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.

Three strokes for an A, three strokes for an F

When I was in 3rd grade my teacher was the one who showed the above expression to me on the chalk board. She was doing this in reference to how exactly the same effort is put into the best grade possible and the worst, for her at least. Her point was that someone in her position could personally care less about which grade she had to mark because in her mind you get what you earned, whether it was an A or an F.

Fast forward a bit to when I was in the Army. I was a medic in the Army so I had to go through an intense training regiment to be qualified to do this job. In order to graduate the course, you had to have had an 80 or above average (B- or higher). The training does not stop there however. It continues as you go to your unit and learn from more higher ranking, experienced medics that have been at your unit longer than you've been in the Army. The grading standards in the Army though were far and away different from what I experienced in high school and the year of college I attended before the Army. For instance I knew what was expected of me down to the letter. I knew what would fail me and I knew what I could get away with. I also knew that this was a job that was going to put me in a position where real life people were going to look to me for help because I'm the only person there who could save their lives. So I knew what was depending on my complete understanding of the material I was being taught

So of course I paid attention and tried my best to absorb the material as best I could. I recently read an article by Alfie Kohn entitled Trouble with Rubrics and I must say there were some interesting points brought out about rubrics and some of the inconsistencies they create, such as showing that grading standards are clear and detailed, but that the learning aspect involved is diminished because of the grading standards being so exact and precise.

 The above cartoon is of course an over the top way of driving home a very true point in that rubrics become the standard, not enforce one. They enable teachers and students to work towards a short term goal with the long term one (your actual education) being shoved under the rug.

In the Army of course there was also a rubric. It went something like this:

At the end of this type of training scenario, there is what's called an AAR (after action review) and this is a summary of what happened, what went well, what needs to improve, and the overall satisfaction level of the exercise (pass or fail, or in Army terms "go or no go"). These are all dictated by rubrics. The speed at which something was completed is on the rubric, the critical tasks versus nonessential tasks are on the rubric, and just about anything else minute you can think of (such as maintaining security and helping establish good communication between yourself and those in charge of the mission).

The difference here though, once again, is that at this point you have already learned your respective job, and you are simply bettering yourself through constant training.

In the end rubrics are great tools for advancing your personal development. I don't think that there is anything detrimental about knowing what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable. However when the school system places so much emphasis on them to the point where creativity is stifled, I believe this is where rubrics become even worse than my nihilistic 3rd grade teacher.

If I was to apply a rubric for my performance based music classes such as band, choir, orchestra, or jazz band I'd say that a good model to follow is the one that allows your students to improve. There are numerous rubrics out there available for download. There are even rubric generators on the internet to help an educator make a rubric for a class or even an assignment. As long as these rubrics focus on the subjective qualities of music, such as technique, or embouchure and sitting position then the students can be free to create music, not generate a desired grade for their class.

In mathematics or science it is easier to objectively assess a students understanding of the material. In music however, its not that simple. For starters its an art so it is already subjective in that aspect. On top of that though it is also an art that takes a while for most people to master. So if one was to create a rubric, it would have to be one that focuses on a students comprehension of musical terminology, musical history, and other academic areas that are actually testable. Rubrics have their place and serve their purpose. However to stick with one thing and focus on it completely takes away from our students' educational process and thus hampers their ability to flourish with the knowledge they were supposed to have obtained.

 

 

 

 

Music of the folk, by the folk, and for the folk.

Folk music. If one was to look up this term on google, the definitions will for the most part be consistent. According to the Oxford dictionary folk music is: "music that originates in traditional popular culture or that is written in such a style. Folk music is typically of unknown authorship and is transmitted orally from generation to generation." Why then does this term seem so bland and uninteresting to many people who may think folk music is nothing more than old tunes sung by cowboys in the wild west? Or funny sounding Polish music?

In actuality folk music has so much importance to the societies that created it. There was even a period in time dubbed "Exoticism" where many people were infatuated with non-western art (which of course included music). For example there was a composer named Max Bruch who was a German composer who wrote a song entitled "Scottish Fantasy". Also the well known composer Johannes Brahms was one who particularly enjoyed "gypsy music", which is simply another name for the music of the Romani people, and he embodied this style of music into his own compositions (i.e Piano Quartet No. 25). So what do any of these fun facts have to do with folk music. Well by simply looking back into history from a musical standpoint we can see that many composers used folk music as a way to not only enrich their compositional styles, but as a way to pay homage to a particular culture or people they were fond of. What about here in America? What does folk music sound like here. Well that's the fun part. Folk music in America is the embodiment of what it means to be American. It differs from region to region and changes with the times as well. Its a collection of differences all encapsulated into one grand style, OUR folk music. Music that captured the heart of the American people by musically speaking about the troubles in our country. Even President Roosevelt was a fan of folk music.

Nowadays though its quite obvious that folk music isn't as mainstream as it used to be. So should we even bother teaching it anymore? Is there any point seeing as how Jazz has essentially become America's musical pride and joy; the first truly American art form? Actually we should be quite familiar with folk music as educators. If a great composer such as Brahms thought it was a good idea to add folk music elements to his music, why should we as educators feel any different? Especially when we're trying to explain to our students why these older composers were so great to begin with! Were it not for folk music jazz might not have become what it is today. Most people seem to misunderstand this notion. Folk music is not "white trash" music; its music of the FOLK, AMERICAN FOLK! If music educators were experts in folk music it would help students understand that music isn't just about speaking about topics like cars, women, and love. You can say powerful things with your songs as Pete Seeger did. Beethoven's 9th Symphony was a statement of brotherhood and unity and that if you persevere, the rewards at the end outweigh the heartache and despair you endured to get there. Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony was a statement that Beethoven was probably wrong and that maybe it all ends in despair. These are real life philosophical topics that are expressed in lyric-less music (although Beethoven's 9th does quote the Ode to Joy poem by   Friedrich Schiller but you have to wait 45 minutes before you even here one line from this poem!) To teach students that music has substance and meaning is something I think goes a bit under emphasized because it's easy to fall back on Jazz and the wonderful story it has as well. However to ignore folk, or worse be completely oblivious to its impact on America and American culture, is doing a disservice to our students as well as to yourself as a musician.

 As an educator I believe it is important for our students to know important American songs. Not just the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful, but songs like Blowin In The Wind by Bob Dylan (singing about the end of segregation in the 1960s), I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash (a fun song but also educational of different places in America), and of course This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie (instilling a classic tune that also instills pride and fondness of America in the listener).

Lastly I'd like to point out that we as educators are viewed as professionals, so it is only logical that everyone else expect us to have knowledge of  the significance of music in our lives. For us to familiarize ourselves with folk music (American folk) is helping us be better prepared to show our students that there is more to the world of music than Rock, Jazz, and Classical. Folk music is just that, music of the folk, by the folk, and for the folk. So let's share it folks.

Becoming A Musician: Skill Or Talent?

Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and Bach. What do these musicians all have in common? What about Scott Joplin, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, or Thelonious Monk? Well aside from the fact that they all have memorable piano pieces such as Fur Elise, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, and The Entertainer these men are all considered great musicians. That is why we learn of them in textbooks at school and references are made about them to pianists whenever they may be playing virtuoso piano music. The question is WHAT made them great MUSIICIANS? Why aren't they simply labeled as great PIANSISTS? In fact why is anybody labeled a great musician as opposed to a great instrumentalist, singer, or composer?

The answer may not be as profound as one would expect... because they put feeling and emotion behind their music. Well if that's all it takes it can't be that hard to be a great musician can it?

I read an article concerning "Musical Flexibility" by a band teacher in Seymour, CT named Brant Schneider. This article discussed the idea that music students (particularly those in an ensemble setting) need to be helped to become musical musicians as opposed to "play or sing all the rights notes at the right time" musicians. This is a concept I think many administrators who aren't musical can't quite wrap their heads around. In the article Mr. Schneider mentions that " Directors are judged by the pieces they select and how their ensembles perform at concerts and competitive festivals." How true. An art form suddenly becomes a numbers and competition game. In line with this thought Mr. Schneider goes on to mention that "Through all of this, rehearsals become desperate scrambles to the finish line – a process that, while it can be rewarding, leaves little room for creativity from the members of the ensemble." So in all this controlled chaos, where does the aspect of musicianship come in?

Well Mr. Schneider has come up with quite an interesting way to embed the concept of being a musician into his students. He states that while he was able to get his students to perform pieces, their musicianship wasn't growing well enough so he came up with an idea to focus on four specific skills. They are 1) Musical discipline, 2) Technique, 3) Theory, and 4) Composition. With musical discipline Mr. Schneider expects his students to perform outside of their comfort range, such as a saxophonist being able to cover a flute part because the flautist is out sick. This indeed is a much needed aspect for students being trained to be musicians. The great musicians were able to do this flawlessly because great musicians know that instrumentation is relative and it is only about the feeling and emotion of that part that needs to be replicated or emphasized.

Technique is an obvious must have for musicians. Without it we don't have a strong foundation to perform the pieces we are reading or the compositions we may hear in our heads. Mr. Schneider goes one step further by mentioning that its not just enough to know how to play a notated part. He wants them to truly know their own instruments and be able to play pieces by ear. Certainly most, if not all would agree that if a musician can figure out a tune on their respective instrument just by hearing the tune in their heads they may certainly be considered a true musician and not just a computer reading code.

Mr. Schneider lists theory and composition as two different focuses. While I understand the idea and also given the fact you only have but so many minutes with your students that you want to spend your time wisely and in an organized, conducive manner, I feel that these two should be combined if students are going to grasp the true essence of notated music. Notation is half of the battle; anyone can write dots on a page. The true test is using your knowledge of those dots and making music from it. The composers I listed above where marvelous at this concept. Its not that their skills with 4th species counterpoint was remarkable (although it was), but the fact that when the first note(s) was struck every single note afterwards had a purpose, whether it was to build tension or intensity or build expectations and choose to either fulfill them or go against them. That was one aspect of what made them great musicians but it is also the essence of why they are considered musicians in the first place. In short I would say if it were me and my band, I would most likely integrate an understanding of theory with practices in composition so as to cement the idea in my students that musical notation, like a well written essay, should lead you on a journey and fulfill a purpose.

 

Mr. Schneider's article was very informative on how much work and patience a music educator must have in order to not only fulfill the requirements the state has for education, but also the building of musical skills in our students. But the question remains: is becoming a musician more of a skill or is it more of a talent?

 In my opinion its all in how, when, and which way your taught.

A love for our art

People have been trying to define love for ages.  The Bible has an interesting chapter of what love is. (1 Corinthians 13). Likewise philosophers such as Nietzsche , Plato as well as a vast majority of the world's religions chime in on what love is and various other ideas of its benefits and repercussions.  However to define the love of one's art is to place it in its own entirely unique category.  It's not an infatuation, and it certainly isn't romantic because its not tangible or palatable.  It seems to me to be a love that is best explained through actions rather than words. So why on earth am I speaking about love?


 
Well the answer is quite easy to grasp if one has ever watched the documentary "Thunder Soul". To summarize this movie would probably do it an injustice but suffice to say that it was truly amazing to see how much of an impact one good, kindhearted man can have on a vast group of people.  The story may seem cliché (inner city, urban, black  high school children with talent become successful later on in their lives because of the good example and hard work ethic of their most influential teacher) but is if far more than that.  You see it wasn't just the fact that this educator was influential, it was the magnitude at which he was influential and also the way it resonated in his community for years that makes this story remarkable. To put it in perspective, when was the last time your high school band was invited to tour in Japan? Needless to say this group was nothing short of spectacular. The name of this group was the Kashmere Stage Band from Kashmere High School in Houston, TX.

 

 
Thunder Soul captured this remarkable story in such a genuine way that its almost hard to believe its a true story.  The name of the band leader was Conrad O. Johnson, who was emphatically knick named "prof" by his students.   

This is a man that put forth effort night and day to help his students succeed and as a future educator I can't help but admire someone like this. To think of the opposition and sweat, blood and tears this man had to endure to achieve what he and his students did is commendable to say the least. Which got me thinking about the question I asked earlier, what really is the purpose of me wondering about love?  The answer at this point must be obvious; because an educator, especially a music educator can achieve great things in his life if he loves his art.  As musicians and educators we love our art so much we want to share it with other people and teach them to make the best music possible so they can share the love we have for music.  What greater gift can one give to another human being than love?

Creating the love however is the challenge.  There are ways this can be done though.  One way is something Mr. Conrad Johnson implemented very well; being able to relate to the students.  In the documentary it was mentioned that one of the reasons the students in this group loved performing so much was because they were able to play a style of music they related to the most.  This music meant the world to them and for them to be able to express it, and at the level that they expressed it at, was truly not only a motivational tool, but also the key that unlocked the door to their love for music.  This music connected them with their peers and their personal beliefs and philosophies. I can think of nothing more effective than this aspect.  From personal experience I can say that it is truly a proud moment as an educator when a student finds they can play a song that actually means something to them, and their faces light up as they look at you in awe and astonishment that they are making sounds that actually hold sentimental value to them.

Another way you can build this love is by helping the students to realize their true potential.  In order to do this a confidence level has to be reached that can only be achieved with proper instruction on their instrument.  I know personally speaking I can learn more about certain instruments, but I would love nothing more than to learn as much as possible about every instrument so that I can teach my students the best way possible to play that instrument. If I can help my students achieve a high level of competency on their respective instruments, I believe I've done my job as well as anyone could ever ask but more importantly I'll have given that student the tools they'll have needed to be successful.  Mr. Johnson was able to provide this resource for his students and that is yet another reason his program was as successful as it was.

Lastly I think the best thing that an educator can do to instill a love for music and performing in their program is to let their students see how much music means to them; how much we love it.  Mr. Johnson was so good at his art that he could've been a big name professional.  This was no amateur.  He mastered his art and it meant everything to him to pass this excellence on to his students.  If our students can see this love and passion for our art it will rub off on them like a contagious virus.  Before long the students will begin to take pride in their work and attempt to be as precise and masterful as their teacher. 

In recapping the title of the blog I simply cannot feel any other way about music. It is truly my passion and my reason for existing in life. I love it with every ounce of spirit in my being.  I know that my students see this but its not because I make a conscious effort to show them, but because it is truly who I am. I hope that my enthusiasm and my love for music encourages them to achieve the same level of excellence I strive for every day.  Maybe one day I too can be as successful as Mr. Conrad O. Johnson, but if I've created a love for music in just one young person's life, then I'll already have achieved the greatest satisfaction of the profession.

Solo Jam Session #1

There's not much to post here but just an explanation. 

I created a song back in high school that I named "Spotlight".  The song was meant to be in the form of your typical jazz standard.  There is an A section and a B section.  However the chords ran through the same sequence over and over.  So to make up for this repetitiveness I made the B section run through the chords slower with a walking bass line and a nice, steady swing beat behind it.

Fast forward to today and I am so proud of this song and what it has been through.  I've forgotten mostly all of my originals, save for maybe some ones I posted on Myspace a long time ago.  But this song is my pride and joy.  You may even call it my first masterpiece!

Ok semantics aside, I just recorded this on my MIDI keyboard and while there's never a substitute for the real thing, my little set up here is pretty respectable considering how much money some of the equipment was.

So I share with you a small work in progress if you will.  A solo session of me running through an improvisational performance of "Spotlight".  Hope you enjoy it!

Blog Post #1

My name is Joel Pacheco.  I've been a musician as long as I've been old enough to have the capacity to speak.  I can't remember a time when I wasn't involved with music at one time or another in my life.  I can remember my first musical epiphany like it was ten seconds ago.  I was about five years old and my father was driving us (the family) back home from church one night.  I remember him having the radio station on and because it was his favorite radio station I would hear certain songs repeated throughout the course of week.  It was an oldies station so of course I heard bands such as the Beach Boys, The Beetles, and Queen.  I also heard other solo artists like Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder.  This particular night I heard Stevie Wonders' My Cherie Amour and I was captivated by how easy the melody was to remember.  I kept humming it in my head all the way back to the house and when I finally got inside I ran straight to our old organ that was tucked in a corner and with one finger began playing the melody as I was hearing it in my head.  I felt really good about being able to hear the music in my head and then being able to play it back to myself.  I was so elated that I called for my father to hear it so he could see what I was doing.  It was then that I knew music was going to be my life.

I can't say it was the easiest road.  I'm still on it as I type this post.  However the lessons I've learned and will continue to learn invigorate me ever more everyday.  My deepest belief is that music is the highest art of expression in our world.  It is the only art that encompasses every sense we have at our disposal, whether you are the listener or the performer (and if your lucky, your both at the same time.) 

As I was reading Teaching Music with Purpose by Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft I couldn't help but marvel at how much of a true musician this man was.  It was as if I was reading something I will write 30 years from now.  The first few pages to me were some of the most captivating because you could just read how this man wears his heart on his sleeve.  Only a musician could truly express himself so clearly and yet so honestly.  He really made me appreciate why I wanted to teach in the first place.  On page 2 (yes that early in the book) he brings up a beautiful point of what it means to be a teacher; this is something I always believed but I was really happy to hear it from someone else's mouth.  He speaks of a Zen teaching that speaks of a lotus flower. This flower is extremely beautiful, to say the least, and yet it grows and what is seemingly the "ugliest" of places: a swamp.  He mentions afterwards that we must "reach down to where our students are, no matter how 'muddy' that is, and help them bloom."  What a beautiful way to picture the profession I have so willingly and joyfully chosen to pursue.

       

I honestly believe every student I get to teach, however long or short that time may be with them, can bloom into a flower that beautiful if I try my best to help them see how beautiful music can be and is. 

As I continued to read Dr. Boonshaft's book I couldn't help but notice how besides insisting that teachers not give up on students, he also urges us to never feel as though we can't enjoy the moments that take us to the goals we ultimately want to reach.  In chapter three of Teaching Music with Purpose, Dr. Boonshaft states that we "must keep sight of the goal and constantly encourage growth, but never allow it to loom so greatly as to be daunting."  I take this to heart because when I see a student who has never even seen a music note, and I get to be the first person in their lives to thrill them in the world that is music, sometimes I can think to myself "If this student understands A, B, and C then they will be capable of doing X, Y, and Z so I must help them get there by doing 1, 2, and 3".  I've made up a plan without thinking about how joyful it will be to watch their faces light up when they play a C major scale in sixteenth notes with both hands up and down two octaves on the piano.  Or when they have that "Aha" moment as soon as they start seeing patterns and sequences in music that before used to fly right over their heads, figuratively of course.  Those are moments I treasure as a teacher because I remember those moments too when they happened to me.

One topic that Dr. Boonshaft speaks about that certainly drives his entire premise for the book is conducting.  In the chapter "Independence of Hands", Dr. Boonshaft states "Freedom.  A remarkable word.  And when it comes to conducting, that's what its all about.  Freedom to use our arms and hands in any way we wish to convey our interpretation of the music.  So the only constraint we have is the limit of our imagination, not our physical ability to move in a way which could bring that imagination to life."  How true.  The art of conducting is one way in which music expresses itself through us.  The way it can make us move or show emotion on our face portrays the power of the work we are attempting to conduct. 

As comical as the clip above is, does it not show how much a conductor is truly responsible for in a large setting?  Even in smaller settings such as chamber ensembles and such, a conductor can still have a great impact on the performers because he essentially becomes the person to guide them on their musical journey.  And as a music educator that is exactly the position I feel I am put in everyday.  I feel as though when I step in to the room and my students give me their attention, awaiting to hear what will come out of my mouth, I must take my place on my "podium" and be ready, willing, and able to instill the best musical values and techniques I can in my students, whether it be simply understanding how to decipher the notes on a set of lines and spaces, or working out a ii-V-I progression on their respective instruments.

There is one last thing I took away from Teaching Music with Purpose pertaining to why I love teaching.  On pgs 174-175 Dr. Boonshaft states "Now when I am in the throes of rehearsal rapture, frenzy or elation I know my students think I take my job a bit too seriously...But they eventually realize this is an important part of my life...Those rehearsals are far more important to me than any concert could ever be - for rehearsals are where I can be a teacher."  What a profound statement to make.  Here is a man (Dr. Boonsahft) who has performed for former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, and yet his rehearsals are what he lives for; not the performances.  Truly he is not only a musician but a true educator as well. And I have no choice but to concur with this sentiment.  When I rehearse with a student, it becomes a moment where I can educe (greek for bring out; also the root word for educate) the musicianship from my student(s).  Those are the times where performance is not for tens, hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people, but between me and my students.  Moments I can enjoy and cherish as I watch them learn week after week, month after month, how music can affect their lives and then maybe just one day during one of those rehearsals they will perform their piece so well as to get that tinge in your body that every musician has felt when they were touched by something they performed well.  Those are joyous moments I can't imagine wanting to miss out on.