Features

2006 Essay Scholarship Winners

SUBJECT: "How A Music Education Has Made Me A Better Student"

The following ten students are recipients of the 2006 essay scholarship, "How A Music Education Has Made Me A Better Student".

Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from SCHOOL BAND AND ORCHESTRA and co-sponsors, Alfred Publishing, American Music Conference, Hershey Fund Raising, National Association of Music Merchants, Yamaha Corporation of American and Avedis Zildjian Co.

2008 Essay Scholarship Winners

SUBJECT: "Dear Mr. President, I am writing to tell you why music is so important to my complete education..."

The following ten students are recipients of the 2008 essay scholarship, "Dear Mr. President, I am writing to tell you why music is so important to my complete education..."

Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from SCHOOL BAND AND ORCHESTRA and co-sponsors, Alfred Publishing, SupportMusic.com, Hershey Fund Raising, National Association of Music Merchants, Yamaha Corporation of American, Music For All and Avedis Zildjian Co.

Check this web-site September 1, 2008 for a new essay scholarship. To the many thousands of students who entered the essay contest, and to their music directors, we thank you.

2009 Essay Scholarship Winners

SUBJECT: "How Does Music Unite Cultures Within Your School and Community?"

The following ten students are recipients of the 2008 essay scholarship, ""How Does Music Unite Cultures Within Your School and Community?""

Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from SCHOOL BAND AND ORCHESTRA and co-sponsors, Alfred Publishing, SupportMusic.com, Hershey Fund Raising, National Association of Music Merchants, Yamaha Corporation of American, Music For All and Avedis Zildjian Co.

Check this web-site September 1, 2009 for a new essay scholarship. To the many thousands of students who entered the essay contest, and to their music directors, we thank you.

2010 Essay Contest Winners

The following ten students are recipients of the 2010 essay scholarship, "I believe music must remain a part of the school curriculum because..."

Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from SBO.

To the many thousands of students who entered the essay contest, and to their music directors, we thank you.

Survey: The Pit Band

A school-wide theatrical production is unique in what it brings to students, an arts department, and the school itself. School plays and musicals have the capacity to unite disciplines and draw attention to many aspects of a performing arts department like few other initiatives.A school-wide theatrical production is unique in what it brings to students, an arts department, and the school itself. School plays and musicals have the capacity to unite disciplines and draw attention to many aspects of a performing arts department like few other initiatives. For student musicians, backing the school play or musical typically provides an opportunity to learn new music in a different format and work in ensembles with distinct configurations – often alongside professional or accomplished adult performers who do not typically participate in school music groups. These opportunities also provide a plethora of ancillary benefits, including an increased sense of ownership among students and, for department heads, exposure and fodder for advocacy.

For a better sense of how music departments interact with the wide variety of theatrical projects in schools across the country, SBO recently surveyed its readership; it turns out that over 70 percent of responding band and orchestra directors indicate significant involvement in their school's dramatic productions.

Do you direct or assist with pit orchestras/musical accompaniment for your school's dramatic productions?

Report: Chris Izzo

A Half-Century Later, Band Director Still Inspiring Students

In the 1960s, La Salle (Illinios) Peru Township High School touted a powerhouse marching band under director Christopher Izzo, who ran the school's music department from 1960-1970. On October 15-16, 2010, a number of alumni from those groups came together for a reunion to honor Mr. Izzo and celebrate the band's 50th anniversary.In the 1960s, La Salle (Illinios) Peru Township High School touted a powerhouse marching band under director Christopher Izzo, who ran the school's music department from 1960-1970. On October 15-16, 2010, a number of alumni from those groups came together for a reunion to honor Mr. Izzo and celebrate the band's 50th anniversary.

At the festivities, 45 former band members, now mostly in their 60s, marched and played with the current LP High School band during the halftime of that week's Friday evening football game, and 65 people attended the formal dinner Saturday evening with guest of honor, Chris Izzo. Former colleagues of Izzo's, including assistant band director Melvin Pontious and middle school director Ruth Moyle, were also in attendance. Alumni had an opportunity to share memories of their involvement in the band program through scrapbooks and a DVD of select performances from that decade, which, the alumni agreed, had a major impact on their development and future life choices. Respect for self and others, self discipline, promptness, and appreciation for many kinds of music were a few of the qualities mentioned.

Report: The Influence of a Good Band Room

Small Texas High School Band Thinks Big

How can directors successfully nurture their school's music program? For one band director at a 2A high school in Texas, increasing participation and providing facilities to support this growth have gone hand-in-hand. It all started with a conscious effort to integrate the band into school life.

Offering Support, Flexibility

"Our band's first priority is supporting our school period!" exclaims Jeff Henry, Band Director at Godley High School in Godley, Texas, located 60 miles southwest of Dallas. During 2007, Henry's second year at Godley, the band started a new tradition of celebrating student accomplishments, whether athletic or academic, individual or team. Whenever any student reaches a state-level competition, the band leads a rousing send-off attended by the entire school body of 400 students.

UpClose: Joshua Bell

The Sheer Joy of Music Making

Acclaimed as one of the great violinists of our time, Joshua Bell has performed with major symphonies in revered concert halls around the world, and his recordings have topped the classical music charts. Bell plays one of the finest musical instruments on the planet – the Gibson ex Huberman, a violin crafted in 1713 by Stradivari himself and currently valued at almost four million dollars – yet, he eschews a white tie and tails in favor of more contemporary clothing. There is a need, he says, to change certain perceptions about classical music, so as to ensure that it remains “a part of the diet of young people.”

2009 Essay Contest Winners

More than 7,000 students from all part of the United States and several foreign countries participated in SBO's 9th annual Music Students Scholarship Essay contest, co-sponsored by NAMM, Alfred Publishing, Hershey Fund Raising, Yamaha Corporation of America and Avedis Zildjian. This year's theme "How Does Music Unite Cultures Within Your School and Community?" had multiple winners from the states of Texas and California, and, for the first time, a winning essay came from the country of Kosovo, from an American student studying there. To date, $180,000 in scholarships and music products has been awarded to 81 school music programs.

Allison Wrenn Thomas, the 18-year-old senior at Cesk Zadeja Music High School in Kosovo, entered this winning essay:

As an American attending a music high school in the war-torn country of Kosovo, I have had the privilege to witness firsthand the power of music to unite diverse cultures. Music has opened the door to many personal friendships with Kosovars that I will cherish for life. Music has also become a bridge between the local Muslim community and the American Peacekeeping Forces. I remember the first time American soldiers visited our dilapidated school. Curiosity and tension vibrated in the air until Liridon sat down to the piano. As a Kosovar folk song filled the room, the atmosphere dissolved into smiles and applause: we had found a common language. The soldiers came often after that. They invited us to perform on their base and also attended our school concerts. As the only American attending this local school, I was increasingly drawn upon as an interpreter, liaison, and musical consultant.

Report: Second Time Arounders

Adult Ensemble Gives Ex-Band Students a Second Chance

In 1982, Bill Findeison, former high school band director and then owner of Bringe Music in St. Petersburg, Fla. and Herb Mellany, former executive director of the St. Petersburg Festival of States, were having a conversation during which they both wondered aloud, "What happens to all of those kids who used to march in high school bands? So much talent and most of them never get to play or march after high school. We should start a marching band for adults who used to play in college or high school and want to do it again." And that's exactly what they did.

They placed an ad in the local newspaper for four weeks, inviting people to come to a rehearsal - all they needed to do was bring an instrument, if they played a small one, and all of the large instruments such as bass drums and sousaphones would be provided by a local school. Bill and Herb apparently tapped into something 75 people showed up for that first rehearsal, and the The Greater St. Petersburg Area Awesome Original Second Time Arounders Marching Band, better known as the Rounders, was formed.

Bill guided the band as director, something he still does to this day. At the end of that first season everyone said they wanted to do it again next year. As Bill says, "It was something that clicked and never quit. We have grown from 75 members to 500. Today we still have 15 of the original members from that first year. We have people who drop out for whatever reason, whether it's age or they move away, but we always seem to stay with 500 members, with new people joining all the time."

Report: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s Great American Marching Band

This past November, Macy's Great American Marching Band, a select 250-member ensemble comprised of high school students from all 50 States and Washington D.C., featured prominently in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the third consecutive year. This ensemble is the result of a collaborative effort by Macy's and music tour company Music Festivals.

'In 2006, Macy's was celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Thanksgiving Day Parade," says Wesley Whatley, creative manager at Macy's Parade & Entertainment Group and manager of the Great American Marching Band. 'We were doing this in a variety of ways: bringing in celebrities and bringing famous characters back that had been with us for years. For the band program, we really wanted to figure out something special. Back in the '70s and'80s, McDonalds had an All-star band that used to march in our parades, but that went away maybe 15 or 20 years ago when McDonalds decided to no longer produce it. So for the 80th anniversary, we thought we'd bring back this idea of an All-star band that would represent the entire country. At that time, we met up with Dennis [Rhoads, president of Music Festivals], and he was eager to jump on board and put it together from a production standpoint. So we all put our heads together and came up with the Macy's Great American Marching Band."

Music and Health

Numerous books, articles, and studies have been published in recent years about the positive correlation between musical performance and improved scores on standardized tests and other intelligence assessments. Children who learn to perform music also have a variety of other positive social and behavioral benefits. Recently, best-selling author and physician, Oliver Sacks has published a book titled Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, which suggests that, in addition to all of the other benefits of music, there is a physiological healing effect of music on those who suffer from Alzheimer's, Autism, or Parkinson's disease. According to an AP report on May 31, Sacks says that, "Even with advanced dementia, when powers of memory and language are lost, people will respond to music."

As an avid music lover, Sacks addresses the confluence of neurology and music in this book which reviews a variety of individual cases where he studies both the therapeutic aspects of music, as well as the pathological changes that have affected people's response and ability to perform and hear music. Some of the more interesting and unusual cases he cites in his book are musical hallucinations by people with hearing loss; people who had seizures that were triggered by certain types of music; and a lightening strike on a doctor causing him to develop a mania for music. This book is certainly a good summer read for anyone interested in the impact of music on the mind.

Another resource for the ways in which music positively effects healing and improves the body's immune system is The Healing Music Organization (www.healingmusic.org). An article by Amrita Cottrell on this site refers to a 1993 study on psycho-immunology which indicates "that there is a direct link between a person's thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, and emotions and the health of the immune system. This being the case, we have the ability to be proactive in the health of our body, mind, and spirit through music." The evidence sited in Sacks' book and within this Web site adds to the growing body of evidence that supports active listening and performing of music as beneficial to our overall well-being.