Travis J. Weller

Though living in the Northeast, the one thing I enjoy about January and February – besides Pitt basketball playing conference games in the Big East – is getting the chance to just teach.  Nothing pressing, no standardized tests on the immediate horizon, the students have returned refreshed from break, and there is plenty of fertile ground to plant some good musical seeds.  This week my Wind Ensemble began receiving music for our chamber recital in mid-March.  Now in addition to the music for our concert “A Night at the Opera” on March 4^th, they will be breaking out into some small group work at least twice each week.  The more I do chamber music with my students, the more good things I see happen in their performance skills, and in their ability to analyze their work, critique their own and their peer’s performance, and begin to develop some comprehensive musicianship. Read more…

A great find tonight on Youtube.   I was fortunate enough to have Irish Jig for Young Feet performed at the 63rd Annual Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Decmeber by the Vandercook College Symphonic Band.  My thanks to Dr. Charles Menghini and Stacey Larson for programming this piece.  Stacey did a great job with the band, and it was a pleasure meeting her.  You can view the performance by clicking here.  Another great performance was given by the Florida State Summer Music Camp Wind Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Patrick Dunnigan of American Visions.  My thanks to Dr. Dunnigan for selecting the piece and sharing it with these students.  You can view the performance by clicking here. I am also pleased to learn that both Irish Jig for Young Feet and Pirates! were selected to the BandWorld Top 100 for 2009-10.