Take music classes seriously. At the start of my teaching job I went over my old course catalogs and compiled a list of every required music class. As a teacher I found that I used material from every one of those classes, even music history, which (as evidenced by my grades) was one of my least favorites.

Take ensembles seriously. Actions speak louder than words, and good things happen to those who show up to rehearsal on time with a good attitude and their music learned. As I was preparing for my senior recital several accompanists backed out on me. In desperation I went to the wind ensemble director, who was also a pianist. He agreed to play my entire recital on about three weeks’ notice, commenting that he was glad to help after the contributions I had made to his ensemble over the years.

Play a few secondary instruments well. Methods classes are an excellent start, but all-university bands or community groups are where you learn the inherent problems of each instrument. I recommend that non-brass players pick up a mid-ranged instrument (trombone, euphonium, or horn) as most people will find these easier to play than trumpet or tuba. Non-woodwind players should start with the clarinet. Brass players who struggle to get a sound out of the soprano clarinet might start with bass or contra and work their way back up. How well you play an instrument can affect recruiting. Few fifth graders have heard of a euphonium, but if they think it sounds cool when you play it they might be more inclined to try it themselves.

Add extras. Guitar classes are increasingly common, and those inclined to teach younger grades might find a recorder class added to their teaching load. College is also the ideal time to become familiar with notation, drill design, and recording software if classes are not offered on these. The more skills you have, the more marketable you are.

Start teaching now. As important as the above points are, music teachers spend their days working with children, not instruments or concepts. Make friends with an area music teacher and volunteer time leading sectionals. Build a private studio, not just on your instrument but on anything you feel comfortable teaching. Some people enjoy teaching private lessons but dislike running rehearsals, and others prefer large groups to teaching lessons. I devoted almost no time to either in college and was already at my first teaching job before I came to this last point:

Be honest about whether teaching is right for you. Two types of teachers are memorable: the best and the most bitter. Everybody has bad days, and the first year of teaching is always the most difficult, but a consistently unhappy teacher has little to offer students. I once had someone ask me to rate my enthusiasm on a scale of 1-10. When I suggested I was at about 5 or 6, he responded that the rest of the group would always be two points lower on that 1-10 scale than I was.

There are many career options for music majors besides schools and symphony orchestras; my position here at The Instrumentalist is just one example. Some may also find that they are happiest keeping music as a hobby. Whatever path you choose, the staff of The Instrumentalist wishes those of you beginning college next fall the best, and if you pursue a career in teaching, we will be there to help you become the best teacher you can be.

The post Making the Most of College appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

“Are you kidding? Let me look at that,” he said, taking the paper from her. “This is a nice picture of me if I do say so myself. I wish I had time to read the whole paper, but I have early duty and –” Before he could finish the sentence the telephone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Chuck. This is Bruce. I’ve decided to cover your morning parking lot duty just to show you how much I appreciate the great work that you do.”

“Thanks! I don’t really know what to say.” Surprised, but pleased, Chuck hung up and read the glowing newspaper article, finished his breakfast, and prepared for work.

After catching every green light, Chuck found a parking space right by the music building, something that never happened. While checking his mail in the teachers’ lounge, he grabbed a piece of angel food cake provided by the Family Dynamics Club.

“Good morning, Mr. Ruzonski.”

It was Gladys Pipps, the most ornery guidance counselor he had ever worked with.

“Good morning,” he said hesitantly, waiting for her to tell him about the latest student she supposedly had to drop because of scheduling problems.

“Chuck, I would like you to come to my office and meet Bubba Holstein and his parents. He’s an all-state tuba player from Hereford, Kansas. I told him how great our band was here, and he wants to join. Could you use him?”

“You bet your life!”

After meeting a very intelligent-looking Bubba and later leading three wonderfully energetic rehearsals, the intercom beeped.

“May I have your attention, please? The teachers’ meeting for today has been canceled.”

“This is my lucky day!” Chuck said, shaking his head in amazement.

At lunch that afternoon he sat with the principal and head football coach.

“Great performance Friday night. I really enjoyed it. I thought the opener was performed energetically and with great musicality,” said the principal.

“And I thought your rendition of Barber’s Adagio for Strings was simply the most exquisite performance I have ever heard on the marching field. It was worth giving up the halftime pep talk to stay and hear it,” added the coach.

“Oh by the way,” the principal said, “I got a call today from the Krepsbach Corporation, and they’re donating $10,000 to the band for the Disney World trip.”

Chuck floated a foot off the ground the rest of the day, and just when he thought things could not get any better, as he took roll last period he noticed that Damien Deville, a sociopathic trumpet player was absent, clearing the way for a trouble-free rehearsal.

At 3:15 his office telephone rang. It was the school secretary, and she was whispering. “Mr. Ruzonski, there is a man here who is dressed like he’s from the Middle East and says he must see you immediately. Should I send him over?”

“Sure,” he said, thinking that this was bound to be more good news – maybe a rich oil baron from Saudi Arabia.

A few minutes later a slightly grizzled, gray-bearded man wearing a long, flowing robe entered Chuck’s office.

They shook hands. “May I help you?” Chuck inquired, fully hoping it was he who would receive the help. It was, after all, his lucky day.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Saint Peter.”

“Saint Peter?”

“I must apologize for not talking to you sooner. I hope your day has been wonderful anyway. Has it?”

“Frankly, it feels like I’ve died and gone to heaven, but –”

“Well, it just so happens that’s what I’ve come to talk to you about.”

The post A Day Unlike Any Other appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

I also explain that the most important member of the band is the drummer, and I say this as a trumpet player. In almost every arrangement the drummer is responsible for maintaining the pulse, igniting the dynamic shape of the chart, and setting the style of the tune. If any of these three is out of whack, the entire band suffers.

I go on to explain that when reading a new chart, half of their attention should be on the drummer. In swing music the drummer usually sets the pulse with the ride cymbal and the hi-hat. It is not enough to play your part correctly. You can’t play your part correctly unless you are listening to the drummer and the lead voice, which should also be listening closely to the drummer.

Certainly everyone in an ensemble is responsible for subdividing and keeping the pulse but in truth we are subdividing and keeping the pulse in relation to the drummer. A band with a good drummer can sound pretty good with average brass and saxophones. However, even terrific brass and saxes playing with a mediocre drummer will give a disappointing performance.

During the early fall rehearsals I often take all of the toys away from the drummer except the ride cymbal, hi-hat, and the snare drum. This way I force the drummer to concentrate on what is important instead of adding a variety of nuances. This works great with student ensembles, and I will even do this with graduate students. The most important skill for any drummer to learn is timekeeping, and this is true whether the music is a swing chart, samba, rock tune, or ballad. On the snare drum the left hand can subdivide important figures to guide the horns if necessary.

At the outset I want to train the drummer and band to listen to and think about how the time is kept. It helps the drummer to focus on the basics if there are fewer equipment choices. With junior high drummers this works remarkably well. I may restrict the drummer to playing a simple pattern with the right hand on the ride cymbal and have the hi-hat close on beats 2 and 4. In my experience many drummers feel that they need to use all of the drums on an eight-piece set. Many can’t handle this without changing the pulse. At first drummers may claim that they can’t play with just three instruments, but they can. Gradually I let the drummer earn the entire drum kit, one drum at a time. I explain that it is like a stew: the other drums add flavor but the essential ingredients are the three pieces of equipment they start with.

When working as a guest director I may say “I bet your drummer gets yelled at by your director more than anybody else in the band.” Usually there is a round of chuckling until I remind them that this is because the drummer is the most important person in the band. My technique of taking instruments away forces the drummer to focus on the basics.

Sometimes I also ask drummers to pretend that they are back in seventh grade and have only limited technique. Many can’t help themselves and play fancier figures after a couple of bars, but I correct them and explain exactly what pattern I want on the ride cymbal. At those moments the band is not a democracy. The focus is on a comfortable pulse with a simple sense of style.

Depending on the context I might play a Basie recording with a great drummer, such as Sonny Payne, whose playing always swings and consistently supports ensemble figures. then I ask the band to listen to his ride cymbal, hi-hat, and drums. After a few moments it is far less complicated than people initially realize. I first learned this technique 15 or 20 years ago and find that it also works well with talented grad students who get bogged down by playing too many notes and fills.

A great many jazz directors grew up playing a horn, as I did. They often focus too much on getting the horn parts right and neglecting the rhythm section. My advice is to focus on the drummer at the start of school and work forward.

Early on I also focus on the dynamics. When young drummers get to the shout chorus, they often forget to play louder. I explain that the shout chorus may start out softly, but when the lead trumpet hits high notes above the staff, you have to give support and play louder. So, too, do the trombones, saxophones, and trumpets need to support the lead voice. Everyone has to listen left to right and front to back.

The focus of big band charts is typically on the drummer, but he and the bass player have to be in lockstep. The bass is the next most important person in keeping the pulse. Phil Woods commented a few years ago that sometimes his bass player (Steve Gilmore) plays just a little in front of the beat of the drummer (Bill Goodwin). He added that this actually steadies the pulse. This sounded like a crazy concept to me, but later I discovered that it is especially helpful on faster tempos, which is when young groups tend to fall apart.

I first tried his idea with the DePaul band and then experimented with an all-district high school band. It usually helps some right away when the bass player pushes the tempo and the drummer pulls it back just a hair. However if the drummer pulls back too much it will melt. Often after a couple of cracks, it gets better. I don’t know why this works but it does. One answer may be that everyone is thinking about the tempo. Phil Woods said that this is an old technique, and other professional players have confirmed this. I taught for many years before I ever heard of it.

As a rule, at faster tempos students get tunnel vision and concentrate mostly on playing the notes correctly. They still listen but the focus is on their playing rather than the tempo and blend of the ensemble. Music goes best when we don’t have to think much at all. I have picked the brains of such great improvisers as Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and such contemporary players as Jim McNeeley and Joe Lovano, and asked what they think about while improvising. The most common answer is “I’m listening.” In my experience when I improvise the best I am simply listening and reacting.

I have observed that when these great artists play with the student band, if someone forgets to go to the bridge or the piano misses a chord, the pros still make it sound good. When I look over and watch Phil Woods improvise, he isn’t looking at the printed page but simply trusting his ear. This is a lesson for all of us to remember: always listen.

The post Jazz Essentials appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

F3 and E3 are often out of tune for young players and may sound either flat or sharp. There is no telling what type of sound will come out of the instrument. Both notes improve by keeping the red of the lip rolled under and supporting the air.

Eb3 can be another unstable note. If the student is playing an older instrument, ask him to add the first or second finger of the right hand and the Bb key to produce a stable tone. These older fingerings will be unnecessary on modern bassoons. Another way to improve Eb3 is to add the resonance key, the top left-hand pinky key that is normally used for Eb2, to the basic fingering. During lessons experiment with your players’ instruments to find out which alternate fingerings are most in tune. Most students struggle with the fork­ed fingering, which originated on Baroque-era instruments. Some fingering charts suggest an alternate to the forked fingering that uses the C# key on the back of the bassoon, just above the whisper key; however, I strongly advise against it. This is a trill fingering only for D3 to Eb3, and it is even more unstable and out of tune than the other fingerings for Eb3.

F# in any octave is sharp and bright. Using more half-hole on F#3 and F#4 will also bring the pitch down, as will making sure the reed is properly cushioned. Students may inadvertently tighten the lips around the reed trying to fix the pitch.

If G3 is sharp, students should put down the resonance key; this fingering has become standard. Some notes – G3, F# 3, and Ab3 – will produce a growling sound if the student does not open enough of the half-hole with the first finger of the left hand.

E2 and D2 are frequently sharp, especially for young players. These are difficult notes to play in tune, and because of the overtones on bassoon a sharp E or D can make everyone in an ensemble sound out of tune. To improve the pitch show students how to form an oh vowel with their mouth and to drop their jaw. Both techniques will get these notes down to the right pitch.

Some students have trouble sounding notes above the staff, such as A3, B3, C4, or D4, so remind them to form an ee vowel with their mouth and release the whisper key. If they continue to have difficulty, have them try the flicking technique: touch the small keys above the whisper key and at the same time articulate the note; this will guarantee a clean sound.

The post Difficult Bassoon Notes appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Many band directors are familiar with the dilemma of finding good-quality film music that gives students a worthwhile musical experience. The secret is to select film music just like other work for the ensemble. Of the various books available on categorizing band music and transcriptions, Thomas Dvorak’s Best Music for Band series lists truly musical pieces that are well crafted for students. Unfortu­nately, there is no such book with film music. It is an open field full of hundreds of titles left to band directors to decide which is good and will influence students musically and not be another hot fad lost in the library.

Films take months, even years to make, with composers brought in for the last few weeks to add the final touch of music. Sadly, a producer or even a small committee of producers and directors, who may have little if any musical background, make the decisions for the music. Often composers’ musical judgments are overruled for more popular trends or even for financial reasons. Elmer Bernstein wrote in Tony Thomas’s Film Score: The View from the Podium, “The getting together of a well-trained composer and the average producer or director is often akin to having a heart specialist try to convince an Am­azonian tribesman to submit to open-heart surgery.”

Many times composers are still limited to their musical output simply by the financial situation of a film. Some film budgets may not include the expense of musicians for an orchestra. For those with a music allowance, limited finances can dictate the size of the orchestra, the amount of music scored and played, or even the type of music in the film.

Does this mean band directors should pick a score based on the amount of money given for the music or who produced the film? Yes and no. Some films have huge budgets and music that sounds big but lacks character and quality; while some small films or even unpopular films forgotten by most might have that small element of quality that band directors find in good music.

A film score that has a direction has a sense of both unity and development, following the development of the story. Quality in direction takes place when the music develops alongside the story, which results when the director and composer share a similar vision. Henry Mancini once wrote in Tony Thomas’s Film Score: The View from the Podium, “One thing we had in common was an agreement on the common goal of what was needed for the film – what it was about and what the music could be expected to add to the film.”

Many other elements make a good film score: originality, a memorable theme or concept, the ability to support dialogue and a story line, the ability to be convincing, and whether the score can stand independent of the film. While these qualities contribute to good film music, they do not necessarily contribute to a good concert band piece.

From time to time everyone has seen televised broadcasts of the Boston Pops Orchestra playing medleys of different pop genres, Fourth of July patriotic music, popular songs, Disney tunes, or musicals, and even medleys of a specific movie genre. While they are all wonderful settings of music, some band directors rightfully question whether they want students learning about music from them.

The transcription developed at a time in music history when directors wanted to show the musical community that the concert band was legitimate. In a 1965 article in the Music Educators Journal, David Whitwell wrote, “By the 1930s the association of bands and popular transcriptions had become inseparable. In 1938 two influential books appeared: Prescott and Chidester’s Getting Results with School Bands and Richard Goldman’s The Band Music. The two books suggested program materials consisting of over 85 percent transcribed music.” The goal was to have people view concert bands as serious ensembles, not something with only entertainment value.

The transcription still is important among great band pieces. Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral transcribed by Caillet, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D minor by Moehlmann, Festive Over­ture by Hunsberger, and Mars by G. Smith are among the great transcriptions that are standard repertoire in band programs. I mention these titles only because most every film score that bands play is a transcription of an orchestral score.

Because film scores have the added element of a transcriber, band directors should look for publications that have good musical qualities outside of the film as well as good musical quality in the arrangement. For example, while looking through a music warehouse, I once found five concert band arrangements of Henry Mancini’s The Pink Panther by five different arrangers.

One ar­rangement followed the form of the original theme from the 1963 movie while the others had simpler forms. The main melody featured an eighth-note swing in most of the arrangements, while the first piece had a dotted-eighth note, 16th-note configuration in the solo. The original theme had a middle section with a solo, and half of the arrangements had solo sections. One piece repeated the theme twice. Each piece had a specific quality to it, but only one was close enough to the original thing to be considered a straight transcription and not just an arrangement.

Another example is the music from Harry Potter, which can be thrilling for young musicians to play, especially if they have read the books. I found four different arrangements, three with the main melody simplified. Two featured the music to “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” of which one had the correct melody, and the other had a simplified version of the sweet B theme. The movie theme featured a recorder that could be substituted with a flute, and all the arrangements had the substitute instrument. In the movie the entrance had fast runs in the percussion and high woodwinds that were simplified in every arrangement. This is something I have always encountered in music for young bands.

Band directors should praise the qualities of arrangements for young bands because playing simplified parts well makes students more confident in their abilities. At the same time I often question whether students are still playing Harry Potter when they play a simplified arrangement?

These pieces can be useful to help band directors keep young students interested in music. A student with a fascination for Harry Potter or Star Trek will possibly see the benefit of ensemble playing and probably appreciate the music more.

The music in films is made for an entirely different reason than concert band music. Film music underscores action beneath layers of dialogue, and it provides sound effects and even silence; it is not foreground music. Even the best, most well-crafted score is subject to its place; its purpose is to support what is on screen, not merely to drown it.

As with most forms of art there is always an exception, and in this case it is the ability of a film score to stand on its own. Listeners who pick up a complete C.D. recording of a well-made score and hear it from beginning to end know what I’m writing about.

Within the 80 minutes of a score there are high points, low points, and an unfolding story line. Scores that tell stories are good choices for a transcription for band. Although most films have an hour and a half of music, many arrangers pick certain highlighted points from the film in an arrangement, tying them together making a mini story line.

With this ability many 80-minute scores become eight-minute suites; themes from the movies become themes with developments mimicking standard forms. Even better is when arrangers take entire cues from a score and transcribe them for band. Many of these cues are small pieces in themselves.

All aspects of music can allow for this. Many of Beethoven’s symphonies and piano sonatas have movements that survive on their own. Many arrangements feature overtures or ballet suites presented in a near original form, so that students play music as written closely to the hand of the original work. Film composers studied the same music and took the same orchestration classes as other serious composers, so there is no doubt that they know how to write well for individual instruments.

There are some elements band directors should watch for when picking film music for performance. These include understanding how music in a film begins and what elements dictate its direction. Then there is the composer’s attitude in building unity and a sense of development in the score as well as the arranger’s interpretation of the score.

Besides the usual marches and festival pieces that most band directors are reviewing this month, many of you will have an itch to play something flashy, perhaps from a recent movie. A film score from a summer box-office hit will get the students and audiences excited, but be certain its musical quality is high and that the transcription includes some worthy lessons for students as they polish the notes.

Recommended Arrangements

The Cowboys by John Williams, arr. Curnow (Warner Bros.)

The Magnificent Seven by Elmer Bernstein, arr. Phillippe (Alfred)

Jurassic Park Highlights by John Williams, arr. Lavender (Hal Leonard/ MCA)

The Wind and The Lion by Jerry Goldsmith, arr. Bocook (Hal Leonard)

Harry Potter by John Williams, arr. Story (Belwin)

Catch Me If You Can by John Williams, arr. Bocook (Hal Leonard)

Jaws by John Williams, arr. King (Edition Marc Reift)

The Pink Panther by Henry Mancini, arr. Edmunson (Alfred)

“Hymn To The Fallen” from Saving Private Ryan by John Williams. arr. Lavender (Hal Leonard)

The Great Escape March by Elmer Bernstein, arr. Smith (Alfred)

Indiana Jones March by John Williams, arr. Lavender (Hal Leonard)

Dinosaur by James Newton Howard, arr. Vinson (Hal Leonard)

These movies also have good music, but the arrangements may be difficult to find or permanently out of print:

Gremlins by Jerry Goldsmith, arr. Curnow (Hal Leonard)

North By Northwest by Bernard Herr­mann, arr. Kinyon (Alfred)

Psycho by Bernard Herrmann, arr. Bocook (Hal Leonard)

How The West Was Won by Alfred Newman, arr. Higgins (Hal Leonard)

Back To The Future Medley by Alan Silvestri, arr. Sweeney (Hal Leonard)

Lawrence of Arabia by Maurice Jarre, arr. Mortimer (Edition Marc Reift)

Spellbound by Miklos Rozsa, arr. Bennett (Chappel Music Co.)

Citizen Kane by Bernard Herrmann (Bourne Co.)

The post Music from the Movies appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

The instrument feels awkward because the left arm is higher than the right, and the right hand feels constricted. You have to use one aperture for high notes and another for low ones. It helps to explain at the outset that the horn is an F-pitched instrument. When a student plays a C on the horn, he cannot go to the piano and plunk a C. It is surprising how many students come to us and do not understand this basic concept because their director never explained it.

Embouchure

There are no absolutes on embouchure placement, but 2⁄3 of the rim on the upper lip and 1⁄3 on the lower is a good target. Another way to think of this is to put the bottom of the rim just inside the fleshy, pink rim of the lower lip, letting the top of the rim touch wherever it may. For most students this will put about 2⁄3 of the rim on the upper lip, but lips, teeth, and jaws come in various sizes and call for different solutions.

It is important for a beginning horn student to buzz with the mouthpiece a-lone right from the outset, especially given the bulkiness of the instrument. The air is the most important thing to work on. Young children are usually uncomfortable taking in a full amount of air. I often use Arnold Jacobs’s fight or fright image. The kind of breath you need every time you play the horn is the kind you would take if there were a guy behind you with a big knife. Don’t worry about whether the shoulders, stomach, or chest move. Any kind of movement is fine. Don’t even bother talking about the form of breathing, just the fact that it has to happen naturally and there has to be a big breath taken in every time.

The buzzing sensation will seem foreign to beginners, so encourage them to make any noise at first. It helps to buzz along with them; start in the middle register and move to lower notes. Play a glissando for them to match, moving over the full range to find out where they are most comfortable. Explain that by making the aperture smaller and closing the jaw up a little the notes will go higher, while a wider aperture and lowering the jaw slightly is the way to get a lower note. If a student puffs out his cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie, correct this at once. Explain that the fleshy part of the chin should be firm, to act as an anchor, and that the lips are tiny muscles to alter the tone. In addition to perfecting all of the physical aspects of playing horn, it is crucial to be sure that air, or wind, is always passing through the horn. The intake and outflow of air is absolutely crucial because in the grand scheme of things the simplicity of the statement “wind and song” should be the main focus.

Watch for any shifting or movement of the mouthpiece in anticipation of playing a note after breathing. Some beginners use almost no pressure between the lips and mouthpiece. They play with flaccid lips and sometimes blow their lips right out of the mouthpiece because there is too little pressure. Very few beginners will use too much pressure at first, except perhaps a macho boy who wants to play high notes right away. You have to tell students to press a little more, but demonstration and experimentation is so important.

Most small children have a lung capacity of only 1-11⁄2 liters of air, so the object is to get them to use the maximum they can push out. Students rarely breathe too much, so it often helps to suggest wasting more air and taking another breath. Point out how much better the sound is if they use more air. When they can get a good sound on a home base note, such as a C, try using this as a reference point throughout the lesson. Then add a G and use these both as reference points from which to gradually develop an octave of good notes.

It is so important for a beginning horn student to see how someone else plays a note and have an example to copy. Even if the teacher only studied horn for a few weeks in college while learning to play all the instruments, it helps to demonstrate everything for a beginner. An alternative is to bring in an advanced student from high school or college. Every beginner should have a mirror on the music stand to observe where the mouthpiece meets the lips. If a beginner can see how a good position looks, he will be able to match this during practice sessions at home and relate how it looks to a beautiful tone.

It is unfortunate that 50% of entering college freshmen have bad embouchures to correct. Either they did not receive good instruction at the outset or developed bad habits, but it is very difficult to change embouchure at this stage. A beginner should not use a mouthpiece with a very deep cup. A middle-of-the-road mouthpiece works best, such as a Bach 12, a Schilke 27, or a Farkas model.

The cleanest and clearest articulation is produced when the tongue meets the bottom of the upper teeth. This position always provides good potential for varying the articulation. The attack (the initial articulation or the start of the note in the case of non-tongued notes) is fuzzy if the tongue contacts higher up on the upper teeth or the roof of the mouth, which may also interfere with the flow of air. That does not mean that double or triple tonguing can’t be done on the roof of the mouth. Arnold Jacobs recommends practicing without tonguing at all because it forces a player to move the air, which is what produces the tone in the first place. This is a good technique for starting solos and can be practiced on the mouthpiece alone. Beginners can quickly hear and sense the value of playing and performing without tongued attacks.

Holding the Horn

To play the French horn, students have to put the mouthpiece on their face while holding one hand inside the bell. Many beginners are simply too small to do both, but it is far more important to put the mouthpiece on the face correctly than to worry about the hand. Sometimes a child is too small to hold the bell on his leg because his torso is so short that the mouthpiece will hit him in the middle of the forehead. The best solution is to rest the horn on the chair instead of the leg, using a towel or a book to cushion and raise the horn to the correct level. Most people put the horn on their leg because this is where they think it belongs. They do this even if it means craning their neck to reach the mouthpiece. The opposite should be the case. Put the mouthpiece where it has to be to form a good embouchure and let the bell sit wherever it can. Embouchure problems are much trickier to correct later on than the hand position in the bell. Little kids take up only half of a chair anyway, so it often works just fine for the horn to rest on the chair to the right of the right leg. The child should sit on a towel with six inches extending to the right for the horn to rest on. When a small child cannot hold this big instrument, try to use a saxophone strap to hold the horn up. Once I had a student so small that he needed to sit on a telephone book. The solution will vary with every child, but do whatever is reasonable and logical, not what is written in some book you have read. Find a way to get the mouthpiece to meet the lips in a good position. If the horn still seems too unwieldy, there is nothing wrong with starting a student on another instrument and switching to horn. Frank Brouk started on trombone, and I started on trumpet. A cornet is the most likely choice for a small student, but it doesn’t matter.

First Horn Notes

After buzzing only the mouthpiece for about five to ten minutes, a beginner should put the mouthpiece in the horn and play a whole note. The note can be a C, E, G, or even a low G (horn pitch), whatever comes out most readily. Watch that the mouthpiece does not slide downward; this is the natural effect of gravity on the horn in the hands of a small child. When a student appears for the second lesson, the embouchure will probably have moved down from 2⁄3 upper lip to half upper and half lower lip. Move it back up and emphasize the importance of practicing in front of a mirror to verify that the mouthpiece is where it should be. If a student knows this is likely to happen and looks out for it, the odds are improved that a good embouchure placement will emerge.

When adding the horn to the mouthpiece, a student should hold the horn with the left hand while the right hand holds the bell. If a student can reach around to put the right hand into the bell, the fingers should be fairly stiff and nearly flat in the bell, not curved. The shape should look like a handshake or a soft karate chop. The top of the thumb should touch the top of the bell as the bottom of the hand rests on the bottom of the bell. A good reminder is to put two or three pieces of tape on top of each other inside the bell to form a ridge the student can feel. The objective is to line up the top part of the tape with the thumb touching inside the bell. This way the student can feel if the right hand is inserted too far inside the bell. Phil Farkas has said that a player has the best hand position if when he moves inward a half inch it will be too far and give a closed sound while if the hand is moved out a half inch it will not affect the sound at all. It is better for the hand to be too far out than too far in. The hand position is less important than a good embouchure during the early stages of horn study. A very small student should just put the right hand on the outside of the bell to hold the instrument steady.

As a player gets better a good right-hand technique becomes ever more important, but during the first few months most directors worry too much about this refinement. Bad hand position is an easy fix later, but a bad embouchure or poor breathing habits are critical to early progress and are difficult, however not impossible, to change later.

For the first year try to end every lesson on an upbeat mood because learning the horn is so frustrating. Horn students get little moral support in band because so much of the music is just a bunch of oom-pahs. A horn teacher should strive to make lessons a source of encouragement as well as information. A private teacher usually sees a student once a week, but a school director sees him daily and should try to find music with interesting horn parts that will be a source of encouragement. We always try to work on students’ band or orchestra music because they want to play well in front of their peers. Horn players usually make more mistakes than most of the others in the ensemble, and because of this they often get teased or made fun of. Patience, encouragement, and good fundamentals are extremely important for all young music students, and their teachers as well.

The post First Lessons on Horn appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Good discipline requires more than convincing a group of students to sit quietly. Some aspects of a well-disciplined band include:
• Doing everything possible to maximize rehearsal time.
• Having all needed materials at every rehearsal.
• Being attentive and engaged at all times with, as Gary Garner says, “brief moments of levity” to provide mental breaks.
• Following established rehearsal procedures such as eye contact with the director, horns up at the appropriate time, and raising a hand before asking a question.

Rules and Routines

Rules provide a starting point for communicating your expectations to students. It is better to have a few rules that are broadly applied than to write a large number of rules for every situation. Every rule tempts students to find loopholes. Some rules that can help make rehearsal more efficient include:
• Students should be in place and ready to play at the tardy bell or, depending on time, moving toward their seats.
• Everyone ought to enter the room quietly. There should be no talking once the tardy bell has rung or the director has stepped on the podium.
• There is no playing allowed until students are instructed to do so by the director. This included warming up on your own or testing a reed.
• Students should use various sitting positions during the rehearsal. Ready position when resting during a piece of music and playing position when performing. Rest position may occasionally be used when students are allowed to sit back in the chair. At no time are students allowed to slump, let attention wander or rest their instruments on the floor.
• Instruments come up with the director’s arms come up to begin conducting.
• Students stop playing when the director cuts them off. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. All groups should know to do this but many do not get it, including mine each fall.
• Every student must have a pencil on his or her stand and use it during rehearsal.
• All music and handouts must be kept organized in a folder or binder where students can easily find them.
• Students are expected to number the measures of all pieces of music that are passed out. This cuts down on dead time when students are told to go to a certain point in the music.
• The rehearsal order should be posted on the board at the beginning of class. This allows students to have all the needed materials ready to go prior to the start of rehearsal.

Inappropriate Behavior

No matter how thoroughly you explain your expectations for behavior, eventually someone will mess up. Your approach to early problems will determine how many problems develop later. You must establish quickly that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated in any form. An emotional reaction is not necessary. Usually it is enough to point out that something is wrong and then move on.

Remember that there are no small infractions and a consistent standard of behavior should be expected from every band member. Do not move on in a rehearsal until everyone in the group meets your behavior expectations in every way. Make sure you have full attention as you are talking to students even if this takes a few extra moments.

Directors are often taught in college to be overly firm in the beginning and relax later in the year, but one should not take this to an extreme and be mean to students. There is a difference between being firm with students and being vicious. Many directors have a hard time setting strict standards. We want to be liked and for students to enjoy music. I discovered after a difficult first few months of teaching middle school is that if I am consistent in my expectations at the beginning of the year, I can still joke around some and have effective rehearsals later. The goal is not to go through the entire year policing behavior but to set a precedent early on.

I have found that one key is to address the behavior, not the student. Correcting student actions does not have to be personal. I have observed that raising your voice, particularly when done frequently, just causes students to tune you out. Also, do not allow students to draw you into a debate about any misbehavior.

Vary the way that you address problems. Instead of simply telling students not to do something, a director can stop, look at the students, and wait for them to correct themselves. It also works to move closer to a student as you continue teaching and you use physical cues such as pointing to your eyes to remind a student to watch or pay attention.

Consequences

Although most students need little more than a verbal reminder to correct behavior, it is important to have a clear set of consequences for more serious problems. Students are more likely to behave correctly when they understand the response to expect for misconduct. It is important to keep in mind that most students are not going to deliberately harm a rehearsal, so always correct verbally before moving to disciplinary consequences. If a student has been verbally corrected in class and continues the improper action, he can be moved to a lower chair in the section for the day or until the next chair audition. If this lower seat does not produce the intended effect, consider moving the student to a special chair closer to the band director. Be sure to explain the reasons for the move and do not single the student out.

I advise against having the student put down an instrument to move to a designated time-out area. It is always preferable to keep a misbehaving student involved in class somehow than to set them apart with nothing to do. If behavior becomes so disruptive that a student needs to pack up, it is probably time to rely on the administration. Be sure to communicate with parents. For every parent who may seem critical of your disciplinary intentions there are likely many others who appreciate these efforts.

A Focus on Learning

Just because students are quiet does not mean they are listening. As I discussed in a previous article (Classes That Captivate), there are a number of techniques that keep band members engaged during rehearsals. These include varying your tone of voice, asking frequent questions, getting off the podium from time to time, and recognizing when to move on to something new in rehearsal.

A Good Start

The first year is the most important in the development of good playing and rehearsal habits. Beginning classes should be held to the same standards as the concert band. If talking is not permitted in the top ensemble, do not allow it in beginning classes. If advanced players keep materials in a notebook and are expected to have a pencil everyday, the same should be expected from beginners. Such poor playing habits as bad posture and incorrect playing position should eventually be dealt with as discipline problems. In most cases a student who is not sitting up is failing to follow instructions.

Do not stay anchored to a podium for the entire rehearsal, particularly with younger players. By moving around the room, you stay closer to possible behavior problems and keep everybody focused. It is also easier to spot poor playing habits. Smaller beginning classes tend to be more informal and looser. I still hold everybody accountable for bringing materials and following instructions but maintain a more relaxed environment. If the bigger classes have been properly trained, the smaller ones will follow suit later.

One of the best bits of teaching advice I ever received was that “discipline comes before instruction.” Good teaching cannot occur until discipline has been established, and bad patterns of behavior can take considerable effort to break. For these reasons I try to impose a simple, consistent set of rules with clear consequences and attempt never to deviate from these high standards. By creating an atmosphere that makes it possible to take advantage of every minute of rehearsal time, students develop the expectation that rehearsals can be productive and positive.

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The use of tapes or decals is a controversial topic among string educators. Many of them question whether add­ing markers to fingerboards is the best way to instruct beginning students, while others are content to follow custom and use them, preferring to teach in the way they were once taught. There are interesting perspectives from both points of view.

Case Against Tapes

Teachers who argue against marking fingerboards say that tapes or decals are unnecessary props and that they take away from the students’ ability to develop their ears. Beginners who use tapes seem to glue their eyes to the fingerboard, forgetting to watch the teacher or the music. As a result of watching for these markers, they develop poor posture because a natural playing position does not easily facilitate looking at the fingerboard.

Violinists and violists will of-ten play by shifting the scrolls of their instruments too far to the right, making the markers easier to see. Cellists and bassists move the neck of the instrument too far to the left. These contortions quickly become bad habits that grow from the need to look at tapes.

After playing for only a little while, students’ sweaty fingers moisten and shift the tapes. It seems that no matter how accurately teachers position the tapes on the fingerboard, they invariably move so that playing is out of tune.
This is especially true of beginners whose fingers easily slide around as they seek to play the right notes. Finger sliding repositions tapes a milli-meter at a time, but on a string instrument it does not take much before a student is playing out of tune. Teachers regularly have to check the position of the tapes and replace them frequently. It becomes impractical with large groups, and it produces students who learn to play on poorly positioned markers.

As students develop skill, most educators typically remove the tapes, but many instructors question the rationale of teaching something only to take it away later. It is somewhat akin to the way some educators build a crutch for students by placing a violin or viola under the armpit and later taking it away, telling the students to play without it. These students usually have difficulty. Beginning students also floun­der when they have to suddenly play without tapes. The notion that they will somehow get the knack of it later does not always work.

We live in an increasingly visual world where everything is point and click, from cameras and personal computers to home video games and car navigation systems. These electronic devices have turned music students into experts at eye-hand coordination, not the eye-ear coordination necessary to perform an instrument well.

Strings easily go out of tune on less-expensive student instruments that do not hold pitch well. Out-of-tune strings encourage players to place their fingers on arbitrary markers and listen less carefully. Even if a student places his finger on a marker correctly, if one string is out of tune, every note on that string will sound out of tune. We have all heard students in recitals playing on tape-laden instruments. If a string suddenly goes out of tune they continue to play, oblivious to good tuning because they are playing on the tapes.

All markers, whether tapes or decals, get in the way of good, natural pitch production. They fray and interfere with the fingers and the natural vibration of the strings. Because of the limited distance between the top of the fingerboard and the bottom of the strings, any type of marker crammed into such a confined area can muffle the string or cause it to buzz. Some teachers solve this problem by increasing the bridge height, but this causes additional performance problems.

A system of tapes can make a beautiful instrument sound like a 12-tone monster. Students begin to produce notes mechanically instead of learning to hear the difference between enharmonic tones, such as the difference in sound between F# in the key of D major and Gb in the key of Eb minor. While it is true that F# and Gb are indistinguishable on a piano, there are important differences in nontempered tuning, depending on the key and the position of the note relative to the scale. These are subtle but important differences.

Most of the great master teachers do not or have not used taped fingerboards with students. The films of Shinichi Suzuki’s violin students from the 1960s show no tape-adorned fingerboards. This teaching philosophy, which he called the “mother tongue,” sharply differs from marking whole steps and half steps with tape or decals.

The landmark videos of Paul Roland teaching at the University of Illinois String Research Pro­ject show no one with taped fingerboards, and Niccolo Paganini and the vast majority of most of the other great string players never used them either. If the vast majority of great string players and pedagogues eschewed tapes, I do not understand why current educators insist on using them.

The Value of Tapes

Most teachers agree that using tapes or decals on the fingerboards of beginning string students increases the accuracy of the notes they play. Tapes improve intonation, especially for those who study a string instrument late in life, have a limited musical background, or have less-developed ears.

Although tone-deaf players need some kind of visual marker to find correct finger placement, the idea that decals rob students of the ability to find the right pitch is simply not true. Just consider the hundreds of professional players who began with them.

The antiquated notion that tapes are unnecessary and a crutch is un­founded; tapes merely aid the natural development of learning to play a string instrument. With other skills for example, children learn to walk by steadying themselves on solid objects, they use training wheels to ride a bike, and their teachers sound out difficult words to develop their reading skills.

These techniques break up large, difficult skills into small ones that assist learning, and they are far from being unnecessary crutches. For beginners on string instruments, tapes added to a fingerboard merely facilitate learning by helping students to correctly place their fingers in the absence of a music teacher. At home novice string students usually place their fingers just about anywhere. Dogmatic educators who expect beginners to practice without some type of concrete visual help as to the right place to move the fingers inadvertently encourage poor habits.

Noisy school string classes of 50 or more neophytes who can barely hear themselves play need tapes on their instruments because it is impossible for a student to develop his ears while the person next to him loudly scratches away. In large ensembles or group lessons it is difficult for one teacher to find one-on-one time to develop the ears of each student. Marking fingerboards is the perhaps the only plausible solution.

Tapes greatly benefit players – and their teachers. These markers facilitate learning and develop good left-hand position by training the hand and arm into correct alignment.

Tips for Using Tapes

Most string educators who advocate using some type of marker put tape on all string instruments to indicate the first finger-first position. Beyond that, it gets more complicated. Violinists and violists should probably place tape to mark the third finger in first position, and cellists may have a tape to mark their fourth finger in first position. Bass players can put a tape on their fourth finger in first position.

As far as using a tape for the second finger for violinists and violists and third finger for cellists, most tape advocates put a tape there, but others feel that it is overkill. In addition, violinists and violists will sometimes use a tape for their pinky finger. For basses, some put a tape exactly halfway up the fingerboard for shifting. The number of tapes and their location is a matter of personal preference and should be the result of trial-and-error efforts with experienced teachers.

Color coding the tapes, sometimes with multiple colors, may benefit some students. For example, if a green tape marks first finger, first position, young students easily learn where their pointer finger goes. Multi-colored tapes greatly help those who have not learned note names or finger numbers; in addition it makes the fingerboard fun to learn. Some young students get their fingers mixed up, so using multi-colored tapes helps them navigate the fingerboard. There are also some holographic tapes on the market that can be fun for students to play with.

A number of companies make fingerboard tape, and most of them are good. Boat detailing strips are surprisingly effective and resist being peeled off. Some companies offer pre-cut tape that is easy to apply but more expensive.
When placing tapes, be sure to cut enough length so that the tape overlaps on itself on the underside of the neck. A good tip for width is that violin and viola tape should be about 1⁄8 of an inch; cello and bass tape should be 1⁄4 inch.

The question of when to remove the tapes is also controversial. One simple but obvious guide is to remove fingerboard markings when students stop needing them. Many learners remove tapes themselves when they do not need them anymore. When violinists, violists, and cellists learn to shift, they probably do not need tapes. Some teachers remove tape when the student can play at certain level of difficulty. Certainly they should be removed for most high school-aged students, and advanced players do not need tapes.

Once the tape is removed, fingerboard adhesives leave behind a pesky sticky residue. This residue sometimes seeps out from underneath tapes that are still on the instrument, causing a player’s fingers to stick. Rubbing alcohol can remove the residue, but be careful not to get it on the varnish. Avoid tapes that have too much adhesive on them.

Several companies recently have developed a fingerboard tape system for stringed instruments. The product is a large vinyl sheet with one side of sticky plastic that covers most of the fingerboard; the sheet is marked to show different playing positions. Available for most bowed instrument sizes, these fingerboard systems use a standard distance between positions; there are no individual tapes to shift or peel off.

Many educators view these systems as an improvement over individual tapes that have to be periodically replaced. However, fingerboard tape systems work only if the distance between the bridge and the nut meets the exact specification on the package; otherwise, they will result in out-of-tune playing. Because of the special nature of individual string instruments, these distances can be imprecise and result in some minor out-of-tune playing. There tends to be too many markers on these vinyl fingerboard systems. A beginner needs only five fingerboard positions because anymore becomes confusing rather than helpful.

While the majority of American public school teachers use tapes with their beginning orchestra students, private teachers use them less frequently. There are good reasons explaining each group’s tendencies. When music instructors do not have enough time to work with each student on playing in tune, tapes will help although they should not become an excuse to ignore ear development.

If a string player struggles with tapes, I suggest you see how they do without them and vice versa. Because students learn in different ways, there is no one answer to this debate on whether to add tape to fingerboards. I hope that all string educators will study this subject further and remain flexible in their views on this important topic.

The post Tale of the Tape appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

The work uses standard band instrumentation plus piano. Each of the five percussion parts can be covered by a single player, but several percussion instruments must be shared. The conductor’s score is transposed, but no key signatures are used. There are specific tempo markings throughout the work, but these only appear at the top of the score and are not reproduced above the brass and percussion systems. All percussion parts use trill markings to indicate rolls.

This grade 5 work may cause numerous problems for players. A preponderance of slow tempi and the juxtaposition of duple and triple subdivisions will make it difficult for the ensemble to play in time together. Flute, bassoon, alto saxophone, and horn have exposed solo lines, and the thin textures force accompaniment players to play in a chamber style as well. First and second trumpets play up to high C# and B# respectively, and horn parts extend to written A5. In addition, the rich harmonic language can create many intonation problems.

Section I

The initial flute solo presents the Rosa theme in a low register. The director should merely cue the flute soloist to begin and avoid obscuring the simplicity of this plaintive opening. The flute soloist will need full breath support to produce a clear tone and maintain pitch. The pairs of dotted quarter notes denote a written-out rubato; this technique is used throughout the work.

The following alto sax and bassoon duet restates the theme. The pair of players will likely need to overplay the piano dynamic to produce a good sound and pure intervals. Again, the conductor’s gestures should be minimal – no more than is helpful for clarifying the independent rhythmic lines. There is no clear key until the brass choir enters at measure 16; at this point the meandering harmony of the alto sax and bassoon is replaced by a plagal cadence in C.

The chorale is marked religioso, perhaps to emphasize Parks’s strong affiliation with her church, and phrasing is indicated through breath marks and the abbreviation N.B. (no breath). Do not permit the brass to overpower the melody in the horn.

The fourth and final statement of the Rosa theme ends with a distinctly F lydian sound. The augmented fourth is resolved down to the major third of the chord in the euphonium and bassoon; this particular sound is a trademark of Camphouse’s harmonic language.

As the Rosa theme subsides, a tritone is used to shift the key; this harmonic progression is the first of many that will produce intonation difficulties. First, have the entire band play the roots, in this case F-B-Db. When the band is accustomed to this movement, tune each chord separately, in each case starting with the root, adding the fifth, and finishing with the third. Use hand signals to raise and lower the 4-3 suspension in the B minor chord so students with this moving part can lock in the intonation for both notes.

In measure 34 fragments based on the first five notes of “We Shall Overcome” are introduced. This fragmentation recurs frequently throughout the first two sections and is typically built upon open fifths. It is used to foreshadow the presentation of the hymn tune in Section III.

During the accelerando in measures 36-39 fifths built on Eb and F appear simultaneously. Proper balance between these opposing lines will help bring out the contrary motion between them.
Measure 44 is marked Nobilmente and begins the loudest phrase of Section I. In the fourth measure of this phrase the countermelody in the bass clarinet, tenor sax, and euphonium must protrude above the whole notes. The melodic voices often will drag the wide intervals in the following measure; encourage these students to push through the triplets. Beat four of measure 51 should be subdivided for the horns.

The next section has a beautiful lyrical melody in G natural minor, based on flowing eighth notes in clarinets and euphonium. The same idea is passed to the upper woodwinds, which should be carefully balanced against the countermelody in the horn and euphonium. Students often misinterpret the 32nd note pickup as a 16th note.

As section I ends, fragments of the hymn tune in open fifths return above a new march figure that appears in the low woodwinds and percussion on a pedal G. The timpani and bass drum players will need to dampen between repeated quarter notes to establish clarity. The low woodwinds should match the length of the percussion as determined by the director. In the remaining measures of Section I, the Rosa theme returns in G minor in the bassoon and euphonium.

Section II

This section will have the most intonation problems because of the major sevenths and minor ninths used to create tension. The second section begins with open fifths that collapse to produce tritones. In measure 81, tune the E minor triad first before adding the flatted fifth in third clarinets, first alto sax, and first trombone. The color of the tom-tom part is very important in establishing the mood of Section II. The aggressive hits reinforce the dissonant harmony and symbolize the violence that characterizes this section.

Starting at measure 85 the fanfare figure from Section I returns in the upper woodwinds, first trumpet, and horns. The low Bb should be played with strength before the leap up an octave. Contrasted against the dissonant accompaniment the fanfare now sounds more angry than heroic.

The Rosa theme is alluded to in measures 88-90. A strong preparatory gesture for beat four of measure 90 will help the second and third trumpets and snare drum enter at the right time.

The next phrase is marked Violently and features four octaves of F#s in the upper winds juxtaposed against the low winds. To tune the F#s, start with all players in a comfortable register. When the pitch is centered individual players and then sections can return to the octaves as written. The lower part should be played without the F#s so these players can tune their intervals. Other difficulties in this section include the abundance of upbeat attacks in the low instruments and timing the upper voices and snare drum rim shots.

The timpanist will have to practice the tritone glissando in measures 105-107 for pitch accuracy. In performance, the timpanist can listen to the chimes for a pitch reference in the measures preceding the glissando. As the dissonance decreases in volume the balance should shift to the tritone played by the first alto sax, piano, and chimes and answered by flute, clarinet, piano, and vibes.

As the tempo suddenly increases from quarter note=52 to quarter note=132 the texture quickly becomes extremely dense through progressively higher polychords. To improve intonation tune each chord separately; the trombones have a Gb, saxes and horns an A and trumpets Eb. Above all this the upper woodwinds and piano add quartal harmonies. The texture thins again as the tempo increases slightly to quarter note=138.

The block chords in the low winds are exposed, so these players will have to match style carefully and subdivide accurately. The style of these chords changes from marcato to heavy and sustained to staccato every two measures, and the changes should be immediately noticeable.

The tempo increases again at measure 127 to quarter note=144, which is the fastest section of the entire work. The bass line quickly settles into a melodic ostinato in 54  time. The sheer velocity of this section means that the instruments with this part will have to play with aggressive technique in a lightly separated style, paying careful attention to slur markings and accents. Percussionists tend to rush the pickups to beat one of each measure.

The hymn tune fragmentation returns at measure 136, now voiced as full major triads instead of open fifths. A steady stream of 16th notes in the bongo and later the tom-tom gives the ensemble an audible subdivision, but the director should provide cues for both offbeat entrances in measure 141. When the tempo decreases abruptly in measure 157, the director must determine how many beats will be subdivided to preserve ensemble accuracy.

The lyrical chorale from Section I returns, now in E minor, and Section II closes similarly to Section I with a return of the march figure, now rooted on a pedal A. The low brass figure in measure 176 provides a strong feeling of resolution to the tension created in Section II and should receive ample space.

Section III

The last section begins with a quiet return of the hymn tune fragmentation. The voicing of the major seventh chords in first inversion will likely cause intonation problems. After the harmony settles into an open fifth, the horn soloist now plays “We Shall Overcome” in its entirety. Brass players with the concert C should use fourth valve or extend the third valve slide.

The independent lines in measures 193-197 can get masked easily; balance is important here. As the hymn tune closes the bells must coordinate precisely with the winds. The texture returns to a concert C, now voiced only in first clarinet, first alto sax, and muted first trumpet. These players must know their instruments’ pitch tendencies.

The next four measures are based on a melodic ostinato found in the piano part and doubled by various woodwinds and percussion; players should identify how their fragments fit with the piano part.

The brass answer this ostinato with a bell tone effect that creates a cluster based on the Rosa theme. Each entrance should have the same relative volume so this cluster can be heard. The work concludes with a return of the minor 9th from Section II, and this final unsettling sound fades to niente. Camphouse writes in the program notes, “The work’s final measures serve as an ominous reminder of racism’s lingering presence in modern American society.”

The score includes excellent program notes, and the director should share this information with the ensemble, as the work is programmatic in nature. Camphouse mentions the books Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins (Puffin, 208 pages) and Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Harper, 240 pages). Directors may also wish to read Rosa Parks’s book Quiet Strength (Zondervan, 96 pages). These three books could provide opportunities for important class discussions related to the performance of this work.

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