Choral

Learning by Doing

Putting the “Fun” in Fundraising

2007, December/January

Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Audience

Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Audience

50 Directors Who Make a Difference

As this annual feature grows longer in the tooth, folks occasionally hypothesize: "At some point it's going to become difficult to come up with new teachers to profile. "Well, here we are, nine years into this exercise, and finding educators worthy of inclusion in our "50 Directors Who Make a Difference" report is the least of our problems (tracking down all these people and getting them to reply to e-mails and answer phone calls within deadline - now that's sometimes a challenge...).

SBO, itself, is guided by the notion that there is a vast and ever-growing body of music educators who are dedicated, skilled, and inspiring mentors; this yearly article is merely one broad-stroke summary, which certainly confirms that notion. Individuals with decades of experience, as well as fresh-faced newcomers, are sharing their love of music with children and "fighting the good fight" - it's rarely difficult to come up with commendable teachers, even when considering the smallest of states (I'm talking to you, Rhode Island and Delaware!).

Searching For Inspiration

We all seek musical inspiration from different sources and occasionally it comes along even when we're not actively searching. It doesn't have to arise from our particular specialty, and inspiration could come from a variety of venues, including a symphony, rock, or jazz
concert.

Recently I had one of those moments when my wife and I managed to acquire fi fth-row seats to a Boston Symphony concert at the Tanglewood Music Center. As we sat in the beautiful open-air amphitheater known as "The Shed," the inspiration was instilled in me. Standing only about 15 feet in front of me was Gil Shaham, one of the great virtuoso violinists of our time, who performed the Beethoven Violin Concerto in D.

Not only was I floored by his effortless technique, musicality, and tone quality, but I was also awed by the fact that he seemed completely relaxed and was enjoying the performance perhaps even more than anyone in the audience.

UpFront: Planning a Performance

All conductors face the issue of planning for their next performance. I constantly mull over questions like "How many weeks do I have?" and "How am I going to tackle this issue?" In planning from year to year, I always look for new and interesting ideas to help in the preparation for my next year's performances. I have found the answer in the concept of the "bowtie" rehearsal plan; X, Y, and Z axes (plural for axis, not the lumberjack tool); and stimulus variation.

Bowties

I learned of the "bowtie rehearsal plan" while attending a workshop at Columbus State University (CSU) in Columbus, Georgia. The director of Bands at CSU, Dr. Robert Rumbelow, facilitated the workshop. This particular work shop featured Gary Hill of Arizona State University and Craig Kirchoff of the University of Minnesota as the guest clinicians. The workshop was a two-day event with clinics scheduled after each conducting session, and one of the topics discussed in one of the sessions was how each of the three clinicians paced the rehearsals for the next performance.

Joel Smales

Multicultural Music: Broadening Students’ Musical Horizons

By Dawn Allcot

In a recent survey conducted by MENC, the National Association for Music Education, 95 percent of 364 music teachers polled reported that they teach multicultural, or world, music in their curriculum. Eighty-four percent said they include this music in their ensembles' performances.

In a separate survey, 25 percent of the educators questioned said that their choices of multicultural music included selections from the represented ethnic and/or religious groups in their schools. An additional 29 percent said that the selections "pretty much" included choices from these different groups.

While the MENC survey represented a cross-section of music educators - from instrumental music to choral and general music - the percentage of band and orchestra directors that actually incorporate world music into their ensembles could be much lower.

Recording: Mastering – The Crucial Step in CD Creation

UpClose: The Gift of Attention

By Joseph Alsobrook

The following is an excerpt from the book. Pathways: A Guide for Energizing & Enriching Band, Orchestra, & Choral Programs by Joseph Alsobrook G-5641(Chicago: GIA Publications, 2002), 30-54. Used with permission. www.giamusic.com. (800) 442-1358.

All students long to be noticed. In fact, 100% of 22,000 teachers polled in a survey given by the Carnegie Foundation described their students as "emotionally needy and starved for attention and affection."16 This speaks for itself and emphasizes the need to take (make!) the time to help each student feel valued and important in positive ways. In The Joy of Inspired Teaching, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser illuminates this point: