Cartoon by Paul Hart

Ensemble type: Concert Band
Difficulty: Medium Advanced
Recommended by: Ted Scalzo, Education Specialist

“If you want your students to improve their technical performance skills and have fun at the same time, this is your piece. Actually, it is their piece!”

Why did you choose this piece to perform with your group?

This piece is a nostalgic look at old cartoon soundtracks. My students chose this piece because of the many emotions and moods conveyed throughout the composition. They understood some of the difficulties in performing the work and were very willing to put in the time to make the audience laugh and smile.

What skills does it address, or what lessons does it teach?

Many technically challenging sections must be perfected to get the audience to feel (visualize) what is happening. This piece also teaches students to focus on communicating with an audience. We use our skills to make the audience feel something.

What are some teaching strategies you would recommend to teachers who are rehearsing this piece?

Break the piece down into smaller technical challenges and also work on perfecting the emotional intent-chase, energy, courting, humor, and slapstick. Allow your students to decide how to communicate best what the composer intends in each section.

Why would you recommend this piece to someone else?

If you want your students to improve their technical performance skills and have fun at the same time, this is your piece. Actually, it is their piece! Several styles of music are encapsulated within the entire work. Anyone who has seen a Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry cartoon will understand what is being conveyed.

What memorable experiences did you have while rehearsing or performing this piece?

This was the last piece I performed with my wonderful students at Bay Shore High School. The fact that they chose it and we had so much fun preparing it is a memory filled with joy and laughter. Their pride in performing this challenging work and seeing and hearing the audience’s reaction is something we still talk about.

How did SmartMusic enhance the rehearsal process?

SmartMusic provided the students with a model and the ability to slow down difficult passages to perfect the style and nuance to communicate with our audience. My students said we could not have done this without SmartMusic as our practice tool.

What sections or measures needed the most attention?

Ensembles should work on measure 56 from day one. First, slow it down and have students gradually increase the tempo until they can perform it beyond the recorded tempo. We found going beyond our needs made performance effortless.

What interests you most about this piece?

Cartoon has a universal appeal to everyone, from the performers to the audience. It is a happy, uplifting, funny piece that students enjoy.

Add Cartoon to a playlist.

Click here to find more great SmartMusic repertoire with SmartPicks

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Instrumental Solo Method
Recommended by Ted Scalzo, Manager, Education Specialist

“This is the method for jazz improvisation I wish I had when I was in school.”

What skills does it address or what lessons does it teach?

Jazz improvisation for all instruments and voices, from the very beginning to advanced concepts of approach notes and forward motion. The focus of this book is the F Blues with more books to come.

What are some teaching strategies you would recommend to teachers who are using this method?

I would start with exercises in chapter two with very young students. For middle school and high school students, I would start with one of the solos in the first section. The overall strategy of this method is to listen first, sing it, then attempt to play. Internalizing time and pitch will have a major impact on students’ musical growth.

What interests you most about this piece?

The method allows anyone at any level to begin the journey of exploring jazz improvisation. This first book will focus on the F Blues but its method will easily be transferred to additional forms and tunes to come in the future. There are hyperlinks to additional material that explains in detail what the student is learning.

Add Pathways Towards Greatness – F Blues to a playlist.

Click here to find more great SmartMusic repertoire with SmartPicks

The post SmartPicks – Pathways Towards Greatness – F Blues by Bob Sinicrope appeared first on SmartMusic.

Active Learning with SmartMusic

First, it’s important to remember that SmartMusic can be broken up into these three basic categories:

Practice Tools

SmartMusic gives you and your students access to vital practice tools—a tuner, metronome, and essential content including exercises, sight-reading tools, and select state scales. Additionally, custom content can be added and assigned to fit your needs via the Compose tool.

Feedback

SmartMusic immediately shows students the pitches and rhythms that they hit or miss via the red, yellow, and green note assessment. With this, students know what to work on to get the correct notes and rhythms. The comments box also provides an opportunity for teachers to provide personalized feedback, keeping the communication between teachers and students active at all times. It is here that you truly begin to work on the artistry of performance.

Guided Practice

Templates for assignments and rubrics make managing SmartMusic easy so teachers have more time to listen to their students’ best takes and offer personalized feedback.

General Setup Tips

• Require students to enter your email in their profile’s backup email field. This way, if a student forgets their password, you can help them regain access.
  
• Decide how to split your classes: you can create one class per ensemble, one class per instrument/voice type, by day of the week, or mastery level.
  
• Ensure your microphone settings are appropriate. Type ‘microphone settings’ in the help search box in the SmartMusic app to get all the information you need.
  
• Use the Chrome browser on all devices (except iPads, where you’ll use Safari). For more, see our specifications page.
  

Practical Tips

Model, model, model: This may seem very basic, but if you want your students to succeed using SmartMusic, you should demonstrate how it behaves, where the tools are, and how to get the best recordings. Having SmartMusic open during class at all times also provides you with everything you need, at a moment’s notice. When that teachable moment occurs, your resource is there! If you’re teaching virtually, be sure to share your screen so that students can follow along. When they see you using it, you are giving it value.

Automatic practice loop tempo increase: Show students how to loop specific measures of a song or exercise, and how to utilize the increase ____ beats per minute (BPM) feature. Depending on the piece, you may need to turn off the accompaniment when slowing down the music. Have students report back to you in the comments box with a description of what this practice tool and experience was like.

Rename your assignments: You are not obligated to use the default name that is pre-filled when you create a new assignment. Change the name—especially if you send many assignments from the same method book or piece. Decide on a naming format that makes sense to you, and rename the assignment to make it easier for you to manage your Gradebook. Make sure to rename before scheduling as you won’t be able to edit the name of the assignment after.

Assignment Creation Tips

Method book assignments: We all have the desire to assign all of the lines from a method book, asking students to progress through each exercise. While each line of music is important, pick the most important culminating line for your assignment that encompasses all of the preceding information and work from the page or chapter. Do not assign every line in the book as this will flood your Gradebook and the students’ assignments. 

For example, if you’d like to assign line 18 from a method book, note in the assignment instructions: Before working on this piece to be submitted, practice lines 1-17 over the next several days. When you feel you are doing well with those lines, begin looking at the piece I have assigned for you to submit. I will be checking the practice analytics to ensure you are doing the assignments.

Also, let the students know that the grade is dependent on doing the preparatory work in addition to submitting the final performance. 

Units: Build units of assignments to help you keep organized. Units won’t save you time when creating an assignment, rather they allow you to group assignments to save you time in the future. Units are great for tasks like sight-reading proficiencies, scale tests, required band pieces, etc.

One of the powerful ways of using Units is to create a performance assignment. Create a separate assignment for each piece of a performance, then lump them all into a Unit and assign the Unit to your students. Units can be reassigned and used year over year.

Scheduling multiple sight-reading assignments: Create a sight-reading assignment in Sight Reading Builder choosing parameters that fit your teaching needs, then select auto-generate. Sight Reading Builder will generate a new sight-reading exercise for each of your students based on your criteria. Every time you assign this assignment, a new sight-reading example is generated. Label the assignment so you know what criteria were used. 

Comments box: Require your students to use it from day one! Make sure you model by giving comments back for each of your students based on your criteria. You can be encouraging your students anytime, anywhere, without other students in the room. 

Create a summer practice class: You can assign material like warm-ups, exercises, method books, ensemble music you can play, etc. Nothing should be turned in so the students can’t “finish” the assignments. Try experimenting with material they don’t normally play in class or rehearsals, such as popular music.

Add practice incentive with basic, advanced, and mastery tempos: In your assignment instructions, indicate the tempos that will equate to basic, advanced, and mastery tempos. Schedule the assignment with the tempo options set to “At Least” or “Any.”

Utilize Rubrics: To encourage proper practice, rubrics are a powerful method for focusing students on details and informing them up front what exactly will be assessed. Rubrics can help organize and address individual skills and techniques such as articulations, dynamics, or intonation.

Create practice-only assignments: Date practice-only assignments for the end of the grading period so they appear at the bottom of your assignments, and explain to the student that they won’t be included in your overall grading process. Be sure to label them “DO NOT SUBMIT.” This is an opportunity for you to send out pieces that you’re considering, or to reward students for pieces that you notice them playing based on practice analytics.

Stay Consistent: Create assignments on the same day each week. Create due dates at the same time each week to keep both you and your students organized. Routines benefit everyone!

Creating assignments for percussionists: When teaching percussionists to roll, consider writing out the assignment you are planning on giving in Compose, substituting sixteenth notes in place of the roll.

Creative Assignment Suggestions

Warm-ups as long term assignments: Giving students exercise assignments to practice daily can yield remarkable results. One example is Long Tones:

• Assign the exercise Lo-Fi Long Tones Bb
  
• Instructions to include:
  
  • Play this exercise daily.
    
  • Listen to the accompaniment a couple of times before recording yourself.
    
  • Save the very first recording to your desktop and label it “First-day LoFi [your name].”
    
  • The day before the assignment is due, record yourself one more time, and before submitting, writing in the comment box what the experience was like for you and whether you hear anything differently, referencing the first-day recording.
    

Suzuki for all: Utilize the entire Suzuki library with your students. Violin 1-3 International Editions feature Hilary Hahn performing these classic melodies that all students should be exposed to. Instrumental and vocal students can play and sing along with a professional artist. While you are looking at the violin method, explore the other Suzuki methods and see what may be adaptable for your students.

Small ensemble titles: Utilize the small ensemble library with your students. One on a part fosters independent skill growth and makes it easier for students to hear their parts, which will contribute to the overall improvement of your larger ensembles. 

Watch the SmartMusic Connect Session!

The post Why Didn’t I Think of That? Hacks for Teaching with SmartMusic appeared first on SmartMusic.

Berklee Online

I have taken many online classes and webinars from both major universities and software manufacturers. These offerings have enabled me to up my game in the classroom and meet state standards for continuing education hours. Over the years, the Berklee School of Music has been one of my go-to online experiences. They offer a great depth of subject matter that applies to the classroom, taught by great instructors, and provided through a well-designed interface. You might check out Berklee Online as well as research other institutions that may provide similar offerings.

Local Colleges and Universities

I have also taken (and taught) week-long summer workshops that offer the intense submersion approach with like-minded people in a classroom setting. There is a lot to be said for this kind of experience. However, you are limited by location, time, and money. Look at your local colleges and universities and see if they offer something you need. Sometimes local schools sponsor workshops as well. Check to make sure the class being offered meets your Covid-19 restrictions in light of the pandemic.

NAfME and Local MEAs

It also pays to look at NAfME as they have a professional development link that offers some online training and webinars. In addition, they provide links to other programs and guidelines as to what to look for in professional development coursework. You may also have luck with your local, county, or state Music Education Association offering professional development opportunities in various forms. 

SmartMusic Academy

One new offering I can recommend is SmartMusic training through SmartMusic Academy. You can access this self-paced online resource anywhere you have a portable device and an internet connection. Several topics regarding SmartMusic are covered in a clear and concise manner, with the ability to repeat and review as you wish. In addition, look for online training webinars to begin in August. There will be several 101 and 201 sessions offered for you to attend alongside a SmartMusic representative demonstrating all the details of the application and best practices for student improvement and assessment.

If you are about to use SmartMusic in your classroom for the first (or even second) time, this is a great way to get your skills to that next level and start the year with confidence. Wow your students with your techno savvy and a refreshed passion for making their musical lives richer.

Need more ideas? Do a web search for “continuing education for music educators” to get a broader sense of what is available.

I wish you all a rejuvenating summer and many rewards in the coming fall. May you all return to healthy classrooms and live performances.

The post Summertime = Time for Continuing Education appeared first on SmartMusic.

Play One, Find One

Using SmartMusic, send out an assignment piece and ask them to perform it, but include bonus points for finding another piece that has similar characteristics, or a polar opposite. They can share that information with you in the comments box. Alert students that the comment box is worth more than the performance. Using the comments box to get students to give you feedback or self-evaluation is one way to get them thinking more critically.

Create a musical scavenger hunt

How many pieces are in SmartMusic by composer Robert Sheldon? Pick three and listen to them. Which one would you like to work on when we get back together? Ask your students to evaluate new pieces, styles, solos, etc., and provide that information in the comments box. You will have to assign something for them to play in order to get the assignment structured the way you want it to unfold.

SmartPicks

Chris Bernotas just put together a list of SmartPicks for Band and Orchestra. Reward students for playing through 4-12 all, you get the idea. Have them share with you with pieces they liked playing. Getting your students to share their thoughts and ideas is good for you and them. Giving choices and creating ownership in decision making can make for a lifetime of music learning.

Sight-Reading

Use Badges to reward your group for sight reading new music daily. The 10 levels of sight reading material that are in Smartmusic  could be used for setting up rewards for moving up a level. Getting X amount of level one correct allows you to move to level two. Create your own American Ninja Sight Reading warriors.

Chamber Works

Use this opportunity to assign chamber works—there are many duets and brass quintets in SmartMusic. Have your brass players work with the Canadian Brass from Easy to Advanced titles and listen to the improvement in their individual performance skills. Have your flutes try their hand in the Suzuki Violin Duets and let your string players have some fun too. Have your students try their hand at the Power Of Two Duets and learn how to interpret jazz. We all know that small group work develops musical skills faster than anything.

Long Tones

We all know the value of long tones for developing embouchures and tone quality. Look at the new Long Tone pieces called LoFi Long Tones. Another great resource is Foundations for Superior Performance. Work on the chorale and intonation exercises, send the assignments at a very slow speed so students can really work on their sound and how it matches the accompaniment.

Festival Solos

Look at Festival Solos by Neil Kjos for a collection of beginning solos. Have students listen to the collection and choose one they would like to perform. You could also select a solo that you think your student may like. In this collection of solos students will not only get the solo material to work on but will be guided through several progressive lessons to help master and refine their performance. 

Pop Music

Have students look at Pop music titles. Using the Carousel in “Find Music” allows students to explore the Pop category and pick a piece they wish to work on.

Improvisation

How about some beginning improvisation? If you filter just the jazz ensemble titles and type the word “solo” you will find all of the jazz charts that have solo accompaniments for your students to work on. Build progressive assignments that get them to learn the theory such as play through the chord changes playing the roots of each chord. Ask them to sing that. Ask them to listen back to their recordings and see if they are in tune with the chord. There are so many paths to take in this area of music education. Have students use the rhythm of a simple song they know as a guide for building their improvisations. Ask them to tell you in the comments box what the tune was and see if you can hear what they were trying to accomplish.

I am sure you have already thought of a creative way to use SmartMusic with your students that will encourage exploration and be a fun creative way to keep students engaged and playing music while they are at home. We would love to hear what you’re doing so that we can all expand our teaching recipes to offer more creative experiences that help grow our students.

The post Assignment Ideas in SmartMusic that Encourage Musical Curiosity appeared first on SmartMusic.

Just stop speaking with them.

How to Conduct the Experiment

Allow your students to get into their chairs. Then wave, nod, and greet them with smiles, but without speaking at all.  No verbal cues, or hellos, are allowed. If you’d prefer, you can grab your throat and make gestures to indicate you have lost your voice; this can accelerate student buy-in.

Once the bell rings simply point to the title of the piece you wish to rehearse. (You’ll want to write it on the board before the rehearsal.) Maybe indicate where to start. Use visual cues, motions, facial commands. Never use your voice.

I remember trying to get them to express a rhythmic ostinato in Tempered Steel so that it evoked the sense of machinery but was not mechanical. I was clapping rhythms and stamping my feet the way the machine might operate, changing the accents and dynamics to breath more life into it. What resulted was just magic. The entire piece came to life.

One of our judges at the festival commented on our depiction of Tempered Steel was very cinematic.

Of course Tempered Steel is in SmartMusic. Try SmartMusic for free, today!

What Happens

In my experience, you will begin to notice an intensity of concentration very much like that in a performance. Students become more focused and listen more intensely.

I try to pace the rehearsal to have an amazing, climactic performance culminate at the very end of the period. For added effect just before you dismiss just say “that was amazing!” Surprising them with a clear speaking voice at the very end can elicit some additional comic reactions.

The Experience

I have performed this experiment several times to get my students to really dig in and play with the same intensity we should have during a performance. Each time I’ve experienced a significant improvement in their performance. 

This exercise is also about us as leaders. It challenges us to show our students the passion of the music without words and voice commands. What’s more, most of us would be surprised if we knew how much rehearsal time we spend talking.

I have come to find out that this technique is not unique to me but has also been demonstrated at clinics and mentioned in books. If you’re interested in trying this from your podium, this blog post offers some detailed tips and techniques for speechless rehearsals. 

The post Silence Is Golden: Especially When You’re On the Podium appeared first on SmartMusic.

Director: Today I propose to do something for you that none of your other teachers will ever do. I’m prepared to let you decide what we will work on in this class.

Students: [Most showing interest, except for some percussionists who appear to be digging a tunnel.]

Director: Specifically, I will let you choose what we will perform on the next concert.

Having your students program your next concert isn’t as crazy as it might initially sound. Prior to having such a conversation, I searched for music in SmartMusic and identified a “short list” of pieces that were appropriate, matched the state list for contest, had a set theme, etc.

Deliver Your Proposal

Next, I made a pitch like this:

Director: In order for you to receive this honor and responsibility, you will have to listen to every piece on this list. From this list, you must choose two major works, which must be in a contrasting style, and submit a written justification of why you chose these pieces.

How it Worked for Me

I once actually gave my students 36 titles. Really. I assigned all titles to every student in SmartMusic. And it worked surprisingly well. Here are some of my informal results:

Listening

I was surprised at how many students listened to every title. Many made references to the other titles in their choices, and I overheard them discussing many titles with each other. Students discussed their choices before school and during study halls. Some even skipped lunch to sit together and listen to (and discuss) the pieces.

This not only happened in the school building but also on social media. Students bargained with each other: “You vote for mine, and I’ll choose yours.”

Taking the easy way out – or not

The pieces that received the most votes were not the easiest titles offered. In fact, students choose the two most demanding pieces on the list.

Justification

Students demonstrated very high levels of learning and understanding about the works they chose. They provided specific references to sections in each piece and anticipated audience appeal. They discussed the value to both themselves and the ensemble. They identified the challenges in each piece and where they occurred. Many even made reference to the value certain pieces offered for other sections of the band.

Student Exploration

The student comments also demonstrated that they had tried to perform several of the works they were considering with the Smartmusic accompaniment. Students loved being able to do this. Image if you, as a student, could have taken prospective concert pieces for a test ride AND being able to vote for your favorite! (How could that have even been accomplished in pre-SmartMusic days?)

Grading and Beyond

This assignment was required; every student had to hand it in. I gave every student who submitted the assignment a 100. This exploration was meant to give students a relatively quick, intense introduction to some of the great literature and an opportunity to listen to what a good band or wind ensemble sounds like.

Our first rehearsal after the marching season was amazing. It was as if a switch had been flipped. The energy from that moment on was intense and ever-increasing until the moment I left the classroom.

Students are capable of so much if we simply give them the chance.

The post What If Students Programmed Your Next Concert? appeared first on SmartMusic.

Throughout the course of my teaching, my colleagues and I would try to identify students who are considering a career in music or music education as early as possible. Once we knew a student expressed an interest in entering the profession we would – as a faculty – provide nurturing experiences. Our goal was both to fuel their enthusiasm and to make them aware of the rigors of teaching and what it takes to be a teacher.

Conducting

Among the experiences we provided were several opportunities to conduct various ensembles. This included teaching them a basic pattern and allowing them varied opportunities to conduct student groups. Our school was fortunate to have three conductors so there were several opportunities for students to gain experience in leading a group and honing their conducting skills.

We also encouraged these students to explore becoming a drum major in the marching band. Learning how to inspire and emote are great lessons to learn early on in your career.

Lessons

In addition, we would design our lessons to get these future music educators more familiar with different techniques used to increase technical and musical abilities. At certain points in the process, we would allow the student to take over and lead the group through some of the exercises and material. It was important for us that interested students were able to observe other teachers in our departments, too. This enabled them not only to discover how their styles differed but also to see the many similarities.

Summer Programs

Our summer music program included opportunities for future music educators to volunteer to mentor fellow students. Each participant would be assigned to a different teacher during the five-week program and experience the different styles and strategies each teacher employed. Again, we found it to most beneficial when students rotated through our entire faculty.

Through our Tri-M Music Honor Society program, students were given opportunities to assist elementary music teachers after or before school hours. Students were also able to use these same hours for credit in National Honor Society towards community service. This experience can help a young person decide very quickly if they have a strong enough desire to enter the profession.

Everyone Benefits

We have had great success in getting good people from our program into the music classroom. In fact, a majority of the faculty at our school are graduates of our program. Among the many resulting benefits is that we gain quality additions to our faculty AND these people are especially invested in our programs, people, and traditions.

I encourage you to do everything you can to support your future music educators. I believe this support is vital to the future of music education.

The post Preparing Future Music Educators appeared first on SmartMusic.

This time of year many of us are faced with the challenge of programming a winter or holiday concert with music that is appropriate for both our students and our community standards. At the same time we look for new and interesting works that present traditional materials at a skill level that fit our students. We all know that not every group will be able to perform Handel’s full Hallelujah Chorus.

Some Things to Consider

• First and foremost; what is your school or district policy regarding holiday programming? If you are not sure, check before you consider music for your concert.
• What is the ability level of your group today and what level can you reasonably get them to by concert time?
• What educational goals do you wish to achieve by programming such music?
• Will the piece or pieces you are considering meet pedagogical goals and criteria?
• Does your choice of music meet state and national standards?

Besides these top-level considerations, you might have more practical ones as well. Is one section particularly strong this year? Perhaps you could select a piece that allows them to really shine. Ryan Thomas shared some great thoughts on this topic in a previous SmartMusic Blog post. Ryan also talks about leveraging the winter concert as a means to get your students where they need to be in the spring…

Looking Ahead

Think about what you want students to play at contest. Programming that music in your holiday concert would certainly give them a head start. Alternately, you may wish to program material that will help them get to these contest goals. Again, check out Ryan’s post for additional details.

Student Interest

Another consideration is whether or not each piece will be engaging enough to sustain your students’ interest through both your rehearsal and your performance.

Mike Gibson is the director of bands at Ridgeview Charter Middle School in Sandy Springs Georgia. He adds,

“We’ve all seen the kids that kill themselves to learn that one cool song in their folders. The crafty director is able to take that energy and transfer the learning into other pieces. This in turn can expand the student’s interests – stretching and challenging their minds to expand into other genre of music.”

One way to increase student investment is to let them pick the music.

Did your blood pressure just rise a little at the thought of that?

You can avoid that by letting them choose from your pre-selected list of titles that meet your other criteria. I shared some details of how I’ve done this in the past in this SmartMusic Blog post.

Audience Interest

Anything we can do to make sure the experience feels inclusive can only help build stronger community. Mike Gibson suggests:

“You have to opportunity to go Multi-Cultural.  Music related to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa should be explored. Thinking internationally, what about music from Asia or South America or Africa or the Middle East? Those countries have major celebrations as well, even if you may have to be a little creative with the calendar dates. Ask yourself, ‘Is it wrong to celebrate human celebrations?’”

Balancing Sacred and Secular

Often we feel anxious about making sure we are balancing sacred music from one tradition with music from other traditions – and for good reason. Parents and administrators are always on alert for this type of imbalance. Educational goals can offer an additional justification for programming both secular and sacred repertoire on your holiday concert. You can explain that pieces were chosen based on student development (“this Hanukkah piece emphasizes the harmonic minor scale,”) or to feature a particular section (“Little Drummer Boy features the percussion section”).

Schools where a high degree of collaboration occurs between directors and educators have additional options.  For one example, the balance between sacred and secular can be spread across the choir, band, and orchestra, giving each individual group additional flexibility if one concert program leans more this way or that.  For another, the opportunity exists to collaborate with history or social studies teachers for cross-cultural tie-ins. (Incidentally, this is a great way to foster relationships with fellow faculty members.) You might work with other teachers to expose kids to music from the time period or culture they are studying. This also helps students internalize the connections between classes and boosts their learning.

As always, cover your bases. Being able to fall back on written district policies – as well as state and national standards – means that your choices of sacred and secular repertoire are “safe.” You may wish to familiarize yourself with NAfME’s position statement on sacred music.

Many districts have a posted policy, like this one from Plano, TX.

Also, don’t hesitate to check with your administration. Confirming beforehand is better than having to put out a firestorm of public opinion afterward. As much as we wish the answer could be “just teach good music,” spending some time balancing sacred and secular repertoire with an eye for pedagogical goals and district policies is a worthwhile investment.

Telling a Tale

One time-tested way to increase audience and student interest is to add the element of a story. Can you find something that tells a story or helps solidify a holiday message? I once had great success programming Stephen Melillo’s “Festival of Lights.” The publisher’s website describes it as “a musical retelling of Chanukah, complete with Syrian invasion, Maccabean defense, the shofar’s call to battle, and the final victory of the eternal light that burned for eight days.”

The music was very dramatic and included shofars (an ancient bugle-like instrument, historically made from a ram’s horn). We had students play the shofars from the back of the auditorium, which added to the drama of the music. The students learned more about the meaning of the holiday from that piece than just being told the story. Best of all, the audience reaction was impressive.

Resources

All of this can be a bit challenging if you do not have access to scores, parts, and audio files. Technology has greatly aided this process. Many online retailers like JWPepper provide perusal scores and audio files. In some cases YouTube can provide opportunities to see and hear performances (and share them with students). SmartMusic also offers easy access to an impressive collection of band, jazz band, orchestra, string orchestra titles, and choral titles.

The Season

To close, I’d like to quote Mike Gibson one last time:

“I think Andy Williams had it right; it is ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ (Please accept my apologies to songwriters Edward Pola and George Wyle, and for showing my age.)

Every year, my mom and dad turned on classic holiday music by Andy, Bing, and the rest to create an environment promoting cheer and goodwill. I remember visiting my grandparents and standing around the piano as my aunts, uncles, grandparents sang the familiars in four-part harmony. They laughed, hugged, and we ate!

If you were as lucky as me to have powerful family traditions, how could you not think fondly of this time of year? So, I look forward to programming our ‘Winter Holidays Concert’ every year. I really do. 

But it’s not these memories that make this time important. What’s important is to help your students to grow, to provide an inclusive atmosphere in your community, and to create similarly powerful memories in the hearts of your students and their families.”

Ted Scalzo is a veteran teacher of 36 years, including 29 years as the band director at Bay Shore High School in Long Island, NY. His wind and jazz ensembles have received numerous awards. Ted has used Finale to arrange for marching band since version 1.0, and taught music composition/theory and a multimedia class that he designed for Bay Shore students. A fervent advocate of technology in the classroom, Ted was honored as an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2005, was twice appointed to the NYSSMA Music Technology Committee, and teaches a course on music education technology at Hofstra University.

The post Programming Your Winter or Holiday Concert appeared first on SmartMusic.

The good news: today nearly everyone has access to a portable device capable of shooting high-quality video and audio. The bad news? Today nearly everyone has access to a portable device capable of shooting high-quality video and audio.

It’s hard to not be disturbed by all the people trying to document their child’s performance at school events. At Bay Shore High School we addressed this problem by promising parents access to audio and video recordings of concerts that would be superior to what they would get on their personal devices. This encouraged them to be quiet during performances (as they knew we were making recordings), allowed them to better enjoy the moment, and minimized the disruption of cameras and phones being held up and blocking the view of fellow concert goers.

Utilizing a couple of video cameras and some video editing software like Apple’s iMovie or Final Cut X, you can put together a multi-camera/multi-angle video that will be of great quality and interest to you, your students, and their families.

You may have a video production class in your school that can assist in the project. If not, and you’re unsure about your video experience, there are likely students in your group who can help. Students love having creative opportunities and influence over projects like this.

Start with a Plan

For best results, start by creating a shot list and scripting out the interesting angles and specific performers you want to capture prior to the performance. Set one camera as your wide establishing shot of the whole group (likely on a tripod). Have a second camera move from location to location for tighter shots or sections playing, solos, and the conductor. Make notes specific to your program so your camera operator(s) know when to prepare for each successive shot.

Introducing a third camera will provide you with even more options when it comes time to edit the results. Soon you’ll be watching televised concerts and programs like Great Performances with different eyes, learning new shots and techniques you’ll want to try.

Share the Results

You can share your final product with your parents and students and administration in many different ways. You can create your own channel on YouTube or Vimeo and password protect your files for your communities’ use.

Burning a DVD is another option. While it adds some additional costs in the production, some schools sell the DVD as a fund raiser for the music department. Many parents would prefer to have physical media to archive their student’s childhood, and you may be surprised how many households purchase multiple copies to share with other friends and family members who may not be able to attend your concerts.

Additional Benefits

Recordings of concerts go a long way in development of your performance groups. Seeing and hearing what works and doesn’t work can be a real eye opener for many students.

Having past performances of your ensembles to reference and share with incoming students helps establish an expectation and legacy of great music making and the desire to be as good as or better than the class before. In addition to reviewing your students’ performance, you can review your conducting, stage presence, pacing, and more.

Still not certain you can tell all parents to turn off their devices at your next concert? Then don’t: shoot your video around them, edit the results, and then make your proposal for next time based on this success.

If you have any questions on how to produce a video of your group’s next concert, please feel free to contact me at tscalzo@mac.com: I am glad to share with you my knowledge and experience in this area.

Ted Scalzo is a veteran teacher of 36 years, including 29 years as the band director at Bay Shore High School in Long Island, New York. His wind and jazz ensembles have received numerous awards. Ted has used Finale to arrange for marching band since version 1.0, and taught music composition/theory and a multimedia class that he designed for Bay Shore students. A fervent advocate of technology in the classroom, Ted was honored as an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2005, was twice appointed to the NYSSMA Music Technology Committee, and teaches a course on music education technology at Hofstra University.

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