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Percussion

  • Randy Greenwell/ Matt James

    Mike Lawson | October 22, 2006

    By Jennifer H. McInerney
    Photos by Karl J. Pfeffer Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.

    After months of training and preparation, it's unusual that the members of the Lawrence Central High School Marching Band in Indianapolis, Ind., would allow themselves to be held back at performance time. Yet during this past marching season, they were literally surrounded by larger-than-life yellow and black caution tape as they made their way across the field during the first movement -"Confinement" - of their show. Over the past 11 years, band directors Randy Greenwell and Matt James, along with their staff, have developed a reputation for going beyond the boundaries of a typical marching show.

    In last season's "Breakthrough," performed to the music of Michael Schelle, the marching band illustrated the concept of breaking away from confines represented by the yellow tape - which band members created and painted themselves - played out during three movements: Confinement, Escape and The Other Side.

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  • Improv Techniques: The Art of Improvisation

    Mike Lawson | October 22, 2006

    By Lindsey Berthiaume

    Thursdays after school I would head down to my saxophone lesson with Jimmy Shand, who was a fabulous teacher and musician from the hey day of big band music in Toronto , Windsor and Detroit . During those lessons, we would spend countless hours working on improvising techniques, constructing chords, analyzing progressions, listening to solos and transcribing them. Much of my teenage life was spent listening to the greats of jazz and studying their contributions to music. Well armed with chord knowledge, technique and agility, the question was whether or not I would be able to use these skills in an improvised performance setting.

    On the night of May 22, 1989 , I had a concert during which I was to play a publicly improvised solo for the first time. My palms were sweating, my mind was a complete blank and I was convinced that everyone would know that the jig was up as soon as I played that first lick, regardless of my relentless study. I played a solo that night and despite my nerves and amplified squawks, it was an expressive and rewarding experience. Many of my initial improv experiences were filled with anxiety and self doubt as is the case with many student musicians. The question in my mind today is how to make those experiences more comfortable and intuitive for students exploring improvisation.

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  • Music Camps: The Cure for the Summertime Blues

    Mike Lawson | October 22, 2006

    Winter's almost over, which means summer's almost here! For serious music students, that means it's time to start thinking about how to spend the summer, and how music will play a part.

    For those who are interested in expanding their musical horizons in an educational setting, there are numerous camps specializing in music throughout the country and beyond. Whether students are looking for a focus in marching band, jazz band, chamber ensembles, strings/orchestra, or drum line/auxiliary, music camps help to foster leadership skills, teamwork, new learning experiences and friendships. Many camps offer ensemble settings as well as individualized instruction, and some also include recreational electives and other outdoor activities.

    In this Report, School Band and Orchestra presents an alphabetical sampling of some of the music camps in session this summer. For additional information about individual camps, visit the Web site listed with each one.

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  • Rhythm Section: The Jazz Ensemble’s Core

    Mike Lawson | October 22, 2006

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  • David Carbone

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    A successful high school Marching Band program can outstrip the traditional scope of most other “academic programs.” Particularly in smaller or rural areas, a good Marching Band can galvanize the community and strengthen a town’s sense of identity and pride.

    The music educators and student performers of Bellbrook High School’s Marching Band are no strangers to this phenomenon, as the Marching Eagles have helped put Bellbrook, Ohio on the national radar. Winners of six BOA Grand Nationals Class A championships, last year the Marching Eagles were named the 2004 BOA Grand National Class AA champion, the first national championship since the program moved up a class in 2002.

    David Carbone, director of bands and music at Bellbrook since 2001, recently spoke with SBO about maintaining and strengthening a winning Marching Band tradition.

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  • Excerpts from the Winning Essays

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    In our June issue, School Band and Orchestra announced the winners of the 2004 Scholarship Essay Contest. Each of the 10 winners - five in grades four through eight, and five in grades nine through 12 - received a $1,000 scholarship for writing an essay about their favorite composer. Each winning student's music program received a matching prize of $1,000 in musical merchandise from the contest's co-sponsors: Alfred Publishing Co., C.G. Conn, Yamaha Corporation of America, Avedis Zildjian Company, and Hershey's Fundraising.

    Included here are excerpts from the 10 winning student essays. The essays in their entirety are posted on SBO's Web site, www.sbomagazine.com. The 2005 Scholarship Essay Contest topic and deadline will be announced this fall in both the magazine and on the Web site.

    Kurt Rever
    Grade 12, Age 17
    Pinkerton Academy
    Derry, N.H.
    Instrument: Percussion
    Director: Leighanne Cullen
    Favorite Composer: John Williams

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  • Surviving the Percussion Section

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    A Drummer’s Thoughts: The sun glints through the band room windows. Spring has finally arrived and what I would give to be outside right now. With this change of season, flowers bloom, grass needs cutting and of course the …man, I wish this stupid fly would go away. The fly lands gently on the pane of glass and I’m poised to strike. I pull back my bass drum mallet like Babe Ruth gearing up to crack another home run. Whack! To my amazement not only did I get the fly, but the mallet shattered right through the window. Cool!

    Management & Discipline

    Now this exact scenario, described in the lefthand column, played out for my predecessor at Tunkhannock Area High School, but I knew that this type of thing would never happen in my percussion section. I would make sure that the students behaved; after all, it is all about classroom management and discipline. I knew that students would get bored easily and, after all, they are drummers – how much should we really expect? So I started giving my students projects, things that needed to get done. Soon, I was spending more time finding these projects then actually teaching my kids. I finally relented and realized that I, too, was on the same path as that broken window…

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  • Report: Tuning Schemes for the Modern Percussion Ensemble

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    In the last 20 years, there has been a renaissance in the role played by the symphonic and marching percussion section. As today’s modern composers ask for more and more unique sounds, it is more important than ever to have great-sounding equipment at all times. The following are tips and suggested pitches to cover all your needs in the concert hall, the marching band field, and indoor venue.

    CONCERT SNARES:

    A great-sounding concert snare is a combination of three sub-components:

    • Properly tuned top (batter) head
    • Properly tuned bottom (snare side) head
    • Properly tuned individual snares and strainer
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  • SURVEY: WOODWIND ENSEMBLES

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006Amongst the more popular instruments with students, woodwinds (of course) have their place in larger band and orchestral settings, but are also ideally suited to ensembles. If time and resources allow, many instructors find that creating woodwind ensembles yields benefits for students and the overall music program. Does your school field any Woodwind ensembles? Read More...
  • Upfront: Writing & Arranging:

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    BY VINCENT COROZINE (ASCAP)

    A good-sounding musical arrangement possesses many characteristics. However, the three most important characteristics include transparency of texture, variety of tone color, and moving contrapuntal lines that build to a satisfying climax. All of the musical arrangements that positively influenced me had these characteristics.

    Before 1600, any medium of performance for a given composition was considered satisfactory, and there was little uniformity of instrumentation in ensemble music. Practically any combination of instruments seems to have been acceptable during this period, since the emphasis was on the musical line and not on tone color or blend. Sharp contrastsof tone color are not very apparent in scores of this period. Composers did not suggest the choice of parts to be played by certain instruments, but the decision was left to the performers.

    This example by Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612) is arranged for two trumpets and two trombones and illustratesa powerful technique for effectively mixing textures within a composition. We notice immediately that the musical fabric changes constantly, alternating between two, three, and four voice parts. Gabrieli employs rests toventilate the texture and lighten the sound, to highlight phrase endings, and to clear the way for the next entrance. Noteworthy is the fact that Gabrieli introduces the theme five times, delaying the third answer of the theme until m. 3 to avoid the monotony of phrasing that is too regular and predictable. Most of Bach's contrapuntal writing reflects this compositional principle.

    An instrument or section that has been silent for a periodof time attracts new interest when it reenters.

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  • Reaching for Higher Standards

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    By Christian Wissmuller

    A respected percussionist who has performed with top-notch jazz ensembles and the Binghamton (N.Y.) Philharmonic, Joel Smales has also authored ensemble, percussion, and method books published by Phantom Publications and his articles on music education and percussion have appeared in nationally distributed periodicals, including School Band & Orchestra.

    Mr. Smales currently holds the titles of vice president, NYS Percussive Arts Society and Percussion chair, NYSSMA, and has been director of Bands at Binghamton High School's Rod Serling School of Fine Arts for the past six years.

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  • Music Education in Urban Schools

    Mike Lawson | October 21, 2006

    The demographic, cultural and economic shifts in America over the past half-century have had significant impact on schools – especially our city schools. Urban schools are quite different than public schools in rural and suburban districts.

    The following six factors impact the culture and the way city schoolteachers and administrators make decisions regarding educational activities and services.

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