sbo january 2010

JANUARY 2010$5.00

Chris Miller

Survey:Grant Writing

Guest Editorial:Marching Decade in Review

On the Fast TrackLawton Chiles High School Orchestra

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www.musicintheparks.com

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www.musicintheparks.com

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 Mika Fowler, Tallahassee, Fla.

4 Perspective

6 Headlines

43 New Products

46 Playing Tip

47 Classifi eds

48 Ad Index

Columns

Features

12 UPFRONT: THE MORTON MUSIC MAKERSOnce a national powerhouse in band and orchestra, the music program in Cicero, Illinois’ School District 99 had fallen into a state of disrepair until this year, when a notable group of alumni helped to re-introduce music into the curriculum.

14 UPFRONT Q&A: SCMEA’S GLENN PRICEGlenn Price, the president of the South Carolina Music Educa-tor’s Association, discusses the SCMEA position music education as a necessity for his state’s future.

18 COMMENTARY: LOMBARDI-ISMSSBO contributor Flint Weed applies famous quotations from former NFL coaching great Vince Lombardi to the teaching of music.

22 UPCLOSE: CHRIS MILLERSBO catches up with Chris Miller, director of the Lawton Chiles High School Orchestra that won fi rst place in the 2009 ASTA National Orchestra Festival’s High School Division.

30 SURVEY: GRANT WRITINGSBO readers weigh in on how grants factor into the funding for their programs.

34 GUEST EDITORIAL: MARCHING DECADE IN REVIEWEKU director of bands Joe Allison looks back at the signifi cant trends in marching music over the past decade.

38 TECHNOLOGY: BERGENFIELD HIGH SCHOOLJohn Kuzmich examines the cutting-edge music technology be-ing used at Bergenfi eld (N.J.) High School.

Contents January 2010

22

30

14

2 School Band and Orchestra, January 2010

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Perspective®

January 2010Volume 13, Number 1

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Thinking Big at Midwest

During times of recession, it’s typical that attendance at conferences, trade shows, meetings, and other educator gatherings is signifi cantly reduced. The cost of transportation, hotels, meals, and other ancillary expenses tends to keep eager attendees away, and throughout 2009 this was particularly evident. However, the 63rd annual Midwest Band & Or-chestra Clinic this past December seemed

to buck the trend. Prior to 2009, the conference had occupied the

Hilton Hotel & Towers on Michigan Avenue for decades, which had a cramped, yet cozy ambience, especially with the wonderful holiday feel within the beautifully decorated lobby. The networking opportunities abounded in the restaurants and pubs after hours, and the students gave it a true air of excitement. Yet, in the opinion of many people, the show needed an opportunity to grow, as well as of-fer a better environment for concerts, meetings, and exhibit space. Organizers took a major step by moving the Midwest Clinic to McCormick Place, which is

one of the largest trade show and conference facilities in the United States. The move came at a diffi cult period for our economy, and there is always risk with these types of moves, especially after being in one location for so many years.

Many visitors, attendees, and exhibitors refl ected very positively on the show’s new home, as it seemed that the advantages were signifi cant. Ease of access was improved,

as well as parking, access to restaurants and food, and, of course, space. It was es-timated to have several dozen more exhibitors this year compared with previous years, and attendance seemed to be strong. The conference, as always, featured a wide variety of clinics and ensemble performance, including 16 concert bands, 10 orchestras, 9 jazz groups, and 10 small ensembles, including such notable per-formers as the Ellis Marsalis Quartet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and several top military bands. This year may have marked a new starting point for the growth of this show.

If you’ve never attended this premier conference, you might seriously consider putting it on your calendar. By virtue of shifting venues, the Midwest Clinic has solidifi ed its position as one of the premier music educator events, and it contin-ues to offer educators, not only from the Midwest, but from around the country, a wealth of opportunities to stimulate their creative juices and kick off the new year with new energy and bold ideas.

Rick [email protected]

“The Midwest Clinic has solidifi ed its

position as one of the premier music educator events.”

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HeadLines

Dr. Phil Foundation Launches Little Kids Rock Across America

The Dr. Phil Foundation has launched Little Kids Rock Across America with a $500,000 donation designed to restore, revitalize, and enhance musical programs in schools in 10 cities across the country. The pro-

gram brings music education to school children from grades K through 12 in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Tampa, and two additional cities to be named by the end of 2009.

A CD featuring some of the school children’s original compositions was distributed to the press and is available on the Little Kids Rock Web site. Fender is a corporate sponsor of Little Kids Rock and has also donated to the program.

For more information, visit www.littlekidsrock.org.

Music for All Hosts Future Music Educators

Music for All hosted more than 70 music education students at its 2009 Bands of America Grand National Championships in India-napolis, at a special event to support continuing education about

marching band and Bands of America Championships.Students of colleges and universities from nine states, including Indiana,

Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas, attended an educational session led by Fran Kick of Kick It In, direc-tor Michael Kumer from Music for All, and Dan Acheson of Drum Corps International representing DCI and MENC. The students watched the Bands of America Grand National Semi Finals and concluded their day with a tour of the behind-the-scenes path of a band’s fl ow through Lucas Oil Stadium from arrival to post-performance. Future music educators were able to learn more about the educational value of BOA events, while observing many of the fi nest marching band programs in the nation, led by some of the fi nest music educators.

For more information, visit www.musicforall.org.

OrchKids Receives $1 Million GiftOrchKids, the Baltimore Sym-

phony Orchestra’s educational initiative launched last year at an inner city school, has received a $1 million gift from Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker. The Baltimore philanthropists were among the early supporters of the project, which received its initial seed money of $100,000 from BSO music director Marin Alsop. Currently, more than 150 pre-K to second-graders are part of the OrchKids program at Lockerman Bundy. The Meyerhoff/Becker gift is estimated to cover 50 per-cent of the expenses over the next four years, as more grades are added to the program; more than 300 students are eventually expected to participate.

For more information, visit www.bsomusic.org.

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Boston - TBD

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HeadLines

Lincoln Center’s Arts & Education Fundraiser

J azz at Lincoln Center’s 2009 Fall Gala fundraiser was held on November 16th at Frederick P. Rose Hall. More than $2 million dollars were raised to

benefit thousands of performance, education, and broad-cast events Jazz at Lincoln Center produces every year. Board member, author, and historian, Albert Murray, was the guest of honor and was presented with the third an-nual Ed Bradley Award for Leadership. Michael Feinstein, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer, Michael Fein-stein, was appointed Jazz at Lincoln Center’s new direc-tor of popular song series, which will begin in the 2010-11 concert season. The concert audience of 1,000 guests included many high profile patrons of the arts, publishers, politicians, and entertainers. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis kicked off the concert - a salute to the music of Frank Sinatra.

For more information, visit www.jalc.org.

Visit www.sbomagazine.com and let your voice be heard in the current online poll – results to be

published in the next issue of SBO.

Online Survey ResultsDid you have a successful marching band season?

Yes

76%No

14%N/A

10%

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On January 18, 2010, The Cleveland Orchestra, in partnership with C.G. Conn brass instruments, invites French horn players of all skill levels to

participate in Hornapalooza, a day of clinic sessions, and a culminating performance. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 18, 2010, at Cleveland’s Severance Hall, hailed as one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls.

The event includes clinic ses-sions teaching fundamental horn skills led by members of The Cleve-land Orchestra’s horn section, and a group performance under con-ductor Loras John Schissel on the main stage of Severance Hall. Par-ticipants can also visit with experts from C.G. Conn to learn about horn care and maintenance.

Hornapalooza will culminate in a

main stage group performance at 1:00 p.m. The performance is part of the free 2010 Martin Luther King Day Community Open House, which runs from noon to 5:15 p.m. that day. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra concert at 2:00

p.m. will feature members of The Cleve-land Orchestra’s horn section.

Hornapalooza is part of The Cleve-land Orchestra’s Community Music Initiative, a series of artistic initiatives and new programs aimed at diversi-fying the Orchestra’s offerings and reaching more children, adults, teach-ers, students, musicians, and families than ever before. These diverse pro-grams offer everyone, from preschool children to adults, the opportunity to experience music in a variety of ways, throughout their lives, and through-out the community.

For more information, visit www.conn-selmer.com.


CMA Donates to Nashville School Music Programs

The Country Music Association is donating $1,066,632 this year - its largest music education do-nation to date – to Nashville public schools through its Keep the Music Playing campaign. The CMA Mu-sic Festival will Keep the Music Playing in Nashville’s public schools with a charity initiative that will sup-port music education through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education.

The donated dollars come from proceeds made during the CMA Music Festival, which fi nds major country stars performing (and waiving their perfor-mance fees) at LP Field and at other downtown spots each June. The CMA has now donated more than $3.3 million in recent years to support area music education through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education.

That money has been used to build music labs, to purchase more than 2,500 instruments and to help endow the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words and Music program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom in-struction in songwriting basics. At a time when music education funding is being cut across the nation, the CMA’s donation is helping to ensure that students are able to play music at school.

To fi nd out more, visit www.cmafest.com.

Cleveland Orchestra & C.G. Conn Host Hornapalooza

Los Angeles Radio Station Launches Music Education Program

With an innovative response to the unprecedented bud-get crisis in Southern California schools, Bonneville’s “100.3 The Sound” announced its launch of Project

M.U.S.I.C., a dynamic and far-reaching support program for un-der funded music education in the greater Los Angeles metro and Orange County areas.

To promote awareness and raise urgently needed funding to keep music education alive in area schools, The Sound is partner-ing in Project M.U.S.I.C. with The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live Education Program and the Arts Advantage Program of the Orange County Department of Education. Both are infl uential organiza-tions fully dedicated to ensuring that Southern California’s youth do not lose the power of music to enrich and change their lives.

Project M.U.S.I.C. uses corporate and individual donations to support continuing programs across Southern California. In Los Angeles, The Grammy Museum Education Department offers a diverse range of learning opportunities, including daily school tours, workshops, and performances as well as a full range of family-oriented programs. The Museum also offers after-school classes focused on building a career in the music industry. The classes are taught, on a volunteer basis, by music industry profes-sionals who help students develop the skills that will serve them well in a career in music. Qualifi ed students are able to take these classes free of charge and actually receive high school credit upon completion.

For more information, visit www.theprojectmusic.org.

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SBOUpfront: The Morton Music Makers


In 2005, Robertson visited Morton East High School and was devastated to learn that the music department had been virtually terminated. Along with Arlene Vilimovsky, Bob Robertson reorganized the Morton Music Makers Alumni for a luncheon, and they vowed to raise money and solicit administrators to reinstate music into the curriculum. When Urban heard that the musical ensemble that had played such a formative role in his life was gone, he, too, was shocked.

Explains Urban, “This past spring I went to an alumni meeting of the Morton band and orchestra program and listened to these people talking about how they had been raising money for a few years to get the program back to-

gether.” Not content with the slow progress, Chuck, the former president of American Plating and Manufacturing, a manufacturer of band instrument parts and accessories, took the matter straight to the administration.

“I walked into the public offi ces of school district 99, marched up to the desk and said, ‘I’m here representing a group called the Morton Music Makers, and we would like to reinstate your music program,’” declares the lifelong mu-sic maker. “It just so happened that coming down the stairs at that very instant was the superintendent of schools, who had a music background – she played piano, I think – and she said, ‘what’s this about a music program?’ We explained

The Morton Music Makers: Bringing Music Back to District 99

In the 1930s and ‘40s, music was the

pride of Cicero, Illinois’ J. Sterling Mor-

ton High School. “Morton High School

had been national band and orchestra

contest winners six or seven times in the

1930s and ‘40s, so it was a real heavy pro-

gram,” recalls Charles “Chuck” Urban, class

of ‘46. “Up through the ‘50s, it was still an

extremely potent music program. At the high

school, they had three fl oors and a separate

wing just for the music program itself.” A

music alumni group was formed in 1940, led

by Edward Kavina. Later, in 1963, Robert

Robertson formed the “Morton Music Mak-

ers of the ‘40s,” and the group put on shows

and banquets.

SBO_12 12 12/30/09 3:12:53 PM

School Band and Orchestra, January 2010 13

the story, and she promised me that this group would be able to come in and talk to her and Dianna Aguado, the curriculum director for fi ne arts” to describe the program they were hoping to implement.

“We had been wanting a music pro-gram in the district for some time,” confi rms Aguado. “The timing was just perfect for the superintendent, Donna Adamic, to overhear this gentleman in-quiring about it.” A meeting between members of the Morton Music Mak-ers and school administrators was ar-ranged, and the superintendent agreed to hire two part-time band directors to teach band after school to students in the fi fth and sixth grade.

And so far, so good. “The response has been overwhelming,” says Agua-do.

“The very fi rst night when par-ents were able to come in for an in-formational meeting, over 200 parents took cards to sign their children up for band. They were very happy and pleased that we were adding it to the curriculum.”

“This school year, only a few months later, they have 265 kids en-rolled in a fi fth and sixth-grade pro-gram,” says Urban. “We fi gure that we’re going to get the grade schools fi lled up with music, and then that will force the high school to step up and start offering its students music.”

Chuck Urban’s motivations for contributing to the rebuilding of the band program are two-fold. First of all, he’s been in the music industry for 60 years. “I started buffi ng band in-struments when I was 13. The other thing,” Urban continues, “is that we had a band director at Morton High School, Louis M. Blaha – and both orchestra and band directors in grade school – who truly helped direct my life. There was just no question of it. And judging from the alumni of the high school that are still able to get together, it was unquestionable that Blaha had a lasting effect on those students, too, both educationally and personally.”

Urban hopes that others end up with the same opportunities that he was once afforded. “Music education has obviously been good to me,” he

states. “My band director was good to me. This is my home base!”

While they are off to a great start, the work is just beginning. The dis-trict recently received notice that they have been awarded a grant from Barry Manilow’s Manilow Music Project, a division of his foundation, the Fund for Health and Hope, which agreed to purchase instruments for the program after Morton Music Makers member

Pearl Dohrn reached out to directly the singer, who happens to be a neigh-bor of hers in Palm Springs, Califor-nia. However, they haven’t yet fi gured out how they might fund more staff, and eventually a fulltime band direc-tor at the high school, which is their ultimate goal.

For more information on the Morton Music Makers, visit www.mortonmusicmakers.com.

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SBOUpfrontQ&A: Glenn Price, SCMEA


South Carolina is another U.S. state wracked by high un-

employment rates and political scandal. At 12.1 percent,

the state ranks 5th worst in the country in terms of unem-

ployment, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and there has

been a dearth of government leadership, particularly since gover-

nor Mark Sanford’s mysterious disappearance in June, when he

was reported to have gone hiking on the Appalachian Trail, but

had, in fact, fl own down to Argentina for a clandestine romantic

rendezvous. The question remains: How does this effect school

music in a state that is basically middle-of-the-pack in terms of

population density, landmass, and many

other notable statistics?

For an informed perspective on the state of South Carolina’s school mu-sic programs, SBO recently caught up with SCMEA president Glenn Price, who portrays music educators in the Palmetto State as opportunists, not victims, and shares the specifi c mea-sures that the SCMEA is implementing to continue to keep music and the arts at the forefront of the education cur-riculum.

SBO: While we all know that every-one has been feeling the pinch of the down economy, how is funding for music education holding up in South Carolina?

Glenn Price: South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and is experienc-ing a state revenue and budget crunch, but so far we haven’t seen a reduction in staff or programs. School district budgets have certainly been reduced, but music educators are creative and we will fi nd ways to “make it happen” for our students. We’re committed to fi nding solutions, in a good economy or bad.

SBO: What are some of the unique challenges to school music pro-grams in your state? And what are you doing to combat those chal-lenges?

GP: Many of the problems fac-ing music education are the result of today’s global economic problems. However, rather than seeing ourselves as victims, I think most music educa-tors see themselves as part of the so-lution. After many conversations with my colleagues, I have concluded that this is what many music educators be-lieve:

South Carolina: Music for our Future

SBO_14 14 12/30/09 2:04:12 PM


• The world is at an economic cross-roads; technology is eliminating vast numbers of people from the workforce. There are fewer jobs available, and many of those are being taken by those willing to work for less in a worldwide labor pool. This is leaving many South Carolinians, and many Americans in general, with little hope for their economic future.

• The biggest problem we face today is a lack of jobs. People with good jobs (“good job” defi ned as good pay with benefi ts such as health care and retirement) are not turn-ing to crime, nor are they as likely to be losing their homes to foreclo-sure.

• In the recent past, the education system has followed the demands of an industrial and technology-driven economy. The current edu-cation system was designed primar-ily to build an industrial workforce. We truly believe that, for the most part, our future will not be cre-ated or driven by people trained for the factory fl oor. The future for our children, which has not yet been fully imagined, will require a creative and innovative workforce that can adapt quickly to changing economic circumstances. Our edu-cation system should lead the way in producing citizens with that cre-ative and innovative capability.

• Research shows that the study of music (and the arts) is the basis for creative learning. Students that study music are more creative and better prepared to meet and adapt to an ever-changing future.

• Music education is, therefore, vital-ly important for everyone. Music education produces students who are prepared to be leaders and in-novators in building the world of tomorrow that is so diffi cult for us to envision today, as the industrial age winds down and a new eco-nomic future beckons.

• Without music, without music mak-ers, and without music educators, life for everyone would be very dif-ferent.We in the SCMEA have taken a

good look at ourselves as we have con-

sidered these hard questions: Why are the music and arts department budgets always the fi rst to be cut during hard times? Why is instruction time taken from music educators every time test scores decline? Why do so many ad-ministrators (and lawmakers) consider music education to be an educational frill?

We fi nally began to ask ourselves how we got into this mess in the fi rst place, and what can be done now to change our public image. One answer to that question is fairly obvious: We cannot remain a passive organization; we must be more assertive as an associ-ation. We need to stand together if we expect to be recognized for the ben-efi ts we provide the people of South Carolina.

So, what do we do now? We do for our association what we teach our stu-dents every day:• We teach toward mastery. We don’t

stop until it is right. We achieve our goals.

• We teach our students to work togeth-er, and that it is everyone’s responsi-bility to help those around them.

• We recognize that no one of us is tru-ly successful until all are successful.

SBO: Are there any new initiatives that you are hoping to implement in the near future? What ideas or visions do you have for securing the future of arts and music in public school education, both on the local and national level?

GP: The SCMEA is currently en-gaged in a variety of projects designed

to provide greater support for our di-visions, to enhance our communica-tions, and to reshape our public im-age. The fi rst of these is the Historical Records and Artifacts Project.

The SCMEA has developed a His-torical Committee made up of ap-pointed Historians from each division and chaired by the SCMEA Historian. The committee hopes to protect and preserve historically signifi cant items for future reference of the association and secure a prominent public facility to display the Hall of Fame plaques of the SCMEA and its divisions. At this facility, it will catalog and inventory all historical artifacts and make that information available to the SCMEA membership, as well as providing the SCMEA membership with access to historical artifacts by use of an on-line “Virtual Museum” and traveling displays to aid members in academic research. This will also be used to pro-mote particular events/occasions or support news articles intended to en-hance the public awareness of music education in South Carolina. Finally, the Historical Committee will actively seek to acquire, through donation, any items deemed historically signifi cant to the association.

The SCMEA has recently opened a new online message board/forum on the association’s Web site (www.scmea.net). There are now over 1,700 members registered on the SCMEA General Forum. We now have a way for our entire membership to com-municate with one another. This new

“Our education system should lead the way in

producing citizens with creative and innovative capability.”

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forum will allow us to work across division lines to become more effective educators and to perhaps have a greater under-standing of just how im-portant and far reaching our profession really is.

Filming is already un-derway to create a high quality informative video to celebrate music and music education in South Carolina, to show that music enriches the lives of every South Carolinian, to recog-nize the importance of music as a ma-jor unifying element of society, and to encourage voters and lawmakers to view music as a vital component of the education system that must be protect-ed. This brief video will be fi lmed and produced by SCETV.

The SCMEA has a new and unique fundraising project aimed at creating public awareness for music education called the 100 Percent Club. The idea is that this project will inform citizens of the value that music brings to the lives of all South Carolinians. The slo-gan is, “I give 100 cents to show that I support music education in South Carolina 100 percent! My cents make sense for music education!”

Dr. Jim Rex, South Carolina state superintendent of education, has en-dorsed the 100 Percent Club and will be involved in our campaign to raise support and awareness for music ed-ucation in South Carolina. Dr. Rex will serve as our “poster child” on all of our promotional materials. He has also pledged to help spread the message of the importance of music education in South Carolina during his travels and professional activities and will be one of our speakers in February at our SCMEA In-Service Conference, and will also make re-marks at our luncheon. In support of music education, Dr. Rex recently said, “We can’t hope to merely out-work (or out-sweat) the rest of the world in the 21st century. We must be more creative, more imaginative and more entrepreneurial. Music education, coupled with the other arts and disciplines, gives us the best

chance to produce graduates who are able to compete in this new envi-ronment.” Our conference theme is “South Carolina Celebrates Music” and we will be formally introducing the 100 Percent Club to the associa-tion membership at that time.

The last project undertaken by the SCMEA that I should mention is the development of a new association logo. We believe that a more modern logo with an accompanying slogan will allow us to be more assertive and im-prove our public image.

SBO: Is there anything in particular that you have learned from your leadership position in a state orga-nization – or simply as an educator – that you might be able to share with other educators?

GP: I would stress a couple of important points. First of all, be an active, conscious, and conscientious advocate of music education in all of your contacts, activities, and endeav-ors. Secondly, recognize the impor-tance of what you are teaching. Mu-sic is a vital component in the lives of all Americans. It surrounds us and stirs our emotions; it can bring a smile to our faces or make it okay for us to cry. Music brings greater meaning to our worship services and our communal experiences. Music heightens the excitement of our cel-ebrations.

Just imagine what our lives would be like without music – music to enter-tain us, certainly, but more important-ly, to uplift and inspire. That should be our core message to the world, as music educators and as organizational leaders.

Dr. jim Rex (L) offers a contribution to Glenn Price and the SCMEA’s 100 Percent Club.

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SBOCommentary: Vince Lombardi-isms

Inspirational Quotes from Coach Lombardi BY FLINT WEED

Effort“There’s only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to

give it everything. I do and I demand that my players do.”

Over the course of a marching or contest season, we often fi nd that effort from each individual can drop. As leaders, we must be sure to push every member of the band to give 100 per-cent effort, 100 percent of the time. Don’t let the long season

as Applied to Music Education

After a great deal of time spent in the

marching band atmosphere, I have found

that we can always apply lessons learned

from other activities to our own.

As both a public school band director and

a fan of the National Football League, I ap-

preciate the leadership qualities found in both

music and sports. Vince Lombardi was one

of the most infl uential sports fi gures of our

time. He coached the Green Bay Packers to

two Super Bowl titles and left a legacy of in-

spiration and integrity that we can all follow.

Whether in football, band, cheerleading, or

any other pursuit, Lombardi’s principles for

life and leadership can be passed on to all of

our student leaders.

Following are some notable quotations

from Coach Lombardi. While he was talking

about tenets applied to sports, these quotes

are also relevant to our efforts in the music

Flint Weed

SBO_18 18 12/30/09 2:04:46 PM


drag the group down. Find a fun activ-ity that the entire band, orchestra, or choir can participate in. For example, try scheduling a bowling tournament for the group on a Saturday. Build-ing that team or family environment might remind the band members why they are so committed to the project at hand. If students lose track of this as the season wears on, it can result in poor effort in rehearsal.

Goals/Results“Results require a willingness to

act, even if you are unsure of what lies ahead. Only through risk and action can you take you organization to the next level. Results, specifi c and measur-able, come from having a clear vision, defi ning what improvement and adap-tation looks like, and having a begin-ning and an end in mind. Results come from knowing what you are achieving today and having a clear, specifi c strat-egy for closing the gap between today’s reality and your vision for tomorrow.”

Setting goals for yourself, your section, and your ensemble are an es-sential part of any successful organiza-tion. Be sure to discuss at the begin-ning, middle, and end of the season what the goals for your program are. Keeping an eye on these goals and the desired results can dramatically affect the outcome of your performance all season long. This principle crosses all activities and cultures. Setting goals should also be fun for your group. It can provide the opportunity to assess what has been done in the past in terms of what worked and what did not.

Mental Toughness“Mental toughness is the ability to

hold onto your goals in the face of the pressure and stress of your current situ-ation. It’s the ability to hold on to what you want in the face of what you’ve got. Mental toughness is the glue that holds a team together when the heat is on and helps them persevere just a little longer – which in most cases is just long enough to outlast the competition.”

I often fi nd myself on the march-ing fi eld pushing the students past

their comfort level for the purpose of strengthening mental toughness. Once the students look tired, we go again and again and again. This helps prepare them for the performances ahead. Approach rehearsals with that “mental toughness” in mind, and the team will hold together through the toughest times.

Lombardi also emphasized the ne-cessity of staying the course when things would go wrong. As students begin making mistakes on the march-ing fi eld, I try to encourage them to recover quickly and get the focus back. Letting one mistake domino into another shows a lack of mental toughness. However, mistakes have the power to make us stronger. Learn from your mistakes each time and come back stronger the next time!

Phil Michelson fi nished in the top seven for fi ve years at the Masters tournament before fi nally winning his fi rst title in 2004. This persistence teaches us to never give up.

Reputation“It takes years to build a reputation,

but only an instant to lose it.”

As a school organization, you repre-sent your community, teachers, and your town. Be sure to always remember the many eyes that are watching you when you leave the school to perform at a contest, eat at a restaurant, or play your instrument for an audition. In many pro-grams, there are rules set in place to en-sure the integrity of the program never

falters. Sit down with your leadership team and establish some ground rules for off-campus conduct. This can greatly af-fect the perception of your program in regard to the community.

Confi dence“Confi dence is contagious. So is

lack of confi dence.”

When working in a group setting, it is imperative that confi dence build throughout the team. As a team mem-ber or a team leader, exuding confi -dence in what you are doing can great-ly determine the outcome of the task at hand. I often compare confi dence with good attitudes. A poor attitude or lack of confi dence can spread like a vi-rus among a group. The only medicine is a good attitude or a display of deci-sions being made with confi dence, and that will only work if there is plenty of it. Be sure to build confi dence in your group instead of breaking it down.

Teamwork“Individual commitment to a group

effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

Coach Lombardi always pushed his players to commit every bit of themselves for the goal of the group. Watching a championship drum corps or a symphony orchestra rehearse also shows us how this focus and commit-ment can pay off. There is an acronym

SBO_19 19 12/30/09 2:04:50 PM


for “team” that states, “Together Ev-eryone Achieves More,” and this is ex-actly right. Always do everything you can to help your program succeed. Get together with your leadership team and decide what sacrifi ces can be made to improve the ensemble as a whole.

Leadership“Leaders are made. They are not

born. They are made by hard effort,

which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

As members of a leadership team, we must remember that any student not currently given a leadership role has the potential to become a great leader. Be sure to encourage the youngest members of the group to strive to be their best and help them develop their leadership skills. Take time to teach them how to make wise

decisions as a leader – fair, honest, and trustworthy decisions. Always push ev-ery student to make the “hard effort,” even if he or she is not the strongest player, marcher, or leader. Remember, any worthwhile goal requires this phi-losophy.

Winning“Winning is not everything – but

making the effort to win is.”

Don’t let that championship trophy of the next contest be the sole reason for making a dedicated effort. Always encourage the ensemble members to push hard enough to “win,” but be sure to set some focus on what is being learned along the way and how we are developing as musicians, performers, team members, leaders, and citizens.

Unity“People who work together will win,

whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.”

Although Coach Lombardi was fo-cused on winning football games, he was observant of the effect his lead-ership had on his players on a per-sonal level. Once we have taught our students to become great leaders and team members, remind them that their skills learned in the music class will help them to become better citizens for our community and country. I be-lieve this bond can create some incred-ible relationships in the group.

As involved as we get in the de-tails of perfecting a piece of music or a marching drill, we must always remember that it is the people with whom we are making the effort that makes our ensembles special.

Flint Weed teaches at Tom Bean Middle School, in Tom Bean, Texas and travels the country during the summer to work with high school bands as a leader-ship, marching, and drum major coach. Flint is also co-founder and president of Valiant Marching Band Concepts, LLC. He can be reached at [email protected]

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UpClose: Chris Miller

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Chris Miller and the Lawton Chiles High School Orchestra

Lawton Chiles High School is a relatively new school in Tallahas-see, Florida. Established in 1999, it wasn’t until 2006 that Law-ton Chiles had a fulltime orchestra director. The string program has since made remarkable strides, taking fi rst place in the 2009

National Orchestra Festival’s High School String Orchestra division, and having 10 of 30 members of the Chiles Chamber Orchestra named to the Florida All-State Orchestra. While the rapid succession of these accom-plishments may seem hard to believe, a closer look at the process by which this program was established reveals that it was a combination of vision and leadership that enabled such quick development.

BY ELIAHU SUSSMAN

On the Fast Track

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The fi rst string program in the dis-trict began at the elementary level in approximately 1994, when a young educator was hired to begin teaching string classes at the various middle schools. She moved away after only

two years, however, just when Chris-topher Miller – a native Floridian who had recently moved back to the area from Chicago, where he spent more than a decade teaching private les-sons and performing – came enquiring about teaching students strings.

Miller was offered the job, and at fi rst continued the work of his short-lived predecessor, traveling around the district to teach classes to the district’s fi fth graders. In 2000, he was given a

fulltime position teaching sixth grade strings at one school, and the fi rst cur-ricular middle school orchestra in the district was created. Later, when that fi rst fl ock of students matriculated to the high school, it was arranged that Chris would continue instructing them, teaching one period a day at the high school before going back to the middle school. Eventually, that program grew, too, leading up to 2006, when Chris was hired as the fulltime orchestra di-rector at Lawton Chiles High School and another instructor took over the middle school program.

Miller wasn’t always sure that be-ing a fulltime teacher was the right fi t for him. As he says, “I’d been attracted to the idea of classroom teaching, but I wasn’t sure I could handle the admin-istrative and organizational aspects to

it. I have since found that I love it.”In a recent SBO interview, Chris

talks about the formation of his or-chestra program, as well as his own development as an educator, shedding some light on the methodology – and circumstances – that enabled his or-chestra program to reach signifi cant achievements so quickly.

School Band & Orchestra: When did the thought hit you that you might be interested in taking over a classroom?

Chris Miller: When I was living in Chicago, I would travel to a high school twice a week and teach lessons to an orchestra that was under the direction of Jim Black. That was in Wheeling, Illinois. I had several con-versations with him about what was involved in teaching and there was something about seeing the amount of paperwork he had to do; I didn’t think I was up to the task. Regardless, he was quite an inspiration.

SBO: How did you begin your ca-reer in music in the fi rst place?

“In terms of artistic development, the sky is the limit.”

Members of the Chiles Orchestra in Atlanta, Ga. for the 2009 National Orchestra Festival.

SBO_24 24 12/30/09 2:06:33 PM


CM: I completed an American Stud-ies degree, but realized that playing was really what I wanted to do. That’s when I moved to Chicago and began working on a music degree part-time while I played in a country band at night. It’s not that I loved country mu-sic, but I was good at improvisation and it was a paycheck.

SBO: Were you involved in the bands or orchestras back when you were in high school?

CM: No, and I’ve often told students that maybe things would have gone differently if I had been. There was no such program at my high school. I was in a youth orchestra for maybe one year of high school. I wasn’t the best student and there wasn’t much for me to be connected with. Things didn’t work out strongly in that re-gard.

SBO: But you played, just not in a very organized set-ting? Did you keep playing throughout university?

CM: It was a very informal thing, just sitting down on peo-ple’s porches or in their living rooms with friends. I had essen-tially put the instrument down, but then decided to pick it back up after college.

SBO: And it’s been one non-stop whirlwind ever since?

CM: [laughs] Perhaps you could say that!

SBO: You taught private lessons and performed for over 15 years. Is there anything in particular from those experiences that you feel prepared you to teach in a class-room?

CM: Oh, very much so. Perform-ing, I witnessed a vast array of musi-cal and conducting styles and I learned from all of them. The private teaching exposed me to various learning styles and students’ capabilities. One of the biggest things that I think I have going for me is a sense of how things should be in terms of technique. Giving one-on-one lessons helped me learn how to express what needs to be done to get

the technique such that the music can really speak.

SBO: Would you tell me about your program now?

CM: There are two distinct orches-tra classes. I also teach guitar and a few other classes. The higher level or-chestra is the one that traveled to the

National Orchestra Festival last March and won fi rst place in the High School String Orchestra division.

SBO: How were you able to step in and so quickly establish a group that was able to take fi rst place in a national competition?

CM: It was just one foot in front of the other. I’ve never considered myself one to go out and recruit; it was just a natural process of evolving. I feel that the program itself attracted kids and pretty much grew of its own accord. Now, some kids had problems buying basses and cellos and other equipment. At several points I went out on my own and bought some lumber and built in-strument racks and things like that. We are getting things built, though, and we are being able to offer more and more things for the students. It’s got-ten to the point where we have a few scholarship students, where we pay for

private lessons and I’m very happy to be moving in that direction.

SBO: How did you address the fi nancial burdens of acquiring instruments?

CM: When I began traveling to various schools as an itinerant string teacher, one of the principals at one of

the schools I was involved with, and for some reason I still don’t understand, took a shine to me and created a position at one of the middle schools for me. Well, he’s now the superintendent of schools. That was one instance where I was really lucky. Anoth-er is that I was really fortunate to have some really top-drawer students. I’m coasting on the cream of that, I would say. We had some donations of people coming up out of the blue to do-nate either money or an instru-ment. And we have also done some fundraising and that sort of thing. A lot of it was just do-nations, and that was amazing.

SBO: How did you approach your fi rst year as a fulltime orchestra teacher in the high school?

CM: To answer it in retro-spect, I had a fi rm plan. I was so grateful to fi nally be getting

students every day of the week that I had a very detailed agenda. Much of it was overreaching what I could do then, but that was the process of learn-ing what the envelope was.

SBO: What were your initial goals for your students and the ensem-ble?

CM: I had very specifi c goals in terms of technique and theory games that we would do in the classroom. I saw in the daily classes a tremendous opportunity to teach a lot of knowl-edge that even the private lessons can’t instill, because I was able to see the same kids and work with them every day.

I wrote some music at various levels – from elementary music to some that was a bit more challenging – and the kids started playing some of that. That was pretty successful. The students seemed to respect that I had written

SBO_25 25 12/30/09 2:06:39 PM


something specifi cally for them, and they responded to it with enthusiasm.

SBO: Do you work with any abso-lute beginners at the high school level?

CM: When I was teaching at the middle school, I taught absolute be-ginners starting in sixth grade. There were a scant handful who had had pri-vate lessons. Some had been in a fi fth grade enrichment program – which was a parallel of what I had been do-ing way back at the beginning, travel-ing around to different schools – so they’d had some experience there, and that’s why I was so excited about hav-ing them everyday, because I could enforce their practicing and that sort

of thing. In the high school, however, almost all of my students arrive with at least those three years of classes in the middle school.

SBO: Where would you like the program to go from here?

CM: In terms of festivals and tro-phies, I look at that from a year-to-year basis. A lot of it is hamstrung by fi nances and fundraising, but I would like to see a bit more development with the parent group so that we can provide more opportunities for stu-dents that can’t come up with funding. For instance, I mentioned the scholar-ship lessons and other things like that.

In terms of artistic development, the sky is the limit there. I’m categorically not one to say “no” very often. One of my seniors has written a piece for orchestra. It’s not a typical student piece; it’s a very serious attempt and she’s been working on it for years. As a part of her senior project, we’re going to perform it, and that’s a part of her portfolio that she’s submitting to col-leges for admission as a composition student.

It’s a question of which kids walk through the door, what their needs are, and addressing those needs and serving them.

SBO: Most students probably don’t “walk through the door” with a love for classical music. Assum-ing that’s the case, how do you go about introducing orchestral repertoire?

CM: In truth, I’ve always been amazed at how eager and open the students’ ears are. I don’t make a con-scious effort to “dummy” or “pop-ify” the music. I have played pop pieces oc-casionally when there was something specifi c that I thought it taught, but I don’t cater in a knee jerk fashion to what I think people’s tastes will be.

The answer is in how the music is presented to them. I try to give stu-dents some handle by which they can grasp the music. For example, instead of just placing music in front of them and saying, “Okay, we’re going to play this now,” I try to provide some background information or a per-sonal story, something with which the students will understand a little bit about where the musical language is coming from.

Time and time again I’ve been amazed by the amount that the stu-dents will buy into a piece which I didn’t think they would be that enthu-siastic about playing.

SBO: What do you fi nd to be the most challenging element of being a high school music educator?

CM: For me personally, it’s noth-ing involving the students. Working with the students for me is a very easy process. That’s not to say that every day is rosy – they are adoles-cents and they are going through all kinds of things – but what I personal-

“I was so grateful to fi nally be getting students every day of the week that I had a very detailed agenda.”

SBO_26 26 12/30/09 2:06:44 PM


ly need to learn more about is work-ing with families. I’m a little reticent to ask parents for much because I know that everyone is under such strain, there are all of these groups out there holding out their hands and asking for money for this, that, and the other thing. I try to keep that monkey off their back, so to speak. On the other hand, it does take mon-ey and fundraising to take these trips and get stuff done.

SBO: What kind of fundraising campaigns have you done?

CM: Anything we can. Last year we did a formal sit-down dinner where we cooked and the students served the meals. This year we did a carry-out dinner, where we just barbecued the pork and people carried out the dinner as they drove through the parking lot. We’ve done car washes, had students playing in restaurants – we’re really barking up any tree that we can fi nd.

SBO: And the most successful campaign so far?

CM: That barbecue dinner worked pretty well. In terms of the effort we expended and the money we made, that has been one of the best thus far.

SBO: As an educator, what do you fi nd to be most rewarding about classroom teaching?

CM: There are so many moments where students sit down and share some victory they’ve achieved. I have so many of those moments that I couldn’t even begin to cata-logue them. It’s watching students set a goal and then achieve it. Very

Location: 7200 Lawton Chiles Lane, Tallahassee, Fla.On the Web: ww.chiles.leon.k12.fl .usStudents in High School: 2,000

Orchestras Ensembles: 2Basic: 47 studentsAdvanced: 30 studentsDirector: Chris Miller• National Board Certifi ed Teacher, 2005• Housewright Award for Excellence in Music

Education 2004

• Associate Music Director, Tallahassee Youth Orchestra

• Principal Violin II in Tallahassee Symphony Or-chestra, 14 years

Chiles Orchestra• Chiles Chamber Orchestra: First Place, ASTA

National Orchestra Festival, 2009• Chiles Chamber Orchestra: First trip to State

Assessment, Straight Superiors, 2008

Lawton Chiles High School Orchestra at a Glance

SBO_27 27 12/30/09 2:06:49 PM


often they go through rough patches along the way. Maybe sometimes I can flatter myself to think that I’m doing something to enable it, but seeing them go through that process and achieve is really an amazing thing for me.

SBO: We all know that band and orchestra directors can end up working very long hours. How do you keep your ensembles running smoothly while also maintaining a private life with your family?

CM: You have to draw a line where at a certain point in the day, the students become my family. And then at the end of the day, they stay at school and I go home and do the same thing, only with my real fam-ily. That’s basically how I handle it. I make a demarcation between the two. Once I get in the car to go home and pick up the kids, my day is done. I have five children of my own, so that’s also kind of by necessity.

I’ve often thought that if I wasn’t married with kids, I’d be at school much longer and we’d be able to do many more things, but this system I have works and, at a certain level, it has to be this way. Once the time comes, I have to stop teaching, get in the car, and go pick up the kids and be their father.

Fortunately, my wife and I are able to make adjustments so when I need intense rehearsal time with students, she can take over with the kids, but that’s basically how it works for me.

SBO: For other educators thinking of bolstering their string program, do have any words of advice?

CM: Without thinking about it too much, my advice would be to be honest and to be yourself. Don’t put on the guise of being something that you might think would be pop-ular and don’t try to be the teacher that you think you should be. Teach from the heart. Both students and parents see that sincerity almost immediately and they’ll rally to it. Just be your own teacher and build around that.

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SBOSurvey: Grant Writing

“There’s no such thing

as free money,”

notes SBO reader,

James Shaw, an ed-

ucator in Joliet, Ill. While that may

be true, the fact remains that there

are a ton of organizations – charita-

ble institutions, corporations, even

private benefactors – that have des-

ignated funds to give specifi cally to

a school music program, provided

that the program fi ts their criteria.

These funds, commonly referred to

as grants, are ignored by many, per-

haps because the process of obtain-

ing them isn’t always easy. Finding

the right grant can be a time-con-

suming task, and adhering to often

fastidious instructions and require-

ments can be a real headache, espe-

cially for those unfamiliar with the

process.

The Hunt for “Free Money”

SBO_30 30 12/30/09 2:07:22 PM


To gauge trends in seeking out and procuring grants among music educa-tors, SBO sent this recent survey out to our readership. With almost 90 percent of respondents indicating that they do not regularly apply for grants, this is one potential source of funding that might be worth looking into.

Do you regularly apply for grants for your music program?

“I know that I could have so much more stuff to run my program if I would, but it seems like I have so much to do, and so little time, that I never take the time to fi gure out how to write effective grants. I wrote an unsuccessful one a few years back and somewhere in the back of my mind I feel like I don’t want to waste my time.”

Shawn SatterthwaiteNorthridge High School

Layton, Utah

“I teach at more than one school and I work a second job. I don’t have the time or energy to pursue grants at this time.”

Mike DaviesNewman ElementarySalt Lake City, Utah

“I have been able to fund what we need without grant writing. We have spent our grant writing energy with our general music program.”

John AboudAlgona High School

Algona, Iowa

13%

87%

Yes No

“I have been very blessed with an administration that does provide, for the most part, the materials I need to teach my classes.”

Dan Burdette Avondale High School

Auburn Hills, Mich.

What is the typical size of the grants you look for?

What services or supplies are grants most likely to help with?

21%

53%

11%5%

10%

Morethan

$5,000

Lessthan$500

Non-monetary

$1,000 -$5,000

$500 -$1,000

24%

15%

13%

12%

11%

8%

7%

6%

4%

Musical Instruments

Clinicians

Music

Recording Equipment

Uniforms

Professional Development

Private lessons

Travel/Festival fees

Other

SBO_31 31 12/30/09 2:07:27 PM


What is the most frustrating as-pect of the grant-writing pro-cess?

What was the largest or most successful grant you’ve been awarded?

“Our most recent grant provided $15,000. It is part of a larger grant written by an elementary (grade 4-5) principal with support from the school’s instrumental music teacher. The grant provides an after school program for at risk 4th graders and includes an instrumental music pro-gram for 40 beginning band stu-dents. The students are being pro-vided with instruments purchased through the grant and after school lessons and rehearsals taught by the school’s band director. The school

hopes this will be an ongoing grant renewed each year through the grant program.”

John New Mattacheese Middle School

West Yarmouth, Mass.

“‘Teens Tuned In’ was a grant for $25,000 to purchase a complete guidance curriculum for a previous district. The Jazz Band provided the vehicle to show kids how choic-es make a difference in music (and life). The high school Jazz Band de-veloped the program based on the choices curriculum. It went over very well!”

Brad ThewViroqua High School & Middle

SchoolViroqua, Wis.

“I have applied for and received one: a McGrant for $500 from a Mc-Donald’s of Bluffton, Ohio.”

Rachael E. LewisBluffton Exempted Village Schools

Bluffton, Ohio

“We have received grants for $3,500 for instruments at each of our city schools.”

Walt LovellElko High School

Elko, Nev.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about grant writ-ing?

“Follow the directions exactly. I’ve heard of proposals being amazing ideas, but not having the proper pa-perwork completed and missed dead-lines resulting in disqualifi cations!”

Jeffery D. Heid Muscatine High School

Muscatine, Iowa

“It takes time to do well and that with practice, connections and creativ-ity, unique projects and proposals can be funded. Although many places tend to be clearing houses for grant infor-mation, they rarely can provide what I am looking for. I wish that there were a free searchable database for music teachers and school music programs.”

Peter KlempConcordia Jr/Sr High School

Omaha, Neb.

“After looking around at other grant offerings, I found that the pro-cess is very unique to each organiza-tion, and some organizations are bet-ter at designing their grant process than others.”

John CznadelSaunders Middle School

Manassas, Va.

“Do not wait until the last minute to write one. Read through it and or-ganize your thoughts and once you start, it goes very smoothly.”

Rochelle Feldner Minot High School

Minot, N.D.

“You really have to read the fi ne lines to fully understand what is ex-pected from the grant. There is no such thing as free money.”

James ShawGompers Jr. High

Joliet, Ill.

44%

41%

15%

Time consuming

Finding appropriate grants

Filing out applications

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SBOGuest Editorial

BY JOSEPH H. ALLISON

Impressions of a Decadein Marching Music

As we complete the fi rst

decade of a new century

(and millennium!), it

might be an opportune

time to look back on the devel-

opments of the past ten years in

the marching music activity. The

past summer and fall have culmi-

nated the decade with another

exciting year of competitive drum

corps and marching bands. Having

watched this activity evolve over a

period of more than thirty years, I

am continually amazed at the lev-

els of energy, creativity, and excel-

lence that “outdoor” groups bring

to their craft.


SBO_34 34 12/30/09 2:07:54 PM


The demands placed on designers, composers, instructors, and certainly the performers seems to increase each season as groups seek not only to “succeed” com-petitively, but also create something artisti-cally signifi cant and memorable for those involved. That is certainly no small task! As a result of these lofty goals and an expand-ing number of participants, achievement levels appear to be at an all-time high.

In an examination of the current state of the art of the marching music “industry” – as it applies to trends, practices and con-cerns that affect the evolution of our activ-ity – it becomes clear that one of the more signifi cant current issues in the marching community is the developing use of vocal narrations as a tool for programming. Exploration of this device seems to be a logical extension of the ongoing at-tempts to further integrate the audio and visual components of a show (commonly known as “coordination” in judge-speak). Using a text narrative has the potential to explain or enhance what is seen and heard in varying degrees from literal to abstract. As a relatively new device in this activity, there have been a great variety of approaches and levels of perceived success.

One of the more signifi cant issues related to employing text devices is the amount and frequency of its use. There is a legiti-mate concern that amplifi ed text can detract from the musical substance of a performance, particularly if used a great deal. Not only can it upstage the music in signifi cance, the spoken word can literally cover up or mask musical sounds, making them dif-fi cult or impossible to hear. This can be problematic in several ways regarding both assessment and enjoyment. Music design-ers are exploring ways to deal with this complex set of issues. Drawing on experiences from other professional areas of artis-tic expression would seem to be a logical educational strategy. Toward that end, our research team at Eastern Kentucky Uni-versity intends to examine current scoring practices for cinema and other audio/visual media (commercial video, infomercials, et cetera) both through observation and interviewing successful media professionals for guidance. Our thesis is that these career artists could inform our use of similar devices in our activity. We know that the primary focus in our industry is intended to be music, while different (and less defi ned) priorities exist in these related media. In the process of fi lm scoring, for example, a wide range of proportions in integrating music, text, and visual stim-uli exists, with the primary device traditionally being the spoken word. This EKU research team project will serve as one part of our ongoing program of studying the marching music activity.

Another closely related trend observed in the marching music industry in this decade is the increased use of electric sound re-inforcement, micing, and electronic instruments. Integration of a whole battery of electric and electronic devices has opened up a world of opportunities for incorporating all imaginable sounds into the musical palette. The technical aspects of this innovation have challenged even the most experienced professional tech-nologists with the complexities of extensive demands relative to

equipment and performance environments. Composers and tech people could surely benefi t from a forum of shared experiences in this challenging (and expensive) area of exploration. Perhaps additional information from the professional world of musical theater, opera, and touring musical acts would be applicable to our productions.

Given all the contemporary sound sources and techniques that are being explored, it is little wonder that the musical materials for our ensembles come from an ever-expanding world of sources. After a period of time characterized by the development and extensive use of “original music,” there now seems to be a greater exploration of existing composi-tions from a wider range of media. Pieces for exotic instru-ments, multi-cultural sources, diverse styles and idioms, and unique combinations of sources are all now part of the mix. Traditional literature for strings, voices, guitar, piano, and other instruments is being explored – in some cases for use with the originally intended instruments.

Another observation from the period: there is a continuing conversation in the industry concerning the use of theatrical props to enhance programming concepts. Groups have been very successful utilizing epic-sized spectacular devices, while oth-ers units have been equally successful using minimal or no stage decoration. One world-class-championship-level ensemble fa-mously explored the use and manipulation of folding chairs this summer! It is not completely clear what characteristics makes some of these “extras” effective, while some can be distracting or confusing? At least one group used an extensive backdrop structure as a sound-refl ecting device to create a unique sonic atmosphere this fall – that’s certainly “pushing the envelope” a bit!

Another state-of-the-art issue impacting marching ensem-bles is the varying acoustical environments of the performanc-es. This has been a signifi cant consideration for several seasons, but there is now a new development with the potential of ef-

“I am continually amazed at the levels of energy, creativity, and excellence that ‘outdoor’ groups bring to their craft.”

SBO_35 35 12/30/09 2:07:59 PM


fecting signifi cant change in how music is written and performed. Of course, the traditional venues for our marching en-sembles have generally been high school and college football stadiums, large-and-small. Now that more summer and fall “big events” are in “indoor” venues (some domed, some stationary-roofed, some retractable-roofed, and so on), we are hearing new reactions by composers, instructors, and performers to diverse sonic environments.

If one new venue can possibly have an immediate effect on an entire industry, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis would be that place. The championship events for both Bands of America and Drum Corps International are scheduled to be held the “Oil Can” indefi nitely, so poten-tial participants are subject to the unique acoustical characteristics of that mam-moth structure. After completing a one-year cycle of culminating events for both BOA and DCI, much study and analysis is taking place to optimize the acoustical characteristics of the stadium for both performers and spectators. From person-

al experience, the sound properties may well be more problematic for the audi-ence than participants, particularly based on where one actually sits in the stadium. The review process is currently ongoing, and is a very high priority for DCI and BOA. It will be very intriguing to hear and see how musical compositions and concepts adapt to this situation, particu-larly as the “Home of the Colts” is spec-tacular in so many ways in comparison to the majority of venues in which bands and drum corps will regularly perform. Future history may prove this to be a critical time in the evolution of our en-sembles due to this development.

The adjudication community has been impacted by the decade’s advancement of creativity, substance, and performance excellence in the marching arts. The va-riety and depth of skills required to ab-sorb and assess highly sophisticated and intricate programs of music and move-ment makes judging the contemporary ensemble quite a complex and challeng-ing task. It is a daunting process that we ask literally hundreds (if not thousands)

of people to undertake each year! It should not be a surprise then that there is so much discussion of how to prepare in-dividuals to serve as adjudicators. Given both the technical and artistic demands on judges and the emphasis placed on marching music competitions within the instrumental community in this country and abroad, it is little wonder this is one of the decade’s “hot topics”!

Discussions of judging have long been a recurring feature in directors association meetings and other gatherings of people involved in this industry. It is easy and logi-cal to be concerned with the “balance of development” of the adjudication/assess-ment part of the industry, as opposed to the creative/instructional side. The former is most likely a hobby or pastime, while the latter is usually a professional or semi-professional activity. Certainly no one of whom I am aware is making a living from judging marching events, while any num-ber of people depend on “outdoor” com-position and instruction for most or all of their income! This fact alone causes sig-nifi cant concerns, as it should. Addition-

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ally, the process of composing, designing, and teaching usually implies intensive for-mal training, while the judging process as yet does not. This situation appears to be endemic to our activity as it is now struc-tured. Perhaps it is in the best interests of the wellbeing and continued growth of the industry to consider this predicament more intensively.

There are several concerns I have about the judging process for our march-ing events, among them:• A lack of understanding of the percep-

tual processes involved in judging.• A lack of consistency/validity of as-

signed scores, as well as other statisti-cal traits of performance assessments.

• A proven lack of positive correlation between an adjudicator’s musical per-formance skills and their assessment skill.

• The interdependent (or perhaps de-pendent!) relationship between what an evaluator hears and sees.

• A lack of understanding as to how a judge’s ongoing verbal diagnostic feedback affects perception, evalua-tion, and scoring.

Given all this, it is not very diffi cult to see that an imbalance of preparation and evolution may exist within the ranks of the judging community, as well as com-pared to the creative/instructional ranks. This is certainly no slur to those individu-als who do serve as judges. In fact, one could easily assert that considered as a group, judges do a spectacularly amaz-ing job, given such a proportional lack of training and enrichment activities! Should anything be done? Can anything be done?

We need an “intranet” for each of our constituent groups: creators, in-structors, judges, and spectators – we have some (but not nearly enough) of this already. We also need an “in-ternet” where these groups can share ideas and perspectives with other groups to benefi t all. Both “nets” re-quire more than what a chat room of-fers. Surely we have the technology to make this happen. Surely we have the need to make this happen. Let’s see if we have the resourcefulness to make it happen!

Maybe we could be a small part of developing our beloved activity into a

comprehensive educational entertaining enrichment vehicle; one that would be fully recognized and appropriately ac-credited for the amazing curriculum and benefi ts it has for those who fully com-mit to excellence and growth.

Dr. Joseph H. Allison is cur-rently professor of Music at Eastern Kentucky University, serving as the director of bands and Graduate Conducting 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, marching and jazz events throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.

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SBOTechnology: Bergenfi eld High School

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

Dr. John Kuzmich Jr. is a veteran music educator, jazz educator and music technologist 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 com-prehensive musicianship. As a free-lance 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, Austra-lia, and South America.

For more information, visit www.kuzmich.com.

Meet Bergenfi eld High School: Achieving Excellence Through Technology

When Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it,” he

might just as well have been referring to the Bergenfi eld High School music program.

In spite of challenging budget cuts and economic pressures, Bergenfi eld High School’s

music program is rising above the fray using innovative music technology to bolster its

excellent curriculum.

Located in Bergenfi eld, New Jersey, eight miles from New York City, the high school’s music department has 500 students enrolled from a 1200-strong student body. On a daily basis, approximately 100 students use the music tech lab. This in-cludes three sections of Music Tech 1, two sections of beginning class piano, and a section of music theory that spans three years of material, including AP Theory. Classes are always full with a waiting list, but they have opened additional sec-tions to honor most course requests. Their excellence in music technology has made BHS a Grammy Signature school fi nalist three times, including this year. At the 2010 TI:ME national conference, their marching band program will be featured for their cutting edge use of technology.

But what makes this school even more impressive is that they have also estab-lished their reputation with three concert bands, three orchestras, three choral ensembles, a jazz ensemble and a 200-member marching band, as well as nu-

SBO_38 38 12/30/09 2:08:34 PM


merous chamber ensembles. Three of their honors ensembles (Chamber Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble) receive weighted honors credit. They performed last year at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Their Honors Wind Ensemble has re-ceived three consecutive gold ratings at state regional festival and has been named a New Jersey Honor Band in 2007 and 2009. Bergenfi eld has also been named as one of the 100 Best Communities for Music Education in 2003 and 2004 by the American Mu-sic Conference.

Bergenfi eld’s Music Tech Philosophy

Brian Timmons is the director of bands and district coordinator of mu-sic education. His leadership has pro-vided a strong rationale for promoting music technology in a school district that many decades was already very competitive in the performance area. “We began our music tech classes fi ve years ago for a few reasons, including offering music classes to non-tradi-tional students, broadening our cur-riculum for existing music students, and providing more options for fulfi ll-ing career education and performing arts state graduation requirements,” says Brian. “The course was initially taught in a CADD laboratory and then a business education classroom. We had a few keyboard controllers to share and PCs running Windows NT. The curriculum was centered on live sound, notation-based assignments, and theoretical concepts in music technology. The students were almost exclusively band, orchestra, and choir students. Our district’s technology co-ordinator took an interest in what we wanted to do to expand the program to include the entire school popula-tion and helped us to secure funding. The room that houses our lab now was converted from a former depart-ment workroom. Sixteen iMacs, USB keyboard controllers, furniture, stu-dio monitors, the GEC3, and a Smart-Board were installed in stages and implemented during the third year. The lab was fully functional starting the fourth year.

“When we fi rst developed the music technology program, it was in an effort to provide additional opportunities for existing music students in a develop-ing instructional area, while satisfying our district’s computer course gradu-ation requirement,” he continues. “A one-year study of music theory was a prerequisite for the class. We then real-ized we were missing a golden oppor-tunity to reach out to a segment of our school population that had an interest

in musical study, but didn’t participate in our traditional ensemble program. We restructured the curriculum to ac-commodate learners without the tradi-tional musical training and eliminated the music theory prerequisite. As a re-sult, our enrollment soared from one section to three sections with a wait-ing list. The students with traditional musical training continue to enroll and a whole crop of music enthusiasts are given the opportunity to explore skills

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in contemporary music. Students with advanced backgrounds are often given separate skill-appropriate activities and assignments, while the non-tradi-tional students are learning basic nota-tion or ear training.”

As Bergenfi eld’s district IT coordi-nator, Chris Tully gives great support to their music technology. He says, “Bergenfi eld Public Schools strive to infuse technology throughout the cur-

riculum. This music lab is a prime ex-ample of that effort.”

The Music Tech Curriculum

Timmons is proud of Bergenfi eld’s music tech curriculum. “We do two projects with basic audio editing, which were developed from lesson plans on the SoundTree Web site by Mike

Fein,” he elaborates. “One project has students unscrambling audio clips to make it match a script. The other is a mash-up, where students make up a cohesive conversation using audio clips from movies and TV shows. We do a project where students compare and contrast different microphones and create a chart to outline their specifi cations. This allows students to understand the unique properties of different microphones. It also allows them to become acquainted with the Table menu in Microsoft Word for fu-ture projects.

“The students also develop a pro-posal for a sound system. They re-search different components (speak-ers, mixers, amps, microphones) for an imaginary installation. They then submit the proposal, along with a dia-gram, specifi cations and an invoice in Microsoft Excel. Students learn how to use a spreadsheet for calculations.”

Melissa Koonts, a former student who is now a freshman education ma-jor at Montclair State University, re-fl ects, “Our fi nal project, making our own podcasts, was not only very inter-esting, but helpful, too. It helped me in future classes where I’ve had to use similar programs.”

“When I was required to take Mu-sic Technology in college, I was so grateful I’d taken Electronic Music in high school,” agrees Alyssa Ahearn, a junior music ed major at William Pat-erson Univeristy. “I already knew most of the topics we covered, and I passed the class with fl ying colors. I would have been lost if I didn’t already have the knowledge I gained from the high school course.”

All class assignments are posted on www.homeworknow.com, and pod-casts can be found at bergenfi eldmu-sic.podomatic.com. To view the Music Tech 1 syllabus, go to www.kuzmich.com/SBO012010.

Marching Band Innovations

How good is the school’s march-ing band? You can view 18 videos of them performing on YouTube (search “Bergenfi eld marching band”). Brian has also extensively integrated music

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technology into this ensemble, too. He uses Sibelius to arrange music. “We use the music technology lab where instrument sections meet and review drills on the SmartBoard using Pyware Performer’s Practice Tools,” he says. “Used together, SmartBoard pens and Pyware allow us to do a vir-tual Telestrated play-by-play of dif-fi cult drill moves. All of our march-ing drills are written in-house on Pyware.”

Brian has his students assist in teaching new fi eld show drills. “Past Music Technology I graduates will take recordings of the band playing the fi eld show music and cut them up by drill moves, adding a voice-over in-troduction and click-track count off,” he explains. “We can help them learn new drills while playing the recordings before the marching band rehearsal. This greatly aids us during the begin-ning stages of learning the show.” A sample copy of a personalized student drill book made in Pyware – what each one of the students uses to learn the drill and carries in each rehearsal – can be found at www.kuzmich.com/SBO012010.

Brian continues, “We use the Marching Techniques video podcast so new students can arrive at band camp with an understanding of the ba-sic marching form. This saves us time

during camp to work on more advanced tech-niques. During the sea-son, we often bring the entire band into the audi-torium to review perfor-mance video footage and compare it to the Pyware drill simulation, looking for ways to improve our performance. Videos are also uploaded to our Web site for students to review at home.”

Drum major Jared Cardenas says, “The high school marching band is a brilliant American tra-dition, and the fact that we are able to incorpo-rate technology is evolv-ing with the times and won’t be halting anytime soon.”

Music Tech in Perfor-mance Groups

BHS owns a lab pack of Band-in-a-Box. Brian reports that the jazz band director, Emily Stolarski, “will make a use of the software to help students practice improvised solos whenthe marching band is done and jazz en-semble starts. In Symphonic Band, we haven’t employed SmartMusic yet, but I have already budgeted for a Smart-Music home subscription for each music student in the school district for next year. At the very least, we will be using it in our practice rooms, but to take full advantage I would like each student to have it at home as well.”

Meet the FacultyMusic Tech classes are taught by

four faculty members, each with unique backgrounds. Kent Pennell and Brian Timmons teach Music Technology I. The course content includes the his-tory of electronic music, the physics of sound, live sound and recording tech-nology, synthesis, notation software, sequencing and multimedia. There is also a basic piano keyboard skill com-ponent. The course syllabus is posted on www.kuzmich.com/SBO012010.

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Emily Stolarski teaches Music The-ory I, Honors II, and AP III. She uses Auralia for ear training and Sibelius for notated assignments. Students, of-ten work self-paced at the computers to complete assignments. This allows students to take three years of music theory within a single course offering.

Malcolm Couden teaches Begin-ning Class Piano. He uses workstation keyboard controllers and the Korg GEC3 for instruction and to monitor student learning and progress.

Kent has a master’s degree from the University of Illinois in composition, with a strong emphasis in electronic music. Malcolm was a professional opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera in NYC prior to becoming the choir director. Joseph Dubbiosi, the orchestra director and guitar instruc-tor, is a session player on electric bass and violin and gigs frequently in the New York area. Emily, a fi rst-year teacher from Illinois, is a woodwind

specialist, assistant band director, and also directs the jazz ensemble. Brian is the school’s director of bands, brass specialist, and the coordinator of mu-sic education for the school district’s seven schools and fourteen music teachers. His undergraduate studies were in classical trumpet performance with music education certifi cation and graduate studies in wind conducting. He also directs the band at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Music Technology Lab Specs

The music tech lab has an impres-sive array of hardware. Walking into the lab, you would fi nd 16 Intel iMac computers with 20” screens and M-Audio ProKeys Sono 61 USB keyboard controllers with semi-weighted keys (important for piano instruction) and built-in audio interfaces. Each key-board has a sostenuto pedal for piano

class. The lab also has a pair of JBL 4328 Room Correcting Studio Moni-tors and SmartBoard with an integrat-ed projector arm. Software includes iLife ’09, Sibelius 5, Auralia, eMedia Piano, and Band-in-a-Box. Musition for Mac has just been released by the manufacturer, and it will be added to the software package in the near fu-ture.

Not Just for KidsLast year, BHS successfully began

to offer a music technology class to adults through their community out-reach. The course predominantly uses GarageBand for loop-based sequenc-ing projects, podcasts, or basic record-ing. The classes typically meets for 90 minutes, once a week, for four weeks. Adult students can enroll as many times as they wish and teachers will tailor the instruction to meet their needs. If students wish to explore another spe-cifi c area of music technology such as notation software, teachers can help them formulate an independent study arrangement. Brian sees this opportu-nity to have community stakeholders utilize instructional tools available at the high school as an important step because it boosts overall support of the BHS programs and enriches the learning environment.

Closing CommentsBergenfi eld High School has had

an impressive performance reputation since the 1950s. Now, through the use of music technology, the school has continued growth and development, even during competitive and challeng-ing times, when academic tests tend to limit the growth of elective programs. The district administration has been instrumental in supporting the cre-ation of this exemplary music lab. Per-haps other districts will see how this school board and administration has supported the lab and be encouraged to follow its fi ne example.

All videos, PDFs, Web fi les, and links associated with this article can be found at www.kuzmich.com/sbo012010.

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Every note on the Clarinéo has its own fi ngering throughout its three and a half octave range. The clarinet has alternatives for some keys, whereas the Clarinéo has no alternative keys. An earlier version of the Clarinéo was launched in 1991, and was called the Lyons C Clarinet. It was continually modifi ed and successfully tested by nearly 50,000 children. Yet despite being helpful to educators, an even better design was needed. The new version of the in-strument features a smaller bore, better suited for smaller hands.www.clarineo.co.uk

Légère Signature Series Tenor Sax Reeds

Légère is now offering their Signature Series technology for the tenor sax. The new reeds feature a special material and profi le and are said to capture color and expression. Lé-

gère reeds are avail-able for all clarinets and saxophones.www.legere.com

New Trumpets from PJLA

PJLA’s PHT-2021 “C” Series of Phaeton Trumpets are available in three custom fi nishes: gold brass lacquer, bright silver plate, and brush brass. All models come standard with a 3C mouthpiece delivered in Phaeton’s custom vintage tweed case with burgundy vel-vet closure blanket for added protec-tion. Phaeton cases are trimmed in textured burgundy leather-like trim and are equipped with plated brass hardware with a large storage area for mutes and accessories.

PHT-4077 Bb/A piccolo trumpet is a four piston model Piccolo Trumpet will be available in bright sil-

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NewProducts


ver plate with optional 18 karat gold plated finger buttons, top, or bottom caps and bell. A custom all leather case comes standard with this outfit.www.pjlamusic.com

Lightweight Band Cases by GatorGator Cases’ new lightweight band

instrument cases are designed to be both functional and economical, with the new GL series representing a “styl-ish departure from all other cases in this price range.” The lock grip handle is built for comfort and it is also tre-mendously rugged. Each instrument in the series has its own custom EPS foam nest, which is universal to most instruments in it genre. Each case has a shoulder strap and large accessory compartment. Cases have been spe-cifi cally designed for Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Alto Sax, Trombone, Oboe, French horn, and more. The cases are available in a black and grey mesh pat-tern for all sizes, and select sizes are available in pink, light blue, and red.www.gatorcases.com

NS Design’s Bowed Electric Models

NS Design has re-leased two new NXT double bass mod-els. One, a fi ve-string double bass, will be available for delivery in the fi rst quarter of 2010. The other, a lim-ited edition, features a cream-colored fi nish and celebrates the twen-tieth anniversary of NS Design. The Omni Bass is a hybrid model that combines the possibili-ties of the double bass and the bass guitar. A fretted fi ve-string ver-sion of the Omni is newly available. NS Design has partnered with D’Addario for new line of NS Electric strings. Featuring stranded steel cores, these strings are available in standard lengths for violin, viola, and cello, and in NS Standard Double Bass length for upright basses. Omni Bass strings also fi t standard 34” bass guitars. In ad-dition to fi tting all NS Design instru-ments, NS Electric strings will fi t other brands of bowed electric instruments and can also be used by acoustic play-ers.www.thinkns.com

Wick Tenor Horn Mouthpiece Line Expands

Denis Wick Products’ tenor horn mouthpiece models – the 1, 1A, 2A, and 4 - are now available in silver plated and gold plated versions. Denis Wick manufactures mouthpieces and mutes for the entire family of brass instruments, from piccolo trumpet to BBb tuba.www.deniswickusca.com

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sbo january 2010

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