How does one at the time of his life with a mortgage, 2 kids, a full-time teaching gig, and not finished with a master’s degree feed and nourish the musician inside? Easy – just deprive yourself of sleep and lunch breaks and get serious about writing some music. Throughout the last nine years, I have invested a significant amount of time experimenting, listening, sketching, and composing which has produced some pretty good results. Reflecting back upon this personal musical commitment, I strongly believe that the works I have produced represent an area of tremendous growth as a musician, educator, conductor, and composer.

The one thing I am more aware of now in the creative process is the exchange of information between the unconscious dimension and conscious dimension. In interviews with eight composers who have demonstrated an interest in understanding the subtleties of the creative process, Lapidaki (2007) indicates that the role of the unconscious is vital to composers as they seek to begin or complete a musical composition.  Rollo May suggests that there is an unconscious dimension of experience, and that “there is a kind of battle between what consciously the composer thinks and some perspective that is struggling to be born” (May, 1975, 59).  Although it is an important part of the initial creative process, the exchange between the subconscious and conscious dimensions allows the composer to create a well-crafted musical product in a number of different ways.

Despite differences in the sequence of events in the process, I have discovered there are some commonalities that have revealed themselves within the act of composing music.  A period of evaluation and exploration of the musical material, improvisational sessions utilizing different instruments and the human voice, and consideration and research of programmatic elements all consistently have become part of the creative process as I begin writing a piece of music.  I do keep a series of sketchbooks facilitate to assist in evaluation and exploration of material, and some highly private improvisational sessions are not far behind. I will sit down and actively engage with the material, but there are some ideas that are expanded, as Quincy Hilliard shared with me, “during periods of transition”. I do some of my best work weeding, mulching, shoveling snow, and mowing the grass. A former student joked with me a future piece may include seven percussion parts including a running lawn mower to be started at the beginning of the work like the gong in the Pines of Rome!

Those activities may persist through each foray of writing a new piece of music, but, as W. Francis McBeth shared with me many years ago, the time I spent within the music, the sounds I have selected, and the form that I wish to utilize will be an important part of the entire process. There is a reason why Jack Nicklaus was great – he worked at it consistently with high expectations. The writings of Bennett Reimer have assisted in focusing this goal, and the criteria of sensitivity, imagination, and authenticity he sets forth for judging quality in music I believe to be important additional aspirations besides craftsmanship to convey in the finished musical product (Reimer, 1991).  The entire creative process is full of intimidating questions that can only be answered over a period of time in which I am able to allow my aural imagination to envision a new work that will have unity, identify in some way with the music that has come before it, and refine the expressive power found within the sounds I have chosen so that the end result is an authentic musical experience for all who choose to engage with that music.

There is a multi-level relationship I must acknowledge that has developed between my roles as an educator, conductor, and composer. The benefits and rewards of being able to teach music from the perspective of an educator and conductor are deeply enhanced by drawing upon my experiences as a composer.  As analysis and preparation of a score of music begins, I am now able to take into account the composer’s intent in development of a musical phrase or his choice of orchestration. There are obvious technical limitations with each grade level of music that dictate melodic, rhythmic, and expressive choices to a composer as they score music for an ensemble.  My engagement in composition has allowed me to more easily recognize how those technical limitations have been distributed to the ensemble and their importance within the piece’s melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and expressive hierarchy.

By having a better concept of these elements, I am able to plan and pace instruction with the ensembles more efficiently, and can also share this insight with the students so they are able to place their individual part into a greater context and begin making an authentic connection with the music. I have discovered that my engagement in composition has made me more confident and selective in seeking, researching, internalizing, and teaching unfamiliar music.  It has further opened my aural music senses to recognizing connections and relationships among the different elements of familiar pieces that were previously not identifiable.

In a similar way, I have experienced growth in my skills as a conductor because of new connections realized between the writing and teaching of music.  The role of the conductor is a critical one for any ensemble, as that role is generally entrusted with the responsibility of communicating the intent of the composer.  Hilliard (Camphouse, 2007, 100) shares this view that was first brought to light by one his teachers:

One of my teachers, Richard Bowles, stated that to become a good conductor on should study composition and to become a good composer, one should study conducting.  Once the conductor understands how the piece is constructed, he or she becomes a quasi-sound engineer, responsible for adjusting balance, intonation, and blend to produce the correct colors.  The conductor becomes the interpreter, recreating the composer’s feelings.  The passion of music comes from understanding the composition, enjoying it, and getting the players to reproduce those feelings so that the audience has an emotional, aesthetic experience.

My role as a conductor has been expanded as I consider how to communicate the intent of the composer to students within the ensemble.  The technical demands that are found within the structure of any piece do affect the manner in which the piece will be explored, and it will also affect the physical craft of conducting utilized to lead the ensemble in its recreation.  Reflecting upon the demands of this musical role, I feel it would be appropriate for any conductor to consider the criteria Reimer (Reimer, 1991) uses for judging quality in music, and apply those same criteria to the interpretation and communication of music.  I pose the following four questions as it relates to the interpretation of music by conductors:

1. Are we seeking a creative bond that shows our respect for the materials used to fashion the music we seek to recreate? (Craftsmanship)

2. Have we considered the full expressive potential of all materials present in the music and the expressive potential of the students? (Sensitivity)

3. Can we envision the best possible solution to allow the music to profoundly awaken our emotions and those who would perceive it? (Imagination)

4. Will we devote ourselves to engaging with the finest, representative music so that the    intent of the composer is accurately and fluidly merged with our interpretation? (Authenticity)

These questions are not meant to limit a director’s choices in terms of culture, style, or time period, but provide some guide points in the act of considering literature from diverse sources. It also affords me some guiding thoughts in the compositional process how I might write music that will speak more readily to performer and conductor, and hopefully translate to the audience as well. This interchange of ideas and perspectives between the roles as educator, conductor, and composer continues to evolve and expand as there are considerations and contributions from new personal experiences. I haven’t conducted my best concert yet, taught my best day, or even written my best piece yet. But I always feel like I am getting closer and the act of composing helps me fill my role as a music educator.

References

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

Lapidaki, E. (2007). Learning from masters of music creativity.  Philosophy of Music Education Review, 15(2), 93-117.

May, R. (1975). The courage to create. New York: W.W. Norton.

Reimer, B. (1991) Criteria for quality in music.  In R.A. Smith & A. Simpson (Eds.), Aesthetics and arts education (pp. 330-338). Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

2) It’s an exciting time as I embark on the research end of my doctorate work at Kent State. I am focusing on student and director perceptions of honor band festivals. As someone with a vested interest who has been on both sides as a sponsoring director and a guest conductor, I am curious to learn what students and the directors are taking away from these festivals, and if what they are taking away are of benefit to their school band program. Updates will abound along the way, and if you have literature or thoughts you would like to share I would enjoy the opportunity to connect with you.

3) Looking ahead, and speaking of honor bands, I am eagerly preparing for the Bucks County JH Honor Band in March, and the Schuykill County JH Honor Band in April hosted by former assistant and friend Brad Volek. Two new debuts at those festivals with students – it will be an awesome experience, and if not – well we need to revisit the mirror I mentioned earlier.

4) 4 New pieces to date will be available this summer including Dream Chaser and Winds of a New Day (Barnhouse), The Last Stage Coach Heist (FJH), and Yankee Fanfare (Grand Mesa). Honored to have Steve Gage at YSU include Romance for Winds on the March Program with the YSU University Band. Also currently working on a commission for long-time friend and colleague and one of the best directors I know Eric Schrader at Greenville HS (Pa). Hope to begin work on a new contemporary work late in January.

Finally, we are all music educators – some classroom, some directors, some both. Do what’s right in the best interest of our students. Share music that makes connections, expands their appreciation, and authentically engages them. Lead them to understand and appreciate that music is not only a collective collaborative art form, but a unique experience that can transform people and shape our cultures and communities in positive, uplifting ways. How this happens can be very unique to context in which it takes place, and for that reason we have to know our students, school and community well. Our decisions for music instruction must reflect the needs of the community, the expectations of the community, and consistent with our personal philosophy of music education.

Best wishes to all of you in the coming year, and thank you for your friendship, support, and exchange of ideas.

Immediately after the concert and the days that followed, I received many notes, read emails, and had a number of conversations with students that were full of positive comments about the entire performance. An interesting conversation took place with a parent who has sent three kids through the band program during my tenure, and she remarked that even without that piece or that audio clip this concert was the best she’s ever heard. She further noted that it is so rewarding to hear the music of the holiday season recreated in new and interesting ways by so many students. The compliment was an honor to be sure, but I am always curious if the students in the ensembles make that connection as well.

The day after the concert during rehearsal, the students in the three ensembles listened to the concert recording and used a rating scale to self-evaluate their ensemble’s performance. Included in that evaluation, I posed an open response question to the ensemble related to how these kinds of performances might better connect music in the school with music in society. Listed, anonymously, here are just a few of the responses:

“I think the audience enjoyed the Christmas Song (arr. by Nowak) the most. The familiarity of the melody appealed to them, and the arrangement we played reflected the characteristics of the song” – 11^th Grader

“The Christmas Song has to be the audience favorite. The song completes the nostalgic experience that is a Christmas concert.” – 12^th Grader

“I think the audience enjoyed the Nutcracker the best because it was instantly recognizable, and our setting of it was true to the original.” – 9^th Grader

“The audience enjoyed the Nutcracker Suite the most. Even though we used different instruments than the original, we strived to be the same stylistically. You could still tell where the plot was during each portion of the song.” – 11^th Grader

“I think our musicianship developed the most in the Nutcracker as we switched between styles in each section, and we tried to stay true to the intent of the original. I think the audience responded so strongly to our arrangement because they recognized the songs and how close to the original we were performing” – 12 the Grader

I grow weary of the argument that traditional school ensembles are not responsive, and that they do not connect with students and their community. I remain of the view that they can connect very well with students and community provided their director recognizes how that bridge can be built and is effective helping students recognize those connections.

A holiday concert provides a traditional ensemble the opportunity to instill within its members a sense of community and shared humanity. This time of year brings out the best in people’s attitudes, dispositions, and sentimentality, and to allow a traditional ensemble like band the chance to tap into that vein of positive traits can be a powerful spring board for its future. The music is familiar enough – the settings of that music allow educators to discuss musical concepts and ideas developed by the writers to create a satisfying musical experience both from the aesthetic and the paraxial.

One could quickly criticize the program I selected for this concert that it contained no significant works befitting the style of the wind band. That being said, my own view of the program was that it provided moments that were in the students’ developmental range, pushed them to acquire and develop new skills, stretched them to be more expressive musicians, and challenged them to consider how music can be altered in various styles. I would add further that I am less convinced that there is one definitive style for the wind band – the wind ensemble and concert band are sometimes at their best when they can present a multitude of styles with efficacy and conviction.

Perhaps those moments that stretched the students raised the aesthetic awareness and expectations for students and parents alike. Perhaps those moments that were in the students’ “wheelhouse” reaffirmed to them the joy of performing creatively in a collective ensemble. Perhaps those moments that generated warm feelings for parents and pride in their sons and daughters in the community. Perhaps those nostalgic moments made the business of society seem years away and once again all was calm, all was bright. Perhaps there were all these things – but make no mistake about it they helped make Christmas time here for our community. It’s only a Christmas stocking bonus that the students became better people and musicians. Merry Christmas all, and I will talk to you next year!

The writing was the easy part. The preparation was the most challenging mental activity that I have ever put myself through (besides trying to understand band fronts…jk, lol, move along). I will say this that pursuing this degree has disciplined my mind and has made me budget my time. If my mother reads this post, she would be the first to tell you – those are two things her second son was not good at growing up.

The following is some advice in preparation for anyone taking on a doctoral degree in any education discipline. If you are reading this, I hope you find it helpful, and I certainly wish you well along your journey.

1) You will not do this without the support of your family, friends, and faith. There will be times when your relationship with all three of them will be strained. Do not break your connection with any of them, because like Rocky’s trainer they will be the only ones in your corner at times saying “C’mon Champ, get back up!”

2) Don’t let your coursework sit abstractly by in the forms of papers, projects and presentations. The encouragement of one person in particular helped me to generate several articles published internationally, and a number of presentations at conferences and workshops. Removing that information from the academic context and putting into the context of your teaching allows for a number of interesting self-discoveries that enrich the process.

3) Critically reflect upon yourself, your teaching area, and how this process may change your perspective in the classroom. Again, the self-reflection process has led me through a number of questions about the very foundations of music education. I see some people writing and tweeting about music education, and I am concerned as they seem to have a pretty limited perspective that is full of absolutes. There are always at least two sides to every story, and I teach music with a much larger perspective in a much larger world with an even wider perspective. I don’t presume that the area which I can make better will fix the whole world, but my self-reflection tells me I can make the areas that I am concerned about better for students with whom I interact, teach, and lead.

4) Stay up on research in your field. It’s not always a very cost effective endeavor – we tend to gouge people to pay for research findings – but if we are going to bridge research to practice, somebody has to take the initiative. It might as well be the practitioner who has the most opportunities to make a difference in education. Related to that, pay attention to veins of research and the names that go with them. In preparation for my comprehensive exams an article in 2001 by Donald Hodges clarified a whole semester of course work for me in Music Psychology. The article connected three more names to related areas in Music Psychology, and each of those names connected to a research area which led me to 2 articles per area and suddenly neurons started firing at incredible rate (at least that’s what I think was happening, I have to go back and read to get you the specifics…).

5) Give yourself a good 6 months to prepare for your qualifying/candidacy exams. Even with a self-made weekly reading list of major topics in all my coursework and reading of related areas to my coursework in the 2nd Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning, I still didn’t feel ready. I had to put a lot of things on the back burner to prepare myself adequately. With two weeks to go, I finally started to experience a “spinning” sensation as if all the information that lived in separate realms began to be dumped into a blender and the soft edges of those topics became blended together.

As I write on a Friday night after a football game, I am sure of several things:
1) My family still loves me and my kids remember my name.
2) I am probably going to reread this Saturday morning and change something (the title: original was called “Reflections on Candidacy Exams).
3) I will never be smarter in my time on this earth. But I always hope I keep a wide perspective, and keep on learning.

Dear Emily,

Despite having not having the greatest high school band experience, during my senior year our choir director (who I was taking a music appreciation course from) shared this advice with me “work at something you love, because you will be working at it for a long time.” I became open to a lot more musically because it was and still is a love – I am 37 years old and still in love with sound. Not so much in love with pizza fundraisers and study hall duty – but sound? Now we are talking. It is something by which I am continually fascinated.

At the end of the day I owe my parents – for instilling in me faith and family that have become the core of my character which in positions of leadership is needed. My college band director – “Doc” Arnold – my second father who showed me how to be a professional. Lou Collela (who passed away last March – the first of all my teachers) who taught me to conduct and to seek out and challenge students with great music. Linda Walker – who during my studies at Kent State has challenged me view a much bigger picture, to consider all points of view, and live with grace every day. My wife – who is so wonderful about listening, reminding me to see other points, and making sure I stay in balance. My own children – who remind me all students are products of heredity and environment. I want the best for my own children, so that means doing the same for others. I don’t mean to disrespect other teachers with whom I studied, I just don’t want this letter to have to be hardbound at a printer!

I am a bit of a moderate in my views on music education. Ultimately the only thing I am philosophically opposed to is experiences that turn students from music. That being said part of the reward is watching personal connections begin to blossom in the lives of music students. I try to remain open in finding ways to connect students from “school/academic music” to music and musical opportunities engrained in our culture and society outside the school. Today was a victory of sorts. I have been pushing chamber music the last two years with my students as an avenue in which they can continue to play beyond graduation. When I spoke to them about a two performance opportunities in February and April, they immediately began rattling off pieces they would like to revisit and prepare. Molding life-long lovers of music is rewarding and at time easy – but we need more life-long performers or “musicers” as Elliot would say.

In my current position, I have the good fortune of working for a Superintendent who used to be an art educator. My former principal was the High School Band director for 15 years prior to my appointment (which made for some interesting discussions…), and one of our guidance councilors is a former Choir Director. We have new administrators this year at the High School/Middle School where I am working – it has been good transition. Much of it was done the past few years in the work the bands did to build bridges through our performances, and reputation. I am guilty of not interacting much with the rest of the staff – I teach lessons over lunch breaks, with family and graduate school commitments I cannot go to social gatherings. It does isolate me to a degree, but when I do interact I work to understand their schedule, academic demands, and identify how their personality might react to certain requests. The parents have been good over the years, but again much of that is part of my responsibility to establish open lines of communication, establish goals and visions for the program in line with my philosophy and their expectations, and to make one deal with parents: The deal is I will teach your child, share music with them, put them in the best possible position for success, and demonstrate a sincere passion for this art.

I have served in various functions with PMEA an officer which has been revealing to me in learning about programs across the state of Pennsylvania. I am headed towards my comprehensive exams at Kent State in October – absolutely mind boggling at times in reviewing everything I have covered. I find myself out of good answers frequently, but I have plenty of good questions. This results in a lot of reading – journals, research, and texts. On the flip side, I do a fair amount of reflection – some formal, others pure streams of consciousness. Finally, composition has been a great and wonderful step for me as a musician. I felt the musician in me withering because I never did anything for it – it was always teach, teach, teach. Composition has made me a better conductor, better educator, and a better person.

The first thing I would tell a young music educator is to listen to and for their “coaches”. I can hear Lou Collela and “Doc” when I am in rehearsal, I can hear Mike Formeck during a lesson. Many of the teachers we all have studied with did not arrive at their position by accident – their experience amongst other things got them there and they have important perspective to consider. Second, find opportunities to teach as often as you can with people who are in a position that a) you aspire to be like, or b) you would like to teach. The act of teaching is an art, and to be better at it, you need to spend time doing it. Third, don’t let classes get in the way of your education – this is sort of an extension of 2 but you must see the bigger picture. Ear training matters. Music History matters. Brass Methods matters. Seeing how all your course work connects into teaching is important. Four – We are all apprentices of observation – we have seen teaching our whole life. Some good, some…not so good. Some of it was the person teaching, some of it was the context, some of it was the materials or medium. As Yoda once said to Luke – “Mind what you have learned, save you it can.” Five – it is a very big world out there. Begin building a network of colleagues and friends. Part of our society does place a premium on “who you know” – good, bad, or indifferent. That does get you so far – but most of my dealings thus far has been “They know somebody, but can they use what they know?” I have had 9 different assistant band directors at Mercer during my career – all of them have started with me as either while in college as an undergraduate or graduate student. It is a small extra-curricular contract, but a big opportunity to teach, lead, and apply what they know. All of them are now music educators, many with their own bands. On Saturday of Labor Day Weekend I was especially proud of David as he directed the University of Hawaii Marching Band on ESPN2 in the Colorado game. Could David use what he knew? Absolutely, which is what catapulted him to the top for the search committee.

Finally, music teaching to me is about living a life-style. You will have a career in music yes, but look at the hours we keep. Look at the inordinate amount of time we spend getting an eleven minute field show in pristine condition. Look at the emotions that stir in us both on the podium and in the conference with the parent. We live a very rewarding life-style. It comes with free t-shirts, occasional pizza parties with adolescents, and long bus rides to obscure performance destinations. It involves rebarring Orff instruments for composition exercises, circle games and dancing, typing names into programs, all the while sucking down so much coffee Juan Valdez agrees to name his next donkey after you. Find a patient spouse who will accept your weird schedule and your quirky faults that are so endearing to your students. Oh – and as a father to 3 daughters and a son – start your 403b early – Have you seen how much it costs to pay for a wedding and college lately? ;^)

Good luck Emily!

Your friend in music and life,

Travis

“How come you never have a losing season?” he asked with a smile.

That is an excellent question, I thought. One of these days I might actually get it all figured out. Eternal optimist and music lover meets bureaucracy of public education – this should be an excellent read in about 15 years. In the meantime, these are 9 tenets around which I have built much of my teaching. They are not fix-all statements that will cure everything in year’s time. Much of this has been 16 years of my own teaching leading me to this point, my interactions with friends and colleagues, and the time I have spent in furthering my professional development as a band director. As you reflect upon the end of your year of teaching, I hope that 2 or 3 of these can provide further thought for you and your own ensembles.

1) Be positive. There is plenty to be down about right now in education. One area that we cannot be down on are the students who walk in our door. If we do not create an atmosphere of positive expectation and collaboration, I believe it will be very rare for them to take the initiative to do so. These are just kids – not professionals. Teach them. Lead them. Be positive.

2) You can love your band, but you don’t have to like them. This advice comes from Shawn Reynolds – and it is pretty accurate. In the teacher’s lounge, the copy room, the office, they are referred to us as “one of your band kids” – even though we know they have a school life in other parts of the building. But band is their family, and we, as directors, are surrogate parents and role-models. We must love them, but when they are doing things that we don’t like, or are detrimental to their success as people and musicians we must let them know about it.

3) It is their band. It isn’t my name on the middle-high school sign. This school and program belongs to them – I happen to facilitate sound decisions. I hope to continue to build a program that the students and the community are proud of. I hope the band program is responsive to the needs of the school and the community, and demonstrates to everyone we encounter how important music education is in the life of a child. I can’t do that if my name is the most important one on the concert program.

4) Listen to each other. The world is a better place when we learn to listen to each other. The ensemble is better when they learn to listen to everything around them. No one in this economy is too poor to pay attention during a rehearsal – especially when the benefit is making the ensemble play with greater awareness of expression and accuracy.

5) Have a band for all seasons. Not every student that enters my program wants to be in marching band. Some really don’t like concert band. Some enjoy small ensemble work more than large ensemble. We have maintained our success in part by providing avenues for performance and expression in ensembles of different types without departing and sacrificing the heritage of the American Wind and Concert Bands for which we are a part. Yes it means never having a non-busy season – but it also means less non-interested students.

6) Great moments are magical, take lots of work, and can happen all the time. Half-time shows. Adjudication/Contest. Festival auditions. Concerts. Sometimes it is hard to keep in perspective that those big moments are small snapshots of our ensembles’ and students’ growth and progress over the course of a year. If the process is good, the product will be. But in the moment when they happen and there is a perfect alignment of choice of music and talent of the group, the moments are magical. They are electrifying, uplifting, and inspiring. Celebrate that moment for what it is, when it is, with who happens to make it possible. The feeling created for the students is unquantifiable and worth every ounce of our focus, energy, and dedication as directors.

7) Put kids in the best possible position for success. Know your kids, know what they can do, and know what they don’t know. Know ways to help them know what they don’t know. Know why they should know it. It is not an art of mezzo-nothing teaching of mezzo-nothing literature. It requires thoughtful planning, evaluation, teaching, and modeling. If we are a family, then we should want what is best for each other, and we have their best interest as musicians and people in the forefront of our preparation.

No pressure, no diamonds. Sometimes at the start of the year our ensembles resemble lumps of coal – a little rough, a little dirty, and at face value not worth much. Given enough time, heat, and pressure (time, inspiration, and teaching) they are transformed into something that most people will agree is better to look at (listen to) and is more valuable. Truly, band directors work with clean coal technology every day. Those performances on our schedule give us a timetable to work towards that may increase or decrease the amount of pressure we apply to our “coal”.

9) Define your own success. Every band I have every year is different. While I say and teach the same principles and concepts each year, the change in personality and talent demands that I talk, instruct, and interact with groups a little different each year. That also means the goals I set every year are slightly different as well. Everything we approach and engage in is a learning experience – we learn about ourselves, we learn what we do well, we learn what we need to improve upon. We don’t chase trophies or plaques. We have standards in place that we hold ourselves accountable to, and we define our own success.

1) Live blogging from Dr. Joseph Pisano and his students: SMASH HIT. No wonder this guy was the PMEA District 5 Citation of Excellence and TIME Teacher of the Year. Thank you Andy, Emily, Liz, Brittany, and Ryan – awesome future music educators!!!

2) Raising the EEQ of your performing ensemble: My thanks to Stacy Paparone and Jess Beblo (presiding chair and jag council, respectively) for their pre-session encouragement, and the many close friends and colleagues in attendance. I don’t know that I solved anything by presenting – but I hope I helped those in attendance think differently about their performing ensemble.

3) Steve Hawk’s Jazz Ensemble was an awesome way to start Thursday morning. So proud of former student teacher Garrett Faccone! Great days await that young man at Towson – how fortunate they are to be having him on board as a GA next year!

4) Andy Yozviak’s Wind Ensemble at West Chester is ridiculous – we are talking Midwest Thursday or Friday night concert good. Andy is on my radar of the next great wind band conductors and genuine people of the next few decades.

5) When in doubt, sit down with friends and colleagues you trust. It is incredibly life and career reaffirming both ways – you to them, and them to you. Thank you Andy, Erich, Nino, Doc, Robert, Bob, Varden, Tom, Ron, Chris (owe you dinner buddy!), Tad, Stacy, Jess, Susan, Lee, Bubba, Jim, Eric, Gary, and Joe.

6) Emily Volek’s students need to understand I am not kidding – yes, we know each other, and yes that’s really me in the picture. So proud of both Emily and her husband (former assistant with me) Brad.

Finally, yes the times are dark for all of us. But I refuse to give up – and neither should you. A number of projects and initiatives were started at PMEA 2011 in which I am involved. It will take time, but they are small battles in the good fight – ones I am excited to begin and finish. As per my soundcloud about me section: “Advocate, Composer, Conductor, and Educator on a quest to save music education one note and one student at a time.” That’s just about right, ultimately the only two things I can actually have some sort of control over. It’s such a huge challenge, it’s such a long road, it’s going to be so tough: A reminder to all of us – this won’t be easy, it will be worthwhile.

 ”Moravian Dance” (PMEA District 5 Band), “For the Love of a Soldier” (PMEA District3 JH Band), and “Shine!” (YSU University Band) have enjoyed great performances – my thanks to Jack Anderson (University of Pittsburgh) and David M. Blon (YSU Graduate Assistant & Assistant Director at Mercer HS) for their part in bringing this music to life. 

I have cleared two major hurdles at Kent State this semester and now find myself in the “belly of the beast” so to speak as I begin analyzing data from a research study. It is my hope this study will lead me to focus the scope and subject matter of my dissertation. In the back of my mind, preparation for my comprehensive exams next fall has begun.

Teaching Music notified me they will publishing an article in the future dealing with selecting Middle School Band Literature. Attention to my presentation at PMEA All-State in April is picking up as colleagues are asking me for a sneak peek. Looking back where I was just three years ago to now is at times surreal – as Joe Pisano and I frequently discuss “The toughest thing about being successful is that you have to keep on being successful.”

I got to be a proud parent last night as my oldest daughter sang in her very first choral festival. 200 students on stage, great music, and delighted to have my parents, my wife’s parents, and all our children together for a wonderful night of music.

Finally, leaving class on this past Monday night at Kent on my way to conduct a concert at my school, Joe Pisano called. My conducting teacher – Lou Collela – passed away after a tough bout with cancer. I conducted that night with a heavy heart knowing that this was the first one of my mentors that passed away, and I realized that I did not completely like the idea of not being able to pick up the phone and call when I wanted to ask him a conducting question (and to break conducting down to just one thing according to Lou “It’s all about anticipation”). He held me to a high standard every day in class (just ask John Seybert at South Eastern Florida University about the time we were late). The one thing I never knew about him is that we shared the same birthday.

Thank you Lou for making me a better musician, educator and conductor. I will always remember “Great conductors love great music, and they share that love with their students.” God rest your soul Lou, and bless your family in the days ahead.

1) Music educators must understands issues and challenges related to teaching music in an ever-changing school population composed of students with diverse ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds. Though these personal qualities among students may be rapidly changing with the school setting, there is a communal sense of accomplishment and enrichment realized through appreciation, participation, and understanding in instrumental music that must be made available to all students.  If instrumental educators make understanding their students’ abilities, background, and context in which they are growing and learning a priority, they may better be able to make connection for their students to a unique subject matter that offers enriching and rewarding opportunities.

2) Music educators must demonstrate effective teaching as a careful balance of process and product, with an emphasis on quality in the aspects of the student experience, the materials and medium utilized within the experience, and encourage the development of aesthetic and artistic intelligence through the learning experience in the arts.  Through this careful balance, students may recognize and demonstrate aspects and elements of quality education and performance skills, attend to expressive relationships among the parts of music that contribute to the whole, and learn to frame the world from an aesthetic perspective (Eisner, 2002).

3) Music educators must examine current trends, musical examples, and ideologies in contemporary music and music education for possible connections, revision or extension of existing methods and pedagogical approaches.  There must be a consistent evaluation process of music and philosophies so that educators may guide students to recognize that there is a healthy relationship between music in society and music in the school.

4) Music educators must embrace the use of appropriate, enriching and engaging technologies that provide a more authentic connection to subject material for students.  As technology becomes more imbedded into the entire process of education, music educators must seek out ways in which these emerging technologies will best preserve the heritage of instrumental music, and provide new opportunities for students so they might be directed to discoveries in music not previously available.

5) Music educators must utilize music education as a shaping force in culture and society, and utilize the different performance aspects that are outgrowths of effective teaching as a means to contribute positively to the community in which the learning is situated and to connect with others in music education who endeavor along a similar path but may use different means.  Music educators and their students must share the responsibility of preserving musical styles, ensembles, and traditions that continue to positively contribute to the profession while evaluating emerging possibilities for inclusion that will better connect music in the school to the community in which the learning is situated.

6) Music educators should take the responsibility of being a musical role model to their students as they may be the only professional musical role model students will interact with in their educational careers. Every music educator must take on this mantle of musical responsibility in a specific domain outside of that of their role as educator and conductor so they might provide their students with visible and aural proof of their personal musicianship.  Within in music, there are multiple ways to demonstrate musicianship, and these opportunities must be shared with the students on a regular basis.

7) An effective music educator formulates their philosophy and teaching style to consider a wider vision for the future of all students in music education. They strive to help students construct an authentic connection with music based on understanding, appreciation, and participation, capture emerging moments in their teaching to maximize student engagement and interest, and develop intrinsic satisfaction in students allowing each one of them to savor the experience of the enriching power of the arts (Eisner, 2002).

Music educators seek to create diverse learning experiences for students allowing them to demonstrate a learned set of skills in music (i.e. performing, composing, improvising, listening, and theoretical concepts) and delineate their own meanings from the music studied.  Through study of music across these multiple domains, music teachers can gauge the success their success and that of their students by the construction of personal understanding in music by making aesthetic decisions and developing a sense of musical independence (Weller, 2008).

9) Music educators must also recognize that students have specific music preferences and tastes that are developed outside the classroom and rehearsal hall, and part of the professions’ responsibility is to provide exposure to different types of music so students can develop skills that will allow them to think critically about the music to which they are exposed, make informed analytical decisions, and evaluate music from multiple perspectives including aesthetic, authenticity, entertainment, imagination and quality (Reimer, 1991).

These are subtle shifts in the philosophy, teaching, and learning within instrumental music education in the public schools, and will require an examination of how pre-service teachers are developed and trained in higher education.  With increased demands in areas outside of music thrust upon schools of music entrusted with training and developing new music teachers, these tenets that I propose should not be construed as a complete upheaval of the current system of preparation.  While these challenges to the profession of music education might seem ominous, they are issues and ideas that must be examined by those currently teaching and training teachers so that music education will maintain its relevancy in the eyes of school administrators, policy-makers, and most importantly, the students for whom are profession seeks to instill in a life-long relationship with music that is authentic, dynamic, and satisfying.  I believe these tenets to be flexible enough to be adapted into the process of training teachers that will be in line with current trends related to practice, policy, and scholarly educational research that is to inform our profession.  While I acknowledge this list of ideas and responsibilities is not exhaustive, it is a departure point from which our profession can engage in healthy reflective dialogue, examine our teaching strategies, best practices and philosophy, and continue our commitment to teaching a relevant, multi-faceted academic subject to all students.

References

Eisner, E. W. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind. London: Yale University Press.

Reimer, B. (1991) Criteria for quality in music.  In R.A. Smith & A. Simpson (Eds.), Aesthetics and arts education (pp. 330-338). Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Weller, T. J. (2008). A Philosophy of Music Education. Unpublished paper, Kent State University.

Some observations and thoughts about the unit from my perspective as teacher that was interesting to consider:

1) Leaders lead.  I was surprised and impressed by the leadership qualities and skills that were brought out of students in these settings.  During each rehearsal period, I tried to touch base and schedule “face-time” with as many groups as I could while giving them a good session full of feedback.  After providing critiques and visiting with the same group a few days later, many of the adjustments and suggestions were made.  Students took the lead to make adjustments and improve their group’s performance.  Some of the students would have stepped forward because of who they are – others stepped forward because they were given an opportunity.  Assessing all of this, there are plenty of students within the program who need more opportunities to lead.

2) Making musical decisions involves risk and courage.  As often as we may be right in our interpretation, we could be wrong – wrong for the style, wrong for the time, wrong for the setting, wrong for the composer’s intentions.  Artists face incredible risk in making musical decisions in this way, and without courage we end up being mezzo-nothing.  If a quintet of 7^th grade alto saxophones can make musical decisions regarding the articulation and dynamics for a transcription of Schumann’s Soldier’s March, do I have the courage to tap that resource during a rehearsal with the full ensemble? We often say that the performing arts is a venue for students to be creative and interpret music – but who really does the musical interpretation? While it is our responsibility as a trained musician, educator, and leader, perhaps we need the courage to give them opportunities to risk and hear the results.  Having gone through this process, they may better understand our vision for a piece for the ensemble, why we choose to interpret things a certain way, and what might be a better possible alternative to the interpretation in front of them.

3) Building relationships takes time and trust. Sitting down with groups of 4-7 students at a time allows for more individual attention and differentiated instruction, and afforded me the opportunity to build a student to teacher relationship that is based upon mutual respect, common goals (improve as a musician), and esprit de corp among the students.  The hardest thing about being successful? That’s easy – keep being successful.  The more success a program and their director experience, the harder it sometimes becomes to maintain a good, open relationship.  The bar is continually raised.  We have more demands on our time.  We have more pressure on the students, the ensemble, and on ourselves.  I have enjoyed these past weeks for the connections I was able to make with the students musically and socially.  I believe we are in a better place now in terms of our trust, communication, and vision for improvement.

4) Chamber music opens doors for musical opportunities.  The program of music was very diverse in terms of style and time period.  It was interesting to hear the transcriptions of Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical music played by a 20^th century group.  The classical tradition was kept alive through the study of this music – and at the end of the day, that is not a bad thing at all.  The beauty of this ensemble is that while it connects these kids to music of a time period from the past, it can also connect them to musical opportunities involving ANY musical time period.  The make-up of the ensembles didn’t necessarily matter – the connection to different music does. The next step in this evolution is for us to seek more music of different styles that students can make a connection with and present for public performance.  Maybe they cannot see themselves playing in a large ensemble past high school, but small ensembles are more realistic for students to envision how they might look as a future musician.

 More to come in the weeks ahead as the students complete the survey and I compile data.  My thanks to many of you who have sent Tweets, emails, and comments of support for this endeavor.

It is very exciting to host, but it is even more exciting having nearly 100 submissions! There are so many of us now in this stream of communication and media that are making a difference by our professional development, reading, enacting new teaching strategies, and reflecting upon our craft as educators.  What a tremendous resource this movement has turned out to be, and how great to share it with you.  Many hard decisions were made, but we have a great line-up of articles and posts you need to check out!

Music Advocacy

Lindsay Morelli presents The Power and Purpose of an Ensemble posted at Lindsay Morelli.  What is an ensemble? Lindsay’s question unfolds into a great post with great perspective for all of us in music education to consider.

Music Education

The Grand-daddy Blogger of them All Dr. Joseph Pisano presents A Sample Curriculum For High School Instrumental Ensembles posted at MusTech.Net, saying “This curriculum example is a suggestion for Instrumental Concert Band Directors to study for use with their own programs. Many times “we”, as ensemble directors, really don’t think about the curricular needs of/for our ensembles nor give long-term thought to the integration of music literature that may fill a particular goal in our music programs.   This curriculum suggestion is just one way to think about these things and how what you are doing as a band director integrates into the bigger educational picture.”

Brenda D Muench presents BoomWhacker Mysteries in First Grade: Part One posted at Tech Tempo.  This lesson is a ton of fun for elementary teachers who use Boomwhackers – I will freely admit I tried it at home with the set in our basement!

Wendy Stevens presents To Give or Not Give Makeup Lessons posted atComposeCreate.com, saying, “Since many music educators also teach private lessons, this article gives them a list of options for making the most of their valuable time. Many independent music teachers will also find this information helpful.”

Great to see Andrew Ritenour (and fellow Tuba brother) getting involved as a future music educator!  Andrew presents The Educational Beauty of Twitter posted at Future Music Educators.

Janice Tuck presents Music Primary Singing Resources posted at The Music Teachers Blog.  I am continually impressed with the great teaching being shared by many elementary music educators, and Janice’s post identifies some great assets useful in the classroom music setting.

Matt Fonda presents Bass Drum Basics posted at DRUMMING WITH FONDA.  Keeping students aware of the physical demands of being on a drum line is essential, and Matt’s article (very appropriate for students to understand) outlines some things they can do to keep themselves physically ready.

Thomas J. West presents Creating Community in Secondary Performing Ensemblesposted at Thomas J. West Music, saying, “Here are some suggestions for getting choral and orchestra programs to experience the same kind of personal investment in a group musical activity that bands typically experience due to the marching band activity.”

Brian Wis presents I’m too busy to go to the doctor, and other teacher avoidance-techniques posted at Teaching Music in the 21st Century, saying, “A call to high school music teachers to join the PLN movement.”

Natalie Wickham presents Custom Design Your Own Flashcards with these Free Files!posted at Music Matters Blog, saying, “Use these beautiful free flash card designs by Natalie Wickham to create your own custom flashcards! Now you’ll never be stuck at the last minute wishing you had a particular set of flash cards – you can just make your own!”

Charla Pearen presents Old Macdonald – Letter Recognition posted at High Park Home Daycare.  A great exploration of music with infants and toddlers.

Kevin Keena presents 60 Picnicers, 13 years, 2 schools, and 1 Facebook Page posted at Heritage Bands Podcast.  A touching and refreshing look at how social media reconnected a group of students with an educator who made a big difference in their lives.

The experiment is on for me personally at school this year – you can check out the details in my post Big Leap into a Small Room posted at Travis J. Weller.

Carrie Oakley presents Novice to Slash: 100 Free Resources for Teaching Yourself Guitar posted at Online Colleges, saying, “Whether you’re picking up a guitar for the first time or revisiting a teenage hobby, these links provide free resources for teaching yourself how to play the guitar, as well as improving your technique and learning to read music.”

Samuel Wright presents Graphic Scoring with Yothu Yindi posted at Wright-Stuff Music, saying, “An Australian Aboriginal unit of work involving listening worksheets, music analyses and a final assessment where students get to create an animated graphic score of a contemporary Aboriginal work in Keynote 09.”

Ken Pendergrass presents It’s about the work, not you personally posted at Music Is Not for Insects, saying, “helpful advice for those of us who want to be “liked” by our students…”.  Ken’s blog is great, and he offers some helpful advice to communicate with students while maintaining a sense of fairness.

Music Pedagogy

David Ahrens presents Ever-Improving Chops on Secondary Instruments posted at Sound Education.  While I am new to David’s writing and work, this is a great post for all instrumental teacher to consider so that we can be effective musical role models for our students.

Music Technology

Jim Frankel presents The Other 80%: An Industry Perspective posted at Music Technology in Edcation. Jim tackles a larger issue that many ensemble educators/directors face in maintaining their relevance with the other students not in performing groups.

Nemanja presents Dont Compromise Choose Used DJ Equipment posted at Cheap DJ Equipment, saying, “The problem is universal, DJ equipment is expensive. When buying DJ equipment squeezing the most out of your budget is essential.”

Music Tips

Sam Lyons presents Piano Practice Tips For Beginners posted at Learn The Keyboard Online, saying, “If you are new to the piano and you’ve probably experienced boredom. Sometimes that happens when you continue doing the same thing over and over again. Things become a little repetitious…”

Ashley Davids presents Guitar Warm Up Stretches posted at Metal Guitar Lesson, saying, “Highlighting the importance of warming up prior to practicing guitar.”

Sam Lyons presents Keyboard Practice Blues! posted at Learn The Keyboard Online, saying, “Keyboard Practice Blues! We all get them from time to time. Just keep practicing the piano a little everyday. You will succeed in learning the piano.”

Jenny Boster presents The Importance of Beginning Technique posted at The Teaching Studio, saying, The Teaching Studio is a relatively new blog all about teaching piano lessons. This article focuses on the topic of teaching beginning piano technique.

Other

Naomi Seldin presents 10 Rock Stars Who Went to an Ivy League School posted at Online Colleges and Universities Education Database. An interesting article to demonstrate to students about notable stars that have challenged themselves in the academic field.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of music education blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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.<–>