The route to becoming a master teacher means any possibility of stronger classroom management should be explored. On the advice of our principal I recently read Douglas Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion, the premise of which is that one individual, the classroom teacher, makes all the difference, that there are concrete, identifiable techniques that create strong classroom management, and that no one’s technique is beyond improving, regardless of experience. He believes classroom culture can be changed for the better if the person in front of the room is still willing to be a student after reaching adulthood. Although Teach Like a Champion is not geared to music teaching, there is much information that is readily applicable to our field. Lemov studied the work of top teachers in all settings and singled out 49 effective techniques. Here are some common rehearsal problems some area teachers and I solved through experimenting with them.

Discipline
    In a music classroom, the centerpiece is the podium, often with a massive conductor stand. It is safe but also a huge barrier; you might as well build a moat. Within the first five minutes of class, break the plane by getting up close and personal. Danielle Ogden, director of bands at Gray-New Gloucester Middle School in Gray, Maine, made a habit of doing this in both band rehearsals and general music classes. Because she walks around the room so much, students know there is no hiding. She has also found that leaving the podium increases available instruction time because she no longer has to address problematic behavior.
    It may seem counterintuitive to think that less time on the podium would increase your influence over the room, but it an excellent strategy. Basketball coach and teacher John Wooden said, “There is usually nothing stronger than gentleness.” When you are off the podium, your influence actually increases, as does your gentleness. Caitlin Ramsey, director of bands at Cape Elizabeth Middle School, put it this way: “Circulating around the room keeps everyone engaged and on their toes. It cuts down on off-task behavior, especially in the back of the band room. It forces students to watch and listen more.”
    Flute players usually seem easy to control, while the further back in the band room, the more unfocused the behavior gets. It is not endemic to low brass players and percussionists that they are frequent distractions; the problem is usually one of proximity and accessibility. By being on the floor, you make every square inch of the band room your territory.
    There is an easy way for ensemble directors to get access to every student in the classroom. Jacob Ulm, a second-year teacher at the urban Everett (Massachusetts) High School, said, “At the beginning of the school year I was having difficulty with students using their phones behind their music stands when they were not playing.” He changed the setup of his ensemble so that there was an aisle going down the middle. Now he can walk down to check on students as they play, and the amount of student cell phone use decreased dramatically.
    My band is set up similarly. I start the band playing and walk through the ensemble. An amplified metronome can be used to keep time, but this is rarely necessary. There is much to be discovered and fixed by roaming the room, including posture, articulation, talking, technique, and removing any cell phones on music stands.

Pacing
    Lemov’s study of master teachers shows that tight transitions of 30 seconds or fewer between activities are essential to keeping students on task. Great teachers manage these transitions seamlessly and almost obsessively. If you write all the day’s pieces on the board and have students put these in order, you can move quickly. It takes training, but it is worth it. One minute of transition eliminated ten times in a day adds up to roughly 35 hours of instruction time in a school year.
    Ms. Ramsey said, “Tight transitions cut down on wasted class time. We practice how transitions should look and sound. This includes what happens at the beginning of rehearsal and what occurs when we switch gears from a warm up to concert literature. We practice these transitions until we can do them correctly. A few minutes spent on this early in the year will eliminate wasted class time down the road.”
    Craig Ouellette, a second year teacher and director of bands at Camden/Rockport Middle School in Camden, Maine says, “Tightening transitions has been extremely helpful for me. In rehearsals, I used to only give a starting measure with no specific ending point, so there would always be several valuable seconds wasted by students continuing to play after I had given a cutoff. Additionally, I lost time addressing how long it took for the ensemble to stop after I had given a cutoff. This took unnecessary amounts of valuable instruction time away from students and set a negative tone for rehearsal.”
    One trick to tightening transitions is giving students both a starting point and an ending point. “At first we struggled as an ensemble to get everyone to end at the right place, but with practice students understood that ending at the right place was just as important as starting at the right place. This method alone has saved us countless amounts of class time and also makes it easier to keep rehearsals upbeat.”
    Key to both pacing and discipline is speech. In setting and maintaining behavioral expectations, Lemov presents numerous gems that work beautifully, such as “fewer words are stronger than more,” “your words must be far and away the strongest in the room,” “controlling who has the floor is the mark of your authority and a necessity to your teaching,” and “get slower and quieter when you want control.”

Participation
    “Great teachers,” Lemov states, “engage students so that they feel like part of the lesson.” Cold calls make engaged participation the expectation. Teachers who use this technique call on students regardless of whether they have raised their hands. This is a technique used by Caitlin Ramsey. “Cold calls make every student an engaged participant. Since it has become a regular part of class, students know ahead of time that they should be ready to answer questions. Everyone is on the spot, but no one is caught off guard.”
    The techniques I learned from this book are simple but work extremely well. In areas in which our technique needs work, practical solutions that immediately improve student engagement and classroom management are there for the taking. The last part of the school year, with warmer weather, lagging energy from at least some of the participants, and summer vacation on the horizon, can be a real challenge; however, we ended the year appreciative for vacation but not burnt out. Had the school year been a week or so longer, nobody in the bands would have been distressed.

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    One of the most important aspects of percussion performance is producing the perfect sound. This is true for all instruments, but with percussion there seems to be an element of mystery involved to it, as though playing a drum makes the ideal sound more difficult to achieve. It seems easy enough, but anyone who has tried to teach a percussionist to improve his sound will realize how frustrating it can be. Here are some new avenues for improving quality of sound in percussionists.
    Time and sound are the two main aspects of percussion playing to analyze. My interpretation of time is whether the rhythms are spaced evenly and correctly proportioned, and whether there is the correct amount of space between each note. This can be interpreted as either rushing or dragging, or playing unevenly within the correct tempo; either one of these can negatively affect time. It is important to remember that all tempo problems can be reduced to a simple question: too early or too late?
    Rating sound consists of determining whether the right and left hands (the sound generated by the sticks or mallets) sound the same. Assuming a student has a matched pair of sticks, there are only three variables that will cause the hands to be unmatched: stick heights, beating spots, and stroke velocity. Believe it or not, all issues of left to right imbalance fall into one of those categories. Of note is that the first two of these aspects are visually based; they can be corrected simply by visual observation and feedback. This is important, as it provides more reason to play from memory when possible, allowing full focus on the sound quality.
    The first exercise that I use with my students when addressing sound quality is something I call the Four-Bar Blues. It is a simple exercise in concept – four measures of 16th notes with absolutely no change in sound – but students are often surprised at the difficulty. Once the student gets past the initial surprise of how difficult this is, the point then becomes one of correction during performance and how to make these adjustments quickly.
    The additional exercises on the previous page are just a starting point for many percussionists but can be used with experienced players for practice in paying attention to sound quality and timing. The same concepts can be applied to triplets for additional variety. As students practice, the focus should always be on sound quality, using the aspects of sound and time to make decisions on what needs to be corrected. After playing I have students answer questions: What grade would you give yourself? What was worse (or better), sound or time? What can you do to improve?
    Using the parameters of sound and time, percussionists can start to hone in on their quality of sound. Once a solid level of awareness is reached, student improvement should improve dramatically.

Basic Exercises

This exercise helps students work on playing 16th notes in steady time.

The challenge of this exercise is playing both accented and unaccented notes consistently.

Students can work on single and double stroke transition by using variations on the standard paradiddle sticking pattern.

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    Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein famously said, “to achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” This philosophy underlines my repertoire selection and programming decisions for the young orchestras with which I work.
    Great works of art, be they musical, literary, film, dance, or any other media, are in and of themselves inspiring. In the same way audiences appreciate hearing classical masterpieces, young musicians are inspired by the opportunity to present these great works of the orchestral canon. For students, to be entrusted with the preparation and performance of such pieces is a motivating factor in and of itself. Playing your favorite work or symphony, whether it is something you grew up listening to or a more recent discovery is a pleasure not only confined to students. However, it is one that particularly seems to resonate with young musicians experiencing it for the first time.
    It is also an approach grounded in sound pedagogical principles. The great Hungarian music educator Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was staunchly against diluting musical and academic content, actively refusing to adapt or rework teaching materials in order that they be more suited to an audience of children or young musicians. Kodály believed that if the music selected were of sufficient quality and appropriate with regard to other pedagogical components, this alone would serve as a motivation enough, stating, “children should be taught with only the most musically valuable material. For the young, only the best is good enough. They should be led to masterpieces by means of masterpieces.”
    As orchestra director at the Interlochen Arts Academy, I am charged with programming the Academy Orchestra’s annual concert season comprising some fifteen performances, including eight major concerts. Programs over the course of the year are structured according to a sequential pedagogical approach targeting specific skill areas including the development of orchestral reading ability, rhythm, and the development of a secure sense of inner pulse, and refinement of intonation, balance, and blend. Consideration is also given to providing as broad a range of musical genres and orchestral experiences as possible, as well as bearing in mind what works well from a programming perspective, and what repertoire may appeal to audiences. How then, to sustain and enhance these motivated students’ interest and challenge them to continue to develop over the course of the year?
    Announcing to a talented young orchestra together we will perform a symphony of Beethoven or a ballet of Stravinsky says much more than merely informing them about the forthcoming program. Rather, the message conveyed is “I think you’re good enough to play that.” For any young musician or aspiring professional, that is a message they crave above all others. Studying and performing works that your orchestra students know by reputation and recordings inspires motivation, builds confidence, and develops trust.
Inviting suggestions regarding repertoire is another effective means of motivating young musicians. In doing so you reinforce the reciprocal nature of the orchestral music-making relationship and show the students their opinions and input is an integral component of the orchestral program.
    So your string students want to play Eine Kleine Nachtmusik? Let them. While this work of Mozart’s is probably among the ten most recognizable orchestral works ever, and perhaps conductors think it is a piece heard one too many times, there is still much to be learned. Approach the work through score reading as an alternative approach to traditional orchestra rehearsals. Look at the page and analyze it from a theoretical and musicological perspective to determine why the accompaniment is important, what that means for the ensemble in terms of balance, how the counterpoint fits together, why intonation in the opening four bars is a particular challenge, and what students need to do when playing in octaves.
    Some directors tire of repeated student requests to play repertoire that is beyond them. While your principal trumpet may frequently pester you to play Mahler 5, the opening excerpt of which you hear preceding every rehearsal, the scope of such a work is beyond the realm of all but the most exceptional young orchestras. However, the composer’s discarded Blumine movement from Symphony No. 1, featuring a beautiful trumpet solo, may prove a suitable choice and appease your trumpet player.
    By selecting a lesser-known work by the same composer at a more suitable ability level, students develop a broader knowledge of repertoire, styles, and genres. Furthermore, adopting this approach often develops trust and rapport between the ensemble and director. Students appreciate knowing you listen to their voices.
Exposure to the unknown can also be a similarly exciting journey. The introduction of a new composer, piece,  or genre can be a wonderful challenge. Preconceived ideas and prejudices can also be modified through an informed approach to repertoire selection. Gurrelieder may not be the best way to introduce Schoenberg, but the composer’s orchestrations of Bach and Brahms could provide an entry-level platform. Similarly, a symphony or large-scale choral/orchestral work of Brahms could be preceded by study of the composer’s chamber and instrumental works, the Academic Festival Overture, and the two orchestral serenades.
    Another underlying principle of my approach to repertoire selection is to set the bar just a little too high. Students should have a reasonable chance of success, but should stretch just beyond what they believe is possible. In short, convince them you believe they are good enough, and then help them to be that good.
    I work with great energy and enthusiasm, and with much attention to specific details, to make rehearsals as productive as possible. The power of positivity counts for much, and often my belief in students’ ability to perform ensures that they do. Over the course of the rehearsal process I aim to show them that yes, in fact, they are that good.
    I enjoy recording the first run through or rehearsal of a piece and playing it back to the group in the days leading up to the concert. This exercise serves a number of purposes. Aside from lightening the mood of what may be an intensive and focused rehearsal, the students enjoy hearing just how far they have come over the previous few weeks. As we recall a rehearsal where everyone is unfamiliar with the piece, it isn’t long before the whole orchestra goes from grimacing to grinning to falling about in fits of laughter. As James Lockhart, a former conducting teacher of mine once said, the ability to make an orchestra laugh is an important skill to have, the value of which should not be underestimated.

Bibliography
    Kodály’s Principles in Practice: An Approach to Music Education through the Kodály Method by Erzsébet Szo´´nyi (Hungary, Corvina, 1990).

Selected Orchestral Repertoire

    Divertimento for Orchestra by Leonard Bernstein. This work will particularly appeal to the inquisitive minds and musicologists of your ensemble. A quirky composition comprising eight short and varied movements centered on musical parodies and jokes, it refers to Beethoven, Stravinsky, Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel, Sousa, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. A brassy fanfare opening movement gives way to a beautiful strings only waltz in 78 before a winds-only Mazurka, a samba, a blues, and a Sousa-esque March finale concluding with the brass section on their feet. Performance directions such as “imbecilicly and cretinously” will have your orchestra in fits of laughter.

    Polovtsian Dances by Alexander Borodin. In general I like works featuring a number of shorter movements. Contrasting styles and tempi help students develop the ability to watch and respond to the conductor, an invaluable skill. These works by Borodin have an optional choir part – a great choice if you are looking for a combined orchestral and choral composition.

    Sinfonía India by Carlos Chavez. This little-known work is the composer’s second symphony. Inspired by and based on tuneful Mexican folk melodies, the work is particularly appropriate for a high school orchestra. A work consisting of three connected movements without a break, Sinfonía India opens with an energetic, rhythmic, mixed-meter theme before the work transitions into a slower movement, concluding with a motoric unison tutti 68 rondo theme. This composition features great percussion parts, a beautiful clarinet melody, and plenty else to keep your string and brass sections happy.
Pelléas and Mélisande Suite by Gabriel Fauré. A wonderful work via which to develop the sound of your string section, this piece also provides a great platform for selected woodwind and horn solos and keeps your harpist busy. Each of the four movements allows you to explore a variety of string and orchestral colors and contrasts.

    Overture to Colas Breugnon by Dimitry Kabalevsky. This energetic concert opener is in a fast one in a bar – a great work for developing this specific skill and strengthening the ability to subdivide. The contrasting middle section is a chance for the strings to shine, and the work, with its rhythmic drive and fast tempo, has much to be learned by your wind and brass players in terms of developing articulation.

    Háry János Suite by Zoltán Kodály. The selection of this work will ensure you remain popular with the brass and percussion sections all year. If you are also looking for a work to feature an alto saxophonist and a pianist, this is a great choice. Prominent viola and clarinet solos as well as much tutti and sectional writing will keep everyone engaged in this humorous, six-movement work.

    Desintegracion Morfologica de la Chacona de J.S. Bach by Xavier Montsalvatge. A brilliant adaptation – an orchestration, reworking, and, as the title implies, a disintegration – of Bach’s chaconne by Spanish composer Xavier Montsalvatge (1912-2002). All sections of the orchestra will be kept well occupied with great solo and sectional writing, and the variety of string techniques featured – Bartók pizzicato, glissando, col legno, tremolo – makes wonderful training in orchestral playing techniques for your string section.
 
    Overture and Ballet Music from Idomeneo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is non-negotiable in terms of the composers young musicians need to know. The challenge, though, lies in finding suitable orchestral repertoire for students, which is notoriously tricky because of the transparency of the orchestration and the refined classical sound required. The Overture and Ballet Music from Mozart’s opera Idomeneo is a great choice. D major ensures relative readability for strings, and the ballet music is made more accessible by an energetic ritornello in this key.

    Overture to the Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss is a great choice if you have a strong principal oboe. Operatic overtures are especially good training pieces because they generally feature vastly varied themes from throughout the opera within the one piece, meaning students develop the ability to respond to differing meters, tempi, styles, and articulation. Furthermore, the vocal lines often provide wonderful solo opportunities, particularly for the woodwinds, as is true in this example.

    Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a great work for fine-tuning intonation, color and blend in your woodwind section. Opening with characteristic Tchaikovskian low clarinets and bassoons, this piece is also a great one for developing some truly lush romantic legato string playing. Your English horn, harp, and timpani players will be challenged, and there is much for your string section to learn in terms of orchestral technique.

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    The development of music pedagogy has led to a number of short-term solutions that often produce desirable results from young brass players. However, when considering long-term development as musicians it is important to consider what these practices may or may not be doing for students. In efforts to manufacture a mature-sounding ensemble there exists the possibility of inhibiting the long-term growth of young brass players. Here are some potentially harmful comments brass players commonly hear, along with better choices for each.

Taking a Good Breath

    When teaching students about breathing it is important to remember some key ideas. First, the lungs are behind the rib cage. Second, air has no shape unless it is held within a completely full container, such as a balloon or air mattress; it cannot go into our stomachs first, and we cannot physically make the air enter our bodies from the bottom. Third, most students have no idea what the diaphragm is, where it is located, or what it does. It is also worth noting that the diaphragm is a partially involuntary muscle, so full control over it is impossible. Encouraging students to breathe from it or even to focus on using it can frequently add confusion and extra tension from increased efforts to achieve what is physically impossible. Although the goal here may be for students to place tension lower in the body and away from the neck and shoulders, verbiage encouraging students to do what cannot be done can lead them to develop substantial bad habits.
    When asking educators and students about breathing I frequently hear that the shoulders should not be allowed to rise during inhalation. This is a case of good intentions that lead to poor results. When taking a good breath the shoulders should be allowed to rise a little – not up to the ears, but a little. Remember that the lungs are behind the ribs, and when they are full the shoulders rise a little over an inch. Forcing the shoulders downward while breathing can add tension at the base of the neck and slow down the air column, which makes airflow, tone quality, and attack more difficult.
    For improved results, simplify the verbiage. Allow breathing to be something natural and conversational, not something requiring superhuman effort.
    Encourage students to breathe from the belly button to the collarbone when they are about to play. Although we know it is impossible to place the beginning of the breath at specific points within the body, thinking of breathing in such a way can help place tension in the core of the body and not in places where students should avoid it, such as the neck or embouchure. If students breathe this way, they don’t need to think about what their muscles are doing.
    Once this motion is achieved, the final step to getting a good breath is making it rounded, meaning that the exhalation/attack fully mirrors the inhalation without slowing down or stopping the air as it enters and leaves the body. Imagining the breath from the belly button to the collarbone when combined with efforts to round the breath and attack should offer a very simple and effective way to gain improved results in the band room.

Air

    There have been hundreds of phrases used in an attempt to describe air when it is working well; a few of these include a thick air column, slow air, fast air, more air, less air, warm air, and cold air. The big problem is that speaking about air in such terms to our students frequently opens the door to physical dysfunction. Specifically, students increase their physical efforts in ways that increase tension and lessen resonance, and they get into the habit of overblowing, which ruins sound quality and is an extremely difficult habit to break once it is established.
    To get students to experience uninterrupted airflow, have them try an exexcise with a candle. Place a lit candle on a sturdy music stand or table at chest height. Have a student stand a comfortable distance away from the stand, and play a passage in which a possible lack of airflow may be hindering performance. Pick a note anywhere in the passage where it seems air ceases to flow freely. Have the student play the passage up until that exact note, then rapidly remove the instrument from the face and aim air towards the candle. The student should not blow more as the instrument gets moved aside but keep the airflow as it was.
    It is possible students will fail several times before they begin to relinquish tension and let the air actually flow freely in anticipation of blowing out the candle. This is the goal. They should hopefully learn how this feels and seek to remember it when they are performing in an ensemble. If you are uncomfortable having an open flame around your students, then large pinwheels can serve the same purpose.

Dark vs. Bright Tone

    Brass instruments are made to resonate. Resonance is typically an extremely colorful and bright quality. However, brightness has been given somewhat of a bad name in music education over the past several decades. In many instances bright has become synonymous with uncontrolled, unskilled, or thin, and dark has become synonymous with controlled, skilled, or big. This sentiment may be situational, but it does exist and this is quite unfortunate.
    Many educators will instruct their brass players, especially trumpets, to darken the tone. This is where we can cause serious damage to young brass musicians if they are not already advanced players. I ask teachers to sing a note with their best tone quality and at a full volume, then try to darken it. Typically, what results is added tension, unless the person is a relatively advanced musician. When tension is added in places brass players don’t need it, such as the embouchure or neck, the sound can never fully resonate the way it ought. Jay Friedman, principal trombonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, summarizes this thought wonderfully: “When you flex a muscle anywhere near a column of air, that action plays havoc with the air stream, inhibiting resonance and causing a funky sound” (How Can I Say it Clearer, Jayfriedman.net).
    Something that has helped me a great deal with my teaching and performing is differentiating between tone and sound. Tone is the basic voice that comes out of the instrument. It can be bright, clear, unclear, fuzzy, or resonant. Sound, however, is the artistic goal for a player. Sounds can be described in such terms as jazzy, German, British, classical, or French, just to give a few examples. One way teachers can challenge students is to have them verbally define a great tone quality. This challenges everyone who hasn’t already thought about it and established a definition. The description I use for great tone quality on any brass instrument is clear, bright and resonant.
    When a darker or warmer sound is desired from the brass players, simply try asking for a change in articulation. A softer front of the note can actually make notes seem darker in an ensemble setting. This method can especially help trumpets stay resonant and bright while managing to blend with the likes of more conical sounding instruments such as horns and euphoniums. That said, if you are hearing brightness coming from the brass section, encourage it; these instruments are made to resonate.

Micromanaging

    The main concern is that when we as educators attempt to micromanage the small tissues and systems of our students with such comments as “Drop the jaw,” “Don’t pull the corners back too far,” or “Keep the tongue flat,” we can lead them to undesirable results over time. Arnold Jacobs, brass pedagogue and former principal tuba with the Chicago Symphony, said it best at a masterclass: “One thing is that we never know what we are doing. Now, we have to know what we are doing as musicians, but we will never know what we are doing in the sense of physical structures at work.” In a nutshell, Jacobs always felt that the best results were produced when students were extremely focused on their musical goals but somewhat unconscious of their physical maneuvers. The first musical goal students should have is awareness of a great tone quality on their instrument.
    Physical instructions are necessary from time to time, especially in the earlier stages of learning a brass instrument. However, the majority of the students on the receiving end of these instructions cannot describe or even recognize what a characteristic tone quality is on their instrument.
    Far more important than nitpicky physical instructions is for students to listen to great players on their instrument regularly and have a characteristic tone quality in mind as they play. Have them listen to great players and then describe what they hear. The great tone qualities students listen to should influence every note they play. Ideally, their bodies can take them incredible distances without any overload from us as educators.

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    After graduating from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State), Tony Garmoe spent 29 years as a high school band director, including 23 years at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. A district reorganization opened up an opportunity to teach elementary band at two schools, Clive and Westridge Elementaries, and Garmoe made the switch. Here are his reflections on his high school career and his thoughts on his new position.

From your perspective as a long-time high school teacher, what are the most important aspects of musicianship to teach beginners?
    It is important to teach young musicians how to read music well. Being a good music reader is essential. It is easy for everybody to spend a bit longer on one tune than we might need to, but it is important for students to develop their reading skills. It’s important to read and read. The more that we can have students play in keys other than Bb, Eb, and F, the better. In conjunction, as they move into middle and high school, it is important to begin working on such musicianship skills as how to listen to music and how to be a good member of an ensemble.
    There can be great wisdom in incorporating unison exercises into the band rehearsal. These can be especially beneficial for low brass players. For example, it seems young tuba players see an inordinate amount of whole and half notes in elementary and middle school full band music (often high school, too). These students can develop technique just as well as trumpet players, but the way young band music is often constructed the tuba players end up with the harmonic and rhythmic pad. This can limit their technical development. We wonder why tuba players are often behind in their technical development, but I think we do it to ourselves.

What is the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make in switching to elementary band?
I enjoy the unbridled enthusiasm and newness of the experience for the young students. It is extremely rewarding being the one who gets to introduce students to band. That said, it is a different type of teaching. I’ve found myself missing adult contact, meaning adult, not just high school students. Faculty collaboration is more rare at the elementary level; it is students-in-students-out all day, and that was a big change for me.
    Students’ pullout lessons are 30 minutes at Westridge, and at Clive they are 20-30 minutes. I start my week at Westridge. I teach fifth graders on Monday and sixth graders on Tuesday. On Wednes-day I teach fifth graders at Clive, and Thursday is Clive sixth graders. Friday I teach half a day of fifth grade lessons at Westridge in the morning. The fifth grade bands each have a 30-minute rehearsal once a week. Westridge meets on Mondays from 3:15-3:45, and Clive meets on Friday from 2:30-3:00.
    I also co-teach a sixth grade band that meets before school two mornings a week for just under an hour. The band is called the Northside 6th Grade Band, and it consists of students from four elementary schools. I co‐teach this rehearsal with a wonderful colleague, Jerylin Kobberdahl. She is an outstanding teacher who has a vast body of experience with elementary students and elementary band. I learn from her every time we are together and count myself fortunate to collaborate as well as be under her tutelage. I feel our two approaches are complementary and the multiple perspectives provides the students a rich band experience. She is organized beyond imagination and I respectfully refer to her as “the master and commander of all that is the Northside 6th Grade Band.”

What activities do you do with the elementary bands?
    The fifth grade bands take a small spring tour each year. I combine my two fifth grade schools into one band. We have one before-school rehearsal where we put everything together, and we’ll play once at Westridge and once at Clive. We also play an evening concert for the parents.
    The sixth graders also have a tour concert in December, and they perform again in April. In between the two concerts we have sixth grade solo and ensemble festivals, and also handle chair placement. In addition, the sixth grade students are part of an all‐district marching band consisting of all grades 6‐12 band students that does a mass band standstill performance at ValleyFest, the local marching band festival. Everybody enjoys it, and it is good early exposure to the high school marching band. Sixth-grade tuba players use 3⁄4-size instruments with straps to help them carry the tubas while marching. The sixth-grade tuba players have never complained, and I get the impression they find it exciting.

What are the differences between students of high school age and students of elementary age?
    High school students can be somewhat reserved, but when they are young, everything is new and exciting. When you’re a fifth and sixth grade band director, students love you. They bring you valentines and say thank you. It is an interesting experience.
Conducting for elementary students is more rudimental in its approach. It fills a bit more of a functional role in many cases; however, it is important to find times to connect students’ sense of where the phrase is going to what you’re doing with your baton and hand. The best opportunities at the elementary level are often dynamics, such as a long crescendo.
    There are many similarities, too. Students need to be engaged and kept interested. They both need to have their musical growth fed and nurtured. You can tell very quickly if something is not going well in both elementary band and a high school band rehearsals.

What were the biggest lessons you learned throughout your teaching career?
    As I review my career, one of the things I have come to value is the time the students are in the classroom. This is true not only for large ensembles but also for lessons. Rehearsal time is the opportunity to do the best teaching you can from bell to bell. Those are very valuable minutes, and anything you can do to be prepared to teach your students and share what it is you want to share on that particular day must be done. There can be no wasted time when you’re in front of students. Directors should have a detailed lesson plan, anticipate any possible places things can go off track, and be prepared to try something new if what they are doing isn’t working. Sometimes enough students are absent that on-the-fly adjustments have to be made, but not much else should be able to derail a well-planned rehearsal.

What are some of your favorite works for high school groups?
I have always been interested in literature and literature selection, both from a cultural and artistic standpoint and also in terms of students’ technical and artistic development as they move throughout the year and through their time in your program. Pieces like the Holst Suites and Lincolnshire Posy are time-tested standards that many, if not most, people would consider core to the band repertoire. Such compositions should be prioritized. We should play contemporary works as well, but the longer I was at the high school, the more I gravitated toward the great classics.
In my last year at Valley High School I programmed a great piece: Three Tragic Ballads by Percy Grainger. They are choral works arranged for band by Chalon Ragsdale, and truly wonderful music with mature musical and contextual demands. Another piece that stood out for me was Michael Colgrass’s Old Churches. It is an extremely interesting piece and makes a nice counterpoint to either of the Holst Suites. The majority of literature programmed should be rewarding for the students. It should have a body and soul that reveals itself to both the performer and listener over time.

Why is chamber music so important for students?
    A strong chamber program is a wonderful way to teach musicianship skills and also one of the best ways to reach out to the community. We made this a point of emphasis when I was at Valley High School. It would not be uncommon for us to take 195-215 entries to solo and ensemble festivals in addition to playing at places in the community.
Chamber music is important for students because it forces them to take more responsibility for musical decisions, and any time we can get students to do that, it provides a deeper connectivity and a deeper level of music making. I always felt it was important to help students understand how much they could affect the music that was being made.
    Sometimes getting students to that point meant pulling a chamber ensemble aside and saying, “We need to discuss this, and by ‘we’ I mean you and not me. One of you talk. Now the next person talks.” When it came to a point where I felt I needed to help the conversation, I would, but the goal was to help students make their own decisions by asking them questions.
    Teachers get used to being the conductor and give out the answers and instructions. It almost becomes counterproductive because it teaches students to wait for the answer. It is better to guide students to finding answers and making decisions for themselves. The music becomes more exciting, and the audience notices.

The post Back to the Beginning, An Interview with Tony Garmoe appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Directors who seek to build a high-quality program must consider how to create an organizational culture of excellence – one that allows the program to display musical achievement while also promoting an environment that is welcoming, positive, inclusive, inspirational, and professional. Cultural environments are often unique to specific organizations, and most cultures can be categorized as either positive – contributing to the mission of the organization – or negative – holding the organization back from achieving its ultimate purpose.
    The past few years have shown us examples of organizations at the high school and college levels whose cultures have been brought into question. While most of these organizations and institutions previously enjoyed esteemed reputations, problems with poor ethics, academic integrity, rules violations, hazing, sexual harassment, bullying, substance abuse, or other improprieties have illustrated that, at their core, the culture of excellence that was apparent on the organization’s surface perhaps did not truly permeate the entire organizational structure. 
    These cases led to negative publicity and increased public scrutiny, which proved to be an embarrassment for all involved, and the resulting criticism of the leaders of these organizations was personally and professionally damaging. Thus, in leading music organizations, it is always important for directors to shape their program’s culture as if their careers depended on it – because they do.
    Every conductor aspires to lead ensembles that routinely demonstrate musical excellence in performance. Program goals of high ratings, first-place awards, and public acclaim are all examples of high musical achievement. In my experience, however, these levels of achievement are rarely reached, or maintained, without a culture of excellence that exists throughout the program. A band program’s culture is defined in part by the program’s stated values, and it also is defined by how effectively these values are expressed and integrated into the daily operations of the organization.

Evaluating the Culture 
    Whether the director is a veteran leader of a program or a new hire, the first step in shaping the culture is to evaluate the current environment. In my career, there have been three occasions when I was hired as a new leader of a music program – twice as a director of bands at the high school level and once as a director of marching and athletic bands at the university level. In all three instances I was asked to improve the level of music performance, as well as various aspects of each program’s day-to-day operations. Like most directors would do, in each situation I drew upon my previous training and experiences to formulate a blueprint for achieving these goals. Each time I started by creating a roadmap that I hoped would put the program on a path to success, allowing it to develop and sustain a culture of excellence.
    During the initial evaluation, review every aspect of the program’s operations, including band handbook, school code of conduct, discipline policies, past repertoire, previous performance schedules and trip itineraries, recruiting strategies, recent adjudicator comments and score sheets, transportation policies, booster club operations, fundraising activities, and communication methods such as newsletters and social media. At first this exhaustive review can appear to be a daunting task, but to achieve cultural excellence throughout the program, all aspects of the program must be evaluated. Throughout this time-consuming review it is important to remember the main reasons for doing it: shaping the culture and defining your reputation. It may be your first year at the school, but if you do not make an effort to shape the culture, then for better or worse, you will inherit the way things have always been done. As a result your professional reputation will be shaped in part by your predecessor. 
    To gain an accurate assessment of the current state of the program I have always found it helpful to talk to the returning band staff, band members, parents, alumni, school administrators, guidance counselors, fellow teachers, and even bus drivers and custodians. My goal was to gather as many opinions about the band program as possible, especially the aspects that people were proud of and the areas that people felt needed improvement. Discussions with principals often centered on school discipline policies, while conversations with guidance counselors and teachers would focus on the academic reputations of band students. The band members I interviewed always represented a cross-section of the band membership, from student leaders to rising sophomores who had just experienced their first year in the program. Student discussions often focused on music repertoire, band policies, traditions, and social activities. In speaking with parents of band members, I usually spoke to a similar cross-section, often speaking to the parents of the same students I had interviewed. I also found it was valuable to speak to recent graduates and their parents. Their comments were often more open and honest, since there was no fear of any retribution for negative statements they might offer.
    At the end of a thorough evaluation such as this, make a list of the band program’s strong areas, as well as those areas that might be considered a weakness. Then ask yourself two important questions. What aspects of the culture are positive and should be maintained? What aspects of the culture are negative, or even potentially harmful, and should be changed? The answers to these questions will help you plan your course of action.

Developing a Course of Action
    While your vision as director will ultimately shape the course of the program, several key steps may help as you begin to map out a path toward cultural excellence.
    Share your evaluation. Conduct meetings with school administrators, band staff, student leaders, and booster club officers to discuss the results of your assessment. This will offer you an opportunity to ask questions, clarify your initial impressions, seek advice, and convey your thoughts regarding changes to the program that you feel are necessary. Speak with confidence, and be positive and enthusiastic about the program’s future, because these meetings can also serve as an opportunity to build consensus and identify advocates who may be willing to collaborate with you in making tough choices and implementing necessary changes. Bear in mind that some changes may need to occur gradually, while others may need to be implemented immediately. Be aware also that many people may be resistant to change, especially if they believe that everything is fine the way it is. The reactions and comments of the people you work with will help to shape your next step.
    Develop a clear purpose. Clearly define the band program’s purpose and direction as a way to align the entire program to a common mission. Consider crafting a mission or vision statement that clearly articulates the organization’s main goal. As a starting point, ask yourself key questions about why the band program exists, what basic beliefs or values drive our efforts, and what we want students to take away from the experience when they graduate. Words and phrases such as musicianship, pride, innovation, tradition of excellence, and quality music education are all worthy of inclusion. Be sure to keep your mission statement visible at every level of your program by posting it in the middle school and high school band rooms. You may also want to include this statement as part of any promotional materials and websites. Once the program’s goal is established and communicated, then it is time to further devise a plan to achieve it.
    Craft – and follow – a policies and procedures document. Every music organization needs a detailed and comprehensive policy manual or handbook. Consider this your program’s constitution – a document that not only includes operational information such as the attendance policy, disciplinary procedures, band schedule, uniform requirements, chair challenge procedures, and fundraising guidelines, but also clearly states the fundamental principles that guide your program. Whether you are writing a new document or revising an existing one, be sure that your band policies are aligned with your school district’s goals and objectives. Use these goals and objectives as a point of departure when crafting your specific band policies. Band directors should also be proactive in reviewing and understanding all applicable policies and laws concerning harassment, discrimination, and civil rights, and all band staff and support personnel should be knowledgeable of these as well.
    It is important to avoid making any assumptions when writing your policies and procedures document. Organize the policy manual in a way that separates school and band rules or expectations from those that are dictated by law. I have seen policy manuals that include band rule violations within the same list as rules on hazing, sexual harassment, and alcohol/drug use. If presented to students in this manner, it should come as no surprise that they might view hazing or drinking alcohol on a bus trip as no more serious a violation than chewing gum in rehearsal.
    Include statements regarding band traditions. Often the biggest fear when a new director assumes leadership of a program is that this person will alter the time-honored customs, practices, and beliefs that have been passed from generation to generation in the program. Viewed as important aspects of the band program, these traditions help to instill pride in the organization and assist in maintaining important bonds with alumni and other supporters. Even though students may be drawn to an organization in large part because of its traditions, the director should conduct an examination of these practices to ensure that they are in compliance with stated school and band policies. In the three occasions when I inherited a band program, after a thorough evaluation, I chose to maintain certain traditions while eliminating others.
    As part of this process, I grouped traditions into two categories. One category contained traditions that I viewed as performance-related – traditions that contributed to performance excellence and the band’s unique identity. These were traditions that obviously needed to be maintained. For example, with a marching band, these traditions might include the band uniform, leadership structure, instrumentation, fundamental marching style, school songs, and field formations. If I made any changes to these traditions, I did so gradually over time, using an approach that promoted and valued innovation while still embracing important traditional elements. Traditions that I placed in a non-performance related category were ones that I usually felt should be eliminated immediately. These were customs or behaviors that did not contribute to the level of performance excellence that I wanted the program to attain. This category included procedural methods or rehearsal strategies that could be done in a more efficient or more educational manner.
    Also on the list of traditions to be eliminated were those that I felt could be in violation of law or school policies, particularly those that might involve inappropriate behavior, hazing, or discrimination. Over the years I have seen many directors who were hesitant to immediately eliminate such customs, using the logic that since practices such as initiation rituals had been around forever, it would take a long period of time to change them. These directors failed to recognize that social norms and expectations routinely change over time, and actions and language that may have been considered acceptable thirty years ago are no longer viewed the same way now. Traditions that violate the law or school policy – or that would cause embarrassment to individuals and the band program – must always be eliminated immediately. This perspective is one that I openly shared with students who were resistant to change. I also made it clear that my decisions in matters like these were made out of respect for the students and the future of the band program. I also reminded them that although no one in the band now would still be here in four years, I intended to be, and I intended the band to be viewed in even higher regard than it was today. Although some students did not always agree with my decisions, I found that students usually appreciated my honesty in discussing these matters.    
    Demonstrate your convictions and show that mean what you say with all aspects of your policy and procedures handbook. Avoid making rules that you cannot or do not intend to enforce, because a failure to enforce rules and policies weakens the entire document. Be clear regarding expectations of behavior, so you can let the handbook do the work when a student is faced with a disciplinary action or policy violation. When I called a student to my office, the student usually knew what the punishment was going to be, because I insisted that all band members know the policies, and they understood that I would follow all stated procedures.
    Establish clear responsibilities, roles, and accountability for staff and student leaders in the band program, and convey this information in your handbook. Be sure also to include specific procedures for these individuals to follow when identifying, handling, and reporting violations and other potentially problematic situations. It is also important to establish a fair and transparent method for selecting student leaders, taking into account such qualities as musicianship, leadership ability, and seniority. An assessment of leadership potential should take into account not only the student’s ability to be an effective leader in rehearsal and performance, but also in band conduct. Although it is usually not possible to assign a specific leadership position to every senior band member, try not to ignore any senior students when devising a leadership structure. I have found that older band members outside the circle of leadership were more likely to be behavior problems, and in some cases, these individuals would become negative leaders who would try to maintain hazing and other activities in violation of band policies. To avoid this, consider putting upperclassmen on an advisory council as a way to keep older students engaged in the mission of the program. A group such as this can help with coordinating community service projects, band trips, social events, awards programs, and fundraising.
    Establish guidelines and responsibilities for events outside of school, including travel, social events, and off-campus band camps. State clearly that expectations for behavior when off of school grounds are the same as your expectations during school hours. Use adult staff, fellow teachers, or parent volunteers as chaperones, and hold training sessions for them so you can be sure that they understand your policies. For events involving travel, always have adult chaperones on each bus, and avoid situations where male and female students have to change clothes on the same bus or in the same dressing area, unless students are wearing appropriate band staff-approved clothing under the uniforms. Also be sure to have adequate adult supervision and well-thought-out procedures for any trips or activities that require overnight stay.
    Once you have assembled your policies and procedures handbook, share it with administrators for their approval. These individuals should be able to confirm that your band policies are consistent with school policies, and it is important for you to know that administrators will support you if your policies come under scrutiny. To illustrate their support to students and parents, consider including an approval page in the handbook, displaying the signatures of the school superintendent, principal, school board president, band booster club president, and members of the band staff. After your plan to achieve cultural excellence has received the support of the school administration, it is time to convey the information to others.
    Develop a strategy for effective communication. Publish your policies and procedures document in booklet form, and distribute it to band members at a meeting prior to the start of each new school year. (Some directors prefer to post the document on a band website, but I always believed that students took the material more seriously if they could physically hold it in their hands.) When you hold your meeting on policies and procedures, conduct the meeting in a sincere, business-like manner, and bring in guest speakers such as a school principal or district office administrator to help explain certain expectations. You might also consider inviting a local law enforcement officer to assist in answering any questions concerning policies dictated by law. Guests such as these will help impress upon the students that the policies and procedures are important, and it will also establish that the meeting was conducted in a proper manner if any problems later arise.
In addition, be sure that the handbook has an agreement form to be signed by the students and their parents, which will confirm that they have read and understand the stated policies. Set a due date for these forms, and do not allow a student to participate in band activities after that date if the form has not been submitted to you. Just as with the students, it is also important to hold a meeting on policies with parents, bus drivers, and other volunteers. Although not everyone may be able to attend, the seriousness of your efforts will be noticed and appreciated. Newsletters and social media can also provide a way to reinforce the band program’s mission and the culture of excellence you desire to attain.

Shaping the Culture Each Day
    A culture that embraces excellence, trust, and respect is something that must be demonstrated on a daily basis. Meet regularly with band staff and student leaders to discuss the state of the program, and be observant of your students at all times, not only in rehearsals and performances, but in social situations as well. As accomplished musicians, band directors are well respected for their listening skills, but good directors strive to listen to more than the music. Hearing and observing how students interact with each other before and after rehearsals, in the hallways, after school, or on buses can be very helpful when checking the pulse of your organizational culture.
    The band program’s activities should focus on key words such as musicianship, performance, achievement, and collaboration. Although competitions are important to many band programs, you may want to approach competition more as an opportunity for self-improvement and as a way to help teach humility and how to deal with disappointment, rather than simply as an opportunity to win and lose.
    Also avoid referring to students with labels, such as “she’s a flute,” “trumpet player come here,” or “rookies pick up the trash.” I always made an effort to call each student by name, and I rarely categorized, labeled, or assigned tasks to students based on seniority. There were no condoned or implied rites of passage in my high school or college groups, except for auditions to earn membership, a procedure that was required of every student each year.
    Look for opportunities to teach band students about the value and importance of each member’s contributions.
    When I was hired for my first high school teaching job, the principal made a point of telling me that he had outlawed all forms of initiations by teams, clubs, and organizations the previous year as the result of an incident involving a sports team. He also said that he suspected that some of these customs might go underground and that it was important for all teachers to be very observant. Two weeks into the school year, I arrived at school one morning to find all of the senior band members waiting outside my office door. A month earlier during band camp week I had learned of and put a stop to a planned hazing activity. We were now two games into the football season, and our first contest was scheduled for that weekend. The seniors had gathered at my door because they were upset that the freshmen had been given a free pass due to my decision to eliminate their new-member initiation activities. They claimed that the freshmen were not official members of the band yet. They also told me that because these new students were given the same rights as everyone else from the start, they were not showing the seniors the proper respect that they deserved. Although I was disappointed by these statements, I thanked the seniors for sharing their thoughts and told them that we would revisit the matter at rehearsal that afternoon.
After school, rather than go to our practice field, I took the band to the football stadium and had them perform the competition show – once without the freshmen participating and once with everyone on the field. I recorded both performances and then took the band back to the band room to watch the video. We had a talented freshman class that year, and it was obvious that their contributions were making a significant impact on the quality of the group. After watching the two performances I asked the seniors if they would like to share the concerns they had expressed that morning with everyone. None of them chose to speak. The following Saturday the band earned a first-place award, the first in school history, and for the remainder of my tenure at that school I never again heard any comments about treating freshmen differently than anyone else. The lesson on that day centered on treating everyone with respect and acknowledging the value of collaboration. Soon, with my guidance, the seniors began focusing on orientation activities that would welcome and encourage new members, while also educating them regarding band procedures and performance traditions; this was a change from simply finding ways to initiate the new students.

The Importance of Good Leadership
    Strive to demonstrate ethical leadership at all times. As a leader, the culture of excellence that you shape for your organization is a reflection of your personal and professional values. Consider developing your own leadership code of conduct. Some directors set myriad rules for students but may at times appear to be operating outside of the rules themselves – using abusive language, making inappropriate comments, being inconsistent concerning discipline, or showing favoritism. Try to set higher expectations for yourself than for your staff and students, and consistently demonstrate leadership attributes that others can aspire to.
Many people are effective leaders when things are going well, but the great leaders are those individuals who rise to the challenge when faced with difficult situations. Understand that in spite of your efforts to create a culture of excellence, there may still be occasional disappointing incidents. Develop a plan for dealing with problems in a transparent manner, and always keep school administrators well-informed regarding any policy violations. Never hesitate to call on school district personnel who have professional training in dealing with situations that you may not feel qualified to handle alone. Give timely priority to negative situations and address them in a firm manner, but do not dwell on them or make the band experience unpleasant for students who are not involved. Never allow yourself to lose sight of the fact that for every student who makes a poor choice, dozens more make good ones.
    Through your leadership style, demonstrate to students the importance of responsibility and being accountable for one’s actions. When organizational cultures are brought into question, I have often heard leaders attempt to deflect criticism by stating that their organization is simply a microcosm of the behaviors and beliefs of all high school or college students, or they may say that their organization’s transgressions are simply a reflection of the ills of society at large. In the case of music organizations, I find these excuses to be shallow, and even an insult to America’s great band heritage.
Avoid reacting to criticism with a circle-the-wagons mentality. Be quick to acknowledge any deficiencies with your program when they are brought to your attention, and have a plan in place to address them. With a vision of cultural excellence and a good plan for attaining it, the band can be one of society’s best examples of how people of disparate interests, backgrounds, and experiences can find common ground and work in harmony to achieve stated goals.
    Inspire your students to embrace and uphold the standards you have set for the program, and impress upon them that their behavior should parallel the excellence in performance that you strive to achieve. Be honest, passionate, consistent, and fair in all interactions with your students, as well as with parents, school administrators, and alumni. Approach each day with a positive demeanor that reflects your love of music and your respect for the young people who have chosen to join you on the path to cultural excellence.

The post Shaping the Culture in High School Bands appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    In my April 2014 article in The Instrumentalist (Five Aspects of Great Musicianship), I highlighted a section on musical style. The more I thought about that article and the farther into spring our groups rehearsed, we found ourselves needing more clarity on how to define and align a style throughout the ensembles. Out of this was born a style manual for our program. Our manual doesn’t fit perfectly for every piece we program, but it provides a valuable launching point for discussions with the ensemble about note starts, shapes, and lengths.
    As we gathered our thoughts we looked back at one of the finest chapters ever written for band pedagogy, W. Francis McBeth’s Effective Performance of Band Music (1972) where he refers to Solution II. For this chapter McBeth interviewed several famous composers and asked each how they would interpret several style and articulation indicators for their own music. The similarities and notable differences shared amongst several of the 20th century’s most prolific composers, are fascinating. We began with McBeth’s Solution II for the genesis of the style manual for our developing ensembles. We sought to align a set of note starts, values, articulation weights, and style indicators that could serve as a foundation when learning a new work. For ease of discussion, most of the style and articulation indicators we work with in our developing ensembles begin with shapes (mostly simple blocks) and permutations of that shape.

The Anatomy of a Note
As we consider articulation, weight, and style, we first separate each note into three parts: the front (articulation), middle (shape), and the back of the note (value/release).

The Front of the Note/Articulation
    In an attempt to simplify our ideas on musical style and indicators, we feel that there are three prime possibilities for how we treat the fronts of notes. Some notes start at the exact volume and strength indicated by the composer. So, if the composer has indicated forte for the clarinets, the note begins at forte with a focused articulation syllable.
    The use of the articulation syllable can be a matter of personal preference – too, taah, daa, teeh, too, etc. While we work diligently to align each section with the same syllable, we can often find slight exceptions to the rule as we move down the line from player to player. With syllables, we try to move toward center; we want the saxophones to sound the same when they start their G. About 90% of students can use the same syllable and achieve the same sound, but some require a slightly firmer placement (we use the phrase “more taste buds on the reed”), while another student with quite a bit of orthodontic work might require a different approach. Ultimately, we have to trust our ears to identify a note start that is in tune, in time, and in volume.
    Once we have identified the standard, unaccented note start, we begin to listen to note starts that require a stronger start than the middle and back of the note will resonate. These notes are usually accompanied by an accent indicator. We advocate producing these notes with more air and not more tongue. If forte air would be required to start the note in the phrase at an unaccented level, then this may simply indicate a forte-plus start. If we’re looking for a very pronounced start, we may ask students to produce a note start one full dynamic above the written dynamic of the phrase.
    Finally, there are a few notes that start quite softly and fade up to the level of the middle/body and back of the note. These are seen much less than the aforementioned two, but we teach that these notes should start with a fast but small stream of air. The easiest analogy is that of straws at a fast food restaurant. We find that a milkshake straw-sized air column works for fortissimo playing with open, sustained sounds. The soda straw-sized air column applies well to typical forte playing and is the most used. The tiny coffee stirrer straw applies to a quick but quiet note start. It is seldom used but works with staggered breathing passages and notes that start from niente.

Middle of the Note/Shape
    Second, we consider how we treat the middle/body of the note. For the vast majority of notes, there are no perceptible changes to the middles of notes. At times we may have to play a crescendo or diminuendo, but these alterations are the exception rather than the rule. We want students to play the middle of the note with a good, characteristic sound, and, if sustained, the note should remain in tune with a good tone.
    With developing ensembles, we often find a tendency for the middle of the note to decrescendo. It is important that students sustain note volume from front to back without any variation. If some students were edging the note louder, we would stop the ensemble and make a correction. However, we often find that when students fade down into the sound with a decrescendo, we have to hunt for the reason that the ensemble sound has lost a bit of quality. This is most noticeable in lower split parts for instruments like clarinet and trumpet. Often, the initial quality of a chord is quite solid, but because the middle of the note loses energy and volume in the seconds and thirds, we find that the chord quality can change or become blurry as it is sustained. We encourage a block-shaped sound, unless otherwise indicated. If certain students continually fade their volume down to the backs of notes, encourage them to draw a rectangle over the note as a reminder.

The Back of the Note/Value/Style
    Last, we address the back of the note, often called note value or style. While composers often indicate a style preference on certain notes, the determination of the incremental amount of silence between each pitch is often made based on the type of piece being performed. We have found that a general approach is better than none at all.
    In the past we leaned on terms like march style for a light, lifted backside to notes with a little bit of space. A work marked staccatissimo might have a very short note value. A piece labeled cantabile would be performed in a longer and more connected style. With all of the possible variations for the ends of notes, we spend the majority of our time aligning the backs of notes. With persistence, the fronts of notes will align once a piece has been learned and added to muscle memory. The back of a note takes a sensitive ear and a tremendous amount of time to perfect.

The Style Manual in Practice
    Once we determine our norms for the fronts, middles, and backs of notes, we venture into more specific examples and ideas about shape and design.

The Unmarked Note
    Before beginning a new work, we assign a value to the unmarked note. We often derive these values from a block form. We begin marches with a lighter, more lifted style, while a more lyrical work will employ notes that touch. When preparing to sightread a work, we often perform an F major scale, descending in quarter notes or eighth notes in the style of the piece. This helps students develop an idea of how their air flow will feel when performing the new work. Here are two examples of how we might explain the style of a work:

    In addition, with the unmarked note we can sketch crescendo and diminuendo exercises. We do not advocate the extreme shaping of individual notes, unless they are full-measure values. So, for instance, in a work with a crescendo from piano to forte over four beats in quarter notes, we advocate that students perform as follows:

The Accent
    Accents are among the most frequently used articulation and style indicators by modern composers. In thinking about McBeth’s interviews, it is interesting to note how such composers as John Barnes Chance and Frank Erickson felt this indicator only affected the note and cautioned that it should not shorten the value of accented pitches. On the contrary, Howard Hanson and Martin Mailman offered that it not only affects the front of the note, changing the articulation, but also the back of the note, affecting the style.
    The best way to define accents is by offering performers a set of block shapes that show the sharpness of the accent, how pointed the note will be and how rapidly it softens. We can also set up several blocks in a row to demonstrate how the ends of each note are affected in relation to the pulse between clicks of the metronome. The dotted line represents the existing dynamic level for the phrase:

    We sometimes indicate what an accented pitch would look like amidst a measure of unmarked notes:

Staccato
    We next move to the staccato indicator and stress that staccato markings have no effect on the front or middle of the note. Staccato changes the back of the note, making it detached, light, or lifted. To clarify the exact length of the staccato, we often talk with students about a visual image of positive space versus negative space. We ask them to think about how wood fences are constructed. In the neighborhoods around our school, there are three types of fences that we see. There are board on board fences that allow no light to pass through. This is analogous to a lyrical or singing work. Next, there are standard fences where the boards nearly touch but a small amount of light passes through. This is comparable to a slightly detached musical line. Finally we talk about traditional picket fences that illustrate exactly the staccato sound with near perfect gaps between the notes. This analogy helps us play with a light, lifted, crisp, and detached style.

    If students perceive the staccato indicator as a dot under the note that morphs the note into half sound and half silence, unlike the dot aside the note that adds half value, we find they are more likely to remember what this style indicator should resemble in most cases.
    Additionally, in talking about staccato (one of the hardest sounds for us to align), we often refer to pizza, as this analogy is easy to discuss in terms of fractions. Staccato indicates half of a pizza, and since there are no half-pizza boxes, the half-pizza must be placed in a whole pizza box. On the side of the box where there is no pizza, there is only air. This helps explain the concept to our younger students.

Tenuto
    The tenuto is the most misunderstood of the articulation/style indicators, perhaps because it is, in many respects, the opposite of the accent. Many composers use the tenuto to indicate a gentle note-start (Vincent Persichetti put it best when he wrote “gloved pulsation”). However, in recent years, composers are moving the tenuto more towards the idea of a stress-weight indicator, just as Hindemith and Nelhybel used it years ago. When our groups prepare pieces by Donald Grantham, Frank Ticheli, and John Mackey, we have found that the tenuto sounds best as a stress-weight indicator. As a result, when drawing the shape, we often surround it with standard value notes, thus indicating its height in the sonic sentence.

    In addition, we will sometimes round the edges of the tenuto to indicate that it doesn’t have a hard, right angle note start. We avoid using the word attack for this reason.

Marcato
    The marcato indicator is, in our style manual, a composer’s request for additional volume on the front of the note and shortened value on the back of the note. we tell students that if we added the accent and the staccato, we would likely arrive at the marcato. In drawing shapes for the marcato, we show tall, pointed staccato marks with right triangles.

    For an analogy, we discuss adding marcato like marking a player in soccer. if the opposing team is throwing the ball in or executing a corner kick, we are each assigned a player to mark on the field. Now, to avoid a penalty, we don’t want to tackle the player or note but just want to bump them. It is a hard bump, but not sustained effort on our part. It is quick to avoid the official but abrupt enough to keep the player moving.

Combinations
    After defining values for the unmarked note, the staccato, the tenuto, and the marcato, we discuss any combinations that arise. We sometimes struggle with the combined tenuto-staccato or the accent-tenuto; each has a set of mind-boggling possibilities for developing players. When we use simple shape addition with our style manual, we arrive at something that is agreeable to begin developing the work.

Conclusion
    The style manual has evolved over time. There will never be a true system that outlines every style indicator and every articulation for all music. With careful study, we can help students learn a system that works for preparing pieces for concerts and the sightreading room. We hope they can back up their style decisions with musically literate opinions as well as visual images that represent the idea best in their minds.

The post A Manual of Style appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    The end of the school year, which I define as after the spring concert, is a crucial time for getting a strong start to the following year. I prefer to have the spring concert two to three weeks before school ends. Having it too early means that students really lose focus by the end of the year, but scheduling it later than this time frame eliminates the opportunity to take care of all the necessary end-of-year procedures and preparations for the following year.

Using Rehearsal Time Wisely
    After the final concert, we spend much of our time sightreading music. The end of the year is an excellent time to read through standard works that all students should get a chance to play at some point. In addition, there is often music in the library that I am unfamiliar with but would like to gain further knowledge about. This is usually concert band music. Although we try to get the marching band music out to students before they leave for summer break, I avoid spending the year’s final rehearsals working on that marching music exclusively because graduating seniors have little interest in it. Having marching music rehearsals with uninterested seniors does not help to promote excitement in the underclassmen for the upcoming year. A better choice is concert band music that may have a great feature for a graduating senior, perhaps giving them one more chance to be recognized.
    After the spring concert, we also begin to focus on final exam preparation. The final exam is different every year. I like to choose tests that are pertinent to the ensemble that year or that covers something the ensemble will need work on for the following year. There have been years where the focus of the final has been scales. Some years, it has been sightreading. Other years I have had exams on the following year’s marching band warmups. The subject determines when I give the exam. If it is a written final I can give it on exam day, but for a playing final we start it a bit earlier.

Building Next Year’s Marching Band
    There are many elements to a successful marching show: securing drill writers and design teams, choosing music that fits the program, arranging planning and design meetings, hiring staff, choosing pep band music, registering for shows, and completing work on camps and fall schedules. Before walking out the door for the summer, it is important to have a clear idea and organization of all these.
    Before students leave for summer, ideally, they should have their new marching music to practice at home, access to all dates and times of summer rehearsals and camps, an accurate fall schedule, an equipment list needed for fall, an estimated fee schedule, and the ability to check out instruments. Visits to the feeder middle schools are crucial to make sure incoming freshmen understand the schedule and details for the upcoming season. Usually those last few weeks of school are a great opportunity to travel to the middle school and answer student questions. It is also a good idea to make sure the administration, registrar, and office staff have your summer letters and information for any student who enrolls during summer.
    Sometimes we know we will have a shortage of one instrument for the following year. Paying attention to this early gives us an opportunity to consider who might be good candidates to switch instruments. I often start this before our spring concert, getting students to try instruments and then working with them to see whether this is a switch they want to make.

Training Solid Leaders
    The end of the year is important for developing student leaders for the following year. As music teachers, we have a direct influence on those students returning to the program. A math teacher doesn’t always have control over how another math teacher is preparing those students for their class the next year. Music teachers should take advantage of this opportunity by starting early and making it a priority.
    In April we start discussing leadership with the students. We schedule meetings for potential student leaders every two weeks in late spring. The first meeting gets students in the door. We explain student leader expectations, list the different positions available, and discuss basic leadership concepts. In that initial meeting we also walk them through the audition and application processes. This includes an interview, essay, service and fun project, and letters of recommendation, as well as an audition for drum majors.
    We meet again in a few weeks to discuss more leadership concepts and to explore some activities designed to get students thinking as leaders and working collaboritively. These meetings continue through April and May, and include getting the current student leaders, especially the ones who are graduating, to mentor leadership candidates.
The sightreading we do after the spring concert provides an excellent opportunity to put students in leadership positions and see how they handle it, as well as how other students react to their direction. I pull the sightreading pieces out of the library and assign them to potential student leaders. Over a two-to-three day period, students interested in becoming section leaders are given time to run sectionals on their assigned parts while I observe them. Following these days are two or three rehearsals in which students auditioning for drum major will conduct the band. Potential drum majors each get a turn to conduct for 15 minutes. Students are always supportive of each other during this process. They mentor each other, work hard to play their best, respond well to their instruction, and take a genuine interest in being part of the process. It keeps students interested and motivated in those final weeks after the spring concert.
    Another important task for leadership candidates is helping with spring banquet preparation. We give them such responsibilities as helping with decorations, handing out awards, assembling slide shows, and collecting tickets at the door.
    The last week of school ends with the remainder of the audition and interview process. Some people announce their leadership earlier in the year, but I like to wait until the last few days of school so I can give students as many opportunities as possible to prove themselves and let me see them in action. This helps with motivation through the end of the year, as leadership candidates know we are still watching.

Managing Inventory
    Our inventory is assigned to students and returned through barcodes on our web-based system. The uniforms are the first bit of equipment that students turn in. The last time we use the uniforms is at a spring parade, held in mid to late April, so at the beginning of May we begin checking in uniforms and making sure they are cleaned. Returning students’ uniforms are kept together in a labeled garment bag. Assuming their size does not change, it is an easy checkout in the fall.
    Collecting music, method books, warmups, and folders can be a daunting task. To alleviate this, method books and folders are barcoded so they are easily accounted for when they are turned in. To streamline the process, I assign section leaders to collect every part from their sections, making note of who has not turned in music. It makes students aware that people are paying attention that all the parts are there. If a student does not have the music that day, the section leader gets a note from me and places it on that section’s parts with the names of students who still need to turn in parts. Students who never turn in the music are fined.
    When the section leader has collected all the music and organized it in part order, he brings the section parts to an assigned section, which collects all the band parts and places everything in score order. The trumpet section might be in charge of assembling one piece in score order, and the flutes might be assigned another. Once students have made sure all the parts are there, they bring it up, I add the score to the folder, then it gets filed. Pieces that are missing parts are set aside until the missing parts are returned. The process takes about 20 minutes and ensures everything is organized and packed away with little to no work by the teacher.
    The last three days of school are spent on instrument check-in. We check the instruments in, inspect them to make sure they are still functioning, then send them out to be cleaned. When they come back in early summer, we schedule several days for students to stop by and check them out again.
    The band room is not air conditioned in summer, and it gets extremely hot, so temperamental wooden wind instruments get stored in a part of the building that is air conditioned. There are only a few such instruments, so it is easy to find the space in a small closet somewhere.
    Percussion is a separate class, which makes inventory and basic maintenance easy. During the last few days of class, we print off the inventory list, and students pull everything out of every cabinet and storage closet and place it in the middle of the room. Then we separate it by like instruments and assign students to instrument groups.
    One group of students is assigned the instruments with drumheads. We detune our percussion equipment for the summer. We don’t take the heads off completely but just take the pressure off a bit so we can store them away. Temperature changes make things stretch and contract, so it is easier to detune the drums to save wear and tear on the heads, especially extremely tight ones like snares. For timpani, I won’t detune them, but I make sure the pedals are down all the way so the drums are at the lowest pitch.
    A second group of students restrings all the mallet instruments that need it, and another group of students is assigned to dust everything and find cases to store things in. Before anything gets put away, we check it off the master inventory list and report any damaged or missing items. Additionally we take an inventory of mallets and new drum heads to make a list of what should be purchased before the start of school or camp.
    We check in lockers on the last day. I bring in a bunch of cleaning/disinfecting wipes, students wipe everything down, then we check lockers, and the last thing students do is turn in their lock. In the process of turning in their lock, students check on the computer with us to make sure all inventory is in and that their accounts and fees are accurate. This is the last communication with students regarding their accounts prior to closing out the inventory and accounts and rolling things over for the following year.

    There is much to do between the spring concert and the last day of school, but the hard work in instruction, fall preparation, and organization during the last weeks of school always pays dividends in fall.

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