Are you programming notes? You should, and here’s why.

Many directors speak at concerts in between pieces. In these brief moments, they educate the audience, build a culture of appreciation for the music being performed and the ensemble performing it, and advocate for their music program. The ability to speak with purpose and passion at a concert regarding the repertoire is in direct proportion to how well one has studied and prepared the work for performance. All verbal comments should grow organically from the relationship that a director and their ensemble forge with the repertoire.

Some directors elect to include written notes in their concert program. In a similar fashion to the verbal comments, written program notes can also provide perspective and enrich the concert experience for the audience. However, not all directors elect to provide written notes in concert programs.

In the late fall of 2019, I invited band directors to participate in a survey. The invitation was made available through several different social medial platforms, and I am thankful to several professional band organizations who shared the invitation (Phi Beta Mu, The National Band Association). The purpose of the survey was to learn about their use of program notes. While higher participation is always desirable, I am delighted that 100 directors responded. I am thankful for the perspective these directors lent to this discussion. It is obvious that individual teaching context, schedule, resources, and personal preference all factor into the decision on how best to provide program notes (either written or verbal). The results below provide interesting perspective to consider.

• This group of directors averaged 17.5 years of teaching, and 24% identified as female while 76% of the directors identified as male.
• 67% of the respondent directors taught at more than one grade level, including 20% who taught all facets of their band program (elementary through high school).
• 85% of the respondent directors taught more than one ensemble in their daily teaching.
• On average, this group of directors gave 4 concert performances per year.
• 37% of the directors reported using printed program notes.
• 87% of the directors reported using verbal program notes during the concert.
• 39% of the directors provided program notes that were prepared by students in the program.
• 29% utilized program notes that were researched by students.
• Directors who engaged students in the preparation of program notes cited it being an effective writing assignment for all students. Some directors (14) indicated that it is a way for a student to remain engaged in the event of a physical injury or an instrument problem that keeps from participating in the time leading up to the concert.
• Several directors who engaged students in the preparation of program notes also indicated they did review and edit student work prior to using it for a concert or printed program.
• 29% of the directors had students in the band deliver the program notes during the concert.
• Directors who taught only one ensemble were twice as likely to prepare written program notes to be printed in the concert program than directors who taught more than one ensemble.
• This group of directors were asked why they did or did not provide written program notes. Directors who did not provide program notes in the concert program frequently commented that the printing cost, space in the program, time necessary to prepare notes, and concert venue being too dark to read the notes were primary reasons to not include notes.
• Directors who did provide program notes in the concert program stated that it gave the audience more of a connection to the work, kept their own comments brief, and provided a way to enrich the experience for the audience. A few directors admitted to having some anxiety over public speaking and utilized notes in lieu of addressing the audience.

Written and verbal program notes offer directors the opportunity to share what students have learned from the repertoire and how that has moved them forward in the band program curriculum. Additionally, directors can also highlight other areas in which the study of a piece has enhanced the experience for the students including, but not limited to:

• personal growth from studying the piece (both director and student)
• the relevance of the work to modern learning and society
• the history of a piece and its significance for study
• how the work celebrates part of culture or history
• the deep centered emotional impact of the work
• how the piece properly reflects the life of a person or group of people.

Any of the reasons that a director selects a piece of repertoire can be brought to the attention of the audience to develop their appreciation for the ensemble, the music, the rehearsal process, and the artistry of the group and individuals. Repertoire is the vehicle to realize the goals of the band program curriculum, and program notes provide a way for the audience to better understand that process.

Program notes can be constructed from a variety of sources including the score, composer websites, music history textbooks, and analysis projects and articles in scholarly journals. Program notes need not be long, but they should highlight the most important facet of the work. In addition to the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series from GIA, there are useful textbooks and websites from which composer and composition information can be accessed. Consider these examples:

• Norman Smith’s Program Notes for Band
• The Wind Repertory Project founded by Nikk Pilato
• Wind Band Literature by Andy Pease
• The Foothills Symphonic Winds Program Notes Index
• The Palatine Concert Band Program Note Index

Directors can infuse personal experiences and narratives that that are part of the musical journey into their program notes. For many directors, a singular piece of music could have left a profound impact on their decision to enter the music education profession. If they revisit such a work with their students, sharing that part of their journey with students and the audience is a valuable reflection. As many directors are a musical role model within the community in which they teach, this personal perspective provides a deeper view of the reciprocal relationship in the medium. As the director and ensemble work on the music, the music works upon the director and ensemble.

The emphasis on writing in school curricula continues to be at the center of school reform movements. By utilizing this opportunity, students can develop program notes to share either in the written program or verbally at the concert. There are obvious benefits of engaging students in researching and providing additional background on a piece. In addition to giving them opportunity to do research on a subject in which they have a vested interest, students can also be assessed on their ability to conduct ethical research, develop articulate writing skills, and learn basic citation skills in a specific style (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago). Research projects of this kind are a unique type of assessment that affords students a way to demonstrate their intelligence in music other than a playing examination or scale test. These activities also provide directors a way to collaborate with other faculty members in their English and Language Arts Departments. A writing assignment for a student in band that culminates in a program note for a piece in the repertoire could include:

• A Short biography, background of the composer, or influences upon the creation of the piece. (e.g., Encourage your students to reach out to the ones who are living!)
• A description of the important features, form, or style of the work (e.g., What are the important aspects that contribute to the style of Softly Speaks the Night by Carol Brittin Chambers?)
• Students could be asked a series of questions including how elements of music in the piece influence their perspective. (e.g., How does Anne McGinty’s choice of mode in The Red Balloon impact the emotion of the piece?)
• The significance of the work to the band repertoire. (e.g., Why should bands play 1^st Suite in Eb for Military Band by Gustav Holst?)
• A practical view on the work to make it more relatable to the audience. (e.g., Why is it important to study spirituals like Swing Low, Sweet Chariot set by Stephen Rouse?)

Written program notes communicate important aspects of the work to the audience prior to the audience hearing a piece. The audience’s reception to a new or unfamiliar musical experience will be better with effective use of program notes. As an audience member waits for the start of the concert their anticipation can build as they review written notes in the program. Aural program notes are effective in helping the audience gain further insight into the artistic and pedagogical reasons for the repertoire that being performed. While students have a longer period in which to assimilate and identify the artistic and pedagogical reasons a piece was studied and performed, audiences have only the window of the concert performance to arrive at the same conclusion. Directors may want to consider guiding the ears of the audience by identifying themes, demonstrating a concept within the work, or identifying unique sounds present in the sound canvas. Several examples are listed here:

• Playing an octatonic scale and a short section of the theme to model the melodic language found in Unraveling by Andrew Boysen, Jr.
• Playing a short section at a slower tempo to help the audience understand a musical suspension found in Suspended Animation by Patrick Burns.
• Demonstrating the extra-musical effects found in The Cave You Fear by Michael Markowski
• Playing some of the connected themes and chord progressions from each of the movements of The Incidental Suite by Claude T. Smith

The concerns expressed by some band directors who responded to this survey are legitimate and understandable given the many responsibilities music educator might have. Still, there are solutions for providing notes that will not necessarily increase the burden or cost of printed programs. The use of a QR Code that audience members can scan could provide the audience with additional written notes not included in the program. Engaging students in the research process can also ease the responsibility on the band director from preparing program notes by themselves.

I fully acknowledge that written program notes may take extra time to properly prepare. If we choose to involve students in that process (and I encourage directors to do so), it might require additional patience, planning, and perspective. However, I believe that it is vital for our profession to embrace this opportunity so that we can build in our audience a genuine respect and interest for the repertoire we study and perform. While our bands play many right notes, writing some additional notes will help our audience and communities appreciate the students, our ensembles, and the music even more.