Travis J. Weller

So thanks to Dr. Jay Dorfman’s (while he was still at Kent)class this past summer, I created an interdisciplinary unit on the Trail of Tears to enrich my ensemble’s studying of two pieces of music, “The Trail of Tears” by James Barnes and “Etowah” by Brian Balmages.  For those of you unfamiliar with the piece by Barnes, I highly recommend it.  It is not incredibly difficult music – but it is uplifting, dramatic, great music that has been crafted by one of the greatest band writers of the past 50 years.  Etowah is a new piece from FJH this year about the Hightower Trail that once connected Cherokee and Creek lands in the south.

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The following is one of the founding beliefs in my philosophy of music education.  I have recently been mulling over the task that lies ahead of all music education in the responsibility to be a shaping force in our own culture.  There are a number of performing arts groups situated in communities that contribute to the culture that are faced with tough times ahead as our country suffers through an economic recession.  The ripple on the pond spreads quickly and the effects are felt in the distance.  We are faced with a situation where funding from the community for these groups have dried up, and to some extent impacts the ability of educators to have the proper resources as well.  Ultimately, our ability to function as a collective partnership in the profession to improve, shape, and positively influence the culture is negated by the volatile economy.  Do we have a professional responsibility to build, shape, mold, and improve the culture in which we teach? I firmly believe that we do.  If we are to continue our move forward as a profession, it behooves us to take this mantle of responsibility where we are and begin to rebuild the cultural connection in our own community.  Reimer readers rejoice – the good Doctor’s third edition was a heavy influence throughout this article.   

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I believe in music. Read more…

The end of October to now has been a bit of a blur – football playoffs, honors band auditions, KSU work, finishing up two new pieces and digging in on a third one, and the big news the birth of my son.  He joins me awash in a sea of estrogen – but if you have met my daughters and my wife there really is no greater ocean to be around.  My apologies for being gone so long.  A big thank you again to all who participated in the Blog Carnival last month.

One of the more interesting conversations I had over the past month was in regards to who is in fact next? ESPN’s The Magazine asks this same question each year as they look for the next greatest thing to come along in sports.  Dr. Pisano and I had this conversation a little over two weeks ago.  There is always a passing of the torch that occurs in any profession.  Sometimes it is graceful, and sometimes it is not.  Sometimes leaders make awesome exits at the top of their game (take James Keane last year at the Midwest Clinic with the Illinois Wind Ensemble), and sometimes they hold on too long (not to mention any names like Al Davis and the glorious debacle that is the Raiders).  Is there another Alfred Reed or Clifton Williams? What about a Kenneth Bloomquist or John Bourgeois?  And I say that with realization that there will never be another, but will there be someone that will accept the mantle and has earned the respect of our profession to follow in their legacy?

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Welcome to the 5th edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival! It is an honor to host the carnival this month and bring to you a number of compelling articles and thoughts. Now entrenched in midst of our school year, busy doesn’t even begint to describe our days.  The best thing that all these articles do is give us a moment to reflect on the current status of music education and they are being written by sincere educators who have a great view for our profession. This is another awesome step in the ME campaign.  If you haven’t joined the ME campaign yet, now is definitely the time.  My thanks goes to both Dr. Pisano and Joel for providing this great resource to all of us!  Through all of our efforts we have opened important dialogue in our profession.  We do not always have the time to sit down and discuss with our colleagues face to face.  But this whole campaign has provided a way for us to open the conversation to a whole new level, and give us fresh food for thought.

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

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

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

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

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