When I write, I have something to say – I just choose sounds to say it.  I write music that (I hope) the students would enjoy playing, the audience will enjoy hearing, and that conductors will enjoy teaching. Sometimes I get inspired by words spoken or written, an image, or people.  In the case of American Visions it was all three.  Read the fourth verse to the Star-Spangled Banner – I read it in the spring of 2007 and finally understood what my grandmother went through when her only son (my father David J. Weller) went through when he left for Vietnam.  “Oh thus be it still when free men shall stand, between their loved homes and the wars desolation!”.

I remember having one real in-depth conversation with my father about his time in the military – I asked him what it was like.  He replied “Guy, I hope you never have to find out.”  War is an atrocious event, and freedom, our freedom, has been paid with the lives of many young patriots.  My dad served in 1967 for people he never met or knew, and some – like his two sons – were not even born yet.  I went to parades on Memorial Day and Veterans Day growing up – I said the pledge, I sang The Banner – but I didn’t understand until age 34 what had been done for me by my father and countless others I never knew and will never know.  We are a blessed nation, indebted to our men and women who serve and protect.  American Visions became an outpouring of thanks and love from a grateful and fortunate son.  How could I not write this piece for my dad? I knew purpose when each of my four children had been born, but I knew musical purpose in 2007.  In a span of four weeks beginning in February, American Visions was born.

My vision of America I owe to my parents – work hard, do something you love, love family, love friends, have faith in God at all times, honor your country, respect the men and women who serve – they have always shown me those qualities.  My dad is my first musical role model; he is my friend, and a patriot.  I wanted to write a piece that celebrated those things.  American Visions is what I hope our country will be – a vision for which David J. Weller would be proud.

The opening fanfares came first – mixing and shifting meter came very naturally.  The trumpet trio in the middle – the only clear My Country Tis of Thee statement – was easy to write, the counter in the alto saxophone and flute took a bit longer.  After much laboring over the ending of the song, I finally went to bed one morning at 1:30 a.m.  After falling asleep (as the start of my day was only about 4 and a half hours away), I was dreaming about the piece being played by an ensemble to be annoyed by a metronome beating in the group.  I woke to realize it was my alarm clock beating in time – and it prompted the shift from 3/4 to 6/8 towards the end and allowed me to conceive the French Horn counter-melody (which I adore).  I sang repeatedly in the shower that morning, and frantically wrote everything down on paper before leaving for school – ended up almost arriving late that day – but I had it!

This spring as I marched down Constitution Avenue with the marching band at Mercer for the National Memorial Day Parade, tears filled my eyes for a good two blocks.  I was reminded what a fortunate son I am thanks to my father, David J. Weller and countless other men and women in the armed services.  I am humbled by the success the piece has enjoyed, and thankful that I could share this story with many others in music education.

The most pervasive musical element in term of correct interpretation by both composers and conductors was in regard to tempo.  Other commonalities existed across both conductors and composers (notably by Barnes, & Camphouse) including utilization of recordings, becoming familiar with a score through a secondary instrument (piano or voice were mentioned frequently), and that over time our interpretation of a piece may change because of new perspectives or personal experiences.  It would seem to me that the process by which one learns a score varies widely across known experts in the band world, and is a highly personalized decision based upon your pedagogical training.  Choices of meter, key, and tonal and rhythmic patterns are sufficed to say objective, but in matters of overall general expressive musical elements, tempo seems to be a common focus because of the great variability for which it can possess.  It is interesting to note that a number of conductors and composers both concede that a performance tempo can differ from the ideal (marked tempo in the score), and that the adjusted tempo of the performance can still result in a quality or reputable performance.  In some cases it is a matter of ensemble technique that will prevent an ensemble from being able to achieve the demands printed in the score, but it is obvious in the writings that conductors and composers acknowledge this and are able to recognize when other elements are brought to the best possible quality which contribute to effect interpretation.

Another commonality that seems to exist across many of the composers and conductors is they concede that there is a limit to what musical notation can convey, and at times there are ambiguities that may not make sense during score study.  Hopefully these moments of questions and uncertainties can be answered by the director as he looks at the work he is studying, compares it with other known pieces by the same composer, and compares the current piece against stylistic practices of the time or pieces of similar musical structure.  I believe it is worth noting that here that this process the conductor is going through for just one piece of music is not so far removed from the idea of comprehensive musicianship whereby the musician immerses him/herself in studying music from multiple perspective, each perspective contributing to a greater understanding of a larger picture. Andrew Boysen Jr.’s (Camphouse, 2007, p. 11) comments perhaps summarize the idea best as he asserts that the notation in the score should support the conductor’s musical decisions.  It follows that the performance is the very best attempt by an ensemble and conductor to represent what they believe to be the composer’s intent.

Flexibility as it relates to letting the music “live in a certain place” as Giroux states (Camphouse, 2004, p. 80), gathering insight from the ensemble not previously considered as Kirchoff suggests (Williamson, 2008, p.53), and, as Hunsberger observes, understanding each ensemble has an “optimum tempo” (Williamson, 2008, p.37), also seems to an important aspect of interpretation.  The modern conductor must have in his arsenal of abilities an understanding to be flexible as his perspective may change while working on a piece with his own students, but find a new perspective when asked to conduct the group of a colleague or an honor ensemble.  Getting back to the idea of tempo, both the music and the ensemble must find the tempo at where they can ideally perform.  I believe this is the reason why at times pieces are adored by one ensemble, and despised by a group 12 miles away – optimum performance tempo of the music and the ensemble do not converge.  Part of this problem may be related to that, but it might also have to do with directors being afraid to vary from the printed score even when it might be more educationally sound to do so (emphasis added, duplicity implied).  A discussion for another day – but this isn’t math or science with one right answer – and some directors are chasing a trophy  on the wall and it is easier to play it safe.  While McBeth and Giroux go as far to say that composers are sometimes indicating the wrong metronome markings they include on a score, Camphouse and McBeth agree with Jack Stamp that composers are not always the best interpreter of their own work.  James Barnes recounts a story about Verdi and Toscanini that is a reminder that one’s inner musician is critical for a conductor’s interpretation that is truly “in the spirit” of the composer’s intent.  Jack Stamp (Miles, 1998) discovered during his college experience that although Stravinksy was held in high regard compositionally, others did not feel he was the best interpreter of his own work!

The final aspect of interpretation that seems to be a shared concern of importance between composer and conductor is that of feeling, emotion, and passion.  To a degree, many of the composers explicitly mention important aspects of feeling, expression, and emotion in the interpretation of their work.  No matter what reason a composer decides to put “pen to paper”, their works are a product of their experiences, beliefs, surroundings, and creative ideas – and those experiences are at times attached to significant feelings, emotions, or expressions.  As stated by my friend and colleague Dr. Joseph M. Pisano, a composition conveys a concrete thought such as the liberation one’s country, an emotional thought such as the liberation of one’s heart, or a spiritual thought such as the liberation of one’s soul.  The composer is literally molding a conceived idea or a feeling into a sonic musical existence.  The passion of music becomes interpreted correctly when the conductor understands and enjoys the music, and is able to get the students in the ensemble to “reproduce those feelings” as Hilliard states (Camphouse, 2007).  Sam Hazo’s experience with Paul Thornton’s band demonstrates the importance of connecting the music to the lives of the students.  Paula instructed her students to write a meaningful life experience to the sound of the music in the margins of their music – it created in every student a way to connect their life stories to the music in which they were engaged in performing.  I would be interested in knowing just how many of those little anecdotes written by her students were emotionally charged or connected.  Robert Sheldon states that in order to convey passion (emphasis mine), a conductor must possess technical means and the wherewithal and self-confidence to do and say whatever is necessary to get the ensemble to respond (Camphouse, 2002). Frank Ticheli shares that the conductor must find meaning in the work, and believe in it passionately (emphasis mine) (Camphouse, 2002).  When asked about it, Mark Camphouse’s opinion is that “Passion (emphasis mine) comes from believing in the music long before a conductor ever steps on the podium…If a conductor has passion for the art of music and for playing great literature, his performance will have passion…” (Brown, 2001, p. 13).

Many conductors have written about helping the ensemble recreate or realize the interpretation of the composer’s intent, and rarely do they discuss a performance that was devoid of feeling, emotion, or passion if it was achieved.  Can we forgive a less then perfect performance that lacks emotional expression? My feeling is that many would agree yes.  I am not saying technical accuracy and precision may be tossed out – they are part of our responsibilities as educators to ensure that students have mastered.  But we might also be aware that there is another side that is beneficial for the student to experience, and that through our own authentic interpretation we may be able to unlock the emotion, passion, and feeling in music for the benefit of our students (Help them find the love!).  As Craig Kirchoff (Williamson, 2008, p. 54) states so eloquently, “Without such passion, there is no communication…and not even any real music.”

Brown, J. S. (2001). Mark Camphouse creates music with the passion of a performer. The Instrumentalist, 56 (6), 12-15.

Camphouse, M. (Ed.). (2002). Composers on composing for band (Vol. 1).  Chicago: GIA Publications.

Camphouse, M. (Ed.). (2004). Composers on composing for band (Vol. 2).  Chicago: GIA Publications.

Camphouse, M. (Ed.). (2007). Composers on composing for band (Vol. 3).  Chicago: GIA Publications.

McBeth, F. W. (1992). Interpretation: Unlocking the drama in music. The Instrumentalist, 47 (5), 14-18.

Miles, R. (1998). Teaching music through performance in band (Vol. 2). Chicago: GIA Publications.

Williamson, J. E. (2008). Rehearsing the band. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications

Dr. Stephen Gage is one of my favorite people on God’s green earth.  It usually takes about 5 minutes of talking with him to feel better about life, faith, and music.  His status on Facebook was the impetus and with his permission I will share it here:
“I am beginning to worry that in our quest to ‘get it right’ that we forget why we became musicians, that we lose sight of what is really important, and that we compromise what we know down deep in our musical souls. When all of these things are in an alignment, EVERYONE grows and everyone falls more in love with music!”

Love is a pretty important word in that last sentence.  But to get all Tina Turner on you for a second “What’s love got to do with it?”  Is love a second-hand emotion?  For the musician – absolutely not.  I am sure there are physicists that love calculus, but it is hard to see that.  Football players love to play football – thus the over-extended celebrations when they score a touchdown.  But a football player cannot play forever – and even from the booth or the sideline a retired player will never get that degree of love back again.  But musicians have the opportunity to extend their love over a lifetime, and whether it is conductor of community band, a local rock group, or a church organist they have the opportunity to keep making music.  Whether its covers of the Beatles, Corialan Overture by Beethoven, or hymns by Martin Luther, the love affair never has to stop and it is a relationship they never have to leave.

But we as educators, where is our love?  Where is our love for our students in which we profess to “have the best interests”?  Do they see our love and passion for this art that we teach? Do we model it? Do we help them build their own loving relationship with music? It saddens me when I meet a student teacher from another discipline in the building in which I teach, and they tell me “Oh, I used to be in music in high school…”.   I will ask them why they stopped, and usually the answer often turns into a rehearsal schedule and expectation level for competition that pursued a trophy on the wall instead of instilling a song in their heart.  Competition can be healthy – but if it is destroying student’s love of music, I am not sure that in the grand scheme of life it is appropriate or worth it.

How many of our students will play that final concert their senior year, and never consider how they can continue playing their instrument later in life? Too many.  How many of us as educators consider ways in which we can offer them avenues to pursue to keep playing? Too few.  Do we love teaching music? Do we share our love of music with students?  If the answer to those two questions is yes, why don’t we think about ways in which this future music-lover can engage with music? Unlike the song by Meatloaf folks, two out of three ain’t good enough.  I have already extolled on the possibilities of one avenue we can pursue, and I encourage you to read it about in my post entitled “Small Ensembles and the Chamber of Doom?”.

I would like to share a comment by Brian Balmages in response to Dr. Gage’s response that I think is particularly appropriate when we consider our role as an educator: “I think the biggest problem is not the music itself – it’s the passion for music. When everyone started playing an instrument, they did so because they were excited about it …just a pure love and excitement for music itself. We need to instill that same passion for music in our youth. I try to do that every time I guest conduct. Passing on our passion is a sure way to keep music alive. Many of our students will not go on to be music majors or educators – but some of them will be community leaders, politicians, school board superintendents, etc. They can make as much a difference from the outside as we can from the inside. I love that we all discuss the irrelevance of getting a “1″ at festival, but the problem is deeper than that – we need to instill passion. Absolute love for music. Things like that do not go away as you get older.”

Bravo, Brian! Another great quote about music, its importance, and the passion that it brings out was shared with me by Francis McBeth at Midwest my Senior year of College: “Don’t forget why you became a musician.  It was because of a love affair with sound.  It was not a love affair with organization, techniques, or competition, no matter how commendable these efforts may be.  A musical experience has no substitute; and when it is experienced by the band, the conductor and the audience, it is desired above all else.”

The benefits of instilling passion and love of music are now coming to the forefront as an important role for which the music education profession must take seriously.  It is a passion and love of music we must instill – not in the sense of puppy-dog utopia love – but a passion to engage with all kinds of music and let the music work on us and we work on the music to transport us to a different emotional and mental state. In an article about brain research as it relates to emotion, Bennett Reimer (2004) wrote that music can designate any easily identifiable emotions, and though drawn out through its context, can make something musical out of any and all various images, stories or events.  Where else would people choose of their own free will to engage with sad music not to feel sad, but to move beyond sadness to where the music takes them?  As the music unfolds, feelings and emotions unfold that powerfully and precisely reveal the conscious condition achieved by the human brain and body (Reimer, 2004).  Reimer calls upon music educators to be nurturers of consciousness.  Music has a boundless capacity to expand the intricacies, depths, breadths, and range of conscious awareness made available to our minds and bodies through a felt, sonic experience.  Our true self begins to form and take shape as our experiences with music accumulate.

I was surprised to find an article by David Elliot (2005) written about the same time that takes a similar stance to Reimer in relation to the emotional education of students.  It is Elliot’s view that “musical understanding” is often equated to reading music notation, knowing musical facts and concepts, and how to perform (I am sure he would they “music”…) by some parents, students, music teachers, and music education professors.   Elliot questions how often are teachers and students engaged in “expressional” musical meanings, and the role of such meanings in their enjoyment of music.

Elliot cites part of his own philosophy of music education when he states that musical expressions of emotion occur within specific musical-cultural contexts. For the listener to recognize a musical pattern as expressive of an emotion, that listener must understand the vocal customs or gesture customs that musical pattern seeks to resemble.  The implication for music educators then, according to Elliot, is to provide opportunities for students to listen, reflect and interpret works that are clear examples of emotion in music, and perform and create works that express emotion.  Furthermore, educators need to be musical role models by providing regular demonstrations of expressive music making, and use emotional language and emotional analogies so that students attend to the expressive features of a work.

Finally, the last piece of the puzzle for me came from an article that appeared in the NBA Journal by David Whitwell (2009). Whitwell discusses that language is an important form of communication, but anyone who has tried to write a love letter knows it is quite inferior in the realm of expressive emotions (Thank God for Hallmark!).  Language expresses ideas, while music expresses feelings, and expressing an emotion or feeling has something to do with becoming conscious of it.

Whitwell continues that music offers the listener the opportunity to discover his experiential right hemisphere of the brain, to discover individual emotional identity, and to contemplate his reaction to that discovery.  The student must be given opportunity to hear the emotion in the music, and through this process it causes him to become aware of his emotions.  As long as the music is authentic, the listener cannot fail to perceive the generalized form of the emotion.  So music education needs to be in the school where a child becomes aware of it, begins to explore and understand, and finds a means of expressing his own personal emotional being.

Any composer who wants his music to communicate joy can do exactly that – music in other words, is a form of communication that transmits emotion, and speaks about emotion in precise ways.  Musicians use this language in order to communicate emotions and qualities to others who recognize the language.  Whitwell contends that the great artist looks for the emotional content in music, and not the abstracted data elements, the “grammar” of music.

It is more than just love.  Music has a fundamental ability to communicate emotion.  We, as a profession of music educators, have an oath to present this dimension of music to our students as passionately as we contend that trombones should play B natural in 4^th position!  It is easy to get ground down by the bureaucracy of that is forced upon us by mindless state departments and politicians (see also Ed Rendell) who think that the only way to show a school is succeeding is to publish their standardized test scores in the local fish-wrap.  Despite their worst efforts, music and music educators continue to rise up and confront these problems.  We keep many different musical styles and traditions alive in the public schools because of knowledge and abilities as educators.  I contend that we make them attractive to students because of our passion for them.  Remember to take your scores, baton, metronome, and tuner to the podium at your next rehearsal – but don’t forget the love.  You and your students need it!

We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;—
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.

-          Arthur William Edgar O’Shaugnhessy, Ode from his book Music and Moonlight (1874)

Elliot, D. J. (2005). Musical understanding, musical works, and emotional expression: Implications for education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 37 (1), 93-103.

Reimer, B. (2004). New brain research on emotion and feeling: Dramatic implications for music education. Arts Education Policy Review, 106 (2), 21-27.

Whitwell, D. (2009). Music education of the future: Two paramount new purposes. NBA Journal, 50 (2), 43-60.

Where do the effective educators come from? When we think of effective music educators do we confine it to intuitive conductors whose work on a podium with ensembles gives inspiring performances? Is it a classroom of students engaged in “musicking”?  Is it a studio teacher or small ensemble “coach” who is able to extract high levels of musicianship from individuals? Is it simply an educator in music who brings their students to a higher degree of appreciation for this art, and allows them opportunities to make a connection with music on a personal level?  While the first three bring about wonderful opportunities for students, my hope is that our profession begins to recognize the fourth educator as the prototype for effective teachers.  It goes beyond, as the author shares, just technical competence (i.e. planning, creating lessons, solving problems, selecting appropriate music).  Personal technique is also part of the equation.   It is our duty to create a positive environment that develops a sense of synergy, a social atmosphere that supports developing the core of our student’s character alongside the musician waiting to be, and a musical experience that is guided by educators who practice and model their craft passionately to the benefit of their students.

Effective Music Educators are musical role models: Reviewing research by Abeles (2004) presented in the text, music educators should take the responsibility of being a musical role model to their students very seriously.  Taking into account the community and the context of where the learning is taking place, the music educator may be the only professional musical role model students will interact with in their educational careers.

Effective Music Educators reach all their students in meaningful ways: In consideration of educating all students equally, there has been significant research that would indicate racial and ethnic minority students are not encouraged to participate in primarily white schools.  Differences in cultural expectations, including musical values, are cited as a reason for lack of participation.  As every culture has music and uses it for specific purposes, it is incumbent upon music educators to recognize and understand ethnic groups that are represented within the community in which they teach.  By identifying those groups and researching the value placed and how music is traditionally practiced within that culture, they can seek to provide meaningful and authentic musical experiences that will make a connection for that student within the curriculum and extend beyond the classroom or rehearsal room walls.  Research by Ballantine (2001) indicates isolation, a feeling that no one cares, and low expectations as being primary reasons students drop out of school.  Teachers can help students in school by setting high expectations, connecting with students inside and outside of class, and learning to recognize early warning signs of potential dropouts.  Research by Shields (2001) demonstrated that the presence of at-risk students caused non-musical problems to dominate the tone group rehearsals and class sessions.  This is a concern for teachers when potential at-risk students are enrolled in their classroom.  Although there was a downside to the enrollment of these students, the musical and non-musical skills growth provided a sense of intrinsic reward for the teacher, and the teacher as a mentor to students was a positive experience.  This is a reminder of the socializing power of the ensemble in that it does more for the individual student than the student contributes to the ensemble.

Effective Music Educators are able to motivate their students: Bandura (1993) suggested that teachers have three goals in developing motivation in students: a) create a state of motivation, b) develop the trait of being motivated to learn so that it is present throughout their lives, and c) encourage students to be thoughtful about what they study or participate in.  Probably one of the best things teachers can do is to model life-long learning through their enrollment in graduate programs and further studies.  I have found some of my students to become very inquisitive about my studies at Kent over the past two year, and it has become easier to share interesting research and points relevant to them from our class discussions.  If groups truly take on a reflection of their leader, I have found my students to be more open to self-reflection in their musical experiences when asked to do so.  We must find ways to create musical experiences that fuel intrinsic motivation in our students.

Effective Music Educators open pathways to new music for their students: Preference is an immediate, short-term choice of specific objects or events that can change at any time.  Taste is a more long-term or permanent commitment to a broader group of objectives or events (Abeles, 1980; Radocy & Boyle, 2003).  Preference and taste can be altered – repetition and familiarity are two influential techniques to broaden student preferences.  Research has shown many different musical elements can influence student musical preference (Demorest & Schultz, 2004), as well as various student characteristics (Radocy & Boyle, 2003).  With the amount of high quality recordings available and the multitude of ways in which they can legally be shared with students (via websites), increased exposure, as suggested by the research above, should be effective with students. Additionally, by addressing National Standards 6,7, & 8, students should be able to develop skills that will allow them to think critically about music to which they are exposed, make informed analytical decisions, and evaluate music from multiple perspectives including aesthetic, authenticity, entertainment, imagination and quality.

Effective Music Educators plan for success and capture emerging teachable moments: Effective teachers focus the success of their students, and are able to change behaviors and strategies in mid-lesson or rehearsal to acclimate themselves to the classroom conditions.  The most successful music teachers are student-centered, maintain a well-organized and creative classrooms and rehearsal hall, encourage student creativity and musical independence, encourage intrinsic motivation, and carefully plan and organize each rehearsal based on constant evaluation of students’ abilities and progress (Madsen & Madsen, 1981).  Madsen showed that effective teachers demonstrate the ability to change their social behavior dramatically at precisely the right time to affect student behavior, motivation, and performance.  Research by Goolsby (1997), Kelly (1997a), and Hendel (1995) indicate effective ensemble teachers talk less in class because students are capable of understanding and responding to many basic nonverbal gestures.  At times, I think of a rehearsal like a basketball coach thinks of a game – and for that reason I place a premium on planning for known variables for which I can control.  As the rehearsal (game) unfolds, I must be aware of ebb and flow of communication (both verbal and non-verbal) along musical pathways and make good on capturing an emerging teachable moment that may fall outside my initial rehearsal plan.  “Time-outs” are occasionally burnt to prevent a moment from slipping away, and I must be aware that everyone understands their role and responsibility as members of our “team”.

Effective Music Educators persevere: Many pre-service teachers express aspirations to teach but do not necessarily understand the daily demands of the profession.  Research has shown beginning teachers are more concerned about management and discipline, motivating students, accommodating differences among students, evaluating and assessing student achievement and dealing with parents (Woolfork, 1998).  DeLorenzo (1992) reported many first year music teachers are overwhelmed with the barrage of responsibilities.  Kelly (2002a) reported the student teaching experience is frequently very different from the initial full-time in-service position.  New teachers who receive guidance from mentor teachers allows for them to cope with their new classroom reality, including class management, administrators, and other nonteaching duties (Conway, 2003).  I can remember talking with Patrick Jones at our Honors Band in December 2005.  At that time, he was not yet Dr. Jones, and I was only 4 months into my position at Mercer.  His advice to me at the time was to survive!  Much of what he shared with me over dinner in December of 1995 was borne out in the research above.  I inherited a program that lacked some focus and positive synergy.  Had it not been for my college director, my co-op (both of whom were 10 miles away), and the choir director at Mercer I am not sure what I would have done.  Now in year 15, I am able to recognize patterns of how my professional views have changed and in turn, have altered my classroom approach and allowed me to be more effective. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University Basketball Coach) would call Madsen’s research (1989) as “Being the face your group needs to see”.

This list is by no means complete as our role in the music education of young people continues to evolve.  But we are the agents of change.  We can no longer wait for a national organization to tell us when will the time be to transform our profession and the musical lives of our students.  Our time is now.  Now is the day of the effective music educator.

Bibliography

Abeles, H. (1980). Responses to music. In D. Hodges, & D. Hodges (Ed.), Handbook of music psychology (pp. 105-140). Lawrence, KS: National Association for Music Therapy.

Abeles, H. (2004). The effect of three orchestra/school partnerships on student interest in instrumental music instruction. Journal of Research in Music Education , 53 (3), 248-263.

Ballantine, J. (2001). The sociology of education (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist (28), 117-148.

Conway, C. (2003). An examination of district-sponsored beginning music teacher mentor practices. Journal of Research in Music Education , 51 (1), 6-23.

DeLorenzo, L. (1992). The perceived problems of beginning music teachers. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education , 113, 9-26.

Demorest, S. &. (2004). Children’s preference for authentic versus arranged versions of world music recordings. Journal of Research in Music Education , 52 (4), 300-313.

Goolsby, T. (1996). Time use in instrumental rehearsals: A comparison of experienced, novice, and student teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education , 44, 286-303.

Goolsby, T. W. (1997). Verbal instruction in instrumental rehearsals: A comparison of three career levels and preservice teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education , 45 (1), 21-40.

Hendel, C. (1995). Behavioral characteristics and instructional patterns of selected music teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education , 43, 182-203.

Kelly, S. (2002). A sociological basis for music education. International Journal of Music Education , 37, 40-49.

Kelly, S. (1997a). Effects of conducting instruction on the musical performance of beginning band students. Journal of Research in Music Education , 45 (2), 295-307.

Madsen, C. &. (1981). Teaching/discipline: A positive approach for educational development (4th ed.). Raleigh, NC: Contemporary.

Radocy, R. &. (2003). Psychological foundations of musical behavior (4th ed.). Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.

Shields, C. (2001). Music Education and Mentoring as Intervention for At-Risk Urban Adolescents:Their Self-Perceptions, Opinions, and Attitudes. Journal of Research in Music Education , 273-286.

Woolfork, A. (1998). Educational psychology (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Presented for your approval Governor are a series of thoughts about the arts in public education, and what they can bring to the lives and future careers of students.  I am certainly not telling you that it has to be all our way like the way you have run the state during your term – but this is more from an informative perspective that your agenda is hurting our ability to reach and provide skills to students that serve them far beyond their high school years. Okay, so maybe I am being a little hard on the Ed, but if you are going to be head chef you better be able to stand the heat in the kitchen.

The arts can be a powerful tool for students to develop competence in as they compete in a 21^st century job market.  When he was interviewed by Business Week former PNC CEO Paul Chellgren (1996) had this to say about the arts:

“Today’s students need arts education now more than ever.  Yes, they need the basics.  But today there are two sets of basics.  The first – reading, writing, math – is a prerequisite for a second, more complex, equally vital collection of higher level skills         required to function well in today’s world….The arts provide an unparalleled opportunity to teach these higher level basics that are increasingly critical, not only to tomorrow’s work force, but today’s.”

There is significant discussion in education today about “Transformative Assessment” and its use in the general classroom.  Elliot Eisner (2002), Stanford Art Professor, would argue 5 points that demonstrate this component is evident in everyday practice amongst visual and performing arts educators.  These artistically rooted qualitative forms of intelligence reveal themselves in transformative assessment as students 1) experience qualitative relationships and make judgments, 2) encounter “flexible purposing” (capitalizing on emerging features of a work), 3) understand not everything knowable can be articulated in a propositional form, 4) that form and content is most often inextricable, and 5) realize the aesthetic satisfaction that makes the work possible.

The fine, visual and performing arts open many career doors to students because of the transitive learning that is encountered and then applied to a new field.  But we must not forget that the arts are a unique way of demonstrating intelligence in knowing, creating, doing, and appreciating within that domain.  Education in the arts should help individual students achieve whatever potentials they possess to be intelligent within that domain.

I realize that the many school districts are under a tremendous burden to make AYP in their PSSA.  This added pressure of the PSSA’s might influence the resources and time allotted for non-tested subjects like the arts.  Recent research in this area conducted by Thorton (2007) demonstrates that many Pennsylvania students who voluntarily participate in music programs such as band, choir and orchestra perform significantly better on PSSA tests than students who choose not to participate is such activities. It is necessary to note that these results do not indicate that students achieved higher scores on their PSSA tests because they were in music. The purpose of this study was to examine whether music participation negatively impacts PSSA test scores, and the data demonstrated that music students’ scores are not lower than those of non-music students.

I must again defer to the wisdom of Bennett Reimer (2003).  As I referenced on a recent post, there are 5 dimensions that cannot be ignored that music educators impart to our students.  By doing so in the unique way that music can, these values – which so many of us can extol – make the musical experience a life changing one.  The values of trust (depending on others who are depending on us), competence (achieving it means there is work to be done), cooperation (with people, with the medium, and with the situation), respect (granting others a sense of worth in a shared enterprise which all of us contribute), and courage (are willingness to risk, be open to the unknown, and deal with challenges) can be instilled in the lives of students within the arts.  Those students become new members of society that move forward and contribute positively to careers, their families, and their communities – no matter what their profession.

Beyond that we teach unique subjects with unique ways of knowing.  We learn to appreciate the intrinsic value of what we experience through direct interaction and production of art celebrating noble expression of man’s ability to create.  We are moved to great extremes of emotional depth, and experience a fantastic set of skills which are required to produce them. The arts will never cure cancer, help the stock market rebound, or rebuild a town devastated by disaster.  The arts will make us better people who appreciate beauty.  They were meant to enlighten our thinking, and bring out the very best our minds can offer.  The arts belong in the public schools for all the right reasons.  They make a bold statement to all who experience it about real education progress.
Notes:

Eisner, Elliot W. (2002) “What can eduction learn from the arts about the practice of education?”, the encyclopedia of informal education,      www.infed.org/biblio/eisner_arts_and_the_practice_or_education.htm .

Reimer, B. (2003). A philosophy of music education: Advancing the vision (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River,  NJ: Prentice Hall.

Thornton, L. (2007). A Comparison of PSSA Scores between Music and Non-Music Students:Summary Report.  PMEA Research Committee and The Pennsylvania State University (available at http://pmea.net/researchadvocacy.html)

What good is arts education? Educating the workplace through the arts. (1996, October)   Business Week,12.

Another guy that has really given me a shot in the arm of late is Drew Fennell.  Many thanks again to Drew who this afternoon debuted “Shine!” with the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Summer Wind Ensemble!!! My respect and appreciation for Drew as a musician, conductor, and composer continues to grow.  The performance was great, and I really appreciate those students bringing this music to life!!!  Bump on over to myspace and check out the live recording from the July 18th concert – it even still has that new recording smell to it…I think!

More to come in the months ahead, so stay tuned! And if not, Korg makes a very affordable model (that’s free advertising you can’t buy anywhere!)….

Pick your artist and they have skeletons in their closet – I am not sure there is a musician alive who can say they are completely clean, honest, and devoid of some sort of crutch – except maybe Brittney Spears…just checking to make sure you are still reading.  Thinking about Mozart, who definitely died too young – was his personal life a detriment to others? Perhaps to his family, but to others I would guess no.  What about Liszt? My recent work at Kent State (which has been burying me lately – sorry for the long stretches with no new blogging) has involved a lot of reading about Beethoven.  The one side of him that I never really connected with him is how he elevated the expectation levels for the performers, the music being created, and the audience.  He elevated his position to that of being the “superstar” of his day and probably had to endure some unkind public critiques at one point of his career.  We know he had a temper, but what was his conduct like when nobody was watching him?

But another side of Beethoven was the advancement that music can have strong ethical content.  Once that concept was accepted, then the world owed the composer a living.  The composer would create a serious and intellectually respected masterpiece that would outlive its day and the impetus which led to its creation (Longyear, 1988).  But did it mean it created more ethical musicians who created it?

One part of Reimer’s 3^rd Edition of his Philosophy of Music Education was his open questioning “should it be claimed that the point and purpose of music education is to create more ethical human beings?”.  He outlines 5 dimensions that are clearly part of our responsibility as music educators to impart to our students.  By doing so in the unique way that music can, these values – which so many of us can extol – make the musical experience a life changing one.

Read on in Chapter 4 and you won’t be sorry.  The value of trust, competence, cooperation, respect, and courage cannot be measured in our programs by trophies and plaques, but the people that move forward and contribute positively to society – no matter what their profession.  Another day we will discuss those five dimensions and the attitudes that can be cultivated from using the musical experience to not only make great musicians, but also make great people.

Longyear, R. M. (1988). Nineteenth Century Romanticism in Music (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Reimer, B. (2003). A philosophy of music education: Advancing the vision (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.<–>

One of my more critical beliefs about music education is its responsibility to be an integral force in shaping, educating, and influencing culture and society.  Similar to the thoughts of Reimer (2003), I believe that music education has a responsibility to make our students aware that music is a universal experience, the meanings drawn from music are contextual to the culture in which they occur, and that through exploration and study of other culture’s musical forms and practices students can come to a better appreciation, understanding, and value of the music indigenous to their own culture.   While I believe that some exploration and study of music of other cultures is a worthy endeavor, we are limited by our shared experience of that culture’s music, and we must be sensitive that our instruction through the represented medium in our culture may in fact not accurately represent the accepted practices of the culture from which the music originates (Jorgensen, 2003).  If we can recognize this limitation and seek means by which we are able to bring a better understanding to our students through authentic representation or performance, we demonstrate our commitment to the universal experience that music offers.  The respect and inclusion of music from other cultures is a valuable undertaking, but the profession of music education must also consider the many traditions and social values of our own culture in the music that is selected for study.  As a profession, our goal should be to provide an authentic musical learning experience for all involved and, in some cases, requires us to extend our research of appropriate music to many traditions, eras, styles, and genres as it might better reflect the desires of the community in which we teach (Rideout, 2005). 

            As part of our responsibility to educate and influence culture and society, we must develop and provide creative, responding, and listening opportunities “including but going beyond those that are readily available within the culture” (Reimer, 2003, p.160).  I will first address the opportunities within music that are engaged by the majority of the population, and later will discuss the importance of the opportunities found in the music which is engaged by a smaller portion of the populace.  I believe each side, for reasons of authenticity, aesthetic appeal, history, performance demands, and relation with aspects of the culture, is worthy of study for students at every grade level.  When music’s ability to contribute to moral conditions, regulate behavior or social norms, integrate society, enhance personal relationships, and promote social and political awareness are considered in addition to the reasons listed above (Alperson & Carroll, 2008), it becomes obvious how deeply music is integrated and functional within society and culture. My goal here is not to make qualitative judgments or imply preference, but rather to view music of our own culture from a broad perspective and illuminate reasons why there should be a diverse selection of music included for study.  The majority of my teaching experience in my career thus far has been as a high school band director and teacher of instrumental music.  The nature of this teaching position has required me to prepare soloists, chamber and small ensembles, and large ensembles of a traditional school setting for numerous public performances.  An additional part of my teaching duties includes instruction to students in a general music classroom, and although this portion of the student population does not have aspirations to enroll in one of the curricular ensembles, they are just as deserving as ensemble students to be engaged in musically meaningful ways (Reimer, 2003). 

            There is a healthy balance that needs to be achieved between the objectives of professional music educators and desires of students and community members on the music that is selected for study in education.  When the demands of the community are prevailing over the insight and experience of professionals education can be stagnant, and conversely when community values are ignored and the choices of the profession are substituted a definite rift develops between the two groups (Reimer, 2003).  In considering Reimer’s discussion on this very idea in his third edition, I believe that one of the more significant rifts that occurred between community expectations and professional aspirations has involved the exclusion of popular music from classrooms.  Reimer (2003) notes that “popular music” is engaged by the vast majority of the American populace, yet it has remained largely unused in the music classroom or rehearsal hall by the profession of music educators who seek to help their students make a meaningful connection with music.  British philosopher Kevin D. Skelton (2004) offers an interesting perspective on the idea of engaging students in studying music that I feel would be beneficial for the profession to consider.  He says,

            “Unlike most disciplines, students continuing to post-secondary education in music are likely to have undertaken private instruction in their principal             instrument, if not also in history and theory.  For this reason, it is my rather extreme opinion that pre-university music education would be served better by catering to the average students.  Such a focus would encourage more people to engage with music at a level of some personal importance throughout their lives. By this I do not mean a ‘dumbing-down’ of the curriculum, but rather a shift in focus that could benefit the musically proficient as well as the musically interested.”

While this statement is not meant to dismiss the value or heritage of existing performance ensembles within the school, educators must recognize that many students are already deeply immersed in some styles and types of popular music.  Providing opportunities to create, listen, and respond to music the student can identify with because of its familiarity creates a learning atmosphere that is energizing, refreshing, and responsive.  Skelton (2004) further advocates that our profession should seek to recognize the role music plays in each student’s life, and our classroom and curriculum should also seek to promote an increased and more diverse role outside the limits of school.  As Woodford (2005) suggests, students should be reminded of the significance of expanding their musical and social perspectives, while learning to live in a society where people’s values, morals, and beliefs differ from their own.  It is through the study of this music that we can challenge students to consider cultural, political, social and moral issues that have been central in many different styles of popular music, and come to a better understanding of the performance practices and traditions that have set it apart from other styles of music in our culture. 

            In my role as an instrumental music educator, I select music for educational study with opportunities for creating, listening, and responding going beyond what is provided by the culture utilizing music of various folk traditions, instrumental music of Western classical traditions, and Jazz music traditions.  From a historical and cultural perspective, this music has always been associated with the repertoire of music for school bands, and those ensembles retain unique characteristics that demonstrate its virtues.  The virtues of this ensemble are found as you examine its home within the school structure, the youthful spirit and energy of its members, the constant educational process eventually growing into a public product, and psychological/emotional needs of the participants as novices who are confronting complex musical challenges to their emerging self-image (Reimer, 2003, p.283). By examining the significant and meaningful music of previous generations of music educators and incorporating them into instruction, it instills a sense of the heritage that instrumental music has created among performers, conductors, and listeners.  As a profession, we should continue to preserve and present music that best represents this heritage in our instruction, and also seek new examples that extend the spirit and contribute to the advancement of our heritage.  In our search to present repertoire that answers this calling, we should also, as Reimer (2003) points out, not force our ensembles to study a “varied repertoire of music” at the expense of compromising our artistic integrity.  Over the past ten years, there has been significant collaboration among conductors, composers, and educators to identify individual pieces within the repertoire of Western bands that represent authentic, well-crafted, educational, and culturally and stylistically diverse literature that should be considered for study.  The efforts of projects like, but not limited to, the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series, Composers on Composing for Band, and Bandquest have yielded a considerable educational resource to those in our profession that are charged with educating, preserving, and advancing the heritage of instrumental music.  

            The short end is that this is not a process whereby we will see the results in one year.  I am distressed over the number of colleagues I have already known that have left the profession because it was a fight in which “they didn’t know where to start”.  We must find ways to retain members in the profession so that in time they see the fruit of their labor.  I am distressed when I learn of concerts and programs where musical expectations are far removed from the community in which it is situated.  We must find ways to preserve the heritage of instrumental music as it exists so that our audience is rewarded aesthetic, educational, and entertaining moments.  We cannot always fight the war of financial support for music education, though it is one which we should be aware.  We must be advocates that build knowledge, respect, and appreciation for our fine and performing arts programs within the schools.  We must take the responsibility to educate our communities on our value so that no school administrator or board of director for a community group will ever think “well, we have to have this music program”.  I want them to NEED this MUSIC program like a fish needs water.  This issue is bigger than me, and even bigger than the ME Blogger Movement.  But we need to be having this conversation with our colleagues about this responsibility. I’m in. How about you?

References

Alperson, P. & Carroll, N. (2008). Music, mind, and morality: Arousing the body politic.  Journal of Aesthetic Education, 42(1), 1-15.

Camphouse, M. (Ed.). (2007). Composers on composing for band.  Chicago: GIA.

Jorgensen, E. R. (2003) What philosophy can bring to music education: Musicianship as a case in point.  British Journal of Music Education, 20(2), 197-214.

Reimer, B. (2003). A philosophy of music education: Advancing the vision (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Rideout, R. (2005). Whose music? Music education and cultural issues. Music Educators Journal, 91(4), 39-41.

Skelton, K. D. (2004). Should we study music and/or as culture? Music Education Research, 6(2), 171-177.

Woodford, P. G. (2005). Democracy and music education: Liberalism, ethics, and the politics of practice. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

The post by One Family’s Blog is comparative review of Yamah Digital Pianos that attempts to guide families come to the right purchase decision.  Dan D. Smith reviews Griff Hamlin’s latest package, Playing Through The Blues - A Guide For TheLead Guitar Player. His review can be found at The Best Guitar Courses on the Internet . It is a pleasure to have Cary Stewart join us with two great submissions. Check out some practical rehearsal advice in Criteria for Superior Rehearsal Wasting and some more pedagogical thoughts in It’s the only connection they have. 

Mr. ReBand travels down a road unfortunately not less taken for many of us.  His own experiences in a typical situation are presented in  The Vice-Principal Talk . Rachel Rambach is doing some interesting things on her site with educational music for children.  The author presents Faster is Better , a first hand account of a new song that she has written. Arpeggio Exercises is a post by Barry Wright.  Barry offers some good tips in this concise post.

Thomas J. West has a great post that is a must for parents that are confronted with the question When you should get a private music teacher for your child?  I was in class with Thomas a few years ago at Villanova.  He is a wonderful composer in his own right, and it is exciting to hear him share from this perspective. Dr. Joseph M. Pisano points us in the right direction to find Free Printable Music Staff Paper and Sheets Online.    I am always impressed with his ability to find the best available free information on the web and make sure people know about it! Larry Ferlazzo has an informative post that profiles The Best Online Sites for Creating Music.  Larry is an English teacher in California.

Are you Teaching for Honors Choir? and more?  Be sure to check out this post by Theresa White.  As many of our students are moving into the festival season, her post has some really good points that encapsulate the experience. The Collaborative Piano Blog has a practical/seasonal post entitled 8 Ways to Improve Your Enjoyment of the Piano Through Playing Christmas Music.  As someone who has witnessed his own oldest daughter now surpass him in piano ability, I took a special interest in this post.  Finally, I would appreciate some feedback from all of you who teach middle school band as I try to turn up the heat on Middle School Band Literature in Where there’s smoke there’s fire…and hey is that my middle school band room?

Enjoy the show and the funnel cake as the Music Education Blog Carnival continues!

It was nice this colleague took the time to email.  It was so dissapointing he was so flippant and sarcastic.  Before anyone puts fingers to keyboard, yes I am perfectly guilty of sarcasm from time to time.  But as the only response to a colleague in need of some input? As I approach the midpoint of my career I am becoming less and less tolerant of unprofessionals.  Those among us who do what we do, but see no greater good in sharing their thoughts and experiences.  Perhaps they feel that if they share, they will somehow elevate someone else’s program instead of their own.  Maybe they do not teach in a good situation, and don’t feel compelled to help anyone else succeed because it will only make them feel worse.  Whatever the case – it has to stop.

Competition is healthy. I will not disagree with that as it raises the quality of the musical product.  But when it comes to a point where competition is our motivation to tear someone else down professionally, something is definitely wrong and it isn’t the judges score on interpretation.  Are we still focused on building an empire? Is our strive to compete so strong that we do not feel we can share and communicate with each other? The one thing I have enjoyed over the past few years is the other directors in my county and our honest and sincerity.  When one of us has a great show on the night of the county band festival, he or she hears about it.  There is mutual respect and support.  I know that if I called any one of them right now with a question, I would get answers that could help.  We do have an official county association, but our membership supports each other because it is the right thing to do.

Since taking over as an executive officer for our four county music association, it has been very rewarding to begin connecting with music teachers in different situations, teaching levels, and ensembles.  I am thankful to guys like Corky, Sal, Jim, Tom, Jamie, Gary, Steve, and Chris who were good enought to take me under their wing at various times and teach me how to be a professional, and what it would take to be an effective leader.  They played by the rules.  They encouraged their students to work hard, and be the best.  They acted in the best interest of all students.  They showed respect to their colleagues. I am the leader I am partially because of the advice they gave me.  They never jerked a colleague around or didn’t play by the rules.  Fair was fair. Right was right. Wrong was wrong. 

Hanging on my wall is a picture of Nolan Ryan with a young Robin Ventura in a head lock delivering a healthy haymaker.  This is a daily reminder to always be mindful, always listen, and don’t fly off the handle with something to prove.  I will not forget watching that baseball game as a youth and seeing a young, hot-headed star dashing out to the mound to teach one of the greatest pitchers of all time a lesson about throwing inside.  What happened afterwards will always remind me to repsect my elders – they have been there, they have done that.  Ignore what they are trying to tell you, and you might get famous for being part of a famous “beat-down” of the musical kind. 

I am many things to many people this year.  The one thing that I am trying to maintain is pretty simple: I am a man of my word, not a man of many words.  That means being up front and being honest with all of my colleagues.  It means not short changing them because I don’t want them to succeed.  Or I don’t feel like getting my forms in on time.  Or returning their call.  Or responding to their email.  Like Tom and Jamie always told me, if they pick up the phone to call you and you don’t call back- you are the one with a problem.

Do we not have a responsibility to leave our ego out of professional matters?  Don’t we have a responsibility to each other on some level to provide input or advice? Don’t we have a responsibility to be…er…just be responsible? Be courteous? Be supportive?  I think we are in a day and age where we must start getting out of this “me-monkey” mindset, and get to a point where real communication and collaboration can start occuring.  A situation where real competition can make us all better educators, and our students aware of the true value of competition (hint: it isn’t trophies on the wall). My advice to anyone reading this post who has taught less than 14 years – if you want to go out and prove yourself, prove that you are a sincere, dedicated, respectful, and responsible educator.

[polldaddy poll=1006750]

First of all, these athletes took the time necessary to focus on ONE thing and become great. There are wonderful students in our classrooms and ensembles who seek recognition in many areas – there always will be. They make positive contributions musically and socially to our organizations – they always will. But lest we forget, there is that small percentage who is on the cusp of doing something great. We need to focus the energies and talents of those students like a Coach does and help them understand their potential and the path to take to realize it. Every student is different, every situation is unique, and each coach has their own perspective. So where do we start?

I spoke with my marching band over the summer about five aspects of a musical experience needed to make it meaningful (These are taken from Reimer’s A Philosophy of Music Education: Advancing the Vision – thanks Dr. Dorfman!). They need to understand trust – each member of our group has to depend on someone else who is depending on them. They need competence – achieving it means that work needs to be done. They need cooperation – both between members of the group, but with the materials (the music, the instrument, the sonic image of the composer). They need respect – grant others a sense of worth as part of a shared enterprise). They need courage – the risk of being open to the unexpected, the not yet known, and willing to be wrong as much as they are right. I agree with Dr. Reimer that these make more ethical people from our teaching, but it also lends itself to making student musicians who make great musical and social decisions. Phelps trust in his relay teammates was rewarded – Men’s & women’s track and field relay teams fell apart. How hard Nastia and Shawn worked for those moments – and cooperation with their coach, the apparatus, and allowing their body to perform what was created in a visual image by the mind. All of those athletes had courage – even when that meant a slight bump on the hurdle cost Lolo Jones everything she still had the courage to speak about what happened. The “Redeem” Team has been a wonderful example of respect in their support of the other athletes – a lot of that comes from the top down, and I love Coach K. (I highly recommend his book, Leading with the Heart).

But that is not all. There is one component I would add that they NEED to see from us – and that is passion for what we do, the art we create, interpret, and teach. Do you really believe there was no passion in the overtime between the US and Brazil in Soccer? Or between Japan and USA in Women’s softball? Passion reigned supreme when those events ended. But passion should fill our hearts as educators and we should not be afraid to show it in a rehearsal or in a concert. How much better will students react when they see someone excited and energized about what they do? Never forget why you became a musician – it was a love affair with sound (this great advice was shared with me by Francis McBeth some years ago). They need it as much as the five qualities named by Dr. Reimer.

In some cases, these athletes have spent a lifetime training for 10 seconds of glory. One match. Just under 51 seconds of the most exciting swimming final ever. But they prepare with a mindset to give their personal best each time – the process of their preparation is to be the best in the world. Our students are a little different and sometimes are far from that standard, but it doesn’t mean we should give up because it is never going to be attainable. Their coaches have taken TIME to teach them – they set them on a path towards excellence, they inspired them to believe in themselves, they put them through a process so that no matter if there were three people who finished ahead of them they know that they have given their best.

Maybe a concert doesn’t need to be an hour long – maybe it only needs to be 40 minutes of greatness instead of 60 minutes of better than average. Time is the biggest pressure we have day to day within our teaching schedules – ask anybody they will agree, maybe not on a Presidential choice, but on instructional time? Pshh, that is a no-brainer. When is the last time you heard anyone say “I wish I didn’t have as much time to teach my students?” These athletes continue to prove that the quality of the experience is more important than the quantity of experiences. Perhaps our instruction should reflect more of that commitment to raising the quality, and doing it in what little quantity we sometimes have.

We (as educators) are not in the business of working with professional musicians – but that doesn’t mean we should be lacking a professional attitude. Some of them are amatures, some slightly better, some that are exceptional – but they are all still kids. Kids who need role models committed to trusting, competence, cooperation, respect, courage, and passion. Role models who teach them because they love what it is that they do for all the right reasons. And before some of you take fingers to keyboard and call me out, yes those paychecks do help don’t they? But explain to me why I feel like a million bucks at the end of the Pines of Rome – for me that is one of those right reasons.

We want our students to make the right decisions as people and musicians. Let us lead them as their coaches in making our choices ones that inspire, challenge, and mold them into student musicians who seek to continually improve themselves. My opening ceremony for the year is now concluded , the torch is lit, and it is officially time to teach!

But now I find myself past the half way point of my summer session at Kent (a little sad about Dr. Dorfman leaving, but he will do great things at BU), and balancing my course load with a series of summer rehearsals with the marching band.  My hour plus drive during the week has provoked some thoughts in me about our role as band directors and how one year never really seems to end…

Consider that our performance groups mirror the school athletic teams in the districts in which we teach: football leads to hoops like marching band gives way to pep band.  For some of us, our jazz ensembles usually start before pep band finishes.  Preparing students for honors festivals takes time in and out of school, and before long preparations for a spring trip come into play.  We hold auditions for next year’s band fronts before we sometimes get all the equipment back.  We become immersed in the process of recruitment/retainment for our ensembles for the next year before the final note of our spring concert is sounded.  Don’t forget monthly Booster meetings, important board meetings, faculty meetings, and in-service days that have all the relevance of a Paula Cole acoustic set at a Biker Rally in Sturges.  During my last week of school while other teachers are putting away books, cleaning up their rooms, and putting together a summer reading list, I work with the Senior Class Advisor making graduation practice happen for about 100 graduates to be – at the same time being responsible for 25 students in the commencement band.  All of this being said I have not mentioned that we are teaching students during the school day….that is when the brilliant Ed Rendell says we don’t have to be testing them (note: Rendell=jabroni).

At times, the “necessary evils” of our profession seem insurmountable.  There is only one of us, and we can get stretched pretty thin.  So submitted for your approval, 5 suggestions to make your life as a band director a bit more manageable.

5) Plan early – Budget not only what amount of time you commit but when as well.  This means getting your schedule set early for all extra-groups and constantly looking at the big picture.  The more information we have at our fingertips when we begin mapping out our schedules, the less chance we have for a frustrating surprise wrecking our plans.

4) Don’t teach the same band every year - Each year our group’s complexion will change.  Sometimes we reload sections, sometimes we rebuild them.  But in either case – they are a differently personality that learns in a different way.  They should know our expectations, but we should be responsible to learn how to connect with them better.

3) Think about next year’s band now – Huh? Yes, in the moment of working with this year’s group make sure you take time to note how underclassmen are developing.  To ensure our groups can maintain the demands of performance and live up to their expectations, we need to build up the skills, confidence, and demeanor of younger players so that when the time comes they can assume a new role.

2) Consider goals – We should engage ourselves and our ensembles in setting goals – personal and group goals for our camps, and throughout the year.  The goals should be worthy of our (collective) commitment.  The goals should be reachable through sound process (no pun intended).

1) Take Time for You – Throughout the year and especially in the summer, we need to take some breaks.  One week in the Outer Banks does wonders for yours truly, and the other 51 don’t seem that bad.  Even throughout the year, from month to month, taking time away is rewarding.  Finding those 15 minutes a day for you and  your other interests can make a world of difference.

There is a band for all seasons, as long as a Director is there to lead them.

When preparing for this (which is probably similar to Contest Festivals in other states), there is no cramming and last minute “throwing things together”.  The performance should reflect a significant amount of time studying the piece to deliver the composer’s intent for the music.  That being said, there is another side to the coin which I feel can be dangerous for student growth and appreciation of music.  While I understand that for some schools a good rating at a festival is of paramount importance (and sometimes is oddly tied to their continued support and funding…), I don’t believe necessarily in a ”drop everything else so we can get this rating” mentality.  There is a fine line of process and product to be walked in this kind of endeavor, and it is certainly worth the walk to elevate the expectations for your program.  I do my best to emphasize the importance of what we can learn by presenting a part of the product as part of the process.  I will gladly acknowledge that preparing and performing at a very high level for some of our students creates a meaningful connection with music that alters their life perspective (and maybe their career choice to become a music teacher or performer!).  They may experience the ultimate success at this level (or a similar situation).  They could also experience a degree of failure.  Be mindful of how they pick themselves up, and be active in helping them assimilate and analyze what happened.  You could be Bowling for Mozart and not even realize it.

Talking with a couple of friends who also had groups at the festival, I was in agreement that we definitely learned things about our groups on Tuesday.  More importantly, the students learned things about themselves and their ensemble as well.  When we return from our Easter break, there are a number of comments from the judges that I can share that will hopefully guide us on the next path of our journey.  Our students sometimes end up unconciously “tuning us out” (sorry, no pun, put away your Korg….) because they hear us day after day address things like:

• Key Signature
• Accidentals
• Rhythms 
• Tuning
• Intonation
• Phrasing
• Balance
• Expression
• Trombones, it’s A natural! Second position! (Ok, so perhaps I tipped my own frustrated baton on this one….)

But throw the comments of an outside observer at them, and suddenly their perspective is refreshed (Not to mention our own!).  Knowing the adjudicators we had on Tuesday, they have all been in the position during their career that the directors are currently working.  Their comments will be very useful, because they will reinforce to the students to commit to quality and strive to make your next performance better.  They will tell a group where the strength lies, but also where the weaknesses are as well.  Their comments will be practical for everyday use in rehearsal, and they will not be condescending to the point it would damage the group’s self-esteem or confidence.  As I have said before, the ears of an outside observer – whether a colleague, a student teacher, a friend – can lend a perspective that can be helpful in evaluating our instruction.

I was proud of all my students for accepting the challenge of the music we studied, and for giving the music their best possible effort.  I have a list of things that we will continue to build upon.  I also have a list of things I know that we will be able to incorporate, work on in our daily rehearsal, and thereby improve the quality of the ensemble as well.  This was part of the on-going process that by engaging our students and ourself we will ultimatley improve our product.  

I have very basic expectations for student teachers:

• Be there. If you are that sick I will tell you to go home. Otherwise, we are in it for the long haul, and it is time to wear the sickness down instead of vice versa.
• Be organized/prepared. Nick and I never went into a rehearsal or lesson the past 8 weeks without a plan. I am not talking a down to the minute synopsis of how general music is going to explore the music of Janis Joplin…not that I think that is a worthwhile endeavor….but we spent time discussing what we needed to accomplish, and where we needed to focus our energies.
• Be prepared to fail. Look, everybody wants to hit it out of the park on the first at bat. But that doesn’t happen too often. If you fail, get over it. In another 4 minutes a different group of students is coming in the door that don’t care that your Janis Joplin lesson failed – they care about Holst and what you can teach them about him!
• Understand every experience for what it is, and understand what you can learn from it (the good, the bad, and the Janis…er….the ugly, as it were).
• Never teach a lesson on Janis Joplin. (Not that Nick did, I just thought that maybe someone would think it was a good idea…)
• Be professionally passionate. Why did you choose music? Why did you choose to teach music? What excites you in music? Can the students see it? You are a musical role model on many levels. Within the subject that we teach, there are inherent meanings in the music that we unlock with our students. They don’t just think different after it is revealed to them, they feel different. They need to recognize in you that you believe in your profession, and that you are passionate in creating and teaching this art.
• As Uncle Lou always told me – “Love great music.” So if you are an undergrad, and you haven’t realized MY BAND ROOM IS ON FIRE, take the challenge….(cause actually, last Tuesday, my school was on fire….no joke….).

This is by no means a complete list. But they are some of the things I look for in student teachers, and encourage them to consider as they make the transition. I was very fortunate to have worked with Nick, and I am earnestly looking forward to Krista joining our program in a few weeks. A different set of eyes, a new set of ears, and an outside voice of perspective that a student teacher can provide can be helpful. It is rewarding for me to work with them as I can share my own philosophy and really take stock of what I am doing and how the program is doing. As much as any student teacher learns from this process, I always find myself learning something from them. It is a neat symbiotic (sorry to go all Obi-wan-Episode I on you…) relationship for the student teacher, myself and the ensembles. I keep tabs on all the student teachers I have worked with in my 13 years. It is always exciting for me to catch up with them, and an honor to assist them with a project or provide advice and council.

We are educators. We teach music. We also sometimes must train future educators of music. It is our duty to provide them with an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to succeed, and a mentor and role model that is sincere and passionate about their calling to bring the power of music to enhance the students’ lives.

What a great night! (I am going to keep coming back to that word more frequently than a MLB player hears the word perjury lately).  First some absolute highlights:

• I am by no means an Alicia Keys fan.  But she (her performance) was great.  She brought out John Mayer, and for retaining that Billy Joel-esque looks he certainly gets around well on the guitar.  I made it a point to download “No One” – although it will never make it to my ipod (that is reserved for the likes of Ticheli, Boysen, Camphouse, Reed, Gillingham, Balmages, Erickson, McBeth, Hilliard, Loest, and some guy named Holst).
• I am so an official Foo Fighters fan.  I did two of their songs with my marching band this past fall.  After hearing them on Sunday night, it was confirmed – they were great!  Dave Grohl and the crew have it going on in all the right ways.
• The Gospel Music nominees performed highlighted by Aretha Franklin.  In an era where many of the big names in the early years of Rock are passing away (rest in peace James Brown, Wilson Pickett) it was nice to see Aretha again (though in a different style).  Ludacris’ intro was great – “Prepare to your soul sanctified.”
• Herbie Hancock! Great! Herbie Hancock with Lang Lange playing “Rhapsody in Blue” on National TV! Great! How many of you knew that? Probably 90% of America walked to the kitchen to get more pretzels and a beer the minute the clarinet started.  I was so juiced about it!  Take notice that this was real music, by two incredible musicians! And then to have your Grammy award (which it was 40 some years since a jazz guy won it) presented to you by Quincy Jones? It’s like getting being ordained for Priesthood by the late Pope John Paul.  Yeah, it’s that big.
• Beyonce. Disturbingly not great.  Not that she ever has been….
• Joan Tower.  Who? Oh, yeah the Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Best Classical Album, and Best Orchestral Performance Grammy Winner for Made In America (Nashville Symphony Orchestra led by Slatkin) Great! Just not televised which is not great!
• Keith O. Johnson. Another who? Engineer for Garden of Dreams the Grammy nominated Best Engineered Album.  And the album – yeah, Dallas Wind Symphony (Jerry Junkin) they are pretty alright if you are in to that “they-play-great- music-with-pristine-intonation-balance-and-musical-expression” thing (And yes, I am a pretty big fan of that kind of music performance!!!).  They didn’t win, but would it be awesome to hear them get to perform some year on the show!  If the Grammy Foundation really wanted to hit one out of the park for music education why not bring them in and give them some serious exposure!
• Best Instrumental Arrangement? The Grammy went to Vince Mendoza. Another who? But many of us already know this is the stuff of Joe Zawinul (who passed away in September of 2007).
• And while we are paying homage, look no further than the tribue by the classical fan-fav Josh Groban and the understated Andrea Bocelli.  Groban is fine with me, but Bocelli is where it is at.  Sure the tribute was being done for many who had passed away, but it was so fitting as the final still photo was of Pavarotti.  One day I am sure we will pay similar homage to Bocelli, though I hope that day is far, far away.  And BTW, he was great!

It was a rewarding experience to watch.  As I reflect on the class I led my fellow Doc students on today at KSU, I cannot help but come back to this thought: Don’t stand in the way of your students learning about all kinds of music.  We must equip our students with the musical experiences and knowledge that will allow them to be educated consumers in society.  We should be the conduit that allows the spark of all kinds of music to ignite them – not the electrician who only wires certain areas of the house for certain things.  Keep evolving by figuring out what kids are listening to so that  you are never that teacher whose music time has passed by.  Certainly we should develop a definition for what is music, and criteria for evaluating music that we can lead them to make educated choices.  Whether good or bad is an entirely different subjective can of worms.  But it is our duty as Educators to provide diverse experience in our teaching beyond what society offers in culture.  I think we would all be surprised by how giving students the power to explore, evaluate, and decide on their own will lead them to a healthier relationship with music.  A healthier regard and esteem for music would definitely make society a much better place.  And I don’t think that there is NO ONE who would argue with that.

I am really thankful for Joe who has inspired me to think globally about making a difference locally. We used Skype – another one of the great free programs that Mustech.net has featured – to bring Jason in. Jason was able to share some great perspective with my students about his personal experience in the music industry. He helped clarify a number of issues as it relates to the PAL Logo Program, Music Copyrights and Licensing, and the ever-present Music Downloading situation. It was so impressive seeing Jason, who is a fantastic guitarist and composer (having written music for a number of Fox shows at ESPN in addition to some great stuff with his group THAT ROCKS!) bring this perspective to the students at level and in a manner they to which they could relate. He may consider himself just one small piece of the puzzle out there, but he really helped put a lot of things in place for my students through our interview.

The great part about this project from inception, to planning and preparation, through the sesssion, to post-class analysis was recognizing the need for evolution in all of education. Our kids are so media friendly, we should not presume that maintaining older instructional techniques will still get the job done. As a band director, I have to evolve every year as my groups change and in turn so does the instrumentation. Our profession (music educator) lends itself well to a high degree of adaptability, evolution, and change. But in the case of a traditional classroom subject – even this General Music Class – the temptation of putting things on “cruise control” and teach the same way “because that’s the way I did it last year”. Nothing smells worse in the nose of students than the smell of stagnation and apathy.

We are better teachers when we are learning ourselves. We are better teachers when we have the opportunity to implement something new we have learned into our instruction. The message it sends to our students is we have their best interest as a student in mind, and are not afraid to try and improve ourselves as educators. Our commitment can improve their commitment, which hopefully improves their studies, which hopefully improves their retention and ultimately their achievement.

Reinventing yourself is not easy. Evolution is necessary. It won’t be easy as we take beginning steps all over again. But it will be worthwhile. I don’t fear making a mistake in learning something new or in my implementation of a program or concept. I fear the day when I let the profession pass me by, and can no longer grow to meet its demands. For that will be the day my students will stop learning and caring about music.

Thanks again to Joe, Jason, Tracy, and my school district for helping making this small drop in the pond happen. Hopefully, a few more of us will catch one of the ripples.

First of all, I am not saying don’t raise the bar. We must raise the level of expectations with your ensembles and individual students whenever possible. Often students look at expectations as a limitation, something that will be difficult to obtain. In my own work as a composer and arranger of band music, I find limits to be very necessary. Limits force me to be creative. Limits force me to be decisive. Limits force me to think and create a way to obtain my goal that at the onset of work I did not consider. We hear all the time about the untapped human potential people possess. Why does it remain untapped? My guess with some people is that upon hearing a comment that they have untapped potential, they do not seek any limits (expectations) to see if the statement is in error. It is much easier to say you have no limits in your abilities than to actually test them and find out.

Limits help to define what will constitute a success for ourselves, our students, and our ensembles. Once it is realized we should take time to reflect on what we have accomplished, analyze how we have grown as a person and in our abilities, and what we have learned through the process. But we have changed – and besides exceeding the limit or expectation that was placed upon us, we have raised the level of expectation for everyone who is around us. The process is not microwaveable (a rant for another day) as our society would like it to be. The next encounter we have in achieving success requires the same methodology as the first: planning and preparation, implementing new concepts to a new problem or goal, plenty of attempts and experiences. The one intangible that must be present each time in someone is that of tenacity. We must have the ability (as a good friend so eloquently put it) to “put our blinders on and plow on through”. Our eyes must be on the prize, the goal, our definition of success. Our focus should move us forward in such a way that is consistent with the quality of our goal. There are plenty of things that can become an unnecessary distraction and slow us down or make us weary. If all else is present, our tenacity separates High Honor Roll from the kid who never applied himself, All-Pro Football Players from 7th round draft picks, and Ph.D. from A.B.D. (now a doctoral student at Kent State, this is on my mind).

Does success have a price? Yes. Ask Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils last spring when they were upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Ask Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints this year after an 0-3 start. Everybody expects you to more successful the next time. That is not impossible. We must be honest with ourselves and the limits we set. We must decide upon goals worthy of our commitment. We must acknowledge that we will fail at some point in the process, and we must be willing to learn from failure. We must be willing to embrace the process anew each time, and we should accept that the process can be different each time.

The toughtest thing about being successful is that you must continue to be successful, and that can come with a heavy price. The most rewarding thing about being successful is not the prize (although it is pretty nice at times), but the process. It instills in us good habits that speak to the core of our character. Our colleagues, friends, and family begin to view us in a different light. While I acknowledge that the level of expectations that groups can set can be unhealthy, I speak from personal experience when I say they usually understand and respect the value system that has led you in this process. Success. Tough? Yes. Worth it? Yes.