If You Build It, They Will Come

As a musician, the number one thing we need to have, besides a medium to exert our art, is a listener. Audience attendance is something that most musicians, if not all musicians, worry about. If you were to play in a popular club for instance, most managers would tell you that you have to sell "X" amount of tickets or they won't let you perform there. In grade schools and even universities, concert attendance is the one thing that can make or break the night. Imagine a group of nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one year olds stepping out on stage to perform a set of songs that they have been rehearsing for probably two months, and when they look out all they see are their mom and dad, maybe a grandparent and a little sibling; four to five people in a room that could easily seat 500. It's not as if there isn't support for that student, its that if the student wanted to perform only in front of their family members, then why not just set up a family barbeque? So the question then arises, how does one, be it a local group trying to gain a fan base or a school or college trying to increase audience attendance, gain a bigger supportive following? Simply put, how do we go

from this...



TO THIS?

Well, even though the above image may be a bit of an exaggeration, it shows that with the right promotion and exposure, it certainly is possible. The first thing one needs to consider is what one is doing currently and how those things have worked out. Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Connecticut Earl Macdonald has a blog post about his struggle with this very issue here. One thing he asks is what is he not doing that could be better? Of course he wants/needs his students to attend the concert (because they are being graded on this), but how does he motivate them to even want to come to a concert that is most likely not going to make them feel any more accomplished because of the lack of audience members?

Well I always believe that if your not getting the results you want, you should be doing more until you do. So my thoughts on this matter are as follows. Number one is: how are you promoting? Are you promoting locally or regionally? Are you making the promotions attractive to potential recipients? Companies in America spend literally BILLIONS of dollars a year trying to figure out the best way to advertise and entice consumers to by their products. If you think I'm exaggerating here's a link to make you realize that I might actually be underplaying exactly how important advertising is to companies. There's even a science to how to understand what works and what doesn't. Check it out here. As one can see, it all starts with advertising; and doing it effectively.

Secondly I personally feel that quality is equally as important. If your going to advertise big, you better deliver big. To advertise for a school concert so that you bring in an audience yield of one hundred, you want to make sure these one hundred people enjoy their time. I wouldn't get one dimensional with the program in this case. I would diversify it and make it interesting for many people. For instance I would make the audience wait for a "main event" (i.e. the jazz ensemble) and surround that act with a small act from the school dance team, or maybe a rousing performance from a great gospel choir. Something to that effect will really draw people out of their homes because the more performers are involved, the more people will come to support their loved ones.

Lastly, I believe its all about location ultimately. One reason that its such a big deal to perform in NYC is because its such a populated place. I did a performance at Lincoln Center in March of 2014 and the audience yield there was fantastic (obviously). But it did follow the things I mentioned earlier, such as proper advertising and a litany of other performance groups surrounding the "main event". It made audience members feel like this was an entertaining experience and not simply another concert that they wouldn't feel bad missing out on.

Obviously from a music education stand point, your audience is mostly going to be made up of supporting family members, which is perfectly fine. However you do, as a teacher/motivator/role-model want to branch out and let your students understand that a musician isn't limited to performing only for mom and dad and grandma. They can do REAL concerts (meaning perform in a place that's not their school and for people who aren't related to them and, preferably, for money) and have people who don't know them tell them how great they sound. That's a special moment I believe all young musicians need to have. And I believe as educators we can provide that inspiration by giving them a good example of what it feels like to perform for big groups; what it feels like to be applauded by a big audience. Everyone deserves recognition for their accomplishments. And I feel that our students deserve to feel recognized for all the hard work they did leading up to their concert time. That concert, no matter what age you are, is a special moment. The moment where you can stand in the spotlight and claim your place in time. As an educator, I want nothing more than to help make that moment as special as possible.

  

Making Sense Of Song Logic

When I had to give my class on the basic form of songs I thought it was going to be a subject I was fairly comfortable with. And indeed I was comfortable with it. The biggest issue though was making sure my students understood it as well. As a musician it's very hard for me to talk about it in non-musical terms. I would equate it to a doctor attempting to discuss his patient's current fitness/ well-being in non-medical terms. It's quite possible but fairly difficult as there is a lot a vocabulary that we as musicians understand, in order for us to communicate on a deeper level, that those who aren't musicians would instinctively know. That becomes a simple matter of are we teaching our students what we need them to know?

My main focus was to help my students understand that like many things in life, music has structure; songs have a structure. From this structure determines all that we know and love about the musical experience. This structure has worked and been modified constantly ever since it's invention because musicians are like mathematicians by the fact that we always want to crunch numbers and groupings of numbers and see how complicated we can get; then we get to see where that complexity has landed us. It really is an enthralling experience which is why those who are good at it, such as J.S.Bach was, become master's in our world. Bach is a great person to teach song forms with because he was a master at many song forms. In fact his whole early life was dedicated to the experience and experimentation of song forms and sounds.

In short I noticed that though I introduced different genres and basic ideas, I could've engaged my students more by having them actively participate in this discussion either with cards they could hold up that would be labeled according to the different sections of the song form, or even by having them look for songs or think of songs that fit a standard ABA song form. I must say that these types of discussions are my favorite because they show the logic and beautiful structure of music. It never fails to amaze me that for people who aren't musicians song writing to them is such an awesome thing, and indeed it is, but the average person will never truly appreciate why we hold composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven in such high regard until they learn song form and structure at the very least; and let's not even talk about music theory.

This experience for me was literally the epiphany to my teaching career because it showed me that with simple ideas and fun concepts I could teach anyone, regardless of age, why a song is a song and build an appreciation for music in them beyond what the lyrics in their favorite song make them feel. I watched a TED talks video on YouTube yesterday (here's the link) talking about this very idea; the idea that we as educators can create that magic in our classrooms by being engaging and helping our students yearn for the knowledge we wish to teach them. I think we could all benefit by this philosophy as well as the understanding and practice of teaching in a way that reaches everyone. But I digress. Simply put I'm very fortunate to have had this opportunity because I can see myself slowly but surely being more effective at teaching the subject I love with the effectiveness I wish to have.

Where Does The Money Come From?

It's an issue that troubles every possible plan for every possible endeavor; money. Money is quite obviously one of the biggest necessities humans have in life. It is the means by which one can acquire anything, be it food, clothing, shelter, transportation, entertainment, and even health. Money provides for the ability to have all these things. What's more is that the more money you have then typically the more advanced all these things listed become (i.e. entertainment becomes the ability to go on a seven day cruise in Hawaii vs. sitting at home with a friend playing monopoly all night). It makes sense then that in order for a music program to flourish and ultimately reach it's fullest potential that money be a critical necessity to facilitate this possibility.

So where is this money supposed to come from? One would hope that this money comes from the school board and perhaps even the state, and if one is really lucky then a federal grant would be much appreciated. However one should not over look the simple fact that students in music programs are funded and supported by their parents. Whether this be by taking them to the music store to purchase a new reed or paying for a field trip to go to a competition in another state, parents are constantly providing their children, and ultimately the music program they are apart of, with funds. So it is only logical then that schools ask parents to be more aware of this reality and come up with ways to aid their child's music program. Of course there are families who can only give so much and this is true for quite a number of parents in quite a number of school districts. So how do schools help these families out, especially if the majority of the families in these school systems are low-income? How much should the school expect these parents to continue to give?



When is enough enough?

I came across an article speaking of this very issue and thought it was a very plausible, potentially great way to at least begin to address this matter. The article can be read here and it speaks about how in California, school boards are getting input from parents on how to better use the money to fund different aspects of the school and it's programs. The good part about this is that parents and schools who want to have music well funded will do so in a manner that helps everyone involved. The bad news is that if there are parents and schools that feel music is "nonessential" to their child's development then little to no funds could be provided to the music programs, so long as everyone in these meetings votes to do this. Peter Schneider has written a blog about this very issue here.

Its very disheartening to think of the negatives of this type of funding, but it could be very exciting to think of the good that can come out of this if there is enough support to push it into the right direction.

If you ask me parents should fund their children's activities because that's just good parenting; giving your child the best they can receive to grow into the best adult possible. So funding for a band/orchestra/jazz/choir (BOCJ) program should be a given. However, the amount should not be taxing to the family. Families should only contribute whatever they can manage and be helped the rest of the way by those who have access to much more money and who are supposed to be using it for specific purposes.

In order to run a BOCJ program in this day and age with iPads and more interactive technology being implemented into the school systems, to me it seems that fundraising and parent funding isn't enough. Its going to have to be the school systems as well and with laws like the ones listed above this is a problem that has a very potentially exciting solution if it is backed by enough people who care. Since the money has to come from somewhere, why not make it come from a little bit of everywhere? That sounds pretty reasonable to me.


 

Modulating to a New Tomorrow

In this day and age technology is the one aspect of our lives that evokes all the changes we see around us. Technology changes the way we drive, eat, dress, and even sleep. It changes the way we brush our teeth and even the way we entertain ourselves. Why then should education of all things be excluded from this ever growing list? Well quite frankly it isn't to me and there are plenty of individuals out there who agree with me.

I remember the first time I played a video game. As most people can attest, the hours spent in front of that relatively small and one dimensional computer taught me something about my dexterity; I didn't need my eyes to watch what I was going to press. I would eventually use this skill to play the piano and how well it translated. It wasn't until high school though when I stumbled across a marvelous program. A program that would forever change my life. It was a music notation program called Encore and it is very similar to others such as Finale and Sibelius. Encore helped me to understand how music worked on the written page. Eventually this became my "time consuming video game" because I spent hours figuring out how to use the software and also how to make the music I was writing sound like what I heard in my head or played on my piano. It made me fall in love with music in such a deep way that almost 10 years later I look back on that day with a fondness incomparable to anything else. It was because of the fun I had using the software that I grew to learn at a much quicker and deeper way than I learned anything else in school.

I was recently reading an article by Leila Viss, a music educator/ piano instructor who lives in Colorado. She is an avid user and supporter of iPad apps that are used to educate students in music. One app she has spoken fondly of is the Piano Maestro (formerly Piano Mania) app. This app helps teach students to read an play piano in a much more interactive and fun way than simple drills and constant repetitions could ever do. It has helped her teach in a more effective level wherever she has used it. To learn more about her and her experiences the link to her blog is here.

Another app that is well worth the research is NotateMe. This is another app like Encore but is made specially for tablets/iPads. This app has been used by Christopher J. Russell, the director of Choirs at Oltman Middle School in St. Paul Park, MN. Every student in his choir class has an iPad so he uses this wonderful opportunity to help them learn in a more interactive and effective way. In his article Using iPads and NotateMe For Dictation, he speaks about ways in which he could not only use his iPad to help students sight read better but also enhance their dictation. This is a great but also critical skill for musicians who are serious in their development to master. The fact that every student in his choir has an iPad though makes this app much more practical for his purposes. Here is a link to his blog.

Lastly I'd like to point out that even here in CT we have educators who are just as adamant about getting the modern day educator more adept at using newer technologies to help educate our students. Earl MacDonald is the Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Connecticut and had an interesting point to bring out in his blog entitled Tomorrow's Jazz Program. One point he mentioned was that "we must not only stay current, but lead in finding new ways to utilize technology to our advantage." I must say that in light of the resources that are out there for musicians I couldn't agree with this sentiment more.

Technology has shaped every aspect of our lives and it is essential for us to accept the change but also take the lead in showing educators that with a little ingenuity and practice, we can help our students grow and learn in ways that last them a lifetime. How I love to see that look on one of my students' face when they discover how great and fun music is. It reminds me of my moment and it still to this day is the same look I give after every concert, practice session, or lesson.




 

A "Top Three" list

A "Top Three" list is usually an attention getter; "Top Three Most Embarrassing TV Moments", "Top Three Best Quarterbacks", "Top Three Best Albums Ever", etc. Interestingly though is the amount of weight it places on the importance of something or someone. For something or someone to be on a top three list of something good or bad, it definitely makes the argument that it or they is/are pretty significant (at least in the list maker's mind). Well that's precisely why I feel the need to make a "Top Three" list of my own. It is a top three list of what I believe are the most important skills/traits for any music educator. So lets start off the countdown with number 3:

3) Courage- Courage may not be a typical or even relevant quality, trait, or skill at first but let m explain. You see it is courage that can make a music educator stand in front of vivacious kids who want to act as rambunctious as possible and firmly tell them that they must obey and listen to him/her. It is courage that can allow music educators to explain to parents why their kid didn't get that "A" (because they never practice, or always show up without their music, etc.). Even more importantly though is that you as an educator need to have courage to give to your students. What if you have students that have never performed live before? How are they supposed to handle a moment like that? If you have courage as an educator and your students can see that in you, you become someone who can be leaned on for support. You become the student's rock so to speak. You help the student know that you have faith in them and that you are not afraid to put that faith in them. Courage is certainly a must have. Frank L. Battisti mentions courage as well, although he does this in the light someone who would like to learn to be a conductor. However a conductor is similar to a music educator in that they both have the power to enforce their musical ideas on the ensemble, if it is feasible to do so at that time. They also have to prepare ad nausea in order for them to properly assist those individuals in the ensemble wherever they need that assistance. So conductors and educators share some responsibilities and job descriptions. In that light it only make sense then that courage can be used to reference both educators and conductors and of course be the number 3 most important skill/trait any GOOD music educator needs to have. Which leads us to...

2) Musical talent- This may seem like a no brain-er but it is quite possibly the single most overlooked trait/skill music educators are faced with. I'm not saying that all music educators need to be as virtuoso as Glenn Gould, Frederick Chopin, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, or Ella Fitzgerald. If it were that easy or common, it wouldn't be virtuosic. What a great word that is though: virtuosic. It has a few definitions according to Dictionary.com but the first one in its list is "a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field. " To have special knowledge...well that sounds like what any educator should have, not just a music educator! I digress though. However it is true then that music educators must have musical talent(s). I feel this is so important to a students upbringing. Again going back to that small student who has never performed. What if they are the only musical person in their family? Who can they look up to? Who is going to give them that spark that makes them start to look at their instrument in a totally new way? Someone with special knowledge. Someone with musical talent. You! The music educator in their lives. I can tell you from personal experience that to see your teacher perform something for you and it be not only impressive but simply awe inspiring, be it through a vocal or instrumental performance, it is certainly a life altering event. I do believe that the GOOD music educators out their have these talents and the GREAT ones out their work to perfect them and improve them day by day. Battisti feels that conductors NEED to have this as a trait (for quite obvious reasons of course) in order to be successful. Would we not want to feel the same for someone who educates in the field of music?

Finally we are down to the big number 1...












1) Passion- Yes passion. Passion is to me the single most important aspect to anything you do in life. So why not music educating as well? How on earth will you be able to excel and be good or even great in anything if you don't have passion for something? It's just not possible. When a music educator has the driving force of passion it festers inside of them and drives them to improve this next time, ask more of this student because on the drive home you thought about how much they've improved over the years. It drives you to bug your principle for new chairs every year because you want your kids to get the best. To put things in perspective let me put things another way. The root word for passion comes from the Latin word  patī meaning to suffer. WOW! Suffer huh? That sure does not sound desirable at all. But its so beautiful to know when taken into the context that your not suffering in pain. Your suffering inside because you have that much emotion coursing through your veins about what you are doing. I could not want any other number one trait in a music educator but this. Boonshaft said it best when he said "We all know there will be frustrations, not the least of which is having students forget what we thought they learned. But the frustrations pale by comparison to the importance of our mission...teaching is the best means for us to manifest our existence as human beings, to communicate with those we have never met, and those we will never meet, giving us the satisfaction of knowing we have spent our lives meaningfully". What passion!

I conclude my "Top Three" list with one last idea. Of all the three mentioned one thing is in common. That thing is belief. The traits I mentioned are only applicable if one has the belief in themselves that they could cultivate these traits and harness them inside of themselves and work one's utmost to perfect them. The belief in yourself as a music educator will be the determination of how far you can go. I think all of us as music educators can agree with that.  

Do Re Me Fa DOH!

After having a few days to reflect on my first ever H.S. Choir warm up, along with the ever so helpful and completely needed review/critiques I received, my overall impression is that I'm on the right track but I need to guide myself better. What could I possibly mean?

Well one thing that jumped out at me (glaringly) was the fact that I separated men from women with the intention of using the voices from each gender in doing harmonic work, such as men sing "do" and women sing "me", or basses sing "do", tenors sing "so", altos sing "me", and sopranos sing "do". This probably would've went pretty well, however in my rush to make time, or probably my attempt at settling down nerves, I completely forgot to address this. DOH!

Another great critique that I got was the question "are you running a choir warm up or a mini vocal lesson?" This is such a great question! It's the one thing that I would never have noticed by myself. As I think back to things I did and spoke about, I saw myself turning the warm up into a series of vocal lessons and I will absolutely remember to think about things like this should I be in a similar position next time.

Lastly I will say that upon my own observations and reflections, one thing I would like to do better is know more warm up routines and have them become more musical. A choir could get bored easily warming up the same way every day and I would like to instill in them the ability to hear this portion of the rehearsal as another way for them to make music and not some silly game they play in the beginning of it.

I never imagined myself ever being a choral director (although the idea is starting to grow on me a little bit), but I certainly want to be efficient and good at what I do whether its warming up a band or choir, or rehearsing giant steps with an 8th grade quartet, I simply want to be an effective and motivating educator who can do his musical tasks well beyond any doubt. I know that more opportunities such as these will greatly benefit me and help me improve ever so much as time goes on.

The first 5 minutes...

Teaching someone how to play an instrument is a daunting enough task. It requires patience, empathy, and a great deal of ingenuity to be able to impart knowledge that is intelligible to your student(s) as well as help them see things as you do so you can share a like minded unity of thought. This complication is quadrupled when the age of the student is roughly seven or eight years old.

On Monday Feb 24. 2014 I had to give a simulated lesson of a 5th graders first ever flute lesson. The lesson was timed to be 5 minutes and my objective was to impart something, anything into this young students memory that could be built on in a later lesson. I must say I felt oddly at ease yet strangely off put because I'm used to teaching children instruments. However I'm not used to teaching them how to play instruments I don't even play.

I figured though that this is a great way for me to put myself in the student's shoes and start somewhere we both needed to start; an understanding of how to get a pitch. I believe the imagery I tried to convey to my student was useful as it wasn't to wordy and it may have been something he could've related to as well. Also I understood how much time it will take some students to simply get the note to come out correctly. My main goal was to teach the student correct embouchure as well as understand the basics for blowing across the reed of the instrument.

After my 5 minutes ended I was both relieved but also a bit unsatisfied as I felt that with more time I probably could've helped the student to get their first real note out of the instrument. I also received my fellow students' observations, comments, and critiques and one that I got was very encouraging. It told me that they understood how hard it is to teach a young student the flute and how it may even be best to learn how to breathe first, an aspect of music I often forget about because I'm a pianist and I can breathe comfortably for any length of time I choose to do so. I also received remarks such as clear and articulate which made me feel good in the sense that I wasn't too wordy or in depth with my conversation but rather more focused on the task at hand and also more specifically the objective I wanted to accomplish for that particular lesson.

Things I wish I could've done differently would've been:
1) Showcase the instrument for a few seconds to arouse my students interest and also show them that it is a REAL instrument and can sound AWESOME if you get good at it
2) Tried to help my student feel the breathing aspect a bit more so they know the difference between a "cold air" approach and a "hot air" approach.
3) Gave a more extensive homework/practice regiment for the student to go through for the next lesson. I felt as though the only thing I made my student attempt to aspire to was to create a sound when in reality I wanted my student to create tonality and specifically a flute's tonality. I think with a bit more understanding of the instrument I could find interesting and inviting ways to grasp the students interests and keep them motivated to learn even more about their instrument.

Five minutes for me was a paradox; it was the longest short amount of time I've ever had to teach someone.