Piccolo
Piccolo – it’s so cute!
Dominate! Make the rest of the flute section irrelevant!
Drive neighborhood dogs crazy!

Flute
No lip bud? No worries! Play the flute!
It’s not just for girls anymore!

Oboe
Be unique!
Be special!
Be able to carry a knife to school!
Clear a room in three seconds by playing one note!   

Bassoon
The force for musical humor!
Like puzzles? Put a bassoon together every day!
Laugh at cocky third trumpet players when you get a four-year music scholarship!

Clarinet
Why not?
Have your licorice stick and play it, too!

Bass Clarinet
Where low notes reign!

Contrabass Clarinet
Be the hit of the party – provide the limbo stick!
The tuba of the woodwind section – but smarter!

Soprano Saxophone
Perm your hair and be like Kenny G!

Alto Saxophone
Just hold an alto and you’re cool!
Hip since 1864!

Tenor Saxophone
The instrument of presidents!

Baritone Saxophone
Build neck muscles the size of a professional linebacker’s!
Impersonate the sounds of New York City traffic!
Bari ‘em alive!

Trumpet
The instrument of kings!
Be better than everyone else!
Get all the girls!
The marching band trumpet section – where the melody lives!

Horn
Live on the edge!
Double your pleasure with a double horn!
The horn section – home of true musicians!

Trombone
Trip unsuspecting people with your slide!
Long live the sackbut!
Let it slide!

Euphonium
Be original – play it before a trumpet player switches over!
The march’s best friend!

Tuba
Build those biceps and have the body you’ve always wanted!
Home of the whole note!
Sousas rule, others drool!
Play something indispensable!

Percussion
Timpanists have buff ankles!
Be a human alarm clock! Scare your friends! Crash the party! Play cymbals!

    Choose a line for each instrument or use them in combination. Make posters, lead cheers, and emboss T-shirts. Tickle the fancy and ego of potential band members and that perfect instrumentation will be yours. 

The post Marketing for Band Directors appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

The Rising Star
    Sousa became the conductor of the Marine Band at age 26 and forged this group into a first-class ensemble. He increasingly wrote marches, and many became hits. In 1892 he left the Marines and formed a professional band that toured the United States, Europe, and elsewhere around the world. A part of his fame should be credited to the carefully crafted image he developed by sporting a full beard, wearing pince-nez spectacles, and always appearing in a resplendent uniform. His portrait was included on virtually all of his published music.

Sousa’s Country Calls
    Soon after the United States entered W.W.I in April 1917 the Navy approached Sousa to take charge of music at the Great Lakes naval training center north of Chicago. He forthwith disbanded the Sousa Band and enlisted in the Navy as a Lieutenant, and in the next four years so many musicians enlisted to be in his band (including composer Vincent Yomans of later Broadway and Hollywood fame) that the band consistently had numbered 350 players. Through appearances in concert and parades at Liberty Loan Bond and Red Cross rallies or benefit concerts for Navy relief and recruiting programs, Sousa raised millions of dollars in support of the war effort.

The Big Scoop
    During a November 1917 performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Auditorium Theatre which Mr. and Mrs. Sousa attended, Sousa slipped out of the theater during an intermission and returned missing the beard he had worn since his days in the Marine Corps. Later when he returned to the base, word quickly spread throughout the ranks. A lieutenant exclaimed in amazement to a young Chicago Tribune reporter named Larry Lawrence, “Do you know that Commander Sousa has shaved off his beard? I just saw him and didn’t know him at first.”
Lawrence pleaded, “Don’t tell another soul,” because it was getting close to closing time for the next issue. Lawrence ducked into the office of a friendly officer, grabbed the telephone, and asked the switchboard officer to be connected to Sousa’s home.
    In no time, Lawrence was talking to Mrs. Sousa and explained who he was. “I have just heard that the Commander shaved off his beard. Is this true?”
     Mrs. Sousa said, “Yes he did. It’s true.”
     “Do you know why?” Lawrence asked, almost holding his breath.
     “Not exactly,” she replied.
     “Did he do it to please you?”
     “Well, yes, partly to please me I guess.”
     “How do you like him clean shaven?”
     “I think he’s more handsome,” she replied.
     “Did he talk it over with you beforehand?” Lawrence asked.
     “Well, yes. We have been talking about it for some time. He has wanted to shave but feared that he would look odd, I guess. He has had a beard since he was a young man.”
     “Are you happy?” the reporter inquired.
     “Yes, I think so.”
     “Thank you!” Lawrence exclaimed as he hung up.
     In a short time Lawrence had his city editor on the telephone. “I’ve got a world-shattering exclusive story.”
     “Yes, what?”
     “Sousa has shaved,” Lawrence shouted.
     “Do you want to dictate a story?”
     “Yes, get me Kent Sykes. Let me tell him all I know.” Sykes was one of Lawrence’s favorite rewrite men, , and he knew he would do a good job, look up Sousa’s history – things he had not had time to locate. Kent did a good, fast job and caught the home edition, scooping the world by more than an hour. Many years later, Lawrence retold this account of events in his “That Reminds Me” column in the Milwaukee Journal.

Sousa Meets the Press
    After Lawrence broke the story, so many newspapermen swarmed around Sousa’s rehearsal hall that he held a press conference. A photographer from the Chicago Daily News took a photo for the final edition with the headline, “John Philip Sousa Minus Beard.” The caption below read, “Famous March King as He Appeared Today at Great Lakes Naval Training Station all Shaven and Shorn.” Sousa biographer Paul Bierley wrote that Sousa privately felt the need to identify with his youthful bandsmen and decided the beard had to go. To the press Sousa joked that by shaving off his beard he thought Germany would simply have to surrender as soon as Kaiser Wilhelm realized that a nation made up of men who were willing to make such a sacrifice could not be defeated. The effect of Sousa’s bold move endeared him to the 350 “Jackie” band members. Sousa became one of the boys. He looked younger and also marched, ate, and slept with them on tour. In following years he only had variations of a mustache and a goatee, usually just a mustache alone. On rare occasions he performed without any facial hair.

Sousa Lessons
    All of the attention focused on Sousa evolved from his ability to promote himself to the public. Otherwise his beard would not have been headline news. Former Marine Frank Byrne has noted that Sousa admitted growing a beard in the first place to appear European, but later he shaved it off to appear younger. The lesson for everyone today is that one of the keys to success was to make everything about himself, his bands, musicians, and music into headline events. Sousa was a master at telling and supplementing an ongoing story. The context has certainly changed these days, but the lesson is still the same: Promote, publicize, program concerts to please as well as educate, and always consider what audience you will have. It may not be necessary to come clean in quite the way he did, but recall that Sousa realized he needed to evolve, and so do we all.   

The post Sousa Shaves, Makes Headlines appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Why Shift?
    The most basic reason to shift is to play higher notes on the E string. Shifts also allow violinists to change the tone color of a note. For example, first finger F natural on the E-string has a wiry, bright tone, while the same pitch played in third position on the A-string sounds warm and round. A sustained note on an open string lacks vibrato and stands out, usually in an undesirable way, in an orchestral work. While using a fourth finger in first position is one option, young students often lack strength in that finger and cannot produce vibrato with it. Using second finger in third position is often a better choice.
    Another common use for shifting is to avoid string crossing in fast passages. In the example below, the violinist would switch from D string to A and back again. Not only would this introduce a change in tone color from one string to the other, but it might affect speed and rhythmic steadiness as a slight pause often creeps in during the string change. A shift to third position allows all of the notes to be played on the D string.

Preliminary Exercise
    Many beginning students grip the violin tightly with the left hand. This makes it difficult to slide into a different position. Without using the bow, practice long glissando slides on one string. Place a finger on the string in first position and slide it down the fingerboard in a long, sliding motion. Use first, second, and third fingers and challenge students to see how high and how easily they can go. The A-string is the easiest string to start with for this exercise. The hand must be curved very far around the instrument for the G-string, and on the E-string, the player’s hand often falls off the fingerboard and lands on the body of the violin. 
    Glissandi require freedom in the hand and arm, so this is a perfect opportunity to evaluate a student’s physical set-up. Make sure students have an appropriate shoulder rest or pad so that the violin can remain stable throughout the slide. If a student struggles to keep the violin stable, hold the scroll for them. Make sure the entire hand and arm are sliding, not just the fingertip. The left thumb and elbow should move freely with the hand.
    After students are comfortable moving around the instrument, add the bow. Encourage students to use long, full bows to build confidence. They should practice glissandi in different rhythms and tempos: two beats to travel up the violin and two beats to travel down (q=60-120). Then try asymmetrical patterns: two beats up and one beat down. Coordinate the bow with the shift. For example, play a down-bow for the slide up, and change the bow direction at the top of the glissando. If the left hand gets stuck sliding on the fingerboard, have students practice the glissando with an extremely light fingertip. This creates a harmonic series up and down the string. Keep this exercise fun and tell students not to worry about the sounds they produce.

Same Finger Shifts
    Once glissandi have been mastered, it is time to refine the sliding motion and add actual pitches. Same-finger shifts are the easiest and most basic. Start with the first finger and travel in distances of a whole step, third, and fourth.

    Students should check pitches with open strings. For example, the first note B natural can be tuned with the open E-string to create a perfect fourth. The D natural and E natural in measures 2 and 3 can be tuned to the open D and E strings. Periodically check the left-hand thumb. It should feel loose and flexible and travel with the hand. Often when students first begin to shift, they stretch the fingers on the fingerboard and leave the thumb behind. The thumb should be situated either directly across the neck from the first finger (as shown in picture on the previous page) or between the first and second fingers. This remains basically the same until the highest positions. Students whose thumbs are too far back or forward will have a difficult time shifting easily and accurately. Examine finger angles. The pad of the fingertip should be placed on the string, and the angle of the fingertip should stay as consistent as possible throughout the shift.
    Try the exercise shown in the previous example on different strings and at different speeds. After practicing with the first finger, start a whole step higher and use the second finger and then a third higher with the third finger. Save the fourth finger for later. The pinky is weak, and young hands should not be strained. Students playing on just the fourth finger often resort to unhealthy and unbalanced left-hand positions.

Change Fingers
    The next step is to shift to a different finger. Although the end result is to play a note with a different finger, the shift is actually made with the previous one. In other words, the shift is accomplished in the same way as the previous exercise. For example, a violinist starts on a first finger, shifts up with the first finger, and then puts down the new finger. The last finger down before the shift is the finger that leads the shift. In addition, the shift should take place on the old bow. The tone that is created in the middle of the shift is called a guide or travel note. Often called a French shift, these  are the cleanest and most measurable types of shifts.

    To shift from first position finger 1 (B) to third position finger 2 (E) use a guide or travel note (D).

    Make sure students slide and don’t just jump up. (They glide just as in the glissando exercise.) The finger tips should feel light while shifting, but the bow should remain in the string.
    Try the following exercise. Start with very slow, exaggerated shifts where the guide note is a full quarter note. You may wish to start with each shift alone and then try the whole passage. If students have trouble playing the exercise in tune, have them practice it in first position to hear how it sounds and then with the shift.

    As students become more confident with shifting, the guide note becomes an eighth note or a sixteenth note. Ultimately it is not really heard, but it is always felt in the left hand.
    The speed of the shift should be proportional to the speed of the music. Slower passages require slower shifts. Encourage students to play every part of the shift. Much like in math class where students are asked to show their work, the process of a shift should be heard, not just the arrival on the new note. Students often want to take short cuts and jump their fingers up to the correct note. This leads to poor intonation and jerky sounds. Proper shifting technique should be taught and required from the beginning.

Explore the Violin
     Shifting from first to third position is generally the first stage of shifting practice and should be drilled the most. However, do not ignore other positions and encourage violinists to explore different areas of the fingerboard. For example, challenge them to find how many places on the violin they can play the note A (open string, fourth finger on D string, third finger on D string, second finger on D string, third finger on G string, etc.) This exercise develops a mental map of the violin that will improve intonation and facilitate reading in higher positions. Too often students become comfortable with first and third positions and nervous when asked to play elsewhere.
    Another good exercise is to practice one-octave scales all on one string in the upper registers of the violin. Try one octave scales, all with the first finger, all with the second finger, and all with the third finger. Then add a challenge by fingering the one-octave scale 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 and 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2.
    Once students become more comfortable with shifting, work on note reading and intonation with easy pieces that have a familiar melody. Play them in first position, then try second, third, and fourth position. Take an easy piece and see if students can find a way to play it all on one string using proper guide note shifting technique. Until players are able to recognize common shifting patterns, guide notes may need to be written into the music. However, avoid writing in all of the fingerings in shift passages. Just as in teaching notereading in first position, this leads to students who read the numbers but not the music.

Intonation
    Be aware that the distance between notes lessens as a violinist moves farther down the fingerboard. In other words the space between fingers becomes closer in the higher positions. This can lead to intonation problems. Practice with scales and familiar tunes may help students hear the correct pitch. They should also know what note (letter name) they are playing so they can check it against an open string or note in first position. The E an octave above open E is a good reference point for checking intonation.
    When tuning high-position passages, practice with an open-string drone tone or with a drone tone on an electronic tuner. Split students into pairs and have one student play the passage up in position while another plays it down an octave. The bottom octave should be louder than the top octave. Examine the hand position. Often intonation problems are caused when the hand is not far enough around the violin in the upper positions. If a student is straining to reach high notes, make sure that the thumb is located near the rest of the hand and that the hand is able to swing freely over the violin.
 
Reading Intervals
    Many students feel comfortable sightreading in first and third positions, but become confused in upper registers. Students who learn to read interval patterns will be able to negotiate higher positions with ease. The example below shows a staff that is made up of fifteen lines instead of five.

Now the pitches have no real meaning in terms of note-reading. Have students start the example on different fingers and in different positions. For the purpose of this exercise, do not worry about key signatures. The student will fill in accidentals that seem appropriate to them, and you will find out a lot about the way your students’ ears work.
    In general, step-wise patterns are easier to sightread. Students are exposed to scales from an early age, and the concept of step motion relating to consecutive fingers makes sense. With interval work, players will start to recognize that patterns of thirds are usually fingered 1/3 or 2/4 and that fourths and sixths are consecutive finger patterns. Fifths are usually played with the same finger across strings. This exercise contains intervals of seconds through fifths, so students learn to identify these common intervals. Once students have practiced the example starting on every finger, try flipping it upside down and reading it backwards.
    Even advanced students should review basic shifting technique on a regular basis. After presenting a challenging shifting passage to students, back up and practice an easy shifting exercise or a piece all in third position. Students who regularly practice one-finger scales and shifts from first to third positions will have better shifting technique than those who neglect the basics.
    Violinists who feel comfortable and confident in high positions learn music quickly and are strong sightreaders. Students who shift well can choose fingerings for comfort and tonal range. The development of proper guide-note shifting technique combined with fingerboard exploration allows students to change positions with ease and elegance.  

*  *  *

DO
•    Practice glissandi to work on freedom of motion in the arm and hand.
•    Use light fingertips
•    Use the thickest part of the finger pad to touch the string.
•    Allow the thumb to travel with the rest of the hand.
•    Lead the shift with the last finger down.
•    Shift on the old bow stroke so that the new note is articulated on a new bow.
•    Practice with audible shifting or guide notes.
•    Read intervallically.

DON’T
•    Squeeze the fingerboard.
•    Jump from note to note. Slide instead.
•    Pick up the bow while shifting.
•    Play on the fingernail side of the finger tip.
•    Leave the thumb behind the hand. The hand moves as a unit.
•    Shift too quickly in slow passages.
•    Only use 1st and 3rd positions.
•    Write in all the fingerings in shift passages.

The post Teach Shifting to Young Violinists appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Percussionists are responsible for so many instruments that incorrect techniques can easily creep in. Here are some common mistakes percussionists make, along with simple solutions.

Snare Drum
    If the snare drum sound is thin, make sure the snare strainer and release lever is in front of the student. That will make sure that the snares (on the underside of the drum) run in a straight line from the student to the music stand. If the student plays properly, the sticks will be over the snares.
    Make sure the student is playing just outside the center of the drum and not too close to the edge of the head at the rim. Many elementary school drummers are taught to play with low sticks near the edge, which produces a quieter sound and does not drown out beginning wind players who cannot produce much volume. Some percussionists carry this habit into high school, and produce a sound that is too shallow for a mature band.

Bass Drum
     The bass drum stroke should be straight, not circular. If the bass drum has an airy sound, is almost inaudible, or sounds late, make sure that students are beating right outside the center of the head. One exception to this is if the ensemble is playing a march; then the drum should be played right in the center. The center of a drum head produces mostly attack without overtones to the sound; it is the vibration node from which all of the tension is pulled. The short decay of a note played in the center is desirable for marches.
     Students will need to muffle most bass drum heads with a cloth. Most of the time it is only necessary to muffle the batter head just a few inches into it. For marches, students should muffle the resonance head with their hands, and the batter head with the cloth or a knee.
    Some orchestral professionals prefer playing the bass drum. Have students explore what sounds they like, and they will enjoy the bass drum much more. Finding the appropriate sound for a piece will make a student feel brilliant.

Crash Cymbals
    Both plates should vibrate; there should be an attack and a decay. If a student keeps producing a choked sound, he probably lacks control of the cymbals, and is hitting them flat together with the edges are lining up. The most common cymbal problem students have is inability to feel comfortable holding and controlling cymbals. If students feel like they have two garbage can lids rolling around their arms, the crashes will sound like garbage. The cymbal grip is the same as a drumstick grip; the fingers do not go through the strap, but wrap around it instead. Students can gain more control on large cymbals by putting their thumbs on the bell. That makes a substantial difference in ability to control the instrument, particularily for younger players. School bands do not need 20" crash cymbals; it is possible to get lush, fff crashes from an 18" pair, and they will be more manageable.
    For a great sounding crash, the cymbals must be set up at opposing angles and over lapping edges. When they come together, one pair of edges should hit before the other, for a ca-rash attack. Some cymbal manuals show elaborate maneuvers or figure eight motions used by the top orchestral players, but I follow the marching band rule that a straight line is easier than a curve. The weak arm holds its cymbal at an angle and stays still. The strong arm holds its cymbal straight and moves in one direction: either start from above and move vertically straight down, or begin from the side and move horizontally in. Upon impact allow the cymbals to move freely, but just after impact move your arm straight back to the start position.
    Students need a place to rest the cymbals, such as a cabinet or a good cymbal stand. Tired arms make for bad crashes, and even the strongest students need to rest to play well. Some directors are strict about keeping chairs out of the percussion section, but if nothing else is available to set cymbals on, a student can put a foot on a chair and rest the cymbals on the leg.

Suspended Cymbal
    If you cannot hear the suspended cymbal notes, it might be a mallet problem or a poor choice of beating spot. Cord mallets, designed for the metal vibraphone, are ideal for the suspended cymbal. The beating spot is usually near the edge or right on it, depending on the cymbal. Some cymbals need to be warmed-up with a couple of finger taps to respond quickly. Each cymbals is unique, so players should experiment to see how to produce the best sound.
    For shimmering rolls space the mallets out about a third of the way around the cymbal. Roll slowly near the edge. The slow roll lets the player control the dynamic and prevent an unwanted crescendo. In tutti ensemble crescendos, the cymbal, snare drum, and timpani should delay their crescendos to avoid drowning out the rest of the ensemble. For a cymbal player, this may mean playing a mp roll for eight measures, and then crescendoing to ff in three beats. This will sound incredible if the student is familiar with the cymbal.

Triangle
    The triangle should be able to ring freely. If the triangle timbre is tinny or weak, make sure the player is holding it rather than clipping it to a music stand. Not only will the stand muffle sound, it also might ring along with the triangle. Check the string to make sure it is not too long; if the triangle is able to twist on the string students will be unable to strike in the same place twice. The correct beating spot is on the bottom horizontal arm. The stroke is the same as a drum stroke, and the beater should connect with the metal at a 45 degree angle for maximum overtones. Have the student hold the instrument at eye level so that she can look at the instrument, music, and the conductor at the same time. This will also make it easier to produce a consistent sound.
    If the triangle sounds like a bell with a clear pitch, the student may be using a small beater. Throw away all small beaters; they are not heavy enough to produce sufficient clashing overtones for an indefinite-pitched note. Students can learn to play softly and delicately with large beaters.
   Another common problem is triangle rolls that sound like 16th notes. Check the position of the hand holding the triangle; some young players drop their wrists and accidentally rest the heel of their hands on the triangle. Rolls should be played in the side corners, not the top where there is a restrictive string.

Cowbell and Woodblock
    If the sound is thin or slappy, students are getting too much contact sound and not enough instrument sound, possibly from playing with the wrong sticks. Use hard rubber mallets on the center of the woodblock and cowbell to produce an ideal sound. The only time to play on the edge of the cowbell is salsa music.

Tambourine
    If tambourine notes are too long, the attack is mushy, or the notes are late, the player may be playing his hand with the tambourine, rather than the other way around. The arm that holds the tambourine should not move. The tambourine is held stationary and at a slant so that the jingles rest on the wood and don’t ring as long. Strike the instrument with one or more fingertips, or make a loose fist and strike with the flat middle section of your fingers. It helps to remind students that the tambourine is a drum plus a shaker, and their hands are the mallets. They can change the shape of the mallet, play the drum in different spots, and add or reduce the amount of shaker in the mix.
    Brittle or slow shake rolls can often be fixed by asking the student to shake the tambourine at waist level or a bit higher. This allows the student to keep a more relaxed arm. The most lush rolls happen when the player can execute a rotary wrist motion while waving goodbye from the elbow.
    There are specific times where it is appropriate to shake 16th notes and hit the other hand on the beat, such as a rock-and-roll tune in pep band or a gospel choir piece. In these cases the player should have a relaxed arm, limited motion, and practice, or he will be out of time quickly.

Tam Tam and Gong
    Most tam tams need to be warmed up, which means set in motion, before playing; usually one gentle tap with the beater is enough. If the tam tam is extremely large, tap it in three or four places. When warmed up, the instrument will respond immediately when struck; played cold there will be delay and distortion.
    Tam tams are flat and indefinite pitched. They should be struck halfway between the center and the edge. Gongs are pitched instruments with buttons in the center; they should be struck on the button. Unfortunately, some composers indicate gong on the score when they write for the tam tam. If a part has long rolls or functions like a cymbal or bass drum part, it should be played on the tam tam.
    For controlled, smooth rolls on the tam tam and bass drum, separate the beaters quite a bit. Do not roll with the beaters directly across from each other because each note will stop the previous note’s vibration. Tell the students to think of the drum head and tam tam as clock faces: If one hand is on twelve o’clock, avoid putting the other at six o’clock, move it to seven or eight.

Timpani
    Timpani notes are like string bass pizzicato notes in that they have a percussive beginning and then a ringing pitch. If you hear a thud on attacks or rolls sound choked, make sure the timpanist’s beating spot is two to four inches from the edge depending on the size of the drum. Timpanists should not play in the center of the heads unless the composer asks for it as a special effect. Remind students that timpani rolls need to be open rolls, not buzz rolls. Young students can forget this if they play timpani infrequently.
    The most efficient way to dampen timpani is by touching the drum head on the beating spot or any point on the head that is the same distance from the center. It only takes two or three finger pads pressing straight down to stop the sound, so the player can dampen with pinkie, ring, and middle fingers and maintain a grip on the sticks. Timpani mutes are unnecessary unless the score calls for them. Tell timpanists that their notes should match the lengths of whoever they are playing with, usually the low brass. If you charge the students with the responsibility to choose proper mallets and find the right note lengths, they will not get bored.

Keyboard Instruments
    I give students rules for picking mallets: hard plastic on the bells, hard rubber or light plastic on the xylophone, and wrapped mallets only on the vibes and marimba, specifically, yarn on the marimba and cord mallets on the vibes. These choices produce the best sound.
    I encourage all ensemble directors to experiment with sounds on their percussion instruments. Try a variety of mallets and play on different parts of the head or cymbal. Encourage your students to do the same; As a result you will be able to ask percussionists for a greater spectrum of color.  

The post Improving Percussion Sounds appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Building Relationships
    Several years ago, a colleague mentioned that most music teachers do not fail because they lack knowledge but because they relate poorly to people. This statement is true concerning both teaching students and relating to people with whom you are in contact with on a daily basis. Being an ensemble director requires the wearing of many hats, sometimes more than one at a time. Having the ability to develop good relationships may be one of the ultimate keys to building a successful program. Here are the most important people to talk to before school starts.

Seniors and Section Leaders
    In instrumental music, students often gravitate towards teachers, often because of the large amount of time in rehearsals together and the nature of working in a collaborative environment. It is therefore wise to get the students in your corner as soon as possible.
    Some of the most influential groups of students who you can get behind you are the seniors and section leaders. These students typically have the greatest investment in a program, and in many cases, these two groups of students will often consist of the same people. As soon as it is possible, I organize a brief meeting with this group of students. High school seniors fear that everything is going to fall apart their senior year, and they become somewhat defensive about a new director as it may signal change for them and the program as well. To gain their trust, the new director may want to address concerns students are most likely to have. Telling students that some things might change a bit but you want to give them the senior year they were hoping for. During this meeting I have them tell me about a typical game day, which is probably when some of the students’ most important traditions happen. Listening to them and keeping as many traditions that are supportive of the program as possible may make these students feel better about the program.
    In one school the administration had some traditions they wanted to see eliminated, but I cautioned them that to do this, they had to give me the time I needed to get it done. Eliminating many things at one time was likely to produce a knee-jerk reaction and create substantial turmoil. Most students become hesitant about trusting you, as they want to be assured that they will recognize the music program with you as their director.

Boosters
    Many high school programs may already have an existing parent booster organization. As with the students, I would meet with a small representative group at first. Meeting with the parents may confirm information collected from the students. It is also a way for the new director to organize the parent group to support their vision of the music program.
    Usually I ask the adults most of the same questions I ask students, which gives me similar information, but from an adult’s point of view. I ask what the parents do during a football game and where they are stationed. In one school, band parents ran concessions, in another, they were not allowed to touch concessions, so parent responsibilities vary. If not in concession stands, parents should secure stand space for the band before the game or stay in the stands with any students who are injured and cannot march. I also ask about logistics and committees, basically what I need to know to begin organizing the program. If parents run handing out uniforms, I need to know when that is usually done. The goal is to keep everything as consistent as possible.

Coaches
    Some of the most influential people in schools are coaches, and it is beneficial to have a good relationship with these folks, especially in a small school where many music students are also likely to be in sports. Instrumental directors who run high school marching band can ask the head football coach how they might enhance football players’ game day experience. One coach requested that the band form a pregame tunnel for the cheerleaders and the football team to run through. While this is a fairly simple task to accomplish, I assured him that I would work hard on the request and make it in to a reality. Because music programs are typically at the forefront of budget cut talks, having a good relationship with the head coach can give the band a powerful ally.

Feeder Program Personnel
    Recruiting for the music program is a full time job at every level. For many directors new to a given school, the difficulty of recruiting is compounded further as most new hires take place at the end of the school year or, worse yet, during the summer months. The new director should contact any feeder school instrumental directors and ask for a copy of the final concert program. If a personnel list is available, this gives the new director an opportunity to see how many of these students are moving to your campus. A final concert program from your feeder schools also shows what literature students have played.

Counselors
    If the band director at the feeder school isn’t available to meet with, you can ask the counselor who has been in band and also check standardized test scores. From there you can look at who’s done really well in math, and get those students. Use test scores in math to target good students into the program. Counselors don’t always make a good source of help, but try to make friends, and if something is unavailable, then move on. Between feeder school directors and counselors you should be able to get a good idea of who might have slipped through the cracks.

Former Director
    The former director can paint the clearest picture of students’ ability. It is best to ask the administration prior to talking to the former director. No one can prohibit you from making contact, but it is always best to ask whether this is advisable. In a case where the former director was asked to leave, some may see contacting this person as a sign that any past problems may continue. Assure administrators this is not the case by approaching it in the manner that you would like to simply secure information about what the students are accustomed to.

Preparing for the First Day of Classes
    After accepting my first teaching job, I met with the building principal to take a tour of the facilities. The band hall was left in shambles. The music library was left in stacks on the floor, music stands contained more graffiti than original paint, and instruments were all over the room with some outside of their cases. The state of the room showed a lack of care. My first goal was to make this room unrecognizable by organizing and cleaning it. Usually I would include students in this process because it develops a sense of pride in the program and makes the job take less time. I tackled it alone to demonstrate my commitment to working hard at changing the attitude and perception that no one cared. Having a program organized sends students a good message about the experiences they will receive with you as their director.

Investigating
    Search for video and audio recordings of your ensemble. Much information can be learned from old concert programs, but they can be deceptive. Anyone can program Lincolnshire Posy, but not everyone can play it. Finding video can help confirm that. Many bands post video of concerts on YouTube, and sometimes parents film concerts as well. Listening to recordings is the best way to evaluate the ensemble’s performance ability. Video can also show how the ensemble is set up, where it performs, and community reaction to the band.
    One key element you can identify from both video and still photos is how disciplined the students are. In marching band, a photo of students in the stands lets you see if they sit in a uniform block, whether uniforms are buttoned up and worn consistently. The same can be true in concert band and orchestra. It is also easy to see how well the room is cared for and how clean it is. You might see instruments in the middle of the floor with no one near them. This can send signals about discipline as well as how students treat the facility and their instruments. This can give you an idea of things you may need to watch for. From these forms of media, many questions can be answered without having to talk to anyone.

Equipment Inventory
    One of the quickest ways to change student perceptions is to make certain that the equipment is in working order and in good appearance. The very first request from my principal was to “do something with the music stands.” In addition to the stands needing overhauling, the entire band hall carpet was gum-ridden, stained, and an unrecognizable shade of yellow and needed replacing. The band booster president told me about some donated carpet that for the past three years had been stored in one of the practice rooms. Although the boosters requested it yearly, the carpet was never installed. The new carpet was beautiful, especially when compared to the carpet that was in place for many years. I had a plan that I hoped would not backfire.
    Because the weather in Louisiana is so unpredictable and the freshly painted stands would need time to dry, I painted indoors. I figured that because I was the fourth director in four years I could afford to take a chance. I took the stands apart, set the trays on the ground, and spray painted inside the room with no newspaper underneath.
    I went to the principal the next day. He was never a happy man, but his nickname was Chipper. I had a look on my face to make him think something bad had happened. He followed me to the band room and saw the carpet. I said, “I’ve never painted stuff before. You asked my to take care of the stands, and I did. The weather wasn’t too good outside the last few days, so I did it inside. What can I do?” He said, “Well, we have this carpet in one of the storge rooms over there. We’ll just get that all taken care of.” Playing dumb, I said I hadn’t been in those rooms yet and wondered whether we had enough. He looked and said we had plenty.
    The next morning the old carpet was already removed. I called the booster president and asked him to come to the school. He walked in, saw that they were replacing the carpet, and asked how I got it to happen. I just smiled and said it was a big misunderstanding that involved several cans of spray paint and gravity. While I do not recommend this method, it did solve a serious problem.
    In addition to the carpet and music stands, I organized the band room by putting the instruments in one place, moving the music library to a secure area within my office, and getting rid of some offensive wall decorations. While this took many days to accomplish by myself, it sent a powerful message to students, their parents, and my administration about my expectations and work ethic.

Instrument Inventory
    Making certain instruments are in working order is extremely important. A student who is assigned an instrument that works poorly will consider band a miserable experience. Contacting former colleagues who are proficient in instruments that you may not be to come out and diagnose the school’s inventory is a great way to approach administrators about getting repairs made.
    Try to secure an instrument inventory list. From this list you can check which instruments are at the school and which are unaccounted for. Tracking down missing instruments may be time consuming, especially if records were not kept at the end of the last academic year. In many cases, students who took instruments home for the summer are likely to account for the majority of instruments that are not in your possession.

Music Inventory
    Selecting literature for an unfamiliar ensemble is very difficult. A good strategy is to pick two sets of literature for your first performance. It does not matter if this is concert literature or music for the season’s first marching show, two arrangements of the same music, or two different works that have the same purpose, such as an opening fanfare.
    At the first rehearsal pass out the simpler of the two choices. If the ensemble plays it very well and seems more accomplished, let them know that you are impressed with their ability and that you need to get something different. By handing out the simpler of the two versions, you encourage the ensemble about their ability as a whole. Starting with the more difficult of the two will discourage students if they cannot play it and may give the impression that you are unsure and lack trust in their ability. If the music is particularly aged, check the key of the piccolo and horn parts to make certain that they are not for Db piccolo or Eb horns.

Recruiting Calls
    I try to make contact with every student on the class roster. After investigating, I can identify which students are no longer continuing. Making a few phone calls may assist in boosting student numbers. Some students may not know that they have a new director for the coming school year. Without this knowledge, the student may have chosen not to participate assuming there was not a change. A phone call from the new director may help influence productive students to be involved.
    When calling incoming freshmen who have signed up for band, I introduce myself and use band camp as a conversation starter. I let students know what the band camp dates are, then ask if the student had any questions for me.
    For someone who chose not to be in band I would say that I saw he was in band last year, ask if there are any questions I can answer or any concerns I can address, and say I would love to see the student come back. It is best to have a few basic questions, and if one produces a long response, you can go off that to get them to try. Sometimes seeing a clean band hall is enough for a discouraged student to give band another chance.
    If I know what instrument a student played and it is something I have a lot of, I might ask whether he plays anything else. Sometimes a student just gets bored with an instrument, and by switching to something new it might spark interest and fill a hole in the instrumentation.

Handbook
    Many students can appreciate structure and a handbook is an excellent way to announce expectations. In drafting a new handbook or editing an existing handbook, I follow a too long-too short rule: if the handbook is too long, no one will want to read it; if it is too short, no one will take it seriously. I recommend including letters from the new director and the building principal. The director’s letter is a personal way to express excitement and expectations. The principal can reinforce this and send a message to students and parents alike that there is a strong support system between the two of you. The remainder of the handbook should detail performance procedures, uniform or performance attire, attendance policy, and a schedule of events. At the back should be a signature page requesting that both the student and parent or guardian have read and understand the contents of the handbook.

    Acquiring a new position, whether right out of college or as a seasoned director, is always exciting. The tasks facing the new hire can be daunting and may seem insurmountable at first, but by taking the right steps the experience will not only be good for the new hire, but also the students, parents, and community.                       

The post After Signing the Contract, Steps to Take Before the First Day of Classes appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Ron Wakefield received his undergraduate degree in clarinet performance from the University of Southern California studying under Mitchell Lurie and Yehuda Gilad. He was a studio clarinetist and bass clarinetist and performed with the LA Philharmonic and an orchestra in Mexico. He became the band director at North Park Middle School in Pico Rivera, California in the fall of 1990. Since then his groups have won numerous awards.

Why did you apply for a job at North Park?
    I was on a concert tour in Switzerland in 1988 when I suddenly realized I wanted to teach. I returned to school, earned my teaching credential, and applied for a job at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera. I did not get that job, but the interviewer said that a position at North Park had just opened up, and I took that job.

What was the program like when you started?
    It was a real mess. While waiting to interview, I walked into the band room and spoke to some of the students. There entire band program consisted of one small ensemble, and the students told me their director never let them perform, ever. One student asked me, “If you become our teacher, do you think we could do some things?” I decided right there that if I was offered the job, I wanted it. I started with 18 students in a single band class. I now have just under 200 split between four ensembles with a waiting list of 30. That is one quarter of the student body. When I first started, no one knew how to read music. They had a numbering system like the one used for teaching beginning recorder, and these numbers were written in the music. No one knew the names of the notes, and the eighth grade clarinet players could not play above a throat-tone Bb.

Where did you start with such a troubled program?
    The first thing was to instill music fundamentals and take everyone back to square one. With so few students, it was easy to teach music reading, correct posture, breathing, and so forth. They had to relearn everything from scratch, but they were willing to do this because they really wanted to play. The way I corr­ected posture was to refuse to let the band play until everyone was sitting on the edge of the chair with feet flat on the floor like a professional musician. If you wait until everyone has good posture, then it never becomes a problem again.
    I promised them concerts, festivals, and parades that first year, and we did it all. They had never performed a concert, much less a festival, but that year we received a rating of two IIs and a I. After that, it was always straight I ratings. Once we were established in parade competition, North Park went on a 15-year streak of going absolutely undefeated by middle schools in Southern California, and few high school bands could touch us, either.

How did you get the community behind you?
    Success at festivals and competitions quickly created interest and support from the parent organization and the community. Competitions were a stepping stone for us. We do not focus on them now, but initially it was a way to get established. The students and the community were really proud of our success and that rallied people to support us and come to our fundraisers.  Then the top blew off when we were invited to the 1997 Rose Parade. We were invited again in 2005.

How were you selected for the Rose Parade?
    In 1993 I was a national finalist in the Disney American Teacher Awards, so the band performed on television from Epcot Center in Florida. The president of the Tournament of Roses saw us and thought that we should be in the Rose Parade. He invited me to come for an interview. He wanted to ask how I would prepare a middle school band to march in a six-mile parade. He later visited the school and was impressed by the spirit and attitude of the students.

How did the Rose Parade affect your program?
    It paved the way for us to perform at Carnegie Hall. I had Carnegie Hall in my head, jokingly, when people asked what we would do after the Rose Parade. Then I discovered a band festival that is held every spring in Carnegie. They had never accepted a middle school, but I enquired whether they would be interested in our group. They said no, but I kept asking and mentioned that we were the only middle school to perform in the Rose Parade. Finally, I made a deal with the head guy, who was getting tired of hearing from me. I said that I would stop bugging him if he would listen to a recording of the band performing. He agreed and quickly called back to invite us.

What classes do you teach?
    We have an honor band of 42 members, an advanced band of 40, an intermediate band of 40, and a beginning band of about 75. I also teach a music appreciation class. For the last trimester, all seventh-grade band students work in the piano keyboard lab, one day a week. They understand music theory better when they have experience on the keyboard. Beginning pianists have no problem playing three sharps because they can see the keys in white and black. It is often difficult to explain why there is En and Eb to 6th and 7th grade flute players. Flutists cannot even see their fingers when they play. For years I would gather students around the keyboard to demonstrate, but felt that they would do better with actual playing experience. We raised money for 30 electronic keyboards, and set up a lab.
    In a new program started last year, eighth grade students take a guitar lesson once a week. Students loved the idea of playing guitar, and it enhances their entire musical education. Many directors are so concerned about the quality of their concert group that they feel they do not have time for other things. What is really important is a well-rounded education, and I am willing to sacrifice a slight amount of quality on the concert programs for this.

How is the program structured?
    I have beginning, intermediate, advanced, and honor bands. The students do not audition, which avoids competition, but I assess them throughout the year. I have also eliminated seating placement. No one sits first chair anymore, and it is working amazingly well. In the honor band there are 12 clarinets that are split into three teams. Each team has one of the strongest players and one of the weakest players, and they rotate on the parts. Because we play many concerts, everyone has a chance to play first clarinet. The result is that all of the students progress and excel at a much higher rate than when we had chair tryouts. Saxophones, trombones, and trumpets are set up the same way. This eliminates the problem of students getting stuck in the third clarinet section all year.

Your students take on an unusual degree of leadership. How does that work?
     It is much different than it used to be. When we competed, there was a drum major and band president. We don’t have that anymore, and the students now have opportunities to be in charge of many aspects of the program. I rarely conduct anymore, unless it is a piece of music that is too sophisticated for a student to direct. An example might be show tunes from South Pacific with frequent transitions and changes in tempo. Otherwise, concerts are completely student-led. They conduct and do the announcing. Each piece has a different conductor, and there are many soloists. The students are supportive of each other and take on a great deal of responsibility. Last year, I had an eighth grade girl who was able to rehearse the band amazingly well. She would cut them off and say, “Trumpets, you’re a little bit too loud, but there is one person sticking out more than everyone else.” I was so astonished. I made comments to her privately, but not in front of the class. She ran the whole rehearsal and presented the piece in a concert.

    With the top honor band, all 42 members have a chance to conduct at least once and play a solo during a concert. Every student who would like to speak in public is given the chance to introduce a piece at a concert. When we have a concert, I just sit back and enjoy it. 

How do you get middle school students to the point where they can conduct an entire band?
    Students can rise to a much higher level than many teachers realize. When you give them an opportunity, they thrive on it and work really hard. I teach them conducting throughout the year. They are not highly sophisticated conductors, but they know the patterns. Over the course of three years at this school, they become pretty good conductors by eighth grade.
    Students in the band learn about conducting from each other. While they rehearse music under a student conductor, they learn what to watch for in the conductor and know what to do when it is their turn. There is no peer pressure. Students feel free to make mistakes when they know they will not be laughed at. They learn to give cues and signal sections if they are too loud. They are not afraid to cut the band off if they hear something wrong.

The focus of your program dramatically shifted to include work with homeless shelters. How did this come about?
    After the Rose Parade and Carnegie Hall performances, we began taking tours to different locations including  Canada, Hawaii, and London. We began to change from a powerhouse competition band to something quite different. Initially we skipped some competitions to prepare for our trips. Then, while in New York for a Carnegie Hall performance in 2004, I heard about an orphanage in upstate New York called the St. Cabrini Home. It was probably the last American orphanage, even though they do not call it an orphanage anymore. They had a senior center as well as orphaned children. A few days before the Carnegie Hall concert, we took buses upstate to play there. The students felt it was the most meaningful part of the trip. After we played, my students visited with the audience.
    Soon after, I discovered a homeless shelter in Santa Ana and suggested that we play a Christmas concert there. Just before we were about to play, a four-year-old girl from the audience climbed up onto a chair next to a flute player, preventing another flutist from sitting down. I started to ask her to move but caught myself and asked for another chair. The little girl stayed in the front row of the band while we played. Once the concert was underway, she slid off the chair and crawled into the flutist’s lap and started hugging her. Tears began pouring down my flutist’s face as she played. I knew things were never going to be the same after this.
    A fourth grade girl at the homeless shelter came up to me after this concert and said she would give anything to do what my students do. While they had music at her school, she said they did not trust the homeless kids with the instruments. I got an instrument and began giving her lessons. Other students at the shelter wanted to play, and I soon had a little band. It became too much for me to do alone, so I asked a flute student to help teach, and this grew into our outreach program.
    We start taking carloads of students to give music lessons in the front yard of this homeless shelter. When we returned to Carnegie Hall in 2007, we took a group of these children with us, and six of them played as a solo group with our band accompanying them. In addition to homeless shelters we now perform at children’s hospitals and senior centers.

    The students we work with often join us in parades, and this led to a final shift away from competing. I have seen band directors pull students out of their ranks at the competition line for a variety of reasons, usually because they could not play well enough. I often did this with beginners who were allowed to tag along for fun and extra experience.  Even though those students were not part of the advanced performing group it began to gnaw at me, and many times I let them perform anyways. Now with the homeless kids, I had students in the formation, in uniform, who were not registered at my school and could not participate in competitions.
    I decided to switch to parades with no competition line, such as down Main Street in Disneyland. At first everyone thought I was crazy, but the parades that we do now are much better. When we go to Disneyland, the homeless students march with us in uniform and they are so proud. My students would absolutely riot if I said we were going to compete in a parade. They have beautiful music experiences for the right purposes now, unlike with competition where everything has to be perfect for the judges. One of my assistants, an alumnus who marched the 1997 Rose Parade, asked if I missed competition. I told her to look at the faces of the band as they marched.
    Since those days we have developed a relationship with the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital of L.A. among other organizations. We give concerts, and every Monday after school, North Park band students go there and give lessons to the children on recorders. Parents form carpools for the 40-mile round trip, and they actually love doing this. It is amazing.
    The various outreach programs have made enormous changes in my students. We have kids helping kids, and the heart and responsibility that is growing in all of them is really amazing. There is a tradition at North Park for the 8th graders to show up and help at the concerts of the younger students. I do not even have to ask; I just post on the board how many chairs and stands in each row, and it gets done. These concerts are extremely informal with a potluck, and students run around outside until they perform. At a recent concert the eighth graders took it upon themselves to supervise the campus. When it was time for the concert, the older students led the beginners over to the stage. There is a huge sense of family in the bands here.
    When directors focus on winning competitions or festival ratings that translates into pressure on the students. We have wiped that out completely. The result is relaxed children who come in smiling and happy every day. They make music joyfully and put it to a good use in the surrounding communities.

How did your trip to China come about?
    I took an alumni band of older students to China in 2009. My former students would often come back and  mention that they wished they had the outreach program when they were in the band. I had received an invitation to China and initially threw it in the trash because of the expense. I started to think that this might be an opportunity for these former students, and about thirty signed up. The original invitation was to play exchange concerts with Chinese schools, but I asked if we could play at orphanages instead.  After the band performed, the students gave recorder lessons to the orphan children. The most touching part was that the girl from that first homeless shelter went with us. She was 14 at the time, and I paid her way. She went from a homeless shelter in Santa Ana to teaching music lessons in a Chinese orphanage.

Was there ever any resistance to the outreach program from the administration?
    No, it has never been challenged in any way. When I dropped competition, I knew it would cause trouble, especially with the color guard. I did not announce it, but on the last day of the previous school year, I told the color guard that I did not know what was going to happen next year, but I would be in touch with them. I started the following year with a big Ethiopian-themed parade where we did not compete. The event included guest speakers, the Ethiopian national anthem, flags, and food, and the students completed projects on Ethiopia. Some of the color guard girls were upset, but I had already spoken to their parents about a switch to instruments.

What is next for the program?
     I am planning a Concert for Peace in November 2013. We will invite students from across the U.S. and from eight different countries to participate in a concert here in Pico Rivera.  Anyone who would like to bring a few students from their band to perform with us is invited to contact me. We have commitments from ten states and seven countries so far. We would love to have others. I am also toying with the idea of returning to Carnegie Hall when my current crop of beginners are in eighth grade. They are a really strong group.

Ron Wakefield can be reached at npmsmusic@yahoo.com.

The post The Evolution of a Band Program, An Interview with Ron Wakefield appeared first on The Instrumentalist.