Editor's Message - Tribute to Tom Mosher

I had the opportunity to work with Tom Mosher for a number of years. He and his wife Kathy were fixtures at the February Convention registration table. When he became editor of TEMPO, he elivated the magazine to one of the top MEA publications in the country. He created the NJMEA website and kept it up-to-date from its inception, many times revising it while on vacation to make sure that audition results were posted as soon as they were available. He listened to the NJMEA Board of Directors and, as each new Board convened, revised based on the wishes of its' members. Tom passed away unexpectedly in December. It was a shock to all of us, but more so it was a shock to Kathy, their children, and friends who had known him for decades. In January, the NJMEA Board discussed appropriate ways to honor his service to our organization. What appears in this edition is a result of the discussion. Following this message are letters written by Kathy and his children. Later in the magazine are tributes from close family friends. I hope that this printing honors his memory appropriately.

William McDevitt Editor

By Kathy Mosher

Tom Mosher, my husband and best friend for the last 54 years passed away in December. He was the consummate musician and music educator, dedicated to not only teaching students over the years but also to making music a part of his life. From the time he started playing alto and tenor saxophone in elementary school, later switching to clarinet in high school and majoring in instrumental music at Montclair State College, music was a constant in his life. He became a fixture at Raritan High School in Hazlet as the band director and remained there for over 30 years before retiring. Marching band, jazz band, symphonic band, wind ensemble, student recitals as well as teaching music theory, harmony and music appreciation were all a part of his life at Raritan. He formed one of the strongest Band Parents Organizations in the area and under his direction, the band performed in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City, taking the first place award; the Apple Blossom Festival in Virginia as well as a marching band festival in Canada. The band performed at Disneyland in California, Disneyworld in Florida, Knotts Berry Farm in California and were the Goodwill Ambassadors on a trip to Mexico where they represented not only their school, but our country as well. His students made a lasting impression on all of the people for

which they performed. Tom became active in the Central Jersey Music Educators Association, sending his students to audition in Region 2 bands as well as All State. He conducted the CJMEA Symphonic Band as well as serving as rehearsal conductor for Alfred Reed, who was a guest conductor for the Wind Ensemble. He served as Treasurer of CJMEA and later became President of the group. Many weekends were spent attending CJMEA concerts introducing the groups as well as manning the “ticket booth”. He took over the editorship position of Tempo magazine when the position became available and served NJMEA in that capacity as well as being in charge of the website for over 20 years, until his passing. Tempo magazine became one of the best state magazines under his leadership and Tom constantly sought ways to improve the contents and scope of this publication. Tom was a member of the Ocean Grove Summer Band for many years as well as the Atlantic Wind Ensemble, under the direction of his friend and mentor, Harry Eichhorn, who ironically passed away two weeks before Tom. He later became a member of the Greater Shore Concert Band, directed by Jim Bast and eventually became the assistant conductor of this group. His conducting expertise was apparent in the pieces he conducted in these groups and he was well respected by the band members and other music teachers whom he dealt with over the years. Being a member of these groups with him, I was able to see firsthand how much he gave to the musicians in the group and how, through his conducting, he was able to share the music with his audiences. One of the most memorable moments of Tom’s musical career was having the chance to play a clarinet solo, “a la Benny Goodman” at Carnegie Hall two years ago and conducting the Greater Shore Concert Band at this prestigious site as well. Three of his children and grandchildren as well as many of his close friends had a chance to watch his performance and share this special memory with him. A special composition dedicated to Tom will have its premier performance on April 26th, Tom’s birthday, by the Greater Shore Concert Band. The piece, entitled, Thank You, Mr. Mosher was written by a former GSCB band member and trumpet player, Andrew Kosinski, who is graduating from Rutgers this spring with a degree in music composition and trumpet performance. It is a very moving piece and one that I know Tom would have loved to be a part of as well. Tom touched many lives through his music performance, conducting and teaching and he was so proud that several of his former students went on to become music teachers and follow in his footsteps. His love of music surrounded him and his life and he was conducting up until the very end, when we had to say good-bye and let him join all the musicians that have gone before him. He is missed everyday but his memory and love of music live on forever in all of our hearts. Thank You For The Music, Tom!

THE MUSICMAN

By Michele (Mosher) Turanski

Simply said my father’s life and legacy can be epitomized as the 'MUSICMAN'. The earliest memories of my father contain some form of music. Growing up, every weekend in the late summer and fall comprised of going to Raritan High School football games and marching with the band as a mascot. I loved going to his high school and watching the musicals he conducted, dancing with the senior citizens at the dances his jazz band played at and traveling across the country with the marching band that he was so proud of. Our car trips were always loaded with a mix of tapes from many genres and was our favorite family traveling companion. Holidays at our house were especially music filled with Christmas tunes of all sorts accompanied by my dad whistling along to all of them. Summers were when my parents played with the Ocean Grove Band; the warm summer nights were magical and full of beautiful music. From the time my daughter Kayla was a baby, my husband and I would bring her down to listen to my parents play summer concerts in the Ocean Grove Band. She would be twirling and dancing to the music on the boardwalk, loving the sounds and the joy of the music. I treasure the fact that my father’s love of music was passed to my daughter Kayla and shared lovingly with her. My parents gave my daughter her first keyboard, initiating her piano lessons at age 5. Through the years she has not only become a gifted pianist, with an extensive music theory background, but also started her school’s first “student led” a cappella group, and plays to relax while studying. Every year for Kayla’s birthday my parents would take her to New York to see a Broadway show, a highlight of her summer visits with them. She absolutely loves musicals and it was something both my parents nurtured. My mom and dad would travel from NJ all the way down to Charlotte, NC and later to Chicago, to attend Kayla’s cello/piano concerts. They were avid supporters of her musically and always made a special effort to come to her concerts. My most cherished part of my father is that many of my favorite memories of him are also now my daughter’s too. Thanks Dad! XO

MY DAD

By Stacey Mosher Critchlow

I am Tom Mosher’s oldest child and I would like to share some memories of him with you. Most of you already know that my dad was extremely musical. He attended Montclair State College (now University) and majored in instrumental music with clarinet as his major instrument. He became the high school band director at Raritan High School in Hazlet, NJ where he had the opportunity to teach and inspire thousands of students over the years, many of whom went on and became music teachers themselves. His band won many awards and Tom enjoyed working not only with his students but with his band parents as well. Together they became an integral part of Raritan High School. After retiring he continued to play in the Atlantic Wind Ensemble under the direction of Harry Eichhorn as well as the Ocean Grove Summer Band, also conducted by Harry. He later joined the Greater Shore Concert Band with Jim Bast as conductor and Tom eventually became the assistant conductor of this group until his passing. Dad met my mom while they were both music majors at Montclair and together they enjoyed making music a part of their lives through the groups they were part of and the people they met along the way. Each of their children enjoyed playing musical instruments while growing up: I played the piccolo and flute; my sister Michele

played the clarinet; and my twin brothers, Joel and Eric played tenor saxophone and clarinet respectively. Although none of us pursued music as a career we all enjoyed watching our parents perform. One of our greatest pleasures was watching my dad perform a clarinet solo in Carnegie Hall in the “Benny Goodman King of Swing” selection and conduct the Greater Shore Concert Band there as well. What a performance! Tom also loved to travel and together with my mom, they had the opportunity to sail on many cruises and tour many countries. Their last cruise was a return trip to Hawaii last spring to visit many of the places they had seen years ago. Dad’s love of Aruba and his enjoyment of the people and places of that island became a yearly tradition for mom and dad and eventually some of us joined them there as well. We will take dad back to Aruba in November and spread his ashes in the waters off the island he loved so much. My dad was the strongest and most courageous person. He showed strength and love right up until his passing. He never cried, never complained, never expressed pain and never gave up hope with his battle against a disease that was unknown to us before the last four weeks of his life. Daddy, you are truly missed and we will love you forever!

By Eric Mosher

As far back as I can remember there has been music in my life. From Saturdays going to see the Raritan Rockets Marching Band strut their stuff on the field, to listening to the Statler Brothers tape in the family van's cassette player on vacations, to the sounds of a clarinet or piano being practiced in the basement, music was everywhere. That is in no small part to my father, Thomas A Mosher. There are a lot of memories of him and music growing up that I could write about. But I'm only allotted so many words, so I'll just pick a favorite one. You would think it would be the high of seeing him conduct and play a solo up on stage at Carnegie Hall in NYC, but in fact it is something smaller and more personal. Like our parents, my brother and I both played instruments. He chose the alto saxophone while I went for the clarinet. We mainly played in school but there was one other place where we got to stretch our musical wings—Ocean Grove Summer Band. If you aren't familiar, this group was made up of volunteers and students and played free concerts every week for the summer. Monday you got the music for the week and practiced it with the group. On Wednesday was the concert. It was a good way to keep your practice up during the summer vacation and you got to play a variety of music in a small amount of time that you might never play otherwise. At least, that's how it was pitched to me. Truth be told, I kind of hated it at first. To me, band during the summer was an affront to the sanctity of Summer Vacation™. These were times to be spent exploring the wilds of Jersey Shore and playing outside until fireflies dotted the sky. Yet there I was, hopping in the van and trucking down the highway to Ocean Grove to sit in a gazebo, play my clarinet and hope I didn't melt. Then it was time to head home until you did it all again on Wednesday except this time you had to dress up so you looked nice while you sweated your brains out. Then somewhere along the line, I started to enjoy it. I'm not altruistic enough to say it was the joy on the faces of those we were bringing music to night after night. No, it was the bond of family that kept me coming back each week. Monday and Wednesdays became less of a roadblock, and more of a chance to spend time with my parents and play right along with them as they did what they loved. The car ride in was time to talk to each other and the ride back to discuss what we thought of the pieces we played that night, all set to the scenic backdrop of one of New Jersey's finest stretches of beaches. In between those rides, we got to make some great music together and I grew as a player. Of course after college, I stopped going due to work and other commitments. My parents stopped going not long after that as they joined another band to make more musical memories in. It's those idyllic summer days that I keep coming back to when thinking about my father and one of the things I'll miss the most. But as with everything, I'm glad I had the opportunity for so long.

THANK YOU, DAD!

By Joel Mosher

Having two parents that are music teachers tends to drive you into some sort of musical direction when you are younger, whether it be instrumental, vocal, or both. Having a highly regarded band director as a parent does that even more. Now, having music teacher parents doesn't guarantee that a child will stick with music later in life, or even like music that much. But the guidance my parents, and particularly my father gave me, has led me to incorporate music into my life, even if not as a career. As a child, I was encouraged to pursue an instrument; I chose saxophone, the more glamorous (to me, at any rate) instrument that my father played. I stuck with it all through school, and even some summers in college, playing in the Ocean Grove Summer Band where my parents played. This came as somewhat of a surprise to me, looking back, because there was a time in high school when I was ready to quit altogether, due to the forced requirement of marching band in high school. My choice would have been to just play in the Jazz Band and Wind Ensembles. My dad didn't forbid me to quit; he just reminded me to focus on what I loved about playing music. So I did, and found myself playing in charity jazz bands, and playing backyard shows in Ska bands, experiences that I thoroughly enjoyed. I rekindled my love of music. When college hit and I wanted to explore other musical avenues, my dad came with me to purchase my first guitar. He offered praise and gentle criticism of songs that I wrote, even though the genres were not his favorite (or even ones he liked!). I was even gifted with a set of microphones and stands to use with my band, as yet another form of encouragement, to help keep me recording, and involved in music. Over the course of his life, my father was an excellent musical resource for me, and source of encouragement, as he was to many others. So I'd like to say "Thank you, Dad, for all the inspiration".

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION News From Our Division Chairs

Dennis Argul Jazz House Kids dennisargul@gmail.com

On behalf of all the members of the New Jersey Music Administrators Association, we mourn the loss of Mr. Thomas Mosher, our long-time colleague and steadfast collaborator. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Mosher family.

The NJMAA held two productive and innovative sessions since the Fall issue of Tempo was released. At the meeting on December 6th we addressed the topic of Non-Traditional Music Electives in the schools. The session was facilitated by Robert Hamm, Supervisor of Music, Art, Practical Arts and TV for the East Windsor, NJ Regional School District. All the administrators and guests at the session were very active in discussion about the potential opportunities for offering students a variety of musical electives. A prominent topic in the discussion was that, as per the NJSLS, students in Grades 6-7-8 should have the opportunity to select an arts elective of their choice in their schools. Potential scheduling, faculty, and resource challenges were a major part of the discussion.

The February 7th meeting addressed Social Emotional Learning in the Arts. The session was led by Shawna Longo, teacher for the Hopatcong Borough Schools. This topic is so very relevant for our craft as the NJ State Student Learning Standards, which are now in review, are to be hopefully approved in next few weeks and the inculcation of social emotional learning will be a concept we will all need to be mindful in our practice. Shawna provided multiple layers of resources for the attendees and the association is confident in leading the way for the music educators in our schools.

As always, we invite all arts administrators who supervise, observe and evaluate music educators in our schools to join our association and attend our meetings. Our membership continues to grow in size and deepen its impact on the craft. Our upcoming sessions include; • June 5 - ArtsEdNJ and NJMAA – Sharing Resources and Tools Facilitators: Bob Morrison and Kira Campos Location: FEA/NJPSA – 12 Center Drive Monroe Township, NJ

Please visit us at www.njmaa.org and share this information with your district administrators. For more information regarding membership, please contact our Treasurer/Membership Chairman, Mr. Lou Quagliato, at: lquagliato@westorangeschools.org (973)-669-5400 ext. 20570

THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION News From Our Division Chairs

Nick Mossa nmossa16@gmail.com

In the spirit of reflection, we look back on the 2020 NJMEA All-State Bands and congratulate all participating students on a spectacular experience. The Symphonic Band led by Dr. Timothy Rhea (Texas A&M Director of Bands) and the Wind Ensemble led by Dr. Paula Crider (University of Texas Professor Emerita) both performed a great concert of remarkable works at NJPAC in February. It is always impresses me when so many talented young musicians come together from varying backgrounds and programs to create something truly amazing. Bravo and brava to all!

The All-State Bands rehearsed and performed concurrent to the NJMEA Conference which ran in Atlantic City this year for the first time. The move to Atlantic City meant a lot of detailed planning and coordination to ensure that the All-State student experience could be as successful, positive, and professional as possible. The following people deserve tremendous thanks for their work in this regard:

Managers Connor Babos and Rich Barrierers were on site and on call for the conductors and the students throughout everything. A huge thank you for their volunteer efforts to be on the “front lines”! Scott Visco deserves a world of thanks for the coordination of all the percussion equipment throughout the rehearsal and performance times. Band directors know that percussion instruments do not move themselves and it takes an outstanding individual to set up at multiple sites, handle the varied instrumentation between both bands, and coordinate with the percussion students and conductors to make it all happen. Thank you Scott!

Joe Cantaffa, the Production Manager, oversaw the operations of every day the students were under the care and supervision of NJMEA and works within the condition of creating a professional performance experience for these kids. He and his team of chaperones worked throughout the weekend to coordinate every aspect of the student schedule. His meticulous attention to detail and professional touch was much appreciated - thank you to the chaperones, and thank you Joe!

Each of the All-State Committee Members deserve recognition and thanks for being unwaveringly dedicated to making this student experience as good as it can be. With special thanks to Val Kuntz, the chair of the committee, this group of volunteer band directors did everything they could to work with the change in moving to Atlantic City and they continue to work to optimize the experience for the kids. Thank you all!

Lastly but certainly not least, I would like to recognize and thank Deb Knisely for, well, everything! She wore many hats in the past few months as a committee member, auditions chair, and step-in manager (and also doubled as a conference presenter this year!). Deb is organized, knowledgable, and cares so very much about the quality of this All-State experience for the kids. She was at the ready every step of the way. On behalf of NJMEA, the All State-Band students, and each of the other volunteers working with the All-State Bands, THANK YOU DEB!

With the 2020 All-State Band experience now behind us, we look ahead to 2021. Anyone who attended the NJMEA conference and/or sponsored an All-State student is encouraged to send me feedback or suggestions for next year. We are always looking for ways to improve the student experience and there may be something that the committee members did not include in their notes that should be considered as we look to next year. Don’t be shy!

You can review next year’s solo list for each auditioned band instrument in this issue of Tempo as well. Please be mindful that some editions that have been used in past years are no longer in print - be sure to purchase the correct edition as it is listed in the official solo list.

• Outstanding Liberal Arts Program • Accredited by Middle States Association • Multidisciplinary Minor in Music Industry • Performance Opportunities

– Wind Ensemble

– Marching Band – Jazz Ensemble

– Chorale

– Opera & Musical Theatre Workshop

– Chamber Ensembles: Brass, Woodwinds,

Percussion, Strings & Popular Music

2020 auDitions (by appointment)

Scholarships available to Majors and Non-majors

Contact Rebecca Vega for more information. Email: Rvega@caldwell.edu Phone: 973-618-3446

Susan Meuse susanmeuse@gmail.com

Unfortunately, the March auditions had to be cancelled this year. The All-State Intermediate Orchestra will not be taking place for 2020. It was not an easy decision, as we all understand how disappointed the students are. There is no decision yet about All-State Orchestra, but I will keep everyone updated as decisions are made.

On March 11, the Middle/Junior High School Orchestra Festival took place at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. I would like to thank Maria Ramsay and Nevena Bojovic for hosting the festival. I would also like to thank Michael Berry for working with all of the schools who participated. It was a great experience for all the students involved!

As always, if you are interested in getting involved with the All-State Orchestras, please feel free to email me or stop by a rehearsal.

Donna Marie Berchtold firesongwed@gmail.com

The 67th Annual NJMEA Middle School – Junior High Choral Festival Dates - At the time of this writing, the Festival scheduled for March 18, 2020 was cancelled due to a prevention directive from Rowan University as a result to the Corona Virus Global issue. No decision has been made at this time regarding the May 27th date of the Festival planned to be held at Rutgers University. We are currently in communication.

Choral Directors have been asked to make a decision as to whether they would like a REFUND of their registration fees, or have NJMEA hold on to the Registration Fees already submitted, and keep each school's registration in the line up for next year's Festivals. Donna Marie Berchtold and Karen Blumenthal will co-coordinate and host the Middle School Choral Festivals. Any schools interested in the Festivals should check TEMPO magazine, or online at www.njmea.org.

Anyone with questions or concerns may contact Donna Marie at: firesongwed@gmail.com, 609.226.7751 (c)

At the time of this writing, there are no updates for the 2020 NJMEA Opera Festival.

Kathy Spadfino kspadeb@aol.com

We retirees had a wonderful time at the NJMEA convention, first time in Atlantic City! There was lots of room for all performances and sessions, and everyone had a great experience. The key note speaker, Joanne Lipman, spoke movingly about her musical training with Jerry Kupchynsky, the legendary orchestra conductor. She went on to cite many research articles and surveys that emphasize the importance of music education as a basis for many of the skills needed to become successful in all of life’s challenges. Look for future TEMPO articles as NJMEA will share this information with everyone. Our next General Membership meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 13. We had several new members at our February meeting and would like to continue to welcome new interested members! We will be sending out a mailing with all the information. If you don’t get anything, please email me at KSpadEB@aol.com. I look forward to seeing you in May!!

Maureen Butler mbutler@mlschools.org

At the February conference there were several excellent sessions that focused on special learners, with opportunities for teachers to gain new insight and learn new strategies. It was encouraging to see so many music educators in search of ways to accommodate the needs of special learners in their classes. Many thanks to workshop presenters and roundtable panelists, including Angela Guerriero, Jodi Jianniney, Lucia Marone, Rina Sklar, Andrew Vessel, and Brian Wagner, as well as all the participants who attended these sessions. As always, if you have questions or concerns about the students you teach, or topics you want to see addressed in TEMPO please contact me.

Note: After June 19th, please email me at maureenbutlermusic@gmail.com

Dr. Andrew Lesser andrew.lesser@yahoo.com www.andrewlessermusic.com YouTube: Professor Lesser

Greetings, fellow music educators! It was wonderful to see so many of you at February's NJMEA Conference and participate in the amazing technology seminars throughout the event. Music tech gurus including Marjorie LoPresti, Shawna Longo, Jim Frankel, Kevin Mead, Vince Du Beau, John Mlynczak, and more presented engaging classes on everything from music notation software, recording tools, online resources, video games, and other great topics for 21st century learning. If you have an idea or experience you'd like to share, please consider presenting at one of our many opportunities for professional development or e-mail me at andrew.lesser@yahoo.com and I will post it on the NJMEA website.

Speaking of which, project submissions for the 10th annual New Jersey Student Technology Expo is open on the NJMEA website at the following link: https://njmea.org/classroom/technology/. Individual student submissions will be due April 22nd. School registrations are $30 per district, will $10 for each individual student and an additional $10 if a student's work is submitted for adjudication. These fees are used to compensate our presenters, in addition to facility and prize costs.

The Expo events will be held on the following dates:

Expo Central: Monday, May 18, 2020 @ Rutgers University Expo South: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 @ Rowan University Expo North: Wednesday, May 20 @ Montclair University

If you have any questions about the Expo, please feel free to contact me at andrew.lesser@yahoo.com.

On a separate note, I would like to close by expressing my heartfelt condolences to the family of Tom Mosher. Tom gave me my first opportunity to see my writing in print, and since then has been a mentor and guide throughout my career. It was an honor to serve alongside him as part of the NJMEA Board of Directors, and we all have felt the great loss experienced by his passing. Tom was completely dedicated to the publication of Tempo Magazine, and his memory will always be a big part of this magazine's future.