Assessment
   To evaluate tone quality, have the student play one note on the headjoint. Hold the headjoint at each end with the thumb and index finger. Keep the fingers away from the embouchure hole. Place the headjoint in the chin. Have the flutist take a good breath and play a note on the exhale. The best results will be achieved if the embouchure hole is level or parallel to the floor. You may wish to video record this test note so you and the student can analyze the results. A voice recorder is also useful. Record the student at two times speed and then play it back at half speed. When music is played at half speed, every flaw is magnified and even a novice can hear what to improve.
   When viewing or listening to the results, check for the quality of the attack, the duration of the note and the quality of release. Check posture and alignment. If the student looks awkward, he probably feels awkward too. If the overall results are not satisfactory, then proceed with the following exercises.

Attack
   The tongue releases the air. If the attack sounds hooty, the air has been released before the tongue is pulled back from the top lip. The tongue touches on the top lip in the center of the aperture. If the aperture is off-sided, the tongue is still placed in the center of the aperture. The aperture and the embouchure hole are also aligned. Many young students with shorter arms are not comfortable with the arms extended, so during a practice session they let the arms retreat closer to the body. This posture slides the embouchure hole too far to the left, so the natural aperture and embouchure hole are no longer aligned. Students with short arms may achieve better results by using a curved style headjoint.
   To improve attacks, have the student play a series of eight or more notes on the off beat. Playing off beats requires the flutist to subdivide the beat; which organizes the breath in a helpful way for a good-quality attack. The student should play off-beat eighth notes on both the lower A (which will be on the flatter side of the pitch) and the upper A (which will be on the sharper side of the pitch). Once the flutist can continuously make clean attacks on the off beats, have him repeat the process on the beat.

Airy Tone
   Since the flute is balanced in the hands off to the right side of the body, most flutists find it comfortable to stand as if serving a tennis ball (right handed). If the student is in this stance (left foot in front and right foot in back) and his tone is airy, ask him to pretend he is blowing the air stream toward the left big toe. This exercise changes the angle of the air as it hits the blowing edge of the embouchure hole. Most airy tones are caused by not directing the air properly against the wall of the embouchure hole. If the flutist angles the air too much into the embouchure hole, the tone is edgy and metallic sounding.

Vibrato
   Most orchestral conductors expect flutists to use vibrato unless the printed music indicates otherwise. Flutists should have a wide array of vibrato speeds and widths which will vary depending on the historical period, orchestration, specific color and mood of the passage.
   When listening to the test note, observe whether the vibrato cycle starts at the beginning of the note or if there is a small delay before the vibrato begins. (The vibrato cycle should start at the beginning.) Watch a skilled violinist’s left hand. Notice the hand is already vibrating as the bow is drawn. The analogy of stepping onto a moving train or merry-go-round seems to help some students produce a fluid vibrato at the beginning of a note.
   When assessing the tone, examine the vibrato cycles. They should be rhythmic, even, and flowing. Exper-iment by placing 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 vibrato cycles per beat at a MM=60 to 80. A wider, slower vibrato cycle projects better into the audience than a narrow, fast vibrato cycle. Record yourself from a distance to choose the best option for the music you are performing. Actors put on heavier makeup to highlight the expressions in their faces; flutists should use a wider vibrato and highlight the vibrato speed, dynamics and other nuances so the audience experiences what you intend.
   If the vibrato cycle is too slow, the flutist has placed the vibrato in the vocal folds in the HAW position. Changing the position toward the HEE position will speed it up. If the vibrato cycles are too fast, then change the position from HEE to HAW. Students should practice alternating the number of vibrato cycles from one note to the next. For example, play a scale with 2 vibrato cycles on the first note, 3 vibrato cycles on the second note, 2 on the third note, 3 on the fourth etc. Repeat this exercise with every possible combination such as 2s and 4s, 2s and 5s, 2s and 6s. Students could also practice vibrato in the style of a Mozart Concerto, the Reinecke Concerto, Griffes Poem, Hindemith Sonate or other solo work. 

Duration
   Unless there is a messa de voce (hairpins indicating a crescendo and diminuendo) written in the music under a note, the tone is even throughout the duration of the note. Listen carefully to the tone to check whether there is any sudden dumping of air which will increase the volume of the note as it is played. Learning to play with an even air speed will improve the duration and shape of a note. Use a tuner to check whether you can keep the needle still when playing a long note. Record this exercise too.

Release
   There are three options to consider in releasing the tone. The flutist may simply stop the air with the intercostal muscles, or he may make a crescendo or diminuendo at the end of the note. All three options should be practiced on a regular basis.

Choice of Sound
   The type of sound which should be developed first is the all-purpose generic sound. Once this generic sound has been learned, and the student is able to produce it at will, the flutist begins a journey of developing a variety of colors to make his playing more interesting and musical. A great teacher guides each flutist in his studio to develop his own signature sound.
   This journey begins with the choice of the make of the flute. Some flutes are naturally brighter in sound quality while others are darker. While physicists tell us the material a flute is constructed of has little to do with sound quality, many flutist prefer gold flutes to silver ones or perform on a combination of metals such as a gold or platinum head on a silver body. Craftsmen are currently making flutes with varying degrees of silver content which may affect the sound quality. Most flutists choose an instrument by playing a selection of instruments and purchasing the one with the tone quality and ease of response that suits him best. A studio teacher may find within his studio, flutists who have chosen bright sounding instruments along with those who prefer darker sounding instruments. As teachers we should remember that sound is a personal choice and our goal is to help the flutist find his own voice.

Harmonic Series for Tone
   When fingering a first octave D (fundamental or 1st partial), it is possible to overblow the flute to produce a second octave D (2nd partial), a second octave A (3rd partial) and a third octave D (4th partial). Have the student slur this harmonic series ascending and descending several times concentrating on where his lips are placed to play each note. Repeat this several times so the flutist is familiar with the exercise and can easily tell which partial he is on.
   Flutists who prefer a mellow sound (so that the flute sounds like its name  rather than dark and edgy like a trumpet) achieve their sound by placing their lips in the position to play the second partial or the second octave D. To explore this idea play the fundamental or 1st partial D and overblow to the second octave D. Keeping the lips in this position play a simple melody or two-octave scale observing the quality of the sound produced. I often use this lip placement when performing Baroque works (Handel, Bach, Telemann) and some Classical era pieces.
   Flutists who prefer a slightly brighter sound should position their lips as if playing the 3rd partial of the harmonic series. Experiment by slurring from the 1st partial, through the 2nd partial, landing on the 3rd partial. Keep the lips is this position and play a simple melody or two-octave scale observing the quality of the sound produced. I use this lip placement for Mozart Concerti and as my basic generic sound. Much of the Romantic symphonic literature sounds good with this type of tone.
   Flutists who prefer a still brighter and commercial sound should position their lips as if playing the 4th partial of the harmonic series. Experiment by slurring from the 1st partial, through the 2nd and 3rd partials, landing on the 4th partial. Keep the lips in this position and play a simple melody or two-octave scale observing the quality of the sound produced. I use this sound for playing the 3rd movement of the Lowell Liebermann Flute Concerto, many commercial melodies, and some contemporary pieces.
   Once the student has experimented with these three set lip placements, he can decide which he prefers. Then the student should learn to use this sound at all dynamic levels. Personally I use all three lip positions in my playing and try to select the one that is best for the time period and the music I am performing.
   With a little thought, experimentation and regular practice, each of us can have the tone of our dreams. The one device that helps the most is the audio recorder. I am always amazed at what it picks up and replays to me.  

Physical Aspects
   Sometimes there is a physical problem, either in how the student is playing or with the instrument. The following are some common suggestions to try with a student. Some may work better for one flutist than another.

Flutist
1. Drop your jaw. Dropping the jaw provides more space between the wisdom teeth making the oral chamber larger.
2. Lower the back of your tongue. Having the tongue high interrupts the air stream. Getting the tongue out of the way lets the air flow unrestrictedly.
3. Play as if you are singing in your head voice (like an opera singer) rather than your chest voice (like a Broadway star).
4. Hang the arms and angle the air toward your left elbow funny bone. Usually when I ask a student to do this, the flutist raises his arm to meet the air stream, and we laugh because the elbow knows more about where the air stream is than the flutist.
5. Ask the flutist to blow to a spot on the wall across the room. This target practice helps the student with the speed of the air.
6. Ask the flutist to blow not with 75 mph of air, not 48 mph.
7. Have the student nod his head up and down to learn to balance the head on the spine. If the head is too high, the vocal folds are pulled out of shape which will restrict the air stream.

Flute
1. Take the cork/crown assembly out of the headjoint and wash the headjoint inside and out with a dish washing liquid (one that is used for hand-washing dishes) and hot water. Dry carefully and replace the cork/
crown assembly. Remember the cork assembly is always removed and inserted from the end of the headjoint that fits into the flute body.
2. Test the flute for leaking pads. Also test that the embouchure plate has an airtight solder where it attaches onto the headjoint tube. A flute craftsman may need to check both of these items if you suspect something is not quite correct. Also have the craftsman check the fitting of the cork. The cork seals the end of the headjoint. However, if the cork is too large and tight, the tone of the headjoint will be flat and dull. A properly fitted headjoint cork will be tapered to mirror the taper in the headjoint design.
3. Encourage the flutist to align the flute in the classic tradition and play with the embouchure hole level or parallel to the floor. This aligns the center of the D, E, and F keys of the flute with the center of the embouchure hole.
4. If the flutist owns other flutes or headjoints, explore switching the crown from one flute to the next. I have a collection of crowns made of silver, gold, titanium, wood and other materials. Finding a crown with the appropriate weight for the flutist and headjoint can do wonders for tone production.

The post Finding Your Sound appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Position
   A proper physical set-up leads is essential for a warm, beautiful sound. Students should learn to hold the bow properly from the start. Problems in this area will persist and hinder a student’s progress for years. The right-hand fingers and thumb should be curved and relaxed. The right wrist should be as flat as possible when playing at the lower end of the bow (the frog). Display photos of beautiful bow grips for students to see and have a mirror available so they can see what their own bow hold looks like.
   If students struggle to flatten out the right wrist, have them try to balance a quarter or other small object on the wrist. Make sure the knuckles on the right hand are flexible and the elbow is at the correct level for the string that is being played (for example, the elbow will be highest on a violinist’s G string and lowest on the E string). The right shoulder should be relaxed and low.
   For a student who tends to raise the right shoulder, tie two tennis shoes together and drape them over the shoulder. The student will feel the weight of the shoes on both sides of the shoulder and become aware when the shoulder moves or stiffens. To work on balancing the right hand and developing independence in the fingers, place the bow on the string (without playing) and pick up each finger individually.
   As students play, stop them periodically to check and fix the bow hold. It is helpful to teach a checklist for the bow arm: shoulder low, elbow at proper level, wrist flat, knuckles relaxed, each finger bent and able to move on its own.

Exercises
1. The bow is most difficult to control at the frog, and many young string students avoid playing at the frog altogether. Have students play with a sixteenth-size bow so that they are forced to use the frog area. Show students that a harsh sound can be avoided if the fingers and thumb are bent.

2. To work on balance, students should play at the frog without the index finger on the bow. This allows them to feel the weight in the ring and pinky fingers that is needed to properly pull the bow. Students could also play at the tip without the pinky finger so they feel the importance of the index finger when playing at this end of the bow.

3. Many teachers place colorful tapes on bows to help students identify the three main areas of the bow: frog, middle, and tip. Sticky notes can also divide the bow into sections. Young students should segment the bow into three sections, while more advanced students can make more precise divisions of six or more parts.

4. Students often are uncomfortable playing at the ends of the bow. Set a metronome to a slow tempo and have students play one short (eighth-note) down bow, starting right at the frog, one beat of rest, and then one short up bow, starting right at the tip. While playing down bows, remind students to check their bow grips. Are all of the fingers bent? Is the wrist flat? Is the shoulder relaxed?

5. To improve coordination, create different practice patterns that alternate between the frog and tip. For example, students could play two short down bows at the frog (with a lift in between) followed by a short up bow at the tip, or three short up bows at the tip followed by a short down bow at the frog. Once students are comfortable traveling to the extremes of the bow, reverse the direction of the bow strokes to play up bows at the frog and down bows at the tip. For this exercise, use only one inch of bow on either end of the stick.

6. A fun technique that helps students develop a stronger sound, is to flip the bows around and hold them at the tip instead of frog. With the frog now functioning as the tip, students will be able to feel the potential weight in that part of the bow. This forces students to use their fingers in their bow hand properly to control the bow. When they flip the bow around, they will continue to produce a stronger sound.

7. Have each student place the bow on the string in the middle of the bow. Wrap your fingers around the upper half of the bow and have the student pull the bow against your resistance. Students should look at the string while they are playing. As a bow stroke is initiated, the string vibrates. This is easiest to see on the lower strings. See if students can make the string sizzle and vibrate on every bow stroke.

8. Students may notice that it is easier to engage the string on down bows than up bows. This leads to a common problem of strong-sounding down bows and weak up bows. To solve this, ask students to play down bows mezzoforte and up bows fortissimo with accents to even out the strokes.

9. Young string players often struggle to pull a straight bow. As the bow approaches the tip, students pull the right arm in towards the body. This makes the bow skid out over the fingerboard. (Bowing over the fingerboard produces a weaker, wispy sound.) Ask students to practice whole bows on the bridge (sul ponticello), or as close to the bridge as they can play. As they strive to keep the bow next to the bridge for a whole bow stroke, they will feel what a straight bow feels like. In order to pull the bow straight at the tip, the arm extends out from the body. Because the angle changes with different strings, practice this exercise on all four strings.

10. Another exercise is to have students play a crunchy, whole bow right next to the bridge. Then tell students to back off from the crunchy sound (don’t press so hard) while staying close to the bridge. They will be able to play a loud, focused and sustained sound.

Listening
   Students need to hear beautiful, big sounds to understand what is possible on their instrument. Play recordings  when students enter for lessons, and encourage them to attend concerts or watch YouTube performances. Watch videos of professional string players with your students and examine the  shoulders, elbows, and bow grips. (“The Art of Violin” series produced by PBS is a great starting point.) Have students identify which parts of the bow performers use, as well as which bow strokes are demonstrated. Students should try to describe different performers’ sounds. For example, string sounds are often described as bright, dark, rich, sweet, thin, piercing, or powerful. When a concept of sound is born, students will be able to start creating their own sound and style.     

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Embouchure
   The first step is solely in the embouchure formation of the student. Often, a saxophone section producing harsh or strident sounds worsens a band’s tone color. During early instruction on the instrument, students should learn that simply making a sound is not the primary achievement; saxophones allow for sound to be produced with virtually any type of embouchure shape. It is important that students learn to differentiate between good and poor tone.
   Monitoring embouchure shape as early as possible lays the foundation for a more desirable tone. The difficulty is balancing the instant gratification of producing a sound against the work of forming an appropriate embouchure. With beginners there should be praise for the production of any sound, but a heavy focus on fundamental exercises should continue until the tone is produced with a correct embouchure shape. Students will have much more interest in learning new notes than studying the finer points of embouchure formation, but technique will come much more quickly than tone. Furthermore, it is far easier for a student to change embouchure shape at a young age than after years of playing with an incorrect embouchure.
   A correct embouchure shape has several components that must work simultaneously, the first of which is the top teeth. Students frequently underestimate the importance of the top teeth on the mouthpiece. It is not enough simply to place the teeth on top of the mouthpiece; all the weight of the head should sit on top of the mouthpiece. The neck strap is often too high to allow gravity to push the weight of the head down. Check the height of the neck strap during instruction when analyzing this component. To test the front teeth, gently pull the saxophone, by the underside of the curved portion of the neck, while a student is playing. If the instrument flies out of the student’s mouth, the teeth are not firm enough on the mouthpiece. It is important to find a balance between allowing the weight of the head to be pushed down by gravity and not biting or clamping the jaw to keep the mouthpiece from moving.
   The second aspect of the embouchure is the lower lip, which helps determine the amount of reed vibration present in the tone color. Too much lip in contact with the reed mutes the sound and, in extreme cases, will prevent students from playing the highest pitches at all. Too much lip will also make the tone brighter and louder. Although this is a good technique to use while playing jazz, it should be closely monitored on beginners in concert band.
   Finding the correct proportion of lower lip can sometimes prove difficult. The pink color of the inside of the lip gives teachers clues about how much lip is in contact with the reed. If the smooth underside of the lip is present, then the lip is rolled out too far. If no pink is visible, the student is likely inhibiting the reed’s vibrations. The most efficient way to correct this is with a mirror, so students can then see what they are doing with the lip. Allow students to experiment with the sounds produced by different lip positions. It will take days of mirror use and relentless monitoring before a revised lip placement becomes automatic. This can be frustrating because students can make a sound even if the lower lip placement is incorrect and may not understand why such an emphasis is placed on the lip position.
   The corners of the mouth are also important to saxophone tone. Many people describe the embouchure as a drawstring bag, with the top teeth, lower lip, and corners all working together to create an O shape. Frequently students forget to tighten corners of the mouth; bringing them forward slightly, as a contributing component of the O shape analogy, frequently improves the sound. If the corners are too far forward, however, that could hinder the sound.

Equipment
   The reed has the largest influence on sound production. It is essential to have multiple reeds in good working order. Often, students get a new reed and play it until it breaks or no longer makes any sound. This is detrimental to tonal development. It is best to require students to establish a rotation of four or more reeds. This makes reeds last longer and gives students a more consistent sound from day to day. Storage of reeds is also essential to tone production. Reeds should never be stored on the mouthpiece or in the thin plastic in which they arrive. Inexpensive reed guards exist to keep the reed flat while drying, which prevents warping.
   The mouthpiece also affects sound. Many different types exist with slight variations, but the most important thing for young students to learn is to protect the mouthpiece. It should be stored with a protective cap, because a wide range of chips and cracks can occur to essential areas of the mouthpiece if students neglect to use the cap. Chips and cracks in the mouthpiece will cause numerous tonal problems and are costly to repair or replace.

Listening
   A simple survey of any school age saxophone section will likely provide alarming information about the lack of saxophone listening. Saxophone students sometimes play for years without ever hearing a recording of a master on their instrument, but listening is one of the best ways for students to develop a characteristic sound. Given that the saxophone only rarely appears in the orchestra, the educator must help students seek out classical recordings. Students can hear examples of clear sounds in the low register and full rich sonorities in the high register, as well as see other problems they may face demonstrated correctly. They should be taught to listen for appropriate vibrato usage and phrasing possibilities on the instrument. Students can learn of pieces they wish to play themselves, become inspired by other artists’ technical or lyrical abilities, or find favorite recordings to share with other students.
   Students can master technique, rhythm, and articulation, but these accomplishments pale compared to the ability to produce a beautiful tone. With guidance, students can develop a saxophone tone that is both personal and beautiful.     

* * * *

Recommended Recordings
Classical:
Claude Delangle – Under the Sign of the Sun
Timothy McAllister – Duo Nuova
Arno Bornkamp – The Classical Saxophone
Otis Murphy – Fantasy
Eugene Rousseau – Saxophone Concertos

Jazz:
John Coltrane – Giant Steps
Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus
Chris Potter – Gratitude
Charlie Parker – Diz N Bird at Carnegie Hall
Kenny Garrett – Standard of Language

The post A Distinctive Tone on the Saxophone appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Agitato – Agitated, excited, restless, hurried.
   In life we generally see agitation as something to be avoided, but in music, agitato is important for the contrast it provides. Despite its intensity, music of this character often resolves into a calmer state. While agitation in real life is often unpleasant, the sooner we recognize it as a contrasting, yet integral part of our life, not an intrusion, the sooner we can recover to a calmer state of mind.

Andante – At a walking tempo. Moderately slow but flowing.
   There is nothing like a nice walk; I find it much more mentally beneficial than a run. When running, I find myself thinking about how tired I am or speculating about when the whole experience is going to be over. A walking tempo affords me the opportunity to think and reflect. Sometimes I even give my brain a rest and don’t think at all.

Coda – A closing passage added to the form of a composition at the conclusion.
   There is a common saying in educational circles that educators should “teach with the end in mind.” That is, look at the result you want and structure everything to attain that result. It sounds obvious, but we have all been part of an aimless, wandering class or organization with no clear goals or objectives. The greatest of musical compositions have codas that are not simply a way to “get it over with” but are worthy endings to everything that has preceded it, a final reinforcement. We should structure teaching and programs the same way.
   On a grander scale, band directing is not an easy career under the best of circumstances, but one way to prevent burnout is to establish a pace you can live with for a long career; set a pace with the end in mind.

Con espressione – With expression and sensitivity.
   Notes, rhythms, intonation, tempo, articulation, precision, and basic dynamics are all important musical elements, but a dogged pursuit of them can easily get in the way of reading between the notes and drawing real meaning from a piece of music.
   Paperwork, attendance, budgeting,  scheduling, meetings, score study, and stress can combine to damage our ability to relate with students sensitively. I hear so many lame excuses that I become jaded and find it hard to be as sympathetic as I should. When at my worst, my first thought is if he will miss the game as opposed to a concern for his health or circumstances.  Pressed from every side, we should not forget that we are dealing with students with real lives and real problems that can make music the last thing they are concerned about at a particular moment.

Da Capo – From the head or beginning.
   A da capo gives a performer the chance to try something again, to get it better the second time. Sometimes in botched relationships we spend too much time trying to dig ourselves out of a mess, using patchwork solutions that only make matters worse. It is usually best to back up, apologize without excuse or qualification, and get it right the second time.

Fermata – A prolonging of the measure value of a note or rest.
   Many times I listen to players or ensembles that do not hold fermatas long enough. It rarely has anything to do with musical taste or preference. There seems to be a lack of poise or patience on the part of the performer, or maybe the conductor lacks trust in the ensemble and believes the longer he holds the fermata, the more something can go awry.
In life we are often in too big a hurry as well. We rush through important moments without savoring them. There are no fermatas to say stop and look at this but the moments are there just the same. We have to add our own fermatas, hold them, enjoy the moments, and milk things for all they are worth.

Leggiero – Lightly. Playfully.
   Have you ever been to a concert where all the music was dark, heavy, and full of gravitas? Imagine rehearsal after rehearsal of the same. It is hard to stay awake much less pay attention. It’s important to lighten up and exhibit playfulness from time to time. Every band hits a funk at some point during the year and needs to recharge. Sometimes the best option is to put your collective noses to the grindstone but at other times leggiero may be a better option. Sometimes less is more.

Poco a Poco – Little by little.
   It takes musical discipline to perform a tempo or dynamic change poco a poco. Young performers have a tendency to slam on the musical brakes or jam the musical gas pedal to the floor when encountering a gradual change in tempo. Likewise, crescendos climax too suddenly, and diminuendos fade too early. The same is sometimes true of directors in the process of building a program. Set gradual, realistically attainable goals and build a program little by little; expand from each success, however small.

Segue – Proceed to the following movement without break.
   The first time I saw this term was in high school as a trumpet player in the pit for the musical Guys and Dolls. If there is any term that describes band directing it is segue. As soon as we finish one thing, it is time to move on to another without break. However, there is another term I learned playing in the musical – tacet. Sometimes it is important just to sit things out.

Semplice – In a simple, unaffected manner.
   Unexpected problems often seem much larger and complicated than they really are. Under stress, our minds become tense and cluttered, and focus on the negative. One solution is to think simple – simple thinking means clear thinking. Another solution is to leave it alone for a while to let the subconscious mind work on it. You should also seek advice. I once lost a bass drummer the day before a marching contest. I was flustered so I called my dad. Unencumbered by stress, he suggested a relatively easy solution – to use my drum major for the percussion feature; it worked.

Subito – Suddenly, immediately, unexpectedly.
   Never take anything for granted. Life can change very suddenly – subito. Expect the unexcpected.

Vivace – Lively, brisk, animated, energetic, with vitality.
   I know my band has done its job at a contest if a judge comments that we played with vitality and energy. I tell students that despite our best efforts we may not play a perfect performance, but there is no excuse for a dry, milquetoast rendition of the music.

The post Coming to Terms appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

   No ensemble is easier to form and has more variation than a jazz ensemble. This can be a jazz combo or a full jazz band. Begin filling out the rest of the rhythm section before going after horn players. The first person to recruit is a drummer; it is highly unlikely that no one at all will be interested in playing the drumset, so this should be easy to find. When a set drummer has been found,  the next person to locate is someone to play the bass line. If a bassist cannot be found, a piano player can play the bass lines for the jazz ensemble. Check the library for charts with piano parts that double the bass line; these are ideal choices for an ensemble with no bassist, because the pianist can cover both parts without any rewriting. Directors lucky enough to find two piano players can have one play the piano part and the other playing a synthesizer with a bass setting. Guitarists will be easy to find. It may be necessary to teach them to read music, but of more importance is helping them to understand the jazz chords and voicings in the music.

Finding Enough Horns
   The minimum instrumentation for a jazz ensemble is one alto saxophone, one tenor saxophone, one trumpet, and one trombone. This combination makes it possible to cover both the melodies and harmonies in easy charts, although two trumpets, a tenor saxophone, and a trombone is another good option. Some publishers offer charts that are playable with minimal instrumentation but also provide options for adding more players.
   Sometimes there may be almost a full jazz ensemble, with only a second tenor sax player or fourth trombone player missing. There are a number of options for filling in missing instruments. Of the three horn sections, the trumpet section is usually the easiest to fill, but if a fourth player is needed, horn is the best choice to cover the fourth part because it will blend best with the section. If the position of the bell causes difficulty, consider using a mellophone to direct the sound toward the audience. The other option is to cover the fourth trumpet part with a clarinet player, although blend can be difficult, especially when the clarinet is in the weakest part of its range.
   A missing second alto sax part can be covered by a flute player, although the part will require rewriting. Flutes will be able to project and match the range, but blend can be difficult to get right. When considering middle music, flute is going to be in roughly the same range as the alto, and the fingerings will line up pretty closely, too. Use a flutist to fill the spot with the aim of getting the student interested enough in jazz to learn to play saxophone; this gives the group an eager woodwind doubler. A second tenor sax part can be covered by a clarinet player. Clarinets blend well with a saxophone section and although the sound octave is different, the transposition is the same, which means the part will not need rewriting.
   The trombone section of a jazz ensemble is often the most difficult to fill. A valve trombone is an ideal substitution, because any other brass player  can learn the instrument quickly and the blend will be the same. As students improve on valve trombone, they may be able to switch over to slide trombone with greater ease. If valve trombones are unavailable, euphonium players can cover the third or fourth trombone parts. The only difficulty with euphoniums is blending the sound. Bell-front baritones blend better than upright euphoniums, so a euphonium player should switch to a bell-front horn if one is available.
    A tuba player will usually be able to handle a fouth trombone part. The tuba has a lot of history as a jazz instrument; it was one of the original jazz instruments in Dixieland music. When big bands gained prominence in the 1930s and 40s the tuba was replaced by the bass, although they were occasionally used as a fourth or fifth trombone part. Many fouth trombone parts go low enough for the tubist to play the music as written, and high parts can be taken down an octave as needed. Tuba players have to learn to make good decisions about when to read the part as written and when to take it down an octave. Tubists should also play everything extremely short and separated; it is easy for a young tubist to play too heavily and bog everything down. When using a tuba player, look for charts that put fourth trombone and bari sax together frequently because these instruments blend well and produce a rich sound.

Organizing Classes
   As a middle school teacher, I tried to build a jazz ensemble for each grade. This produced a steady stream of students and good instrumentation and made it possible to teach styles and improvisation over multiple years. Having students play together for many years improves good ensemble communication as well. I never turned away a middle school student who wanted to play, even if I already had six second tenor saxophone players. The aim of the ensembles was to introduce students to jazz. Many students continued their jazz studies in high school and beyond.
   When starting a jazz program, first find the music to be played that first year. Repertoire should focus on the classics; there are many easy-to-play jazz charts that are written just the way they were played by Ellington and Basie, and they are easy for first-year players. The music should be for flexible instrumentation, stay in safe keys, and have easy melodies. Prepare listening examples for these charts. Having students listen to jazz helps ingrain how this style of music is played and gets the imagination going.
   With my classes we spent the first year on the history of jazz and then a year with students focused on their instruments. It is important for all first-time players, not just the pianists, to know about Duke Ellington. Every section of the ensemble plays great in these recordings, so students still learn how their instruments should sound as part of a group. My list of recommended CDs would come from a couple of the greats in each of the styles. One of the most important aspects of listening is to master style. Students have difficulty understanding how the notes on the page should sound in a given jazz style. I always think of Satin Doll, which is easy to teach but difficult for beginners to interpret.
   I start teaching improvisation right away but limit students’ choice of pitches. I let them pick any kind of rhythm but they are only allowed to play the tonic. Students often forget not to play; they feel every beat has to have music. When they have limited options, they can rest and not play. The aim is for students to improvise musically rather than spew an endless stream of notes.
   By the end of the first year they can choose roots and thirds at the most. I spend time teaching students to hear the changes and know at any point where they were in the form. If students are lost, nothing else they know matters. Over time we would expand permitted notes to 1-3-5, and discuss how 2-4-6 were blue notes that should not be sustained. By the third year, many students could improvise quite well and feel comfortable doing so.

As the Jazz Program Grows
   While teaching in high school, I was fortunate enough to have a jazz class during the school day. Once the first students were hooked they started recruiting friends. Eventually I had beginning and advanced jazz classes based around jazz combos, which allowed for flexible instrumentation and made it easy to group students by ability within each class. A third jazz ensemble for students who could not fit in another class during the day met after school. For directors who cannot schedule a jazz class during the school day, it is better to have multiple short rehearsals after school than one three-hour rehearsal once a week.
   Three one-hour rehearsals will produce better playing than one long rehearsal, and students are more likely to remember things from one rehearsal to the next. This is especially beneficial in getting a rhythm section members to play well together.
   The decision of whether to have auditions or accept everyone depends on the program a director wishes to build. When starting a jazz band for the first time it is better to make the group open to everyone and get as many students involved as possible. When jazz increases in popularity, many schools go to an audition process, at least for seating.
   One year after 50 students, half of whom were unexpected, showed up for jazz auditions, I realized I would be cutting enough students to form another whole jazz ensemble. At that point I split students into a one-on-a-part top band that met multiple times during the week. The other group I kept open with multiple players on a part, a trumpet section of six or seven, and eight or nine in the sax section. This gave me an advanced top group with exact instrumentation and a secondary group in which I could introduce students to jazz styles and improvisation and teach them the specifics of playing in the sections of a jazz ensemble.
   I had reached the point at which I had a feeder program for my ensemble and could see the effects of my curriculum planning and lessons. Seeing the enthusiasm of that open band was a good reminder of how much fun it is playing something for the first time. Starting a jazz band had been well worth the effort.   

The post Starting a Jazz Program appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

When you say interpretation, what specifically are you referring to?
   Interpretation is the recreation of the composer’s intent, and 99 percent of this intent is written on the page. It is not a situation where the conductor has the prerogative to use his own interpretation.
   The secret to interpretation is volumes [dynamics]. Interpretation is 20 percent tempos and 80 percent volumes.
   In rehearsal I work on interpretation even before the notes. I don’t care how good you are, if you don’t have interpretation you might as well have not played.

What can band directors do to improve interpretation?
   Number one, you must understand what the music says or does, and then you must change your attitude toward musicality. It’s a step beyond technique.
   Bad conductors conduct the score and not the band. They should try rehearsing from memory and get their head out of the score.
   And you must use body effects when you conduct. Your body must do what the music does. Exaggerate everything in your conducting, and don’t mirror your hands. Mirrored hands destroy the importance of your left hand. The left hand should say, “Band, look up, I have something to tell you.”

On Programming
   There is absolutely nothing in this world more boring than a poorly programmed concert. I hate to  says this, but there aren’t many band concerts I’d drive across town to listen to because they are so boring. And I love band music.
   People tend to program what bands can play with little regard to the order or overall effect. You’ve got to program dramatically. You’ve got to get the audience’s attention at the start, and then you have to use a slow work in there somewhere.
   Slow music is where your band learns tone quality, breath support, interpretation, and balance. If you don’t have a slow piece on your concert, you’re missing a large area of teaching.
   With my clinic bands our programs are a little shorter than regular concerts. I usually do five pieces: an opener, a slow piece, a large work in the middle, a light number, and a large work at the end.
   I never do an encore. I think an encore is the worst thing you can do. The audience likes to know when they can go, and you should leave the audience wanting more. (1978)¹

Excitement in Rehearsals
   Discipline is the first order of business. A rehearsal should have an air of tension, and you can get it two ways: through fear or through excitement. Both are effective, but you can lose both ways.
   With an atmosphere of pure fear the students get so tense that they never do well on a concert. With excitement they can get so high, you’ll never pull them down.
   I prefer the excitement approach, but with the ability to tack a kid’s hide to the wall when needed and then get back immediately to what you were doing. I think of it as the Dr. Jekyll–Mr. Hyde approach. (1978)¹

* * * *

   I realize that I am in the minority on a final aspect of score study, that of marking the score. When I was young I marked much of the score because I was taught to do so. I found that my usual markings in an hour’s work caused me to spend more time reading markings than listening because the eye and ear do not work together. Once the eye goes to the page, the ears shut down about 40%. It was a great revelation to me that if I had to mark the score, I didn’t know the score. I recently read an article on how to mark a score, but I feel that if you need to mark the score, you do not know the composition. We are not learning a score; we are learning a musical work.
   Except for enlarging the numerals in multiple meter changes, one must know all the things that are usually marked. I realize that this may be heresy, but I believe that a marked score is an unlearned score. To a lesser degree this is also true with the players’ individual parts. (1990)²

Evolution of Music Education
What is your view of music education today?
   Instrumental pedagogy hit its zenith in the late 1970s, when we had high school bands playing better than turn-of-the-century professionals. In the 1980s the level of performance topped off; and judging by the all-states I have conducted in the last few years, it has taken a slight down-turn.
   This is not because directors are not doing as well, but because of factions and problems within the public school system. Public schools in much of America are in such disarray and the attempt to correct them has caused such confusion as to priorities that music education has been set back. Our problem now is justifying music programs and convincing administrators that music is not an extracurricular activity. Music in the Texas schools has been hurt because of the H. Ross Perot bill, which was dubbed “no pass, no play.” This bill was an honest attempt to require academic achievement before students participate in extracurricular activities. Its disastrous effect on music education was a result of the Texas legislature thinking that music was extracurricular: they only observed bands at football games, and it seemed logical to them to categorize bands with pom-pon squads. If a first chair clarinet player failed one course and made A’s in all others, he could not perform at a contest with the band. If music is extracurricular, then Harvard University has an entire school of extracurricular activity. Music is one of the oldest courses of study in the world and is just as important as mathematics for a junior high school student.

Do you think we can turn this situation around?
   One challenge is to educate administrators on the importance of music study, but retaining more junior high players may be even more important. In this day of slick commercial music, the music experience has got to be more exciting than much of it is today.
   I think we would be shocked if we knew students’ reactions to much of the music that is played: they are really quite bored with it, and I don’t blame them. Too many directors choose music neither they nor the students really like. It’s chosen because it fits a minimum instrumentation or shows off a few skilled players at contests.
   When my son was in junior high school, his band played a concert of canned rock, which the kids loved; marches, which they thought were all right; and folk song suites, which bored them but which parents thought they should appreciate. It was that night I decided to write Canto with its clapping and wood clackers. If composers do not write some exciting concert music for junior high students, we will lose them.
   I think many composers take the wrong approach to junior high music. They feel that simple rhythms and conservative registers constitute approachable music. The direction should be writing more musically challenging music but tailoring it to the ease of fingerings and the characteristics of each instrument: in other words, simplicity of mechanics as opposed to simple music. This is the difference also between Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev; Prokofiev wrote at the piano and then scored the music, which is very hard to play. When Tchaikovsky wrote, he wrote for each instrument and knew what that instrument could do.

How do you feel about today’s band literature?
   When Clifton Williams won the first Ostwald Competition in 1956 for Fanfare and Allegro, band music was getting exciting. Then came Barney’s Incantation and Dance, more Persichetti, then Martin Mailman’s Liturgical Music and the Geometrics Series, a few things of Lo Presti, then Claude Smith’s Incidental Suite. You notice I left myself out of this period because of Southern modesty. Hanson, Schuman, Mennin, and others were seeing the possibilities of wind music. The biggest spurt in the literature came from Nelhybel – a real European into the fray. His Symphonic Movement and Requiem are two of the very best works ever written for band. What an exciting time for us, and it lasted well into the 1970s. (1991)3

* * * *

   When Frederick Fennell created the wind ensemble and chose the name, he performed one of the most ingenious acts of the 20th century. Fennell saw into the future. He saw a coming repertoire for the winds. He was well aware that the name band was a four-letter word to many serious musicians. He wanted to present serious wind literature to audiences, but realized that the term band was an albatross around the neck of many people because of the past. Every wind conductor in the United States is indebted to Frederick Fennell, more than any other man, for improving our status with the serious music community. What he did was a stroke of genius. History will be very kind to Fred. (1992)⁴

Volume
   A composer speaks through many techniques, but the one most used is volume variance, with dissonance running a close second. Volume variance covers much more than louds and softs and includes most articulation markings, and goes through style and down to phrase endings. However, let’s not get complicated and stay with louds and softs and the graduation between them. Incorrect volumes will kill the composer’s intent faster than anything other than an absurd tempo. Even slight tempo changes can harm it. I have a tape on my desk on which the slow tempos are ten counts too fast and the fast tempos are ten counts too slow; it destroys the entire effect. Why is slow music usually conducted too fast?
   A few years ago I was in the audience when an excellent honor band performed a work of mine. The tempo was excellent and all the technical aspects were good, but the pianissimos were mezzo-piano and the fortissimos were mezzoforte. I don’t know when I was ever more embarrassed to take a bow. The work is a dramatic work that I am fond of, and it sounded silly and made no sense. This isn’t a rare occurrence; it happens more often than not. (1990)²

Percussion Volume
   Every time I ask for more volume from a timpanist, the player will immediately switch to harder mallets. Young timpanists have the mistaken belief that volume is controlled by the density of the mallet. I then have to waste more precious rehearsal time asking the player to switch back to the original mallets and just play louder. They always give me a quizzical look. Timpani volume is controlled by muscle, not by the hardness of the mallet.
   The quality of bass drum and timpani tone has truly deteriorated over the last decade, and it is caused primarily by those infernal hard mallets. The quality of the bass drum and timpani tones is changed dramatically by mallet density. The very hard mallets, which seem to be the choice of young timpanists, produce a cold, secco clap sound that I really dislike. The bass drummers have no choice and simply use whatever mallets they have.
   I have asked several percussion teachers I hold in high regard when this trend toward harder mallets began and what caused it. Each says that it started with the corps. Before readers take this as criticism of the corps and corps-style marching, they must know that I am a great supporter and fan of these groups. Many band directors of my generation blame corps and corps-style shows for all manner of evil effects on the band. I would rather see a corps or corps-style show than any other type of field show, including the Tattoos in Europe. I think a corps-style show is the most exciting and interesting instrumental show that has ever been put on a football field, but as with good medicine, there are both up and down sides. One of the up sides is that corps and corps-style shows have trained an abundance of keyboard players, few of whom were present in the 1950s and 60s. One down side is that corps equipment is considered suitable or even desirable for the concert stage.
   This is most readily seen in the hard plastic xylophone mallets, which give a bright crisp sound on the football field; but on the concert stage they make the xylophone sound like someone is playing on bottles. On the concert stage the hard rubber (black) mallets give the only acceptable sound. I fear that many young band directors’ ears have been tuned to the marching percussion sound and may never have heard the concert difference.

   In January of 1996 I worked with the Marine Forces Pacific Band in Hawaii, which had a wonderful bass drum sound. When I asked their leader C.W.O. Timothy Smith, he explained that they were using a gong mallet. I was so pleased with this sound that a month later I used a gong mallet on the bass drum with the Texas All-State Band. After the concert I received four separate comments about the excellent bass drum sound.
   Conductors must not just accept any mallet or beater that a player happens to pick up. It is far better to have a distinctive timbre in your ear and force the player to achieve it. (1996)⁵

* * * *

   Many years ago I heard the University of Michigan perform the Pines of Rome. The volume and power coming off the stage in the last movement felt as though I was being pressed against my seat. It was a memorable performance and convinced me that a band cannot play too loudly if it doesn’t lose tone, pitch, or balance.
   A term that causes confusion is the admonition to focus the sound. Recently, at a band clinic in my area, I heard a clinician start each rehearsal by telling the college band to focus their sound. At one of the breaks I approached the first trumpet player and asked him what the term meant to him. He replied that he didn’t understand what it meant. I asked three other players and got the same answer. When I started asking band directors what it meant, they all stammered for a while and gave various answers, the majority of which fell in three categories: pitch, balance, and tone. If this is the case that it deals with one of these three, why not use those terms: we all know what they mean. I think that when the word focus became a common buzz word, especially with athletes, I guess musicians don’t want to be left out.
   Another term that is misused is the name of the form ABA. It took me a while to understand the reason for its misuse. I finally realized that what they really meant was fast-slow-fast. A fast-slow-fast form is not necessarily ABA. For it to be ABA, the B section must be a new melody or motive completely different from the A section. I first realized this misunderstanding when I mentioned to a director that I had never used the ABA form, and he said that I had and he had played it. I asked him the name of the piece and he replied Battaglia. I told him the form of that piece was AA¹(aa²), but he said it was fast-slow-fast. It then came to me that this was the confusion. An ABA form can also be slow-fast-slow, or fast-slow-fast, but ABA has nothing to do with the tempo. I have read reviews of works that the reviewer has mislabeled ABA when they are not. Remember that the format of fast-slow-fast can be ABA, but it is usually not in the 20th century. (2001)⁶

Creativity and Composing
   The secret of composing is three-fold. A composer must form a plot (plan of events), choose the notes, then rewrite to tighten it up. The plot, scenario, or direction of a work must come before any notes. Notes are not the problem, there are only twelve of them. Student composers try to just scotch tape measures together before deciding what to do within the entire piece. It is very difficult to start a work if you don’t know how it will end. I always decide the endings before writing the beginnings. If I don’t know the destination, it is impossible to plan the trip, much less the point of embarkation.
   The next, and more difficult choices are the inner plot and direction the composition will take, or the development of the materials that will be chosen later. This is the reverse of the procedure most people perceive; they assume that the materials are chosen before deciding on the course of development. If the materials are chosen before the course of development, the composer is put in the situation of laying brick before plans for the house are drawn.
   Choosing the notes is the most laborious process in the act of composing, but again the medium, plot, and attitude dictate many of the choices. The worst possible method is to write “piano music” and force it into another medium. In a composition for orchestra a note is never written without knowing which instrument will play it; consequently, orchestration plays a large part in note choice. Composers never orchestrate music after it is written; they compose it orchestrated.
   When choosing the pitches, the hardest task is in choosing the dissonant ones. Choosing consonants is quite easy, choosing correct dissonance is very difficult. A composer speaks in many ways, using many tools, but volume variants and dissonance may be the most important and expressive tools of all. The use of dissonance and its control may be the most important element of compositional craft. The use of dissonance is the major ingredient in music direction with tessitura and rhythm next. From Palestrina to Bach to Shostakovich, it is the controlled use of dissonance that sets these works apart from lesser composers.

* * * *

   The creative world offers a lifetime of pleasures, moments of high exhilaration, and ultimate contentment. What it affords the creator is beyond price. I asked before why there is a desire to create. We create primarily for ourselves, though most people would think it is for others. I truly believe that Beethoven would not have cared if his scores had been placed in his casket. A true creator never considers posterity. Posterity is a 19th-century concept derived by consumers. When a creator is gone and his works remain, all the better, but it is not why they were produced.
   The creative world is a sacred place where we all pilgrimage for refreshment. The creative world is a fountain which provides us with the contentment, joy, excitement, fulfillment, and beauty that gives life quality and meaning. (1994)⁷

Hard Work
Do you follow a regimen while working on a composition?
   Composition is really much different than my freshman composition majors thought it was. You have to know where the whole piece is going before you start. I mean the scenario, not the notes. I have to know how a piece will end before I start it. That doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind. How it ends has so much to do with how the piece develops. Students sometimes write in what I call the scotch tape method. They go in a practice room and try to find the first chord. Once they have that they try other chords until one fits; now they have two chords. They scotch tape chords together and end up with nothing that sounds bad but nothing happens either. Nearly all beginning composers start that way, but you really must start with an idea of the whole piece. I used to have students graph on paper where the piece was going, where it would climax and so forth.
   I write every night from 10 pm to 2 am, and I’ve worked that way for 40 years. Probably every musician has one piece in him, but if you want to compose for a lifetime, you have to work at getting the ideas. If you wait around for inspiration, you’ll spend your life on a couch with an afghan. Jack Douglas, perhaps the greatest comedy writer ever, said that he spent his whole life staring at blank paper. The term inspiration is often used incorrectly. I think inspiration is the inspiredness to actually write or to create sound. You have to work at developing an idea or it will not come. You have to call the muse up, not wait for it to suddenly appear. Only seldom does the muse come without any work.
   My desire in composition is to be the Ernest Hemingway of music. Of any writer, Hemingway had the ability to say the most in the fewest words. He achieved this out of necessity. While in Paris working for the St. Louis Dispatch, he had to cable his stories back to the United States and paid for this out of his own pocket. He gleaned out as many words as possible because fewer words meant more profit. He called this system cable-ees and the French called it cablise, to say the most you can with the fewest number of words.
   The 20th century development of the motive lends itself so well to this cable-ees style. If Dumas had written For Whom the Bell Tolls, he might have said, “In the summer of 1935 when the Loyalists and the Republicans….” Hemingway writes “There was a bridge” – a thousand times more dramatic. If Dumas had written Moby Dick, he might have written, “In the Nantucket fishing village of….” where Melville wrote “Call me Ishmael.” Beethoven killed the introduction to music with his Third Symphony, which uses only two chords to introduce the piece.

Can composition be taught?
    I love to teach and would rather teach than eat, but the one class I liked less than any other was composition. If I had a great student, it was a joy. Teaching someone who can’t imagine is impossible. They will come in with four measures and say I just don’t know where to go from here.” I want to say to them, “Have you thought about another field?” Ron Nelson says we can only teach people to be composer-like, we can’t teach them to be composers. If I could guarantee students that I could teach them to compose, there would be a line from here to Los Angeles. It is the same in painting; there has to be talent and imagination.

I was fascinated to learn that you still hand copy all of your parts.
   I copy my own parts because I want to see each part. When I first started writing, my brass parts were three pages long and the woodwind parts were one page, and that’s not right. With a score you don’t see that. When I copy a part, I can see that this poor person will be bored out of his mind. Surely I can improve this part without altering the music, and often an improvement to one part improves the score as a whole.

How much did being a conductor before you began to compose influence the way you compose?
   This helped but not nearly as much as being an instrumental teacher. I taught music theory and composition at Ouachita University for the past 40 years, but the first 10 years I taught all of the woodwinds, brass, and percussion. This was typical of most small colleges in those days. Instrumental teaching affected my composition because I learned what each instrument could and could not do. I often alter the way I write for fingering reasons.
   If my Chant and Jubilo were transposed up a step, it would triple the difficulty. At the end of the Jubilo the trombones have an ostinato in eighth notes that is playable because there is no change of slide positions, but this didn’t happen by accident. In my Masque there is an ostinato in the trumpets that sounds very difficult, but it is all one finger and open with the exception of the bottom note, which is first and second valve. If that were moved up or down a step, it would be extremely difficult. I can always identify composers who write music for the piano and orchestrate it later. Studying orchestration is really a back-door approach. Composers do not orchestrate, they compose orchestrated. If I don’t know what instrument will play a note, I don’t write the note.

   I never send a piece to the publisher until I’ve performed it at least five times. I believe that the easier a piece is to perform, the more it will be played. What every composer wants is more performances. It isn’t a question of seeking more money; composers want performances. The trick is to write something that sounds as hard as nails but is easy to play. (1998)⁸

References
1    Music Dynamo, An Interview with W. Francis McBeth by Dana Davis, February 1978, p. 39.
2    The Score, Mechanics of Preparation, by W. Francis McBeth, May 1990, p. 8.
3    Band Music and the Paper-Plate Mentality, An Interview with W. Francis McBeth by Roger Rocco, December 1991, p. 12.
4    Assessing the Wind Ensemble, by W. Francis McBeth, March 1992, p. 27.
5    It’s a Hard Life, At Least the Last Ten Years, by W. Francis McBeth, August 1996, p. 80
6    Clarity in Musical Vocabulary by W. Francis McBeth,  December 2001, p. 12.
7    The Creative World, by W. Francis McBeth, November 1994, p. 12.
8    It’s All in the Score, An Interview with W. Francis McBeth by Jeffrey Renshaw, August 1998, p. 10.

The post The Wisdom of Francis McBeth, Part 2 appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Where did you get the idea to establish a fine arts camp?
   My grandfather, Ludolph Arens, was a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1899 and went to Cincinnati Conservatory to finish his musical studies. He later was a piano professor at the Lawrence Conservatory. He started a music camp in Door County, Wisconsin in 1922. He sought to keep students from going backwards in technique during the long summer months. He developed the idea of a program for piano students and eventually drama students. This was a small program, with not more than 25 students, but I spent quite a few summers there with my grandfather.
   After his death in 1947, my mother inherited part of the camp, and her stepmother inherited the other part. They did not get on well and after working together for one summer, the camp closed in 1948. My mother and father dreamed of starting another camp but it didn’t happen. However, they did plant the idea of a camp in my head, and it was frequently on my mind as I went through music school, became a teacher, and met my wife at Michigan State.

Why did you locate the camp in western Michigan?
   The idea at first was to reopen the camp in Wisconsin, and I looked at various possibilities, but the original camp was limited. Other available facilities were either too expensive or inadequate.  I began looking in Michigan, where I taught, and found the current location 1965. It was then an old camp owned by an orphanage for boys affiliated with the Episcopal Church of Chicago. It started as a camp in 1910, but as orphanages faded, the camp closed in 1962 or so.
   The site consisted of 35 buildings on 186 acres. It had potential but was so run-down that we didn’t know how we could get the money to renovate and decided not to proceed. As we continued to look, we found a place on Lake Michigan in Muskegon County. We thought it might work and got it rezoned for a summer camp. It was 50 acres with no buildings, but at that point we realized that we didn’t have the money to support our dream, so we pulled the plug on that idea. The area was soon developed with many residential homes, which would have caused many problems for a camp.
   We went back to the site owned by the orphanage again and decided that if the old buildings were painted it might work. We made an offer and were surprised that the owner sold it on a land contract (which provided financing and allows payment in installments). I believe the original purchase price was $45,000 for 186 acres.

Tell us about the first summer in 1966?
   We massively underestimated the start-up cost of getting the facility back in order, and made every possible mistake in starting a business. When we turned on the water system in the spring, it leaked everywhere because the camp had been abandoned without properly draining the water. All of the buildings had to be painted and repaired.
   We rounded up every volunteer we could find, including students from the Muskegon band and orchestra. The camp finally opened on July 5th, and 56 students showed up for the first session. About 40 were in the choir and 15 in a jazz band. Overall, there were 255 students at the two sessions of concert band, ballet, art, jazz, and choir.  After the regular season ended, several marching bands came in, which added a bit of revenue. We ended the first season with a $20,000 deficit and no idea how to pay the bills.

What were some of other problems you faced?
   It was difficult to find adequate staff and learn how to operate a counseling program. There were all kinds of standards to meet for the facilities to come up to the level needed for a license from the state of Michigan. The camp  had all of the growth problems of any young business. The deficit kept growing each year even though our enrollment doubled.
   Some things have taken more of my time than I ever expected they would. A big part of the initial struggle was dealing with boards and individual personalities. One quick example was the considerable amount of time spent arguing over whether we should serve strawberries to the kids or not, given the price of strawberries. That wasn’t what I had in mind when I started the camp.
On the positive side, though, we did not realize what a tremendous need there was for our program. No matter how many problems there were, the camp continued to succeed, and enrollment grew rapidly. The events of the era helped us. Although almost every college had a summer program for instrumental music, more and more parents did not want to send their children to a college campus in the middle of the Vietnam War.
   One of the main reasons for success was an open admission policy. Many summer camps and university programs were very selective, and some insisted that students prepare tapes of a performance. This discouraged many young musicians from wanting to apply for fear of rejection. Our policy made it easier for parents. On occasion there is a waiting list, but parents know that if they apply early next year, they are first on the list. It has been our policy from the beginning that first come is first served.

What were some other early decisions that are still an important part of the camp?
   As a music teacher I thought the key was having outstanding conductors because the bulk of our students were in large ensembles. We quickly learned that with riots in Detroit and the counterculture on college campuses, what parents wanted most was a secure, safe environment for their children. As a result we emphasized a really good counseling program. My daughter, Heidi, directs the camp now and has devoted her life to this side of the program, so that we have a secure environment for students.
   We try to remember that we are a summer camp, not a music conservatory or fine arts institute. The performance level is not the most important thing, motivation is. That is our philosophy: a secure environment that is fun for everybody, and first come first served. Of course, outstanding faculty is just as important.

What is the camp like today?
   We accept students at any level and try to put them in a group that is motivating and challenging. The program is like a pyramid, with large numbers of students on the beginning level and smaller numbers as you go up the pyramid, until professional players are at the very top, along with faculty and staff.
   There are five concert bands each two-week session, so over the course of the summer there are 20 concert bands on site, plus two concert bands that tour in Europe. Most of the programs are similar in structure except the piano program, which is taught one-on-one. The piano program is modeled after my grandfather’s philosophy that each student should have a private lesson and supervised individual practice every day. The piano and harp programs are lesson-based, but all the other programs have a certain amount of ability grouping. For example, in the ballet program, they divide into several levels at each session, and some of the sessions are more advanced than others.
   The orchestra, jazz, and choir programs are similar to the band pyramid. In the orchestra program, there are four or five ability-grouped orchestras in each session. Each student in instrumental music plays in a technique class, a sectional, and a full ensemble every day. The choirs are similar with three levels. In theater there is Shakespeare, musical theater, and acting and movement.

Why does the program emphasize rehearsals with full ensembles?
   Over the years we have had many interesting discussions between those who teach in public schools and those who are at the university level. I’ve had teachers state that we don’t need to have large groups and should focus on private lessons and chamber music for students to make the kind of progress that they need. This is probably technically correct, but the experience of being in a large performing group and the social aspects associated with that are what motivates the students.
   To this day some teachers on the faculty comment that they love being at Blue Lake, but suggest that we spend less time in full rehearsals and more working with students individually. We have adjusted the program some, but in each major they have two full rehearsals a day, each for 90 minutes as well as a technique class for an hour. At the end of the session, each program gives a final performance.
   To understand how the arts relate to each other, students are encouraged to take an elective in another area, such as art, dance, or theater, or trying a new instrument. In the evening there are cabin activities and camp fires, and the whole camp comes together for performances and recitals.
   The camp has a small replica of The Globe theater, and every student sees a brief presentation of Shakespeare. The faculty members and professional singers also perform live opera for the students. This summer it will be an abridged version of La Boheme with only seven cast members. They will perform the first and last acts, with Musetta’s Waltz as a bridge in between. This makes the whole thing only an hour and 15 minutes and a good first opera experience for students.
   When this program started five years ago, we were apprehensive about how students would behave. We performed James Niblock’s opera, Ruth, based on the Bible story. When the orchestra started playing, it was completely silent, and the students watched attentively all the way through. They were a marvelous audience, and it has been that way ever since.

How did the international program begin?
   I was the band and orchestra director at North Muskegon high school. There was an active exchange program, called Youth for Understanding, in the community, that began soon after WWII ended as a way to help students readjust after the war. In 1951, 75 German teenagers came to Michigan and stayed with American families. Later, American students travelled to Europe, and the program grew.
   My wife, Gretchen became interested in the program, and we went as counselors in 1963. Gretchen was absolutely smitten by the idea and philosophy and continued to work with the program. There was some interest in sending a band to Europe through the organization, but nothing ever came of it.
   When we started the camp, the idea of sending a group to Europe was in the back of our minds, and it proved to be a natural outgrowth of the camp. Gretchen is the one who made it happen. She had contacts with people we had met through the Youth for Understanding program.
   In the fall of 1964 I had a very fine young German student in my school band. He was a violinist but wanted to play in band with his host brother. We put him on cymbals, and I still remember trying to teach this kid who had never heard the Star Spangled Banner how to get the cymbal crashes right.
    After the camp started, we contacted him, and he put us in touch with his cousin, a colonel in the German Air Force. He was an enormous help in getting this program off the ground. Gretchen had not studied a foreign language, but she had the ability to pick up languages quickly, so she soon became quite proficient in German and able to conduct meetings in French.  Even so, it took a lot of salesmanship to sell this idea of an exchange between European youth groups and our own. Gradually, it grew.
   Today, students at Blue Lake have the opportunity to interview if they are interested in being a part of the international program. One of the keys to the program’s success has been to look for mature students who want this kind of experience and just happen to play an instrument at a reasonably good level. We want students who will be good ambassadors – they behave well and understand the importance of international exchange. The ability to play as well as possible ranks below that.
   The students who are invited and enroll are given a schedule of when they need to come to camp. The first rehearsal typically takes place in mid-November. Because of problems with snow in Michigan, they do not rehearse in winter, but they use technology to stay in touch and then come back in April for one rehearsal. Then they rehearse over a long weekend in May, but most of the work takes place during a June Intensive Week. The groups come together for ten days in early June with rehearsals and sectionals all day long plus orientation and some language classes. We watch that the conductors do not become obsessed to the point of wearing students out. Pacing is important.

What is the role of the camp’s radio station?
   The radio station began in 1982 and is a very important part of the camp and does so much for the public relations side, at least locally. For some reason, our part of west Michigan had no public radio at that time. In Muskegon there was a gentleman who had a radio program for one hour a week, which was the only good music to listen to in the area. He used his own records to do the program. There was an obvious need, so we tried it out. The station has classical programming and some jazz. One bias of mine is that I don’t like to hear parts of pieces played on the radio, so the radio staff is not permitted to pick movements but just let the whole thing play. I suspect that if they want a coffee break they put on a Mahler or Bruckner symphony.

What is next for Blue Lake?
   The quick answer is steady as she goes. This is a difficult time, and we are being very careful with our budget. Enrollment is good, and participation in all programs is excellent. There are many different places we could put every dollar, but we are just working hard at the status quo at this point.
    Marching band camp used to be important, but it has fizzled out because the summer is filled with other activities. Marching bands used to come in late August, but now they want to go in the middle of the summer when our other programs are in session.
   We have an incredible number of people who work so hard to make things succeed, and sometimes my mouth just drops open when I hear the level of some of our performing groups. I think back to those opening few years; the first five years were so touch-and-go. In fact there was one point when Gretchen and I were both ready to do something else. I’m pleased that so many parents have the confidence in us to send their children, and that students come back in large numbers. They have a good time and make enormous progress. We hear from band and orchestra teachers about how students who attend Blue Lake come back highly motivated and become leaders in their school groups. That makes me really proud.             

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