection possible.
   The host director should have a good-quality microphone and speakers for the best possible video conferencing experience. In regards to microphones, there are many choices on the market, and in this case, getting what you pay for is mostly true. I recommend re­searching the topic using www.the-microphone-guide.com.
   Because video conferencing is set up through a computer, a microphone with a USB connection is best because it will work with your computer with little potential for problems. The host director should decide where to set up the microphone in advance, considering the best balance and sound in the room. Generally speaking, I suggest placing the microphone in the front of the room, elevated behind the conductor.
   Regarding feedback by the guest clinician, it is important for the host director to set up his computer sound system so it is amplified. Optimally, the best way to deliver instructions from the guest clinician is to route sound from the host director’s computer to a stereo system for the entire room to hear.

The Guest Clinician
   Sound from the host director’s rehearsal hall has to be compressed to be delivered via a microphone through cyberspace, and consequently the original quality of the sound may be diminished once it reaches the guest clinician. Because of this limitation, I recommend a good-quality headset for the guest clinician when performing a clinic in this manner. The guest clinician’s microphone should be of good quality, however, this is not as important because it needs to relay only his voice and not the nuances of music generated by an ensemble of musicians.

Instant Messaging Software
   Some type of computer instant messaging software is necessary for video conferencing; it is free from the internet and simple to use. The differences between software packages are mostly a matter of which features are in­cluded. Many popular software packages allow users to chat on the internet using traditional typing, although many now offer video and audio possibilities as well. From my experience, I have used iChat and found much success with it for both the host director and the guest clinician.
   While video conferencing must have an audio feature, video is unnecessary unless the host director wants the guest clinician to evaluate his conducting or a student’s playing posture or embouchure. From my experiences, I believe students in the ensemble benefit greatly by seeing the clinician as he works with the group. Using video capabilities may in­crease the overall experience for every­one and put a face with a name as comments come from speakers connected to the stereo.

Video Camera – Optional
   Directors who use video will need a camera that connects to the computer with a USB or Firewire connection. To reproduce the most accurate and best performance, I suggest you carefully read the manual that comes with your computer to best understand which camera connection to use with your system. Some of the newer laptops have a small video camera built into the upper portion of the monitor. Unless the quality of the video is important, this simple feature may suffice so the guest can see what you want displayed as they discuss elements from your rehearsal.
   If the host director wishes to have the guest clinician visible at the rehearsal, then he should use a similar setup as he talks to the ensemble. In this case, the host director should project the image on to a video screen for the students to view. From my experience, I have simply projected the guest’s image using a video projector, helping the clinic come to life for everyone in the rehearsal hall.
   Many host directors include this method as part of a guest’s duties to better prepare an interpretation or conduct problematic passages. Re­gardless of the reasons, using this technology can give directors new possibilities for  enriching their students’ musical lives, especially if their school is struggling financially.              

The post A High-Tech Approach to Holding Clinics appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Part Assignments
    Parts that are incorrectly assigned to players’ folders cause unnecessary confusion and lengthy rehearsal delays. A plan for passing out parts will keep the flow of rehearsals moving smoothly.
    1. Read through the designated instrumentation on the title page of the full score, and make sure all of the parts are distributed. Newer works often have three flute parts and some have four trombone parts, so watch for this and make sure the parts are assigned properly.
    2. A general rule for distributing parts in school honor bands is to have more players on the second part than the first, and more on the third part than the second. If there are four parts, distribute the third and fourth parts equally.
    3. Modern band works often have four trumpet parts and three separate flute parts. Be certain to put all parts in the folders. Directors should never put more than four players on 1st trumpet, no matter how large the band might be. With older works, the parts should be distributed this way:

Solo and 1st Cornets – 1st trumpets
Trumpets 1 and 2 – 2nd trumpets
2nd Cornets – 3rd trumpets
3rd Cornets – 4th Trumpets

Note that in older transcriptions the 1st and 2nd trumpet parts are essentially the original orchestral trumpet parts. Directors frequently hand out the trumpet parts for transcriptions to 3rd and 4th players,  which can be disastrous. These parts should always be played by better students.
    4. If the score calls for flugelhorns, be sure to put these parts in the folder. It is always best if two of the better players bring flugelhorns for these parts (only one is needed on each voice). Assigning students to play flugelhorn parts on trumpets completely destroys the intention of the composer, who wrote for flugelhorn because of the difference in color.
    5. When the score indicates Eb soprano clarinet, designate one of the 1st clarinets to play this part and do so far in advance so the student can practice for  rehearsals and the concert far enough in advance. Eb soprano clarinets are treacherous little creatures and need to be played by someone who knows what they are doing. So few new works call for the Eb soprano that it is not a good idea to audition someone just to play the instrument. If you insist on doing this, have the student bring a Bb clarinet also, so he can play with the 1st and 2nd clarinets on the pieces that do not indicate Eb soprano clarinet. The same goes for Eb alto clarinet; if you insist on including an alto clarinetist (or heaven forbid, more than one), have him bring his Bb clarinet to play with the 3rd clarinets on the pieces that do not call for an Eb alto clarinet. Whatever you do, don’t hand this player an alto saxophone part just to have something to play. This is disastrous.
    6. The standard dilemma with Eb contralto and Bb contrabass clarinets should be solved before the clinician arrives, and the correct parts should be distributed to the folders.
    7. Percussionists need at least two of each part so they don’t have to carry music around from stand to stand while switching instruments. This is especially true with mallet players.

The First Rehearsal
    Anyone with extensive experience conducting honor bands will tell you that the first rehearsal is the most important. If things run smoothly and efficiently from the very beginning, all will usually go well; however, if the first rehearsal is chaotic, students never seem to settle in to the task at hand.
    1. The clinician should send the people in charge of running the honor band a general setup chart far in advance of the date. I say general because often the exact instrumentation is unknown and the rehearsal room and stage are unfamiliar. The seating chart might require changes later because of physical or acoustical problems at the venue.
    2. All chairs, stands, and percussion equipment should be set up before students arrive for the first rehearsal.
    3. All seating assignments should be handled by the hosts, either by having the band show up 30 minutes early to seat the players or by using name cards on the music stands to indicate where students sit. It should not be the clinician’s job to seat a 90- to 120-piece band he has never seen.
    4. Assign the piccolo player, English horn player, the Eb clarinetist, and the soprano saxophonist (if necessary) well before the first rehearsal. It is not the job of the clinician to make these decisions; the people who auditioned the students should make them.
    5. Each tuba player and all other large instruments should have their own music and stand. It is truly difficult for these players to read with two people per stand.
    6. Make certain that percussionists have at least 15 music stands available. They will need all of them to correctly set up the section. They also need all the necessary suspended cymbal stands, snare mounts, gong beaters, and so forth on site before the rehearsal begins.
    7. A percussion instructor or the person who auditioned the percussionists should attend the first rehearsal to assign parts for each piece. If this is not done, the first rehearsal will be a train wreck. Clinicians have never before laid eyes on these students; they have no idea who should be assigned to play which part.
    8. All percussion equipment should be in working order. It is frustrating to try to rehearse when the necessary instruments and beaters are unavailable or when equipment such as timpani, vibraphone (including a power cord for the  motor), and chimes are not functioning properly.
    9. A librarian should be at the initial rehearsals to ensure that all students have the music they need. There is nothing more embarrassing for a student than sitting through half of the first rehearsal without a part because there is no librarian present to address these problems.
   10. One host or teacher should be at every rehearsal, in case a student becomes ill, the clinician needs help getting a missing part, or, as once happened to me, to find the switch when the lights go out.

Successful Concerts
    1. Under optimum conditions, the honor band should rehearse where it performs. If this is not possible, then it is imperative that band members have at least one rehearsal in its concert venue. If the latter is the case, all the necessary percussion equipment should be moved with the band to this site.
Starting over with different timpani and different mallet instruments in the concert venue is a poor idea because the mallet players often have to select completely different mallets and the timpanists have to start over tuning a new set of drums. I see this all the time. It never ceases to amaze me why school music teachers do this to their students. No one would hand out a different set of wind instruments to the players just before a concert. Why do this to the percussionists?
    2. Provide all instructions to students about where to be and what to do in writing before they arrive at the clinic. Considerable time in a final rehearsal can be wasted on these announcements.
    3. If more than one band is performing on the concert, please don’t sequester your top band students in a room for two hours before they perform. This may be easier for music teachers and their bus schedules, but it is definitely detrimental to good concentration. Students get bored, start jabbering, and pretty soon the band loses focus. A more sensible and educational alternative is to reserve seats in the concert hall so students in the top band can hear other groups play. They should excuse themselves about 30 minutes prior to their performance to warm up. This is plenty of time for the clinician to tune the band before the concert.
    4. When staging several bands on a concert, the host needs plenty of help to execute set-up changes. Recruit all the people you can, draw up
accurate set-up charts, and put everyone to work. The better this is organized, the better the concert will flow.
    5. Keep all speeches and award presentations to a minimum. Parents come to hear their children play, not to hear teachers talk. I know this is a touchy subject, but I have seldom been to a band concert that was too short. Some honor band concerts become seemingly interminable because of  lengthy speeches and slow set-ups.
    6. Please assign a teacher or student to drive the clinician back to the hotel after rehearsals and the performance. After several hours on the podium, it is not much fun sitting around a band room for two hours while the host is tidying up. After all, the best thing about being a guest clinician is, for this one concert, not having to move the drums.
    I hope these suggestions are helpful in making honor band weekends more successful. With a little planning and forethought, any honor band weekend can run as smooth as silk.       

The post Smooth as Silk, Advice for Better Honor Bands appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

What is your approach to teaching conducting?
   I teach advanced instrumental conducting at Lee, following the ideas in books by Joe LaButa, Donald Hunsberger, and Anthony Maiello. In the last couple years I’ve discovered the Rudolf Laban method. Laban was a choreographer who devised a shorthand for choreography and dance analysis. Conductors have taken this method and applied eight of his movements to baton work: the flick, dab, jab, slash, wring, press, glide, and float. Of course, there is more to the method than these movements, but young conductors usually overconduct, so using these movements gives them a more restrictive vocabulary to clarify their conducting. Many conductors use too many extraneous moves, often just for the sake of moving, rather than teaching music. I think this method is well worth investigating by all conductors.
   Part of my teaching is to make my conducting students realize that the ensemble is their instrument. My conducting students are very important to me because they will have responsibilities later that they can’t imagine, and I want to get them fully prepared. I’ve had several students recently who will make fine conductors. By that I don’t mean that they can conduct a good beat pattern as much as I mean that they know about music and are able to teach it well. Someday these music education majors will have to explain expression to their students.
   Inexperienced conductors rarely know what they want to fix, because they don’t have specific expectations for the sound. A good conductor knows what he expects to happen and what he wants to hear, regardless of the piece. The same group can sound like two completely different bands, depending on whether the person on the podium has that inner musical expectation.
   There are things that always work in music, no matter the piece. These include basic musicianship – intonation, balance, and blend. In addition to these, there will be things to discover that are specific to each piece, but much of the work will already be done if students understand that the basic attributes of musical expression apply to every composition they play.

What do you focus on in composition lessons?
   I believe composition students should develop a process – order of attack – for exploring new ideas. With the immense number of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic possibilities for every idea, they have to learn to make choices about which possibilities to use before continuing to the next idea set.
   I also want students to realize that they should not limit themselves to a favored style, whether that be common practice period, pandiatonic, minimalistic, or anything else. Students can have their own voice, but they need to make logical expansions of their current boundaries.
   After writing my first piece, I thought I was already a composer, when I should have pledged to be a lifetime student of composition. I have found that it is still necessary to be a student of the craft and to remember my weaknesses at age 19. I want my students to take advantage of their strengths but not overestimate their natural skillfulness.

What mistakes do young composers make?
   People do things because they can, not because they should. A brass player can pull out a tuning slide and tap it against his bell as part of the music, but that doesn’t make it good music.
   Some young composers are starting to add computer-generated sounds to their works. While it is easy to bring a laptop computer loaded with computer-generated sounds to a rehearsal and concert, I question whether it really adds to a piece. If students can produce similar sounds on their instruments, it would be better to write such sound effects in the students’ parts.
   I work on structure quite a bit with my composition students, because it is extremely important. Schoenberg wrote many of his works in Common Practice Period forms. He wasn’t interested in changing the structural language of music, just the harmonic language.
   I was on the panel for the Ostwald Composition Contest this year. One of the other panelists commented that, be it considered old-fashioned, he liked music that had structure to it, a sentiment I share. I appreciate innovative young composers but am concerned about a lack of structure in many new pieces. They tend to wander too much for me. Some conductors are more enamored by innovation than musical integrity, and as a result many premieres and final performances take place on the same night. We should take better care of our young composers.

Do composition contests help composers?
   I remember a conversation about this with Dana Wilson. He had won some contests but said he didn’t get any more telephone calls after winning than he did before. For new composers, it can be a feather in their cap. I’d love to write a chamber piece that would win the Pulitzer – dreams don’t have to be logical.
   I first heard about the A.B.A. Ostwald Prize in college; the band director would always tell us when a piece we were playing was an Ostwald winner. It was a big deal to him. The thrill of my winning several times was not the prize but rather the humility of being a part of the list of venerated composers I had admired for years.
   I encourage extremely talented students to send something to competitions because often that encouragement gives them the impetus to work hard and go to a practice room to listen to themselves. In general, though, I don’t talk about contests much with my students; I am more concerned about getting undergraduates ready for graduate school.

What is your compositional process?
   Many composers set aside a time of day when they are most apt to feel inspired, but I tend to just grab any chance I get. When an idea is there, the notes on the page come easily. That said, I need a picture to paint. I write very little absolute music but prefer to compose stories. I also need a title before beginning a piece. For weeks I knew the story line for To Tame the Perilous Skies – a composition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain – but until I had the title, no note was put on the page.

How do you avoid becoming complacent or following a set style in your new works?
   I suspect that there is a big difference between complacency and stylistic signatures. I try to write three or four different pieces a year, for which there are going to be similarities because I’m the same person each time. It’s the style of my writing that draws people to my music, similar to why we read books by authors we like – we enjoy how they write. After 40 years, I am afraid that some of my signatures are frozen in time. I couldn’t escape them if I tried.
   It sometimes seems that I am not concerned about keys, but I am. Usually I write something and then realize later that the parts will be difficult to play for some instruments. I adjust these sections to a better key; a modulation up or down a half step will not hurt anything. If the music is right, what pitch level it occurs at really doesn’t matter.
   I believe that my composing style has changed since 1996. Two events – one internal and one external – have colored that change. Looking at my music before and after 1999, there has been a definite relaxation of rhythmic and contrapuntal turmoil. Around the year 2000 I had a somewhat Copland-esque transition in my thoughts about music and began to pursue a simpler course; I just began to like a different sound than what I had been writing. Perhaps some of my inner turmoil settled after writing Battle Music, which is probably the angriest piece I have written.
   In 1999 I also changed jobs, going from an extremely flexible church position where I wrote music all year to a university position. It was a great move, but it changed my priorities quite a bit and whittled my writing time down to about five months out of the year. I still follow a schedule of three to four pieces a year but now write them in less than half the time.
   I think it would be difficult to make a living just as a composer; in the band world, everyone who composes also conducts. This returns us to the question, shouldn’t everybody attain to being a better conductor?

When you accept a commission, do you do all the research, or do you accept ideas from the people who asked you to write?
   When people commission a new work, I try to do something related to the community. Several years ago I composed a piece for the town of Shelby, Ohio, known for the Shelby bicycle and the Shelby car. Because the place has such a history of industry the piece I wrote included a lot of mechanical effects. Few people who commission a work have specific ideas, although a few years ago, I did ask one person what kind of piece he wanted and received a three-page outline, measure by measure, in return. I replied that I had just wanted to know fast or slow.
   In general, people call because they like my music. When I write, if someone asks for a grade 3 piece I will push the envelope a little and write a 3 1⁄2. If someone tells me they have a weak section I take that into consideration, but I also want students to grow and feel like they’ve been somewhere when they get done with one of my works.
   I tend to pass on most young band works because I do not feel that I write well for young groups. I enjoy writing grades 3, 4 and 5 music.

Which of your works are your favorites?
   Since 1996 I have written 56 compositions. Of these my favorite is The Easter Symphony, a work for band and chorus on the Easter story. I wrote it over a ten-year period and have often said that if there was one piece I was supposed to write before I died, it was this one. Another favorite, also written for band and chorus, was a commission for the Air Force, The Song of Moses, five movements based on the last words of Moses.
   Two other favorites from the turn of the century are Battle Music, because it is mean and angry and I don’t get to be that way very often, and Scootin on Hardrock, which is an homage to all that was good about my life in Texas. I also like my Cityscapes, for which the three movements were published separately over a six-year span but are meant to be played together as a symphony.

What was the reason for redesigning the summer camps at Lee University?
   The summer music camp at Lee University is not specifically a band or chorus camp, but it is designed to give students a feel for being in college. In addition to attending band, choir, orchestra, jazz combo, or church music studies every day, students also have music theory, sight singing, ear training, music history, and numerous electives, from music-writing software to a jazz improvisation class for people who are not jazzers.
   My wife, Winona, is the chairperson. Lee is a church-related school, and for years it ran a music and art camp that was basically a church camp with music. However, in the last seven years, with a new dean, we developed a camp aimed at college-prep students. The Lee University music faculty, along with some graduate students, teach in the camp, and it has become an extremely important part of the year.

   I love it at Lee. It fits our family, our personalities, what we do, and who we are. There are 4,200 students enrolled here, with 275 music majors and 600 students involved in musical organizations. What more could a composer and conductor wish for?                  

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