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AUGUST 2010 $5.00 Survey: Fundraising Technology: Transcription Tools Craig Kirchhoff: Preparing the Next Generation Upfront Q&A: MMEA’s Cindy Shirk

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Page 1: SBO August 2010

AUGUST 2010$5.00

Survey: Fundraising

Technology: Transcription Tools

Craig Kirchhoff:Preparing the Next Generation

Upfront Q&A: MMEA’s Cindy Shirk

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SB&O School Band and Orchestra® (ISSN 1098-3694) is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310, publisher of Musical Merchandise Review, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JAZZed. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: one year $24; two years $40. Rates outside U.S.A. available upon request. Single issues $5 each. February Resource Guide $15. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to School Band and Orchestra, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Copyright © 2010 by Symphony Publish-ing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

Cover photo by Joyful Girl Photography: www.joyfulgirlphotography.com.

4 Perspective

6 Headlines

58 New Products

62 Playing Tip

63 Classifi eds

64 Ad Index

Columns

Features10 UPFRONT: COLLABORATION

Thomas Bough, director of bands at Northern Illinois University, uses his school’s recent partnership with the Phantom Regiment as an example of the many benefi ts that can come through collaboration.

12 UPFRONT Q&A: MMEA’S CINDY SHIRKCindy Shirk, middle school band director and current president of the Minnesota Music Educators Association, sheds some light on the status of music education in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

17 REPORT: BEST TOOLS FOR SCHOOLSSBO reveals the top products for music education from the 2010 Summer NAMM show in Nashville, Tenn., as selected by attending music teachers.

22 UPCLOSE: CRAIG KIRCHHOFFCraig Kirchhoff, director of bands at the University of Minnesota, discusses the keys to preparing the next generation of music educa-tors in this recent SBO interview.

33 SURVEY: FUNDRAISINGAs far too many schools continue to struggle with fi nancial issues, this reader survey seeks out the newest trends in fundraising from band and orchestra directors around the country.

40 COMMENTARY: INTERVIEW WITH COMPOSER JOHN MACKEYSBO contributor Joe Allison speaks with noted composer John Mackey about the ins and outs of selecting repertoire for school bands and orchestras.

46 PERFORMANCE: FRENCH HORN MAINTENANCEJeff Smith of J.L. Smith & Co. provides a step-by-step guide to rotor maintenance on the French horn.

52 TECHNOLOGY: TRANSCRIPTION TOOLSJohn Kuzmich takes at hardware and software tools that can aid the transcription process.

Contents August 2010

33

40

2 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

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Perspective®

August 2010Volume 13, Number 8

GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. [email protected]

PUBLISHER Richard E. [email protected]

Editorial Staff

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christian [email protected]

EDITOR Eliahu [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Denyce [email protected]

Art Staff

PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew P. [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Laurie [email protected]

Advertising Staff

ADVERTISING SALES Iris [email protected]

CLASSIFIED SALES Maureen [email protected]

Business Staff

CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. [email protected]

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi [email protected]

WEBMASTER Julie [email protected]

Symphony Publishing, LLC

CHAIRMAN Xen Zapis

PRESIDENT Lee [email protected]

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rich [email protected]

Corporate Headquarters

26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300Westlake, Ohio 44145

(440) 871-1300www.symphonypublishing.com

Publishing, Sales, & Editorial Offi ce

21 Highland Circle, Suite 1Needham, MA 02494

(781) 453-9310FAX (781) 453-9389

1-800-964-5150www.sbomagazine.com

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4 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

SBO Essay Contest: 10 Years LaterW

hen we originally set out to create the SBOessay contest, we didn’t anticipate that ten years later we would have given out some $200,000 in scholarships, musical instru-ments, and equipment to schools and stu-dents around the country. However, one

decade in, it has become clear that the benefi ts of this competition extend far beyond just the prizes: over 100,000 music students have been encouraged to im-prove their writing skills by participating in a creative writing contest focused on a variety of music-oriented subjects, ranging from “My Favorite Instrument is…” to more topical issues such as, “I believe Music Must Remain a Part of the School Curriculum Because…” We often receive packages of es-says from band directors who have partnered with their English department teachers in

order to make the essay a part of their curriculum. Addition-ally, music directors have utilized the essays in order to rein-force to their administration that music education is a critical component of a well-rounded education.

Many of this program’s charter sponsors have been tre-mendously supportive with their funding, time, and energy, including NAMM, Alfred Publishing, Yamaha, and now, for the fi rst time, the Woodwind & Brasswind and Sabian, Inc.

Reviewing the thousands of essays that we receive each year to determine the ten win-ners is an enormous undertaking, and often very diffi cult, due to the fact that so many of the essays are beautifully crafted and feature extraordinary ideas and creativity. Our past judges have had the very diffi cult task of helping to select the winners from among the best entries that we receive. We send our gratitude to: Andrew Surmani of Alfred Publishing; Michael Skinner of DANSR; Joe Lamond and Sandra Jordan of NAMM; Earl Hurrey of MENC, and Roger Eaton and Jay Schreiber of Yamaha Corporation. This year, we have added some new names to this list, including Jenna Grisham of Woodwind & Brasswind, Nick Petrella of Sabian, and the venerable Boston Symphony timpanist, educator, and businessman, Vic Firth.

You will fi nd within this issue a copy of our new 2011 essay contest poster, which we hope you will post on your bulletin board. Our theme this year is “How My Music Teacher Has Infl uenced Me and My Goals in School.” This topic is certain to generate some tremendously valuable ideas that can be used for supporting music education in the future. You may also fi nd a wealth of information about the essay contest on our Web site, www.sbomagazine.com, including past winners, entry rules, eligibility, and much more. Once the new contest is launched, you may also have your students submit their essays via our online form.

Rick [email protected]

“It has become clear that the ben-

efi ts of this contest extend far beyond

just the prizes.”

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6 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

HeadLinesDr. Harry Begian, Beloved Band Director, Dies at 89

Eminent band director, Dr. Harry Begian, began his career in 1943 when he joined the music faculty

at McKenzie High School in Detroit. Shortly afterward, he was drafted into the United States Army. When he re-turned he was called upon by Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, where he served as director of bands. It was his work at Cass from 1947 to 1964 that led to Begian’s national recognition as a band director. Recently, some 25 recordings of the Cass Band were placed in the National Archives of the Library of Congress as part of the “Harry Begian Collection.”

In 1963, Begian began his fi rst university level position as director of bands at Wayne State University – his alma mater. In 1966, he was asked to join the Michigan State University faculty as director of bands. In 1969, Begian was offered and accepted the position of director of bands at the University of Illinois, where he remained for the rest of his professional teaching career, retiring in 1984. Following his offi cial retirement, Begian became a faculty member at the Interlochen and Blue Lake Fine Arts Music Camp and was a guest conductor for bands at all levels, in all parts of the world.

Throughout his career, he garnered numerous awards from organizations such as the National Band Associa-tion, ASBDA, and the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts. In 1994 he was entered into in the Band Conductors Hall of Fame in Troy, Alabama.

Mr. Begian died on July 26 of pneumonia at an as-sisted-living community in Alpena, Mich. He was 89.

Bands of America Grand National Winner to Appear in Rose Parade

Music for All and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses have announced a partnership granting the winner of the Bands of America Grand National

Championship an invitation to appear in the Tournament of Roses Parade, starting with the 2010 champion for the 2012 parade. Beginning with the 2010 Grand National Champion-ship and continuing through at least the 2012 Championship, the winner will receive a one-year automatic invitation to the 2012 parade and continuing through the 2014 Rose Parade.

The Bands of America Grand National Championship is held each November in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianap-olis, Indiana. More than 90 bands from across the coun-try compete for the title of national champion. The 2010 championship will be held November 10-13. The 2012 president of the Tournament of Roses, along with the mu-

sic committee chair, will be on hand to present the win-ning band with the invitation to the 2012 Rose Parade.

For more information, visit www.musicforall.org.

PRISM Saxophone Quartet Joins Conn-Selmer Artist Roster

PRISM Saxophone Quartet is a new addition to Selmer-Paris’ Artist Endorsement Roster. Two-time winners of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adven-

turous Programming, PRISM has performed in Carnegie Hall on the Making Music Series, in Alice Tully Hall with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and throughout Latin Ameri-ca under the auspices of the United States Information Agency.Two members of the PRISM Quartet have been on the Conn-Selmer Artist Roster for many years, and now they welcome all four members of the group: Matthew Levy, Timothy McAllister, Zachary Shemon, and Taimur Sullivan.For more information, visit www.conn-selmer.com.

International Songwriting Competition

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) offers songwriters and artists the oppor-tunity to have their music heard by some of the

world’s most iconic and successful recording artists, as well as many major and indie record label presidents.Open to both amateur and professional songwriters, ISC offers 22 categories to enter, representing all genres of popular music. Past winners have included artists at all levels, from Grammy win-ners to hobbyist songwriters and everyone in between. To better level the playing fi eld for unsigned artists, ISC has added this year the “Unsigned Only” category which is open to songwriters and artists not signed to a major label record deal, publishing compa-ny, or distribution deal. This category provides an opportunity for unknown artists to compete against others on a similar level.Now accepting entries for the 2010 competition, ISC gives away more than $150,000 in cash and prizes (shared among the 66 winners) including an overall grand prize consisting of $25,000 cash and $20,000 in prizes.

To enter, go to www.songwritingcompetition.com.

The Benefi ts of the Study of Music

The Benefi ts of the Study of Music: Why We Need Music Education in Our Schools features research indicating that the study of music helps students

achieve success in society, success in school and learning, success in developing intelligence and success in life. This new brochure from The National Association for Music Education (MENC) captures the latest facets and view-points from science and industry regarding music educa-tion’s impact on student growth and achievement.

To fi nd out more, visit www.menc.org.

Dr. Harry Begian

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8 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

HeadLinesLocal Students Join the Detroit International Jazz Festival

The Detroit International Jazz Festival has announced the names the of high school and college jazz groups set to perform on the Meijer Education Stage at this

year’s festival, September 3-6, in downtown Detroit.In July, the Detroit Jazz Festival teamed up with Wayne

State University for Jazz Week & Wayne, fi ve days of in-tensive music study for 40 area high school students. The student musicians wrapped up the week by performing at

Campus Martius in downtown Detroit.To fi nd out more, visit www.detroitjazzfest.com.

From the Top Seeks Talented Students

From the Top, a showcase for young musicians, has announced its 2010-2011 National Public Radio (NPR) radio taping tour, hosted by acclaimed con-

cert pianist Christopher O’Riley. The tour will include concert events at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston, Mass., along with performances in Ath-ens, Ga. and Yountville, Calif.

From the Top is seeking young classical musicians to feature on their radio and television programs. To be eli-gible, students must be a United States resident (or signifi -cant training connection to the U.S.), not yet enrolled full-time in college or conservatory, and be between the ages of 8-18. Soloists (instrumental or vocal), composers, and small and large ensembles are welcome.

For more information, visit www.fromthetop.org.

World’s Most Expensive Musical Instrument for Sale

One of the last violins to be created by Italian mas-ter craftsman Guarneri del Gesù has been put up for sale by violin dealer and restorer, Bein &

Fushi of Chicago, Ill., at an asking price of $18 million. Dubbed the “Mona Lisa of violins,” the Vieuxtemps was made in 1741 by Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744), said to be the fi nest violin maker of the Amati line.

If the Vieuxtemps Guarneri achieves its reserve, it will become the most expensive musical instrument in the world, with the previous record price being just over half of that. Only about 140 of Guarneri del Gesù’s violins sur-vive compared to 640 made by Antonio Stradivari. The vi-olin is being sold by retired British fi nancier and music philanthropist, Ian Stoutzker, who bought it from Sir Isaac Wolfson, founder of Wolfson College, Oxford, England.

For more information, visit www.beinfushi.com.

Vienna Art Orchestra Performs Last Concert

After 33 years, the Vienna Art Orchestra performed their last concert on July 9, in Viktring, Austria. Ac-cording to the orchestra’s founder and artistic direc-

tor, Mathias Rüegg, the lack of fi nancial support and a de-crease in demand in the orchestra’s core countries, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, as well as the economic problems in countries such as Italy, Spain, and France were the rea-sons behind the decision. The VAO’s main sponsor had cut its funding by 200,000 Euros three years ago, and the city of Vienna declined increasing its funding in response. There has been a call to action in political circles to preserve the or-chestra, which is considered one of Europe’s leading big jazz ensembles.

To fi nd out more, visit www.vao.at.

Conn-Selmer Launches Yanagisawa Web SiteConn-Selmer has launced a Web site for Yanagisawa Wind

Instrument, a Japanese saxophone manufacturer known for their professional grade saxophones. The new Web site provides information about all of the different saxophones, necks, and mouthpieces Yanagisawa manufactures, as well as information about Yanagisawa artists in North America.

Visit www.yanagisawasaxophones.com to learn more.

SBO’s 2010 Essay Contest WinnerChrista Ray was one of 10 students to win SBO’s 2010

Essay Contest. Christa is a student at Chelsea High School in Chelsea, Ala. Along with the other essay winners, Christa received a $1,000 scholarship, and her school mu-sic program received musical products from co-sponsors, Alfred Publishing and Yamaha Corporation of America. Christa was presented with her scholarship by the staff at her local music shop, Art’s Music.

Jessica Freehling-Kazzie, manager, Art’s Music Shop; Christa Ray, recipient of the scholarship; Dane Lawley, Chelsea High School band director; Dick Turner, Art’s school service representative.

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SBOUpfront: Collaboration

10 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Accomplish More Through

BY THOMAS BOUGH

Collaboration between band programs and other musical

organizations is one of the best ways to enhance learn-

ing opportunities for your students. Whether perform-

ing joint concerts with other schools, inviting military

ensembles onto your campus to perform, or creating new part-

nerships, we can accomplish more working together than we can

as individuals.

Collaboration:As you consider forming part-

nerships to support your program, consider your local options first. Are there other schools nearby that might consider sharing a concert, or hosting a small solo and ensemble festival? Are there colleges or uni-versities that might be willing to collaborate with you for master-classes, lessons, or instrument repair clinics? Are there nursing homes or hospitals that might be willing to host chamber music performances? Since most of the support for your program is going to come from lo-cal sources, it makes sense to invest in local relationships first. Military bands and the chamber ensembles, jazz bands or even rock combos drawn from them are often able to accommodate requests for perfor-mances and clinics, especially for schools located near the base.

After many discussions with Rick Valenzuela, the executive director of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, The Northern Illinois University Huskie Marching Band and the Phantom Regiment have decided to join together to host a high school marching band com-petition called the “Red and Black Fall Classic” (in recognition of the color scheme shared by both orga-nizations). Many elements of this partnership can be applied to school

NIU Marching Band & Phantom Regiment

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 11

music programs across the coun-try, including the benefits of hav-ing clear, specific goals, the value of planning ahead, and the poten-tial gains that can be had through collaboration with organizations in your geographic area.

The Red and Black Fall Classic will take place on September 25, 2010 at Huskie Stadium, on the cam-pus of Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. Both NIU and the Phantom Regiment bring equally sig-nifi cant contributions to the partner-ship. The university is able to offer academic credentials, skilled faculty, and a remarkable performance ven-ue. Phantom Regiment brings their world-class instructors, expertise in hosting such events, and a strong base of alumni support. Valenzuela and I are equally committed to pro-viding educational opportunities to the bands that attend, as well as an exciting event for the community. Thus, the marching band competi-tion that will offer additional edu-cational opportunities beyond the scope of most fi eld shows: Bands will have the opportunity to rehearse in the performance venue before the show, to receive comments and sug-gestions from the judges in a clinic format before the competition, and to meet with the judges for face-to-face feedback with the students after their performance.

Since the goals for the show were determined over a year before the date of the event, there was plenty of time to determine the best way to meet those goals. For the NIU/Phantom Regiment show, the pri-mary aim is to provide a meaningful educational event for the students. This central theme guides all other aspects of planning the show. Every detail – from parking to conces-sions to planning the route from the warm-up area to the stadium – was considered with the needs of the students in mind. Regardless of the size of the event being planned, a clear sense of the end result will guide the planning process and en-ergize those involved in helping to make it a reality.

Resolving our goals this early also allowed us time to plan ahead. We were able to secure dates in Huskie Stadium, arrange to fly in some of the best judges from around the country, and to start distribut-ing publicity materials 10 months in advance. Thanks to support from the NIU Convocation Center, we were able to distribute promotional flyers at the Midwest Clinic in De-cember 2009, at the Northern Il-linois University booth. Likewise, the Phantom Regiment promoted the event at their annual reception at Midwest to alumni and friends of the corps. NIU was able to follow up the Midwest announcement with more publicity at the Illinois Music Educators Convention in January of 2010. Both organizations continued to reach out to alumni and friends throughout the spring, resulting in 20 bands that had registered for the show by the end of May.

Long term planning is really one of the keys to putting together an event like this. It is much easier to resolve schedule conflicts and re-serve facilities months ahead of time, rather than weeks or days ahead of time. Also, planning ahead allows time to refine and improve plans, to seek input from both par-ticipants and outside experts, and to make sure that the plans will match the predetermined goals. In our preparations, we sought input from a variety of local high school band directors, as well as the profession-als from the NIU event staff. At each meeting, we made sure that our goal of providing a meaningful educa-tional experience to the students who attend remained at the center of the discussion.

Thomas Bough is director of bands at Northern Illinois Univer-sity, in Dekalb, Illinois. He can be reached at by e-mail at [email protected]. The Red and Black Fall Classic will take place on Sep-tember 25th at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium. For more information, visit www.regi-ment.org or www.niu.edu/band.

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SBOUpfrontQ&A: MMEA’s Cindy Shirk

12 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Music education in Minnesota faces a host of rather

daunting challenges, some unique and others all-too-

common in this day and age. While the “Land of

10,000 Lakes” is middle of the pack in terms of state

population and size, nearly 60 percent of Minnesotans live in

and around the Twin Cities, meaning that state legislatures must

balance the needs of a dense

urban population with those

of residents living in sparsely

inhabited rural areas. As the

consequences of high unem-

ployment and budget shortfalls

continue to hit schools nation-

wide, SBO recently got in touch

with Cindy Shirk, band direc-

tor at Dakota Meadows Middle

School in Mankato, Minn. and president of the Minnesota Mu-

sic Educators Association, who shed some light on the well-being

of music education in her state and shared a few of the current

initiatives being undertaken by the MMEA.

Minnesota Music Educators Association president Cindy Shirk

Cindy Shirk

School Band & Orchestra: How would you describe the current atmosphere for school music pro-grams in the state of Minnesota?

Cindy Shirk: At our MMEA spring board meeting a year ago (May, 2009), we asked each board member present (about 25) to give an update about the current status of his or her school mu-sic program. At that time, at least half of the board indicated cuts or reduc-tions to their programs. During the current year, it seems that the problem has increased. While I don’t have ex-act fi gures, I think nearly all schools in our state have been affected in some way by the current economy.

That being said, Minnesota edu-cators are notoriously proactive and optimistic; our educators are striving to continue to offer the highest qual-ity music instruction possible in their situations. This is evident by the high number of music educators who con-tinue their membership in our MMEA organization, and who continue to at-tend our conferences and participate in our festivals and all-state activities.

SBO: What are some of the direct threats music programs in your state are facing, and how do you and your colleagues (both educa-tors and the MMEA) plan to meet those threats?

CS: We are seeing cuts across the board in all areas of music. In my own school, for instance, music contact time was proportionately cut along with the other core subject areas. This has resulted in music teachers with

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 13

heavier loads, teaching more students with less preparation time, and teach-ing more content areas, such as band and orchestra teachers being given additional general music assignments. Along with many other schools, we have also seen teachers being assigned to areas outside of their major empha-sis, for example, choral teachers as-signed to teach strings or high school teachers assigned to teach middle level. Unfortunately, in many cases, adminis-trators look at numbers and dollars, instead of looking at what works best, or what is best for students.

To help counter these problems, MMEA decided to focus a recent is-sue of our state music journal, Inter-val, on helpful articles to help deal with these concerns. Some of the ar-ticles included topics such as “Frank Talk in Tough Times,” “Teaching Out-side Your Expertise,” “Creative Ways to Get Students Excited About Your Program,” and “Increasing Support for Elementary Band and Orchestra Through Data.”

MMEA also has provided work-shops at our annual Midwinter Clinic to help teachers deal with stressful is-sues during the current downturn.

SBO: Where is the main focus of efforts by the MMEA these days?

CS: Along with efforts listed above, we are also focusing our attention on communication, so that members

throughout the state have current up-to-date information. We already have a well-functioning Web site, but we are fi nding our members to be so busy that they aren’t always able to access the site or seek help in areas pertinent to them. We have a task force currently exploring ways to increase communi-

cations, and they are confi dent they will soon have additional resource outlets ready for teachers.

We also partnered with a couple of organizations this past year to help schools. One partnership paired us with Minnesota Public Radio for a used instrument drive to help schools provide instruments to students who can’t afford them. The program was

highly successful, and several hundred instruments were donated through-out the state. MPR was instrumental in getting the word out through their public service announcements.

Another project with a Minnesota recording company involved the mak-ing of Minnesota Beatles Songs, a CD of

“Minnesota educators are notoriously proactiveand optimistic; our educators are striving to continue

to offer the highest quality music instruction pos-sible in their situations.”

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14 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Beatles music performed by Minnesota artists. The proceeds from this project will go towards grants that schools can apply for to help augment their music programs. Both of these partnerships are expected to continue into this next year, and hopefully beyond.

SBO: Is there anything different that you’d like to see from music programs in your state over the next few years?

CS: We defi nitely hope to see fund-ing increased so that what has been cut recently can be restored. So much of it is political, which is disappointing, be-cause students end up become pawns in the money game of taxes and spend-ing, both at the state and federal level.

A concern that needs to be addressed is ensuring that all students have equal access to music education. More than half of Minnesota’s residents reside within the Twin Cities metro area. We need to be sure that smaller rural schools receive adequate funding to keep their programs alive and active. There is a state study (funded through a grant utilizing Legacy resources from a sales tax initiative) being done to help determine the “state of arts education,” and it will be interesting to see the re-sults of that survey in this coming year.

Our state legislature recently ap-proved the revised Minnesota Stan-dards for Arts, which will begin to be implemented this current school year (2010-2011). Already, our music

educators are ahead of the game, and are proactively implementing the stan-dards in their curriculums well ahead of other subject areas. That speaks highly for our state’s music teachers.

SBO: What can teachers or the MMEA do to help ensure that all schools receive funding for music, even the rural ones?

CS: Our rural, outstate schools have continued to have strong music programs, despite decreased funding, and I think the reason is because their communities highly value music and do what they can, through booster organi-zations and parent-teacher associations, to help keep those programs strong. Often times, parents are the ones who can make the difference if a program is threatened with a cut, and I’ve seen that happen in a number of cases, both outstate and metro. Music teachers are sometimes hesitant to advocate at the local level because they are simply too busy, or are possibly concerned about repercussions from administrators in power when reductions are made. Mu-sic teachers are very much overworked in our schools throughout the coun-try these days, and many are isolated – sometimes the only music educator in their district – and they don’t have sup-port systems at the local level.

MMEA has helped with advocacy at the state level in many ways. Mary Schaefl e, our executive director, is very knowledgeable about all the school

districts in our state, and she has often been consulted by teachers and parents who need advice with advocating dur-ing an impending program cut. This has helped save programs.

We also provide advocacy resources on our Web site, through articles in our Interval journal, and we also have a board member who is an advocacy chair.

SBO: Does the MMEA network with other state or national music ed organizations to coordinate initia-tives?

CS: Recently, two members of our executive committee (our executive director and president-elect) traveled to Washington D.C. for MENC’s Na-tional Leadership Assembly, and while there they visited the offi ces of our state’s congressmen as part of MENC’s advocacy campaign. I participated in that event last year as well. It helps to set an awareness of the importance of music, and keep it visible. A past MMEA president was also an integral part of advocating our state legislature for implementing music assessment standards. While legislation was intro-duced and pushed through the process, it never became law. Nevertheless, I think it was worth the effort as it again made music education more visible. MMEA also works closely with our North Central Division leaders (north central states) to help provide input to MENC’s national leaders to advocate more at the national level.

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16 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 17

SBOReport

The 2010 Summer NAMM show, which took place this past June, featured count-less innovative musical products cover-

ing the entire spectrum of music making. SBOenlisted educators attending the Nashville trade show to seek out the best tools for use in music classrooms. In a presentation on the last day of the music products convention, Joe Allison of

Eastern Kentucky University, Jeremy Greenwood of Tupelo (Miss.) High School, Steven Nendza of Hille Middle School in Oak Forest, Ill., and Laura Verdone, a music teacher in the Nashville (Tenn.) Public School System, introduced the following products in 12 widely varying categories, declar-ing them SBO’s 2010 Summer NAMM Show Best Tools for Schools.

Best Elementary Tool

Jumbie JamPanyard, Inc.

www.panyard.com/jumbiejam

The Jumbie Jam is a colorful steel drum pan for young and begin-

ning music students that comes with a height-adjustable, collaps-ible stand, mallets, a play-along CD, and educational materials.

Best Beginning ToolThe Chord Buddy

www.chordbuddy.com

The Chord Buddy is a capo that is confi gured to play the primary chords in the key of G on the gui-tar. Simply press one of the four colored buttons on the top of the

Chord Buddy to change the chord while strumming.

Best Intermediate ToolFT-88 Mini-clip Tuner

Shenzehn FZone Technologywww.fzonetechnology.com

The FT-88 mini-clip chromatic tuner from FZone is a colorful,

fun-shaped clip-on tuner that uses vibration to determine pitch and is designed to work on both stringed

and brass instruments.

Best Tools for Schools

SBOReport

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18 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Best Advanced ToolThe Drum Wallet

www.thedrumwallet.com

The Drum Wallet is a small, simple, bean-bag-like device

that can be attached to the lugs of a snare drum and then easily fl ipped onto the batter head in

order to quickly muffl e the drum, and just as quickly fl ipped back

down when additional muffl ing is no longer wanted.

Best Percussion Tool

Power Wrist Builderswww.powerwristbuilders.com

Designed to build strength, agility and endurance in the wrists and forearms, Power Wrist Builders are solid aluminum and solid

brass drumsticks weighted be-tween two and 28 ounces.

Best Small Ensemble Tool

JamHubwww.jamhub.com

JamHub is a portable device with multiple segments that each have their own input and output jacks,

each controlling its own mix. This tool enables a small ensemble to play electronic instruments

together in relative silence.

Best Stringed/Fretted Instrument Tool

TunerGuardwww.tunerguard.com

Currently only for guitar but in the process of being adapted for other stringed instruments, the Tunerguard is a sturdy plastic

sleeve that slides over tuning pegs to prevent them from moving if

something should bump or brush against the headstock.

Best Marching Band Tool

BBS-1 Wireless Pulsating Metronome

Peterson Strobe Tunerswww.petersontuners.com

Building on the original BodyBeat metronomes, the BBS-1 Wireless Pulsating Metronome allows an unlimited number of performers to feel or hear the same beat by

wirelessly connecting and syncing pulsating metronomes.

Best Recording Tool

The PCM-D50 is a rugged, light-weight recorder that uses AA bat-teries and is packed with useful features, including two-position

stereo microphones, 4GB of inter-nal memory, digital pitch control,

and MP3 playback capability.

PCM-D50Sony

www.pro.sony.com

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20 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Best Independent Study Tool

Trumpet Compact Practice Mute Faxx Mutes

www.AmericanWayMarketing.com

Faxx Mutes’ lightweight and com-pact practice mute for trumpet is designed to allow players to

practice at low volumes.

Most Innovative Tool

Beamz PlayerBeamz Interactive

www.thebeamz.com

With the tag line of “Enabling peo-ple of all ages to play, create, and perform great music,” the Beamz Player uses lasers and sensors, which, when interrupted, trigger

musical cues. In addition to being fun for beginners, this device is

also a great way to involve special ed students in music making.

Best Health & Hygiene Tool

The Guitar Hands Clinical Lipid Therapy Cleansing Lotion is, as the name suggests, designed to cleanse, nourish, heal, and

toughen skin, making it ideal for use on hands that play stringed

instruments.

Joe Allison Jeremy Greenwood

Laura Verdone Steven Nendza

Guitar Handswww.truemoisture.com

SBO_20 20 8/3/10 8:37:40 AM

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22 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Like many lifelong educa-tors, Craig Kirchhoff, director of bands at the University of Minnesota, became a music lover at an early age. Kirch-hoff credits his high school mu-sic teacher, Michael Yindra, as being tremendously infl uential in motivating him, and help-ing to plant a seed that would blossom into a career running fi rst-rate collegiate music pro-grams.

BY ELIAHU SUSSMAN

Craig KirchhoffThe University of Minnesota’s

Preparing the Next Generation

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 23

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24 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

“I can’t remember a lightning bolt coming down and hitting me with the idea that music was going to be it for me,” Kirchhoff confi des in a recent interview. “I ended up going into mu-sic because that’s the only thing I re-ally loved and wanted to do.” Craig studied music at the University of Wis-consin-Milwaukee and began teaching in area high schools upon graduation. “Being in Milwaukee, I was also able to do a lot of playing, so I really had the best of both worlds, playing pro-fessionally and teaching,” he says.

After running a high school band program for four years, Kirchhoff was invited to perform in a demon-stration band at a conducting sympo-sium, which would turn out to be the scene of one of the great epiphanies of his life. Frederick Fennell was the teacher at this symposium, and Craig describes him as “unbelievably inspir-ing.” Kirchhoff elaborates, “His abil-ity to conduct and get people to play for him was just astounding. It was at that point I realized that I really didn’t know much about conducting at all. It was then that I decided to go back to school to learn more about this art.”

Since that fateful symposium in the mid 1970s, Craig Kirchhoff has gone on to be a major force in music education, running music programs at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside,

Washington State University, and The Ohio State University before taking over as the director of bands at the University of Minnesota. SBO recently caught up with the educator, musician, and conductor to talk about his own teaching career, but also about some of the more pressing issues facing mu-sic education, including preparing the next generation of music educators for the dramatically changing musical – and economic – landscape.

School Band & Orchestra: What brought you to the University of Minnesota?

Craig Kirchhoff: I was director of bands at The Ohio State University for 14 years and, toward the end of my tenure there, I found myself look-ing for new challenges. I’m originally from Wisconsin, so the opportunity to move closer to my family was im-portant to me. I’ve also always loved the Twin Cities; this is a very vital arts community, and, of course, the Minne-sota Orchestra and the St. Paul Cham-ber Orchestra are world-renowned ensembles. In addition, the new music environment in the Twin Cities was also a great attraction.

I knew that by accepting the posi-tion at the University of Minnesota I’d have to be a much different musi-cian and a much different conductor

because many of our faculty – in the wind area, at least – serve as princi-pal players with both orchestras. I’m a person who enjoys building a pro-gram. The band program at Minneso-ta, which has always been a great pro-gram, was in that period of time when my predecessor, Frank Bencriscutto, was ending his career and the program needed some new initiative and a dif-ferent direction. It was a unique chal-lenge to be able to come here; not only to be able to maintain the excellence of the past, but to gently guide the program in a different direction. The Marching Band here has always been a great band. In fact, Frank Bencriscutto conducted the Marching Band for the majority of his career and wrote and arranged many of the school songs that have become an important part of the Big Ten culture at the University of Minnesota.

SBO: When you step into a pro-gram like that, which has such a storied history and high standard of excellence, what is your initial approach?

CK: My initial goals were to con-tinue those things that were in place and do those as well as I could. It’s

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 25

diffi cult to come in and make imme-diate changes. You have to evaluate what you might want to tweak, what you might want to change, and what should stay the same. It’s a long evo-lution of slow, but calculated, change. The present band program is strong

from top to bottom, including the wind ensemble, which is made up entirely of music majors, and prob-ably 40 percent of those are graduate students. The symphonic band is all music majors, and then our university band is a combination of both non-majors and music majors. We have two other campus bands. We have a

strong concert program and one of the reasons that the athletic bands and marching band are so strong is that almost all of those students are involved in music making through-out the entire year, whether in the other athletic bands or in the concert

bands. We see the program as being closely linked between the indoor and outdoor ensembles.

The University of Minnesota Band Alumni have been extremely gracious and supportive in helping to fund new initiatives, guest artists and guest com-posers, and commissioning programs. For example, we have a professional

woodwind quintet, the Bergen Woodwind Quin-tet from Bergen, Norway, which is in residence here for one week every year. The Band Alumni make signifi cant contributions towards those efforts, and those are the things that help to make the band pro-gram quite distinctive.

SBO: With the under-standing that orchestral and professional playing

opportunities are increasingly hard to come by in this tough economy, how are you adjusting your meth-ods of preparing these future professionals for the ever-evolving landscape?

CK: We’re coming to this issue prob-ably later than we should have, but the School of Music is now becoming very concerned with what could be called entrepreneurial guidance for our stu-dents. It used to be, when I fi rst started going to school, that there were two

primary professional pathways for music majors: to play professionally or to teach. Because of the economy, there are fewer opportunities in both of those fi elds, especially in the profes-sional world. Having said that, there are many other opportunities for stu-dents to make a living with a career in music, but they have to know how to market themselves, how to develop audiences, how to communicate with those audiences, and how to raise funds. The question that we’re seri-ously discussing is how we are going to help music students be better prepared for the 21st century because traditional pathways are closing quickly. We don’t have anything formalized at the mo-ment, but we’re becoming increasingly involved with the concept of entrepre-neurship and reality of what students will do professionally following their graduation.

SBO: Is this something you con-sider when recruiting students to the program?

CK: We have student and parent orientation days and our professional

“Communal music making opportunities connect

people in very important emotional ways.”

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staff are very good at answering par-ents’ questions, and of course, many parents are extremely concerned about how their passionate son or daughter is actually going to make a living in music. We’re increasingly aware that there are more professional oppor-

tunities available than the traditional avenues of performance and teaching. It’s a matter of sensitivity to the issue. I suspect that in the future, the School of Music or the Arts Quarter may have a Center of Entrepreneurship, which will be devoted to preparing students

for their life after the acad-emy, primarily in non-tradi-tional ways.

SBO: Of course, there are a whole host of alterna-

tive careers for musicians, from TV and radio work to music therapy…

CK: That’s right. One example of that is our composers, who tra-ditionally have been composing for chamber music ensembles, orches-tras, and opera, are now sometimes finding themselves writing music for radio or video games. It’s a com-pletely different world out there, and the challenge of universities and

“This is a time to look creatively at

how we can deliver the curriculum

in more efficient ways.”

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Special Events Summer 2010

This summer Conn-Selmer Inc. (CSI) was host to nine groups of music educators, in

partnership with local school music dealers, who toured the Elkhart, Indiana manufacturing facilities to experience the Made-In-America difference.

CSI’s Educator Summits, combined with Road Rep Summits and Dealer Summits, enabled over 300 individuals to personally witness the high quality of the Conn-Selmer manufacturing process. The personal interaction between Summit participants, CSI product managers, executive of cers, and the educational program staff, reinforced the Conn-Selmer priority of sustaining music education programs.

Terry Fisher, Director of Bands DeKalb High School, a Conn-Selmer All-American School.

“Musicians have emotional connections with our brands founded generations ago by dedicated musicians. Continuing the stories of these brands for all musicians is a true privilege of my role at Conn-Selmer,” commented John Stoner, President and CEO.

The Woodwind Center of Excellence is the only remaining manufacturing site in America where it is possible to observe craftsmen creating student piccolos, utes, clarinets, oboes, bass clarinets and bassoons through every stage of production. As Bob Anderson, Vice President of Operations, states, “The CSI commitment to maintaining great jobs while providing superior quality and consistently predictable delivery is the promise that drives the Conn-Selmer Made-In-America success story.”

Participating educators quali ed their school for a “Preferred Pricing” status on outright purchases through their SMD through June 30, 2011. Contact Carolyn Manley, Director of Educational Programs and Events, for additional information about participating in future Conn-Selmer Summits at [email protected], 574-522-1675 ext. 1616.

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28 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

conservatories is to be increasingly sensitive to that.

SBO: In terms of the larger view of music education, what are some of the current trends you’re noticing?

CK: I think the biggest impact of the economy has been the reduction of instrumental lesson programs in schools, which goes hand in hand with the reduction of staff dedicated to music, especially at the elementary

and middle school levels. If students aren’t taking lessons, how are they going to learn how to play their in-struments? That’s the biggest single impact on music programs, and it all comes down to staffi ng formulas. I continually receive messages and e-mails from people throughout the country who are concerned that les-son programs within the curriculum are going to become a thing of the past.

SBO: Do you have any ideas that might help keep early-level lesson programs from disappearing?

CK: As much as the economy is having a hugely negative impact on schools, this is a time to examine what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Music programs, by and large, tend to be pretty traditional. So what’s been happening in the last year or two isn’t that different from what’s been hap-pening in the last 10 or 20 years. This is a time to look creatively at how we can deliver the curriculum in more ef-fi cient ways. These kinds of issues are forcing us to think more creatively.

SBO: With so much change in the music world – from digital down-loads to major funding crises to simplistic music making through computer programs and video games – where do you see all mu-sic education heading in the near future?

CK: There is a broader question that is being asked my many in the music profession; how will we be able to increase access to music experiences for more of the general population in

University of Minnesota Ensembles

at a GlanceLocation: 2106 Fourth Street South, Minneapolis, Minn. On the Web: www.music.umn.eduDirector of Bands: Craig KirchhoffStudents in Program: 550

Ensembles• Wind Ensemble

55-60 music majors Craig Kirchhoff, Conductor

• Symphonic Band 70 music majors

Jerry Luckhardt, Conductor

• University Band 80 music majors and non-majors Timothy Diem, Alicia Neal, Conduc-

tors

• North Star Campus Band 90 non-majors

• Maroon and Gold Campus Band 90 non-majors

• University of Minnesota Marching Band

350 members

• University of Minnesota Athletic Bands

120 members

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30 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

our schools? This question is being asked because orchestras and bands and choruses are often serving a rela-tively small population of students in most schools. Despite these kinds of philosophical questions and the unde-niable pressures of the economy, I still believe that wind bands, orchestras, and choirs, will continue to remain in the curriculum because making music – and specifi cally accomplishing some-thing as a community under an inspir-

ing conductor – still has the capacity to move people in very special ways. Those kinds of communal music mak-ing opportunities connect people in very important emotional ways. Bands and orchestras and choirs are going to continue to exist, but there is going to have to be creative problem solving along the way regarding issues such as staffi ng, lesson programs, and over-all funding for the arts to make that pos-sible.

Despite the fact that music is more accessible than at any other time in our history, there is still an emotional void that will keep our students mak-ing music with other people.

SBO: Is helping to fi ll that “emo-tional void” one of your underlying motivations as an educator?

CK: What’s most fulfi lling to me is knowing that my students have had deep musical experiences that, in some cases, have changed their lives and, in some ways, have helped them to think very differently about the art form. When I was a high school band direc-tor, I wanted my students to leave my rehearsals and my concerts loving mu-sic. That was important to me then and it is important to me now. I‘ve come to believe certain things over the years, and one of those is that students of all ages have the capacity to be moved by music.

Fourth and fifth graders don’t usually join the band or orchestra for an aesthetic experience. They join it because it’s fun, they like to be with their friends, and they like to play the instruments. But somewhere along the way, it’s our responsibil-ity as teachers to move them from the love of the activity of being in band or orchestra to actually loving music. And that’s where the teacher comes in; that’s where the inspired teacher plays a huge part in this pro-cess. Its not just going into band or orchestra class every day, it’s having contact with a teacher who is genu-inely inspired by great music and beauty and is passionate about shar-ing that with others.

SBO: Is that something that you feel can happen at any age or skill level, or is it something that needs a while to develop?

CK: It’s a continuum. That’s why you have to have great teachers at the elementary school, the middle school, and the high school levels. It’s a little bit like a musical relay race. If those first teachers don’t provide the foundation and an op-portunity to make music in a positive environment, the students won’t go much further. In a sense, that love of music is something that takes time,

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but I’ve seen fifth and sixth grad-ers at concerts and I’ve read what they’ve written about the concerts, and how they feel about the music. I’ve also read pieces by juniors and seniors in high school talking about what music means to them, and, ob-viously, those students have been on a journey, where music has suddenly taken on a very important role in their life and is deeply meaningful to them.

SBO: Obviously, having great teachers is critical to the expe-rience. Considering the rate of attrition among music teachers – the tremendous learning curve for young educators, and all of the challenges of the profession – what steps are you taking to help ensure the success of your students who are headings into education?

CK: It’s a huge concern. People like my high school band director and my wife’s high school band di-

rector spent their entire career in the same place. Teachers like that are becoming increasingly rare in today’s educational world. There are so many pressures on band di-rectors today to produce, and to produce in situations where it is be-coming more difficult to simply do their job. I do think that universities have some responsibility in all of this, and that is to somehow main-tain an active mentorship program where we stay in touch with our graduates. Where we lose them is in that second, third, fourth, and fifth year. One of the things that we’ve done at the University of Minnesota is to offer a one-week summer sym-posium called the Art of Wind Band Teaching. It’s a unique opportunity for people to come together. We’ve had teachers from the elementary and middle school level, the high school level, and the college level attend. Symposiums like this hope-

fully help people to rediscover that they aren’t alone, that this is a noble profession, and that teaching music is still worth doing.

The profession needs to provide more opportunities for teachers to gather together because there is strength in numbers. When students leave the familiar and comforting environment of the university and are suddenly thrust out into the real world of teaching, the experience that they encounter often has little resemblance to anything that they learned about or even thought about when they were in school. The key to the future of the profession is mentorship and creating opportuni-ties for teachers to continue learn-ing. The key to success as a band or orchestra director is maintaining and expanding a love of music, a love of teaching, and a love of people, while making a life-long investment in per-sonal and musical growth.

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 3333 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

SBOSurvey: Fundraising

Raising Funds in Hard Times

“Fundraising is wrong,”

states Julie Oliver of

West Millbrook Middle

School in Raleigh, N.C.

“Education for our children should be

fully supported by the community on

a local, state, and national level. Arts

programs, music or otherwise, should

not be funded on the backs of the stu-

dents and their families.”

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 35

While most teachers would agree with Ms. Oliver’s assertion that in an ideal world, all aspects of educa-tion should be fully funded – mak-ing fundraising unnecessary – the reality is that the costs of the ac-tivities that many music programs deem essential are often more than ailing school budgets can handle. Between the resources needed for performance tours, festival dues, uniforms, instrument purchases and repairs, music purchases, hardware, software, and so on, many music di-rectors must find their own means of supplementing whatever figure school administrators allocate for their programs.

In this latest SBO reader survey, 87 percent of the responding educa-tors have indicated that they will be doing at least some fundraising this upcoming school year, with 43 per-cent professing that fundraising will account for more than half of their program’s budget. Read on for tips

for raising money in this still-turbu-lent economy, as well as a general overview of the most recent fund-raising trends.

For the 2010-11 school year, how much of your budget will depend on fundraising?

“The school supplies instructional funds, but boosters must raise money

for anything outside of music and in-struments.”

Brian ToneyGrovetown High School

Grovetown, Ga.

“Due to state and school board pol-icies, our students are not allowed to participate in fundraisers. Most of our money comes from the school budget, with our Band Booster organization providing many of the ‘extras’: pizza for trips, paying from some of the 7th- grade trip, providing some funds for director travel, conferences, et cetera.

Emily EvansEast Hills Middle School

Greenwood, Ark.

“Our school budget has been cut by almost 90 percent, so fundraising is a necessity.”

Jennifer GintherThompson K-8 International

SchoolSouthfi eld, Mich.

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36 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

“Between the middle school and high school band program, we run a $50,000 annual budget. We receive $8,000 from our county between the two programs. The remaining $42,000 must be raised by the band booster club.”

Rich StichlerLakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe High School

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 37

than the district level administration is able to provide.”

David RatliffMadison Southern High School

Berea, Ky.

Have your fundraising methods changed over the years?

“We are constantly trying to fi nd new ways that do not count on the same family members’ money. It seems many of the things that the students can sell are focused on the same peo-ple all of the time. Finding fundraisers that focus on the general population of the town is very important. This keeps the burden off of the parents and fam-ily members.”

Dean DellaVecchiaLyman Hall High School

Wallingford, Conn.

Do you have any suggestions for fundraising in diffi cult economic times?

“Be practical in the product you sell. People will support your group if your product has worth and is not over-priced. Keep it simple, annual and high quality. For the past 30+ years, our group has annually sold near 160,000 pounds of fresh citrus, with a profi t of nearly $60,000. The school and com-munity both know when our sale(s) are coming up and the quality of our prod-uct nets us huge results annually.”

Earl McConnellEast Fairmont High School

Fairmont, W.V.

“We have found success in fi nding a niche in our community (Christmas wreaths), which we have provided over a long period of time (approximately 25 years). Now, the community comes to expect our fundraiser each year, and many people contact us in the fall if they think they’ve missed it.”

Salvatore TerrasiShorewood High School

Shorewood, Wis.

“I use a ‘discount card’: I solicit the business on the card for a ‘free’ something in exchange for advertising their business at no cost on the card. I have 18 businesses on the card. It is a win-win situation: we get all proceeds from selling the card and the business gets free advertisement.”

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DeRidder, La.

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38 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

“Participate in as many community events as possible to generate a posi-tive public presence and show will-ingness to support your school and community. Then when you go to lo-cal businesses, they will recognize you and be more willing to support ‘their’ band.”

George Edwin SmithGustine High School

Gustine, Calif.

Is there anything directors (and booster groups) should be wary of when planning fundraising campaigns?

“Make sure that the project will be supported by the community. Don’t overtax your community’s resources by having too many fundraisers at the same time. Beware of companies that charge upfront fees or don’t have

escape clauses for unsuccessful proj-ects. Remember that loyalty and long-term relationships work both ways with fundraising companies. Make friends!”

Thomas CremerHampton Middle School

Hampton, Ga.

“Obtain the dates of other fund raising activities in your school and feeder schools. Don’t kill your popu-lation by scheduling a fundraiser at the same time as they do. Also, check the calendars of the other schools in your immediate school system (elementary, middle, high) to not overlap dates. Enlist the assistance of parents who will help in double checking orders to prevent a mix-up or shortage of items. Have a group to assist in unloading and fi lling orders. Feed them pizza from a local place that will give you a discount. You’ll need lots of help.

Alda WilmothHarlem Middle School

Harlem, Ga.

“We are just very careful to fi nd fundraisers that only the band is doing. We do not want to duplicate what oth-er school groups are using as fundrais-ers. We also, as often as possible, tie a fundraiser to a public performance or service the band is involved with.”

Patrick DornMonona Grove High School

Monona, Wis.

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SBOCommentary: Repertoire

40 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Peacefully coexisting with musical literature for band and

orchestra is a topic that is typically at the core of most

directors’ thoughts in both philosophy and planning.

After taking a look at two of the more contentious as-

pects of the subject (programming quality literature for inexperi-

enced musicians and the current fashions of transcribing musical

material for the “outdoor” marching band and drum corps), it

might be best to seek out someone who has practical current

experience in both areas, as well as a willingness to share his ac-

cumulated wisdom.

Awareness is Key: An Interview with Composer John Mackey

BY JOE ALLISON

Composer John Mackey’s works for band and orchestra are not only at the forefront of current programming for advanced high school, collegiate, and professional ensembles, they are critically acclaimed, as well. Mackey’s characteristic use of state-of-the-art, high-energy metric and harmonic de-vices have also made his compositions prime sources of material for “out-door” ensembles.

John writes for orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber groups, and the theater, focusing of late on music for dance and symphonic winds. Some of his more noteworthy pieces include “Redline Tango” and “Under the Rug” for orchestra, as well as “Turbine” and “Kingfi shers Catch Fire” for band. As

John Mackey

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42 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

noted earlier, Mackey’s music cur-rently enjoys frequent programming in the concert hall, and widespread transcription for marching bands and drum corps.

I recently caught up with Mack-ey by phone at his Austin home; he seemed at once eager and a bit wary to discuss what we have already found to be two volatile subjects. This is likely an appropriate approach for one so in the spotlight of his profession. While talking about pacing and development in recent ensemble works, it came up that, just as with concert pieces, one of the more recent criticisms of “out-

door” music has been the lack of a sense of adequate development or musical “space.” Mackey suggested that problems arise if “the music can’t breathe and there’s no real structural development.” He agreed that the pacing/development issue should not

be confused with only frenetic tempos or high energy. “I am often accused of writing music that is purely visceral. They say, ‘It’s really cool, but it’s so loud!’ That’s my personality – I like loud and fast!”

We often hear spectators’ com-plaints directly related to this pac-ing/development issue. They refer to “a lack of melody,” “higher-faster-louder,” or “too hard to understand,” particularly in regard to contest or fes-tival music. Much of this undoubtedly

comes from the common techniques of abridging source material: “Each one (source tune) was probably ten min-utes long to begin with, and now it’s maybe three minutes,” offers Mackey. “Everything is all chopped all up, and that’s just the way that all goes.”

The challenge seems to be provid-ing performers an optimal demon-stration of skills through the musical score. There’s a lot that can be at-tempted in a ten-minute contest show, and any number of arrangements seem to include the maximum that – or maybe more than – can be appreciated by most listeners and viewers. They might also include more elements than can be convincingly and consistently performed by the students.

In 2008, the well-known Marian Catholic High School Band from Chi-cago Heights, Illinois performed an entire competition program based on the music of John Mackey. The show was a great success, both artistically and competitively, fi nishing fourth at the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis. The creative mind behind the musical and visual orchestration is MCHS Band Director Greg Bimm. Speaking about Bimm’s adaptation of Mackey’s own material, John says: “I was really im-pressed with Greg’s [transcriptions] mostly because it was not very much changed” from the original concepts. “Part of the pieces he used in that show were originally written for string quartet – it had never occurred to me it could work with winds until I heard him do it. That’s like – oh my gosh, I should make a band piece out of that! It’s as good as the string quartet ver-sion. How does it make any sense that he took a string quartet piece and made a marching band piece out of it and have it sound, I thought, maybe better than the string quartet version?”

“I just wanted the audience to go: ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing!’”

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 43

Those that know Mr. Bimm un-derstand that he has brought such a high level of musical and visual art-istry to the band activity over so many years that the Marian Marching and Symphonic Bands are known for in-novation and substance, regardless of venue: indoors or out, concert hall or football fi eld.

It should be noted that John Mack-ey is not known as a devotee of the marching pageantry world. “I admit-tedly am not the fi rst person to ask about marching shows, because I don’t watch them. I might enjoy a marching show I’m not part of, but if my music is in them, I tend to avoid them, be-cause when I’m in them I’m like: that’s not how that goes!” He continues, “I spend so much time writing the piece, micromanaging every note of every bar, that if any of that is changed, it’s changed! Even if it’s cool – it’s changed.” That statement makes his effusive praise of Greg Bimm’s work even more signifi cant.

While the frenetic pace of march-ing shows can raise some diffi culties for arrangers, performers, and the audience, at times John Mackey in-vites similar elements into concert programming. “I have been accused of that [higher-faster-louder] in some of my own concert music as well,” Mackey admits. “I have pieces where I try to do it intentionally – that really do not get a breath. The entire point of ‘Asphalt Cocktail’ is not to stop. The whole point of that is that it’s an onslaught – in your face for fi ve-and-a-half minutes. And basically that’s as close as I can have to having marching band music in the concert hall!” In this case, it’s all by design. He explains, “It’s as loud as march-ing band music, it has a Kevlar head snare drum in the percussion section – it is so intended to be just visceral. There’s nothing artsy about that. It’s never going to win a Pulitzer. I just wanted the audience to go: ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing!’” He further compares the experience to the clas-sic Maxell Audio Tape ads of the ’80s, where the listener was literally blown back in his chair while enjoying the powerful sound blasting from the ste-reo. Effective imagery!

Mackey has also admitted to sens-ing a degree of uniformity in regard to the approach of musical design with competitive groups, especially when looking at the bigger picture. When asked for potential solutions, Mackey emphasized one of the most funda-mental concepts we have in the arts. “The solution is the same thing that works in concert music, that makes it more exciting. I like loud and fast, but that only works if it’s not all loud and

fast! It’s contrast that makes the louds seem louder. When people hear ‘Tur-bine,’ they think it’s the loudest thing they’ve ever heard. But the fact is that it’s nine minutes long, and six minutes of it is really very quiet. You think it’s crazy loud because it had gotten quiet. If there isn’t enough contrast, then it just become fatiguing.”

What practical lessons have we learned from this encounter with a composer at the height of his art? What can we apply

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44 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

in our ongoing quest to de-mystify the task of choosing and programming works for school instrumental ensembles?

• It takes effort from the composers, directors, and players to assure merit and substance in music through com-position, interpretation, and charac-teristic performing.

• Music composed or arranged for an optimal demonstration of the players’ skills can be written to accommodate characteristic artistry.

• Part of the actual demand of the mu-sical score is the artistic training and sensitivity required to realize the con-cepts in performance.

• The basic tenets of ensemble music are the same whether on the stage or the fi eld.

• Music composed or arranged for an optimal demonstration of the play-ers’ skills has a logical tendency to be over-saturated and over-stimulated, making it diffi cult for the audience to understand.

• Music composed or arranged for an optimal demonstration of the players’ skills has a tendency to sacrifi ce artis-tic form and structure for superfi cial impact.

The key to avoiding the pitfalls of the last two bulleted items is a simple one: be aware!

Dr. Joseph H. Allison is currently professor of Music at Eastern Kentucky University, serving as the director of bands and Graduate Con-ducting Activities. He taught in the public high schools for 18 years, where ensembles under his direction regularly appeared in regional and national settings. His Sumter (S.C.) High School Bands were the fi rst internationally to be awarded both the Sudler Flag and Sudler Shield for concert and marching excellence. Dr. Allison is in demand as an adjudicator, clinician and consultant for concert, march-ing and jazz events throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.

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46 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

SBOPerformance: French Horn Maintenance

Tip #1 - Conduct the music, not the pattern. Conduct only that which is in the music – no more and no less. There is much more to music than the delineation of the meter. Time-beating usually results in over-conducting. Even lovely gestures, if not called for in the music, should not be present in the conduct-ing. Look for techniques, clinics, or instructional materials to help you get out of the pattern box. Applying the language of Rudolf Laban may be helpful.

Cleaning and LubricationAs a musical and mechanical ne-

cessity, rotor valves have a very tight clearance between the rotor and valve casing and at the bearings. Because of this, any deposits on any part may cause the valve to lock in place or freeze up. This is most likely to be experienced after the instrument has been unused for some time.

Playing the instrument daily tends to keep minerals and lubricants from hardening into deposits. This is par-ticularly true if the musician lubricates the rotors frequently. The lubrication helps the valve shed any contami-nants, and fi lls the space that would otherwise attract water-born minerals, which create deposits.

Often you can free a stuck or stick-ing valve without disassembly by lu-bricating the rotor through the slide tubes, and working the rotor stop arm back and forth by hand. Pulling the valve slides, put two drops of valve oil into each tube on the horn. Don’t turn the valve using the levers, but rather by directly turning the stop arm (fi g. 1). Also put a drop on the back bear-ing (after removing the cap), and the top bearing (beneath the stop arm).

To clean a valve requires disassem-bly. First unscrew and remove the valve caps. If these are frozen, tap lightly on the knurled (grip) area of the cap in a glancing counter-clock-wise manner (as if trying to unscrew the cap). If the cap is still stuck, apply a drop of penetrating oil to the joint of the cap and casing, and try again after the oil has been allowed to penetrate.

How to Service French Horn RotorsBY JEFF SMITH

With a few simple, affordable supplies and this step-

by-step guidance, musicians and music directors can

easily learn to service rotor valves. This can be of

great benefi t in both emergency situations and as a

matter of regular maintenance.

While there are many points of service that can be attended to without great investment or advanced skill, there are still many areas of repair (beyond the scope of this article) that must be referred to professional technicians.

SBO_46 46 8/3/10 8:59:39 AM

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SBO_47 47 8/3/10 9:16:37 AM

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48 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

Loosen the main screw (fi g. 1) a turn or two, and tap on this screw to release the rotor from the bearing. Completely unscrew the main screw allowing the rotor to be pulled from the casing. If you are removing more than one valve at a time, keep them in order so that you can get the rotor in the correct casing when reassembling.

Protect the rotor by working over a table covered with a soft towel to receive the rotor if it falls. Also pro-tect the bell stem of the instrument so that if a lever arm releases, the spring tension won’t slam the lever into the bell causing a dent. Control the levers while tapping the rotor loose.

The rotor is now available for cleaning. While a scrubbing in soap and water may bring results, more of-ten you will need to soak the rotor in a chemical to remove deposits. White vinegar is a good solution for the non-professional. You may wish to pull all the slides and rotors and give the in-strument a brush-through in a bath of lukewarm water and mild dishwash-ing detergent. Rinse thoroughly, and allow to dry before assembling with fresh slide grease and valve oil.

Cleaning the valve casing of depos-its is problematic because it requires a larger tank of solution. I would refer this to a technician. Many professional shops use ultrasonic cleaners and more aggressive chemicals for this task.

Wiping both the casing and the ro-tor with a lint free cloth, dry test the fi t of the rotor. If you are satisfi ed that the valve rotates freely, reassem-ble the valve with fresh oil, adding a drop of rotor oil on the bearings and the threads of the valve cap. Place the stop arm back onto the rotor and set the main screw. Be careful not to over tighten this screw. This task can be clumsy if the string is still attached. You may wish to detach the string and restring it after assembly (see below).

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 49

Adjusting Rotor Port Alignment

In order for the instrument to play its best, it is necessary that the rotor valve ports align correctly with the tubing to which they direct the airfl ow to (fi g. 7).

Taking the valve cap off the rotor, you will see corresponding marks in

both the rotor shaft and in the back bearing. You will also notice a small notch on the outer edge of the back bearing (fi g. 9).

Align the notch in the back bear-ing with the corresponding notch in the valve casing. This bearing is gently pressed into place. If it is not located correctly, loosen the stop arm main screw (fi g. 1) a couple turns. Tap on this screw to release the back bearing, rotate the bearing to its home position, and tap it back into place. Reset the main screw.

Note: when securing the bearing, it is best to use a plastic tube (or a dowel with a center hole), which fi ts over the center of the bearing. Tap on this tube to equally distribute the pressure ap-plied by the hammer.

Moving the rotor stop arm all the way in each direction, observe the position of the mark in the rotor in relation to the mark in the bearing. These must align perfectly when at each stop (fi g. 10 & 11).This alignment is adjusted by changing the size of the rotor stops. The rotor stops are often neoprene, sometimes cork. The JLS kit includes neoprene. Use

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50 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

this to replace stops that are missing or too small to be ad-justed. If the stop is too large, it can be cut back with a razor blade. While it may be possible to in-sert new stops while all parts are assembled, it sometimes is nec-essary to remove the cork plate from the casing (making a big-ger job). The stop material often needs to be squeezed with pliers or stretched to fi t into the plate. The material will then expand to fi t securely in the cork plate. If you remove the cork plate, you can hold one end of the neo-prene in a vice, which easily al-lows you to stretch the material and insert it into place. Trim the excess on each side of the plate with a razor blade.

Restringing GuideThese instructions include the use

of the JLS #206058 Valve Restringing Kit.

Set the Stringing Jig in place over the lever touch pieces as shown. This will keep all levers on plane with each other. (Note: if all valves are being restrung, you will determine the touch piece height when you secure the fi rst screw in step 6).

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 51

Loosen the rotor stop and the le-ver string screws and remove the old string. Don’t loosen the screws more than enough to remove the old string (we don’t want to lose them).Cut a new piece of string about 8 inches long. Tie a knot in one end. This will act as a stopper to keep the string

from pulling through, so makethe knot larger than the hole in the lever arm. Thread the string through the hole as shown in fi g. 1. Tip: if you cut the string at an angle, you can pass it through the hole easier.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Use a sharp razor blade to make this cut. Holding the rotor arm in the posi-tion shown, wrap the string as in fi g.2, making sure that the string goes under the screw. Continue wrapping as shown in fi g. 3. Se-cure the screw (don’t over tight-en).Continue with the string as in fi g. 4, then take it through the hole (fi g. 5), and wrap it under the screw. Secure this screw. When at rest, the arm of the lever will usually be set at an elevated angle to the rotor so that when the lever is pressed the arm won’t be too low (which can cause bind-ing and noise) (fi g. 6). It may be necessary to re-align the lever arm to the touch piece. The alignment is performed by holding the touch piece and bending the end of the lever either up or down. The lever ends should all be on plane with each other just as the touch pieces were.To add a professional touch, clip the ends of the strings so that they are the same length. To allow for possible adjustment later, leave the unknotted end at least 3/4” long.

Jeff Smith is President of J.L. Smith & Co. The Charlotte, N.C.-basedcompany manu-factures tools, parts, and sup-plies for wind instruments sold around the world under the J.L. Smith and Valen-tino brands. Jeff has been servicing woodwind and brass instruments for over 30 years.

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SBO_51 51 8/3/10 8:59:57 AM

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52 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

SBOTechnology: Transcription Tools

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

Dr. John Kuzmich Jr. is a veteran music educator, jazz educator and music technolo-gist with more than 41 years of public school teaching experi-ence. He is a TI:ME-certifi ed training instructor and has a Ph.D. in comprehensive musi-cianship. As a freelance author, Dr. Kuzmich has more than 400 articles and fi ve textbooks published. As a clinician, Dr. Kuzmich frequently participates in workshops throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and South America.

For more information, visit www.kuzmich.com.

The Painless Gain of New Transcription Tools

Are you looking for a faster way to help yours students

learn improvisation and arranging concepts? The solu-

tion might be transcribing. Before you throw your hands

up and groan, let’s talk turkey about this secret-weapon

tool for seriously advancing students’ chops.

It is amazing how far we have come from the days of paper-and-pencil tran-scription, using LPs and tape recorders at half speed that dropped the pitch an oc-tave. Times have changed. Transcribing technology today lets you pick the speed and pitch, matches pitches for you automatically, endlessly loops, and usually uses a foot pedal to keeps your hands free. So why isn’t this technology used more commonly? Simple: it can seem tedious to the youth of today, who truly are the high-speed generation. Nevertheless, transcribing and analyzing solos can super-boost understanding and profi ciency of scales, chords, rhythm patterns, theory, and ear training.

Recently, software ap-plications have signifi cantly improved the transcription process. New programs can ensure that the playback speed is adjustable and always in the correct octave, and looping be-tween particular measures can be done easily and accurately. Transcribing LPs, tapes and CDs is easier, too, because the soft-ware makes it easy to record and save original recordings onto a computer’s hard drive.

Lynn Seaton, veteran bass-ist, recording artist, and associ-ate professor of Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas, remembers, “When I was an emerging jazz player in the 70s, the group of people I was around transcribed at normal speed. Half-speed playback was

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54 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

not used. It was certainly slow and la-borious, but the benefi ts are lasting to this day.”

Some transcribing software prod-ucts even have the ability to speed up playback to 200 percent. This little-known feature is useful for adapt-ing play-along recordings to faster or

slower practice speeds. Some products even allow you to transpose the origi-nal recording. Can you imagine tran-scribing a guitar solo in E major for a trumpet which has to be written out in F# major? With a click of the mouse, you can transpose the recording up a half-step, making it possible for the

trumpet part to be notated in the key of G instead of F#. Then it can be played back with the recording in the key of concert F.

Another popular tran-scribing feature is the vo-cal reduction, which offers creative wiggle room. This feature takes the center out of the mix on a stereo re-cording. Generally, on pop recordings, this is where the vocals are mixed, and click-ing this feature will make the vocals almost disappear. It works great on big band ste-reo recordings with a vocal feature. This simplifi es tran-

scribing the rhythm section and can be useful to create play-along practice materials from original recordings.

Meet The Transcription Programs

While there are relatively few tran-scribing programs available, they all have unique product features. Both of the software programs reviewed in this installment interface with foot pedals, except where noted in the sup-plementary Web site, www.kuzmich.com/SBO082010.html. Click over there for info about foot pedals, other software – including quality freeware – and hardware applications, along with video tutorials.

Transcribe! by Andy Robinson at Seventh String Software is a good ex-ample of how well computer music software can provide instructional opportunities. Transcribe! offers fea-tures aimed at making the transcrip-tion job smooth and easy. Here are a few of those interesting features:

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 55

The speed of the performance can be slowed down without changing the pitch, and the entire piece can be dis-played from left to right as a profi le of the sound, in any scale. Scrolling is rapid and playback is very respon-sive. Click on any point to instantly restart playback from that point. Se-lect any selection and loop it. Cue and Review buttons skip rapidly for-ward or backward through the piece, like on a CD player. A marker can highlight measure and beat by tap-ping the computer keyboard in time with the piece. Section markers are automatically labeled A, B, et cetera, like rehearsal letters, but can also be given custom labels, such as “verse” or “chorus.” This makes it easier to identify which part of the piece is on the screen, and can be helpful locat-ing any particular measure. I specifi -cally like the tuning adjustments of Transcribe!, which allow users to adjust the tuning of the playback in hundredths of a semitone, in case it wasn’t recorded at concert pitch. The speed reduction without pitch change is accomplished by factors of two, four, eight or 16 with high-quality sound, and are fast enough to work in real-time on most Pentium-based machines.

Transcribe! displays a clickable piano keyboard graphic that will play any note being selected by the mouse. Chord analysis is another interest-ing feature. Select any chord or note and Transcribe! analyzes the frequen-cies and displays them as a wavy line above the keyboard graphic. Peaks in the line identify the notes being played, and their harmonics. Note: the quality of the original recording can dictate how well the software can analyze the chords. There is a very practical stereo mixer for stereo re-cordings. This makes it easier to mix channels, get phase-reverse cancella-tion, and use a vocal eliminator, so that you focus on instruments you want to hear. The tempo calculation in Transcribe! can calculate the tem-po in beats per minute, once markers have been placed.

The latest version of Transcribe! has continuous variable slowdown for any speed from 5 to 200 percent,

with up to three decimal places. This product is presently distributed as shareware on the Internet, which means you can download it for free at: www.seventhstring.com. It can be used for free for 30 days. To use it after that, you must register it at a cost. For both PC and Mac plat-forms, a lot of hard disk drive space is required since the audio fi les are large, at about 10 MB per minute with CD quality. The program it-

self only requires 2 MB of hard disk drive space.

Elevation by Superscope Technolo-gies is one of the newest and perhaps most versatile transcription programs on the market. From a company that was previously a part of Superscope/Marantz, the pioneer in analog tape recorders with pitch alteration capa-bilities that were the top transcription tools for several decades, Elevation offers an extremely simple interface.

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56 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

The program has full transcription capabilities along with sophisticated 16/24-bit digital audio recording capa-bilities. I particularly like how you can save loops and key/tempo settings as a “snapshot” and export or create an audio CD. This makes it so that when you return to do more transcribing, you won’t have to hunt to fi nd where you were previously working. Eleva-tion also offers the normal transcrip-tion tools, including:

• Play a fi le in a different key while preserving the tempo.

• Adjust a fi le’s tempo without affect-ing the key.

• Combine key & tempo changes (iZotope DSP).

• Seamlessly loop any section of au-dio & change key & tempo.

• Reduce lead vocals from stereo re-cordings.

• Support for common fi le formats: WAV, AIFF, MP3 & WMA on PC

and Intel-based Macs.• And it is compatible with USB foot

pedals.For six excellent Elevation training videos, go to Superscope’s Web site: www.superscopetechnologies.com.

Hardware SolutionsLooking for a hardware solution

instead of a software solution for your transcription needs? The hard-ware approach requires fewer steps. Computers occasionally crash, which can create a dramatic experience in the middle of a recording project. Superscope Technologies recently released their PSD410 and PSD450 digital audio recorders, which have many innovations going far beyond their two previous generations of landmark CD digital recorders. Some of the most innovative features include dual recording capabilities with an SD card and a built-in 40-GB hard disk drive, which is basically an automatic built-in backup system. Its USB capabilities simplify the trans-fer of recordings to a computer or a Flash drive, or vice versa. And you can quickly burn CD’s from any of your recordings in WAV or MP3 fi le formats.

Playback speed adjustment is im-pressive, ranging from -75 percent to +50 percent, and it easily chang-es keys as much as an octave up or down in half steps. You can also fi ne tune CD accompaniments to match your instrument. The PSD410 and PSD450 offer easy-to-create loops for transcribing and foot pedal control, allowing for hands-free, simultane-ous usage of a notation application. A chromatic tuner checks pitches and a metronome accents the beat. High quality built-in stereo micro-phones or two XLR or phono plugs for external microphones let you re-cord yourself to compare against the original. It can reduce lead vocals and change key to create accompa-niments that match your vocalist’s range. With this hardware, you don’t need a computer to transcribe, play back, or record, and it’s portable enough to fi t in a notebook comput-er bag. A large full color LCD can display eight fi les at the same time,

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School Band and Orchestra, August 2010 57

which eliminate the need to have to go through many menu levels. This is an attractive piece of hardware that can compete with many software so-lutions.

Foot PedalsI address the magic of foot pedals in

detail in the supplementary Web site. Foot pedals are great, but not neces-sarily required depending on your transcribing style. Some people prefer the separate tasks of handling the soft-ware/hardware and then the paper and pencil separation, while others prefer to work hands-free either with paper and pencil or in a notation applica-tion.

Closing CommentsTranscription provides the inside

track to becoming immersed in the intelligent, musical mastery of the great artists. With transcription soft-ware, musicians at any level can at-tain a better understanding of what they hear, expand the ear, and de-velop musical vocabulary and perfor-mance skills. When done correctly, transcribing can be the fastest way to bridge gaps between technique and musical mastery, catching the sub-tlest nuances of your favorite musi-cal performances. You’d be surprised how well transcribing stretches and motivates.

For those who may be new to transcription, start by listening to a recording of a published solo and

check your work as you go. Publish-ers with many originally recorded, transcribed solos are: Second Floor Music (www.secondfloormusic.com), Hal Leonard (www.halleon-ard.com), Warner Bros. (www.war-nerbrospub.com), and Jamey Aeber-sold (www.jameyaebersold.com). Of particular note, Hal Leonard’s Artist Transcription series has more than 2,000 transcribed solos in 100-plus books of solos for every jazz band instrument. Don’t limit students to just their own instruments. Tran-scribing bass lines can be a good entry-level activity, especially with a predictable 12-bar blues progres-sion. Here are a few helpful steps to facilitate an effective transcription experience: • Map out the measures to be tran-

scribed.• Figure out the reoccurring chord

progressions; this will help later with melodic transcription.

• Sing along with the solo until you have absorbed it and can accurately sing with the recording.

• Transcribe short phrases by rhythms fi rst, then the melody.

• Looping selected measures can make it easier to transcribe along with slowing down the playback speed.

• With a foot pedal, you can loop with a designated time delay be-tween the repeated loops so you have time to think, sing and/or play the part back, and write it into no-tation.

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58 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

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60 School Band and Orchestra, August 2010

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On the site, users are able to fi nd printable articles that span topics including gear and technology, business and ca-reer, technique and rehearsal tips. There are also interactive music games and tools focusing on subjects like note reading, clefs, key signatures, rhythm, pitches, scales, intervals, ear training, and fi ngerings. The site also includes an online met-ronome, online tuner, and organizational tools for teachers and students. Also available are interactive theory drills, as well as performance and care topics by instrument. The site houses a directory with over 2,000 teachers for students to search by instrument, location, and other criteria.www.thelessonroom.com

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