TECHNIQUE AND MUSICALITY IN THE YOUNG BAND

Technique and Musicality

in the Young Band

presentedby

JimDaughters

and

TeresaElliott

featuringmembersofthe

ConnerMiddleSchoolSymphonicBand&

BeaumontMiddleSchoolSymphonicBand

KentuckyMusicEducatorsAssociation62ndAnnualStateIn‐ServiceConference

Friday,February5,20101:45pm–2:45pm

KICC–Room105‐108Louisville,Kentucky

TECHNIQUE AND MUSICALITY IN THE YOUNG BAND

I. SessionPurpose• Shareideasthatworkforusandprovidetangible,practicalsuggestionstogetting

youryoungbandstoperformatahigherlevel.• Utilizingacombinationofourstudentmusicians,wewilltakeyouthroughour

processofclasspreparation,warm‐upprocedures,andrehearsalstrategies.

II. ClassroomSet‐upandPreparation• Organizedclassroom• Haveaplanontheboard• Haveprocedures(turninginofpracticecards,questions,etc.)inplace.• Whatisyoursignalforstartingtherehearsal?• “Ifyoustartplayingmusicwithnoiseintheroom,allyou’redoingiscreatingmore

noise.”RickClary

III. Warm‐up(setsthestagefortherehearsal)• Warm‐upmusclesslowlyandgently(lowregisterandslowtempo)• Requirefocusinthewarmup• Establisharoutine,butvarythatroutine• Insistongoodposture,embouchure,handposition

BASICFUNDAMENTALSMUSTBEINPLACE–noexceptions1.Demonstrationofourwarm‐upprocedure:

• LONGTONES–concertF–downchromatically• ConcertF“upanddown”• Bbdownchromatically• Bb“upanddown”• CONSTANTLYREINFORCETAKINGGOODBREATHS,USEofGOODAIRSPEED,

correctEMBOUCHUREandPOSTURE• Varyrhythms–USEMODELLINGtodemonstratetonequality• LIPSLURSBb‐F‐lowBb‐F‐Bb‐F‐lowBb(woodwindsdescendchromatically)Start

SLOWLY&thisisassumingthatyouhavealreadytaughtyourstudentschromaticscales.

• LIPSLURS(bottomupwithwoodwindsplayingascendingchromatics)• TEACHtheCIRCLEOFFIFTHS!• Scalestudy–teachascaleaweek–andthenmakeyourscalestudyeachday

cumulative.• Varyarticulationswiththescalestoworktongue.• Reinforcechromaticsbyplayingchromaticscalesonthetonicofeachscale.• “RollerCoaster”scalestudyincreasestechniqueandimprovesarticulation.

TeachitfirstallSLURREDtogetconceptofair!• INSISToncorrectFUNDAMENTALSthroughouttheentirewarm‐upprocess.We

cannotexpectourgroupstoplaywithgoodtone,technique,articulation,etc.inthemusicifwedonotteachthoseconceptsintheDAILYwarmup.

• Ifweinsistongoodtoneduringthewarm‐ups,wewillspendmuchlesstimedoing“individual”tuning.“INTONE=INTUNE”

• Maketuningtheresponsibilityofthestudent.Teachthemhowtoheartheproblems.

Whattodowithpercussionduringthewarm‐ups?Havepercussionistslearnthewarmupsonkeyboards(workingonrolltechniqueandconnectionofrolls).Also,havethemrotateonsnareplayingsamplesfromthetechniquebooktoworkonrudiments.

2. Demonstrationofouruseof“STRICTLYTECHNICFORBAND”

JimSwearingen(AlfredPublishing)• LayoutofbookforeachUnit(Bb,Eb,Ab,C,Db,F,G,Gb)

1. Scale/arpeggio/chord2. Scaleinthirds3. Scalestudy–variesbyunit4. ChromaticScale5. RelativeHarmonicminorscale6. Rhythmicstudies7. Tuningstudies8. Sightreading9. ChoralesinMajorandminor

3. ProvidingQualityLiteratureforyourYoungBand

• Ifthefundamentalsareinplace,themusicisanoutcomeofthosefundamentals.Yourgroupwillplaymoreliteratureifyouhavepreparedthefundamentals.

• Youmustspendtimechoosingappropriatemusicforyourbandtodevelopmusicalandtechnicalexcellence.

• Keepsome“beautifulmusic”inthefolderatalltimes.• Majorpitfall‐directorschoosemusictoodifficultfortheensemble.• Choosemusicthatgivesthestudentsachancetobechallengedaswellasa

chancetosucceedmusicallyandtechnically.

IV. MusicalConcepts–youmustknowwhatyouwantyourgrouptosoundlike.

1.Melody• ”Itisnotawrongnoteaslongasitisplayedwithabeautifultone,intune,in

rhythm,andwithexpression.”WilliamRevelli• “Makethemelodysoundbeautiful,thensimplyaccompanyit.”RickClary• Shapethephrase!• “ThoushaltNEVERbreatheinthemidstofamusicalphrase.”

2.Harmony

• Beawareofeachsection’srolewithinthegroup.• Supportthemelodiclineintheaccompanyingparts.• Musictheoryisstillimportantinmiddleschoolmusic.Suspensions,passing

tones,etc.getmoreemphasis.

3.Dynamics• “Tuckinyoursound”or“GetInsidetheSound”(balanceandblend)• Createaninstrumentnameforcombinedsections(ex.clariphone)• Controlthetimbreinallvolumes.• Dynamicsarelargelyledfrombottomoftheband.• Dynamicsarerelativetoyourgroup.• Fortedoesn’tmeanFORTEforeveryone.• Noteverycrescendomustgotoforte.• Percussioncangreatlyenhancethedynamicrangeofyourgroup.

RhythmandStylearetwokeycomponentsthatseparatethegreatmiddleschoolbandsfromthegoodmiddleschoolbands.

4. Rhythm• Doalotof“outloudcounting”andclappingwithyourstudents.(Eastman

System) Ex.Studentscounteighthnotesoutloud(subdivide)andclapthe

rhythm.• RhythmicPrecisionoftheensemblemeanstolinethemupvertically.• Rhythmflashcardgamescandevelopbetterrhythmreading.

5. Style

• Eachnotehasshape,direction,abeginning,andanend.• “Studentsneedcommandofallarticulations.”ChipDeStefano• Styleisrelatedto“poundage”ofthenote.• Modelthestyleforstudentsonaninstrument.

Stresstheupbeats. Emphasizesyncopatednotes. Crescendoduringlongnotesofaphrase. Crescendotothemostimportantnoteofaphraseanddecrescendo

fromit.

V. FinalThoughts

• Itallcomesdowntolisteningtoeachother.• Don’tconductattimes….itforcesstudentstolistenandcommunicate.• Musicstartswiththeestablishmentofgoodtimeandgoodtechnique!• Insistongoodfundamentalseveryday!• Ifyoucanteachit,theycandoit!• Bepassionateaboutyourart….thestudentswillpickuponthat.• “Ifwestartwiththemusic,thenoteswillfollow.”

Breakdownoftimespentonfundamentalsvs.literature:

Beginners/6thgrade 80%fundamentals/20%literature 7thgrade 60‐70%fundaments/30‐40%literature 8thgrade 50%fundamentals/50%literature

Notes

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BandPersonnelStudentsarelistedbysectionalphabetically.

FlutesMadisonCookζLindseyCornetteβMadelineHandlerβJasminKarahusicζGloriaLiζJasmineLiζKelliRehmelβLaurenSeltsamβEllinorTaiβBrookeToddβSarahVainβCaitlynWardζJoeyWhiteζClarinetsKatelynConradβMaddieDeGraaffβCamilleElliottζCallieFulkersonβKatherineGilbertβKendraHughesζKailiJelinekβHannahKrugerβReeseMittanβErinPyleβAbbyRembeζChloeRobertsonβGabbySaalfeldζMichaelThompsonζGraysonWardβCameronYoungβOboeMeganGraftζMackenzieMirreβBassClarinetRandellBertscheζKatieLongζ

AltoSaxophoneMonicaMasonβKaylaMcNevinβCalebShieldsζDiandraSotoζJaredTaylorζBrettThamanζJoshTurnerζTenorSaxophoneCJBlairβ KoryCarrollζJacobEberhardζMattWeaverζBaritoneSaxophoneAlexBeansζSpencerDenisonβTrumpetAlexArnoldβJonBerryβNathanBradshawβJaredBrownβDavidByersβGrantGodbeyζRachelleHansonβZachMarcumβTylerMcLemoreζAndrewMondragonζNathanNicolζNikkiPittsβNicolePrestonβSarahWrightζFrenchHornAaronBurnsβAllisonLaskiβLoganMitchellζZacharySchulzζChrisWeinsteinζ

TromboneEmilyBryanβBryceFaulknerβJohnFiskeβAnthonyKahlyβLukeMeyerζAndyNeaceζJordanNicoulinβDakotaPannebeckerζTylerWilsonζEuphoniumDavidCrocettiβEmilyDavisβJeffJonesζCameronKingζRobbySchuabζBrennonSidebothamβTubaJustinBorckβSpenserDyminskiβAustinFishζTannerFoleyζPercussionBradArmstrongζAmberFeldhausζKeatonHaginsζSydneyHimesζGabeKindlβBrianMerkleζAaronOchsenbeinβSageRitchie‐HempsteadζEmoryThompsonβMichaelWetzelββ ‐DenotesBeaumontStudentζ ‐DenotesConnerStudent

TheClinicians

JimDaughtersisagraduateoftheUniversityofKentuckywherehewasagraduateteachingassistantanddrummajorforthe“Wildcat”MarchingBand.JimearnedaMastersDegreeinInstrumentalConductingandMusicEducationfromUKunderthetutelageofRichardClary,GeorgeBoulden,andDavidSogin.Mr.DaughterstaughtatHendersonNorthMiddleSchoolinHenderson,KentuckyfortwoyearspriortoreturningtohishometownandConnerMiddleSchoolin2005.ThebandsatConnerMiddlehaveconsistentlyplacedalargenumberofstudentsintheNorthernKentuckySelectBandandhavestudentsperformingwiththeCincinnati

JuniorYouthWindEnsembleatCCM.TheConnerMiddleSchoolSymphonicBandperformedattheUniversityofKentuckyMiddleSchoolBandInvitationalin2007andwasafeaturedperforminggroupatthe2008KentuckyMusicEducatorsAssociationStateIn‐ServiceConference.Eachyearsince2006,aConnerMiddleSchoolbandhasbeennamedanExemplaryPerformanceGroupattheDistrict6LargeEnsembleFestival.Inaddition,thebandprogramatConnerMiddleSchoolhasexperiencedtremendousgrowthoverthepastfouryears,increasingfrom150studentstoover300students.In2006,Mr.DaughtersinitiatedthefirststringorchestraprogramwhichhassincebeenimplementedinallthreegradelevelsatCMSandpavedthewayforthecreationoftheorchestraprogramatConnerHighSchool.Jimalsoservesasthemusicdepartmentheadfortheover700studentsinvolvedinfifteenperforminggroupsatConnerMiddleSchool.Mr.Daughtershasbeenaguestconductor,clinician,andadjudicatorforregionalhonorbands,concertandmarchingbandfestivals.Hehasalsobeenanarrangerforseveralmarchingbandsinthearea,includingtheUniversityofKentucky“Wildcat”MarchingBandandalsoservesastheheadclinicianfortheUKDrumMajorCamp.HisprofessionalaffiliationsincludeKMEA,MENC,NBAandanhonoraryinductioninKappaKappaPsi.JimisalsoaKentuckyColonelandreceivedthe2007‐2008“MiddleSchoolTeacheroftheYear”AwardfromDistrict6.

TeresaJ.Elliott,isinherthirtyfirstyearofadistinguishedteachingcareerenjoyingteachingatalllevelsofelementarythroughcollege.Presently,Ms.ElliottisDirectorofBandsatBeaumontMiddleSchoolandRosaParksElementary,bothinLexington,Kentucky.EnsemblesunderMs.Elliott’sdirectionhaveachievedstate,nationalandinternationalrecognition.In2005,theBeaumontMiddleSchoolSymphonicBandperformedattheprestigiousMidwestBandandOrchestraClinicinChicago,andasDirectorofBandsatPaoliJuniorSeniorHighSchoolinIndiana,herensemblewastheMidwestern

RepresentativeintheXXIIIOlympiadinLosAngeles,California.WhileatLexington’sHenryClayHighSchool,Ms.ElliottinitiatedthefirststeeldrumbandinthestateofKentucky.Inaddition,the1998HenryClayBandperformed,attheinvitationoftheLordMayor,intheNewYear’sDayParadeinLondon,England.Ms.Elliotthasbeenhonoredwithseveralteachingawardsincludingafinalistforthe2006AshlandTeacheroftheYear,the2005“OutstandingBandmasteroftheYear”,the2004KentuckyMusicEducatorsMiddleSchoolTeacheroftheYear,andtheWomanBandDirectorsInternational“ScrollofExcellence”Awardin1996.ShecurrentlyservesonthestaffoftheKentuckyAmbassadorsofMusicSummerEuropeanToursandisanactiveadjudicatorandclinicianthroughouttheUnitedStates.Ms.ElliottisamemberofKMEA,MENC,WBDNI,NBA,andPhiBetaMuInternational.SheholdsaBMEfromMoreheadStateUniversityandaMastersinClarinetPerformanceandMusicEducationfromtheUniversityofKentucky.Anavidrunner,Ms.Elliottenjoysparticipatinginlocal5Kand10Kraces.ShehastrainedforandcompletedtheWaltDisneyandCincinnatiMarathons.

AcknowledgementsWewouldliketothankthefollowingfortheirassistance

inpreparingforourpresentationtoday:

SingletaryCenterfortheArts

GeorgeBoulden,UniversityofKentuckyDr.FredSpeck,UniversityofLouisville

RonRothandTaylorToursKateMcAnelly,Principal,BeaumontMiddleSchoolJamesBrewer,Principal,ConnerMiddleSchool

JerryBorrowman,AssociatePrincipal,BeaumontMiddleSchoolAdeleGormley,AssistantPrincipal,ConnerMiddleSchool

WillowCooper,JeffHood,AprilKite,AnnieBelding,BeaumontMiddleSchoolBandStaffPeteOlsen,ChrisHedges,TimKennedy,CedricKnox,ConnerMiddleSchoolBandStaff

ParentsandStaffofBeaumontandConnerMiddleSchoolMattChandler,BridgettKnox,AmberHedges,AmyNoon,JillOetzel,SectionalInstructors

AbouttheProgramsBeaumontMiddleSchoolBandTheBeaumontMiddleSchoolbandprogramconsistsofapproximately250students,roughly25%ofthetotalschoolpopulation.BeaumontconsistentlyplacesmanymusiciansintheFayetteCountyHonorsBands,DistrictBand,theEasternKentuckyUniversityHonorBands,andtheCentralKentuckyYouthOrchestras.ThebandshavereceivedexclusivelydistinguishedratingsatKMEAassessmenteventsforovereightyears.ThegrouphasenjoyedperformancesattheKentuckyMusicEducatorsIn‐ServiceConference,theMidwestBandandOrchestraClinic,theUniversityofKentuckyMiddleSchoolInvitationalBandFestival,andtheDisneyJazzCelebrationinOrlando,Florida.Offeringsixthgradeband,seventhgradeband,eighthgradeband,jazzbandandmanychamberensembles,theBeaumontbandprogramisburstingattheseams,thanktothetremendoussupportoftheadministrationandparents.ConnerMiddleSchoolBandTheConnerMiddleSchoolBandProgramconsistsofover300studentsingrades6through8.OurstudentsparticipateinallgradelevelbandsincludingSymphonicBand,ConcertBandI,ConcertBandII,two6thGradeBeginningBands,AdvancedJazzEnsemble,JazzBandII,andPercussionEnsemble.Thegrouphasperformedatthe2006UniversityofKentuckyMiddleSchoolBandInvitational,the2008KMEAStateIn‐ServiceConference,andDisneyMagicMusicDaysinOrlando,Florida.Since2006,theensembleshavebeenrecognizedasanExemplaryPerformanceEnsembleintheDistrict6LargeEnsembleAssessments.Inaddition,ConnerMiddleSchoolstudentsparticipateintheCincinnatiJuniorYouthWindEnsembleattheCincinnatiCollege‐ConservatoryofMusicandhavealargenumberofstudentsselectedtotheNorthernKentuckySelectBand.