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ala breve August/September 2022

the official publication of the Alabama Music Educators Association

Features...

8

AMEA Governing Board Directory

15 AMEA Presidents, Past to Present 17 General Music Reviews by Deanna Bell 20 Tri-M Spotlight: Auburn High School 22 Campus Connections 27 FAME Scholarship Essay by Heather Medlin 28 Phi Beta Mu Tips that Click: Improving the Woodwind Section 30 Teacher Profile: Jordan Kirchner Ford 32 Choral Music Reviews by Dr. William Powell 34 How To Build Your Jazz Program Alabama Jazz Collective 39 Coupling Exercises to Cultivate Development... by Dr. Tom Luckowitz 42 AMEA and Division Schedule of Events 44 Industry/Institutional Members Departments...

6 ............................President 9 .............................Registrar 10 ..................................AVA 13..................................HED 14 .............................cNAfME 16 .......................ELEM/GEN 18 ..................................ABA 19 ..................................Jazz 21 ..................................AOA

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Alabama State University.........................45 Arts Music Shop, Inc ..................back cover Auburn University .....................................3 Auburn University ....................................46 Birmingham-Southern College.................44 Jacksonville State University ...................33 John M. Long School of Music (Troy).....25 Landmark Tours .........................................2 Marchmaster ...............................................4 Priesters Pecans Fundraising ....................36

Samford University ..................................21 UAB Music...............................................11 UAH Music ..............................................24 UNA Department of Music ......................47 University of Alabama Bands ..................23 University of Alabama Bands ..................37 University of Montevallo .........................26 University of South Alabama Bands ........12 University of South Alabama Music ........38 William Carey University...........................9

Dr. Rob Lyda, AMEA President

Hello AMEA!

H

ello AMEA! I hope you all had a fantastic summer full of rest, relaxation, and adventure. I will admit this is the first summer that has felt normal in a while. My family went on a wonderful vacation, I slept in, ate good food, and I traveled for research, presentations, and business. I enjoyed every possible moment of summer. I feel energized and ready for a new school year, and I hope you do too.

There is one thing I have enjoyed watching on social media this summer your many and varied adventures. It brought me great joy to see your trips to Music for All, the Conn Selmer Academy, Kodály, Orff, World Music Drumming, and Feierabend Levels, ACDA summer convention, ABA summer convention, the Ohio State String Teachers Workshop, cNAfME’s Collegiate Advocacy Summit, the Little Kids Rock Summit, and many other trainings. You all spent hours and hours learning new things to provide a better music education for your students.

Some of you were brave enough to take students to summer music camps!

I, too, participated in a few teacher trainings. For several years, I have wanted to participate in the Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy course.

One of the benefits of the pandemic is

AMEA members Jennifer Walsh and Jerell Horton attending Music For All 6

that we figured out how to offer professional development through Zoom.

I’m thankful I was able to interact and learn from culture bearers from many different traditions. I know my students will enjoy and benefit from the music I learned from China, Central and South America, and Indigenous People.

Even though Zoom is a fantastic resource, it’s not the same as being in the room with other people. There is something invigorating about the communal aspect of learning and making music. This summer I dusted off my tuning fork and took Kodály Level III. It was great to be with other music teachers, especially, my fellow Level III students.

Thank you, Virginia, Matt, Katie, and Carrie, for a fantastic two weeks of learning together. I hope my sight singing wasn’t too unbearable to your ears!

AOA President-Elect, Jordan Ford, attending the Ohio State String Teachers Workshop (Pictured with Brian Balmages)

In addition to taking teacher trainings, I traveled to Washington, DC to attend NAfME’s National Assembly.

NAfME’s constitution and by-laws specify that each summer the Presidents of NAfME, each Division, each state MEA and the Society and Council Chairs, convene to discuss the business of the NAfME. Throughout the three days of meetings, we discussed budgets, connecting with Collegiate and Tri-M members, advocacy, the future of professional development, NAfME’s

AMEA members participating in Orff-Schulwerk teacher training at Samford University

strategic plan, and heard fantastic student performances. Once again, I can’t stress how wonderful it was to be together and not in Zoom boxes! AMEA was well represented in person by me and Southern Division President-Elect Susan Smith, and on Zoom by Dr. Phil Wilson, David Raney, Garry Taylor, and Dr. Rusty Logan.

There will be more information to share about the work from National Assembly in the weeks ahead.

Even with a summer full of adventures, the business of AMEA has been ongoing. Your AMEA board met on June 8th in Birmingham to discuss the 2023 Professional Development Conference, the vision of the Association for the next two years, conduct staff evaluations, hire a new Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director, and hear the fantastic work of each division. I would like to thank Garry Taylor for his fantastic work as AMEA’s Executive Director for the past 17 years. Our Association is in a strong place because of the vision and leadership of Garry. He will continue as the editor of the Ala Breve and serve as the Assistant Executive Director during the leadership transition. Thank you, Garry, for your years of service and your friendship!

I would also like to congratulate Dr. Rusty Logan as AMEA’s new Executive Director. Rusty has served AMEA in many roles. He is a Past President of the Alabama Bandmasters Association and for the past seven years August/September 2022

has served as AMEA’s Assistant Executive Director. Congratulations, Rusty on your new role! We look forward to working with you to continue making AMEA the guiding light of arts education in our state.

As I mentioned, your AMEA board also discussed the future and vision of our Association. According to AMEA’s Constitution, “The object of this Association shall be: 1 To effect mutual assistance and the promotion and advancement of music education through educational institutions and other organizations; 2 To encourage music activities among the schools of the state by means of festivals, clinics, workshops, and other related events; 3 To secure greater recognition for music as an integral part of the school curriculum; 4 To encourage the development of post-school music opportunities in each community.”

Susan Smith, NAfME Southern Division President-Elect, addresses NAfME National Assembly

As we move forward, I want us to think of unique ways we can live up to our objectives. What are we doing to ensure AMEA is fulfilling its stated objectives?

How can we better work together to provide music education opportunities in our schools and post K-12 in our state?

How can we work to elevate music education and ensure music education is a valued and integral part of the school curriculum? I look forward to working with each of you and your divisions to challenge AMEA to fulfill its objectives.

We are stronger together.

To begin our work, I have appointed four task force committees to look at ways we can live into our objectives ala breve

AMEA President Rob Lyda with NAfME Council Chairs Dave Kauffman, Susan Smith, and Rob Deemer

and vision. I, like many of you, am concerned with the teacher shortage. I want us to focus not on the first three or five years of a music teacher’s career but provide resources and opportunities for music teachers from collegiate membership into the first 10 years of teaching. I have asked Dr. Phil Wilson and Dr. Diane Orlofsky to form an Early and Mid-Career Teacher Development Task Force to look at ways we can mentor and identify emerging leaders in our profession.

As many of you know, advocacy is one of my passions. I want AMEA to be more advocacy minded as we move forward. We are the largest arts education association in the state of Alabama. We have a responsibility to lead the way and ensure Alabama’s children have access to a full and comprehensive music and arts education. If we continue to wait on other people and organizations to advocate for us, we will always be in the backseat. I am heading an advocacy task force that is looking at ways to continue our national advocacy efforts, but also venture into more state and local advocacy. There are changes to our website for advocacy resources to have a landing page. In the months ahead, we will be updating and providing advocacy resources for our members.

Through the years, one thing I have constantly heard from many of you is that we need to learn how to work with education administrators. I have asked Greg Gumina to chair an Education Administrator Relations task force to examine ways we can work with our administrators. AMEA needs to build relationships and provide resources to help administrators understand the ins and outs

of music education. I look forward to hearing from Greg’s task force about tangible ways we can build better relationships with our administrators to benefit our students.

Occasionally, every organization needs to look at its policies and bylaws to ensure we are running efficiently and effectively. In addition, we need to ensure that all our members can fully participate in our organization. We also need to examine if we are unintentionally excluding or neglecting members or potential members. I have asked Immediate Past President, David Raney, to chair a Bylaws and Committee Chair Revision task force to look at our current documents. I look forward to their recommendations.

I look forward to ways we can work together to make AMEA the best organization for our members and ways to advocate for our students. I proudly joined this Association 25 years ago as a member of cMENC at Troy State University.

AMEA has served me well throughout my career. Twenty-five years later, I am proud to give back to AMEA as your President.

I’m ready to work and I invite you to join me on this journey! If you have suggestions or if I can help you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Summer has been a fantastic time of learning, dreaming, and resting, but it’s time to face the reality that a new school year is upon us. The sounds of tonal bass drums in the distance announce the realities of a school year are beginning to set in. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I wish you the best start to your school year. Here’s to a year full of successes and learning challenges!

Participants of the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute 7

AMEA Governing Board 2021-2022 President Dr. Rob Lyda Cary Woods Elementary School 715 Sanders Street Auburn, AL 36830 334-663-0898 president@myamea.org

Immediate Past President David Raney Sparkman High School 2616 Jeff Road Harvest, AL 35749 256-837-0331 draney@madison.k12.al.us President, AOA Joseph Lee PO Box 2532 Huntsville, AL 35804 (615) 397-4490 aoa_president@myamea.org

President, AMEA Collegiate Mariah Martin (205) 765-1144 mamartin13@crimson.ua.edu

Industry Representative Joey Harbison Gadsden Music Company 607 Broad Street PO Box 132 Gadsden, AL 35901 205-910-2622 jmharbison@aol.com Executive Director Dr. Russell (Rusty) Logan 2020 Janabrooke Lane Auburn, AL 36830 (334) 663-1702 executive_director@myamea.org

President-Elect Dr. Phil Wilson Ogletree Elementary School 737 Ogletree Road Auburn, AL 36830 (334) 538-9679 president_elect@myamea.org

Recording Secretary Heather Holmes Oak Mountain Middle School 5650 Cahaba Valley Road Birmingham AL 35242 (205) 682-5210 recording_secretary@myamea.org

President, AVA Hilen Wilson 6315 Mary Harmon Bryant Drive Cottondale, AL 35453 (205) 454-3067 ava_president@myamea.org

AMEA Collegiate Advisor Dr. Meghan Merciers University of North Alabama UNA Box 5040 142 Music Building Florence, AL 35632-0001 (256) 765-4518 mmerciers@una.edu Assistant Executive Director Editor, Ala Breve Garry Taylor 1600 Manor Dr. NE Cullman, AL 35055 (256) 636-2754 editor@myamea.org

Treasurer/Registrar Pat Stegall AMEA Registration PO Box 3385 Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 treasurer_registrar@myamea.org

President, ABA Joel Henson Pelham High School 2500 Panther Cir. Pelham, AL 35124 (205) 616-7478 jhenson@pelhamcityschools.org

President, ELEM/GEN Sarah McLendon Hillcrest Elementary 400 E Watts St. Enterprise, AL 36330 (334) 313-2116 smclendon@enterpriseschools.net

President, HED Division Dr. Carly Johnson Alabama State University Department of Music 915 S. Jackson Street Montgomery, AL. 36104 (334) 229-4341 cjjohnson@alasu.edu

Alabama Department of Education Arts Education Specialist Andy Meadows 50 North Ripley Street Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (334) 694-4768 ameadows@ALSDE.edu

Cover Photo by Yan Krukov: https://www.pexels.comGarry Taylor, Editor & Advertising Manager 1600 Manor Dr. NE Cullman, AL 35055 (256) 636-2754 editor@myamea.org

ADVERTISING & COPY DEADLINES Fall - August/September (Back to School issue): July 15 Winter - October/November (Conference issue): September 15 Spring - May/June (All-State issue:) January 15 Summer - May/June (Digital Only issue:) April 15

Unless otherwise indicated, permission is granted to NAfME members to reprint articles for educational purposes. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of AMEA or the Editor. All announcements & submissions are subject to editorial judgement/revision.The Alabama Music Educators Association is a state unit of NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, a voluntary, nonprofit organization representing all phases of music education in schools, colleges, universities, and teacher-education institutions. Active NAfME/AMEA membership is open to all persons engaged in music teaching or other music education work.

Ala Breve is published four times a year (August, October, February & May) by the Alabama Music Educators Association and printed by Hardwick and Son Printing in Dothan, Alabama.

Bulk rate postage paid at Dothan, Alabama.

8

August/September 2022

From the Registrar...

I

t is not too early to start thinking about attending our AMEA Conference in January 2023. Just remember, you must join NAfME, and you should pre-register if possible. A healthy organization is always concerned with growth and development, and the AMEA board is interested in growing our organization and getting all music teachers in Alabama involved in professional development through AMEA and NAfME. You can help increase our membership by communicating the benefits of membership to our colleagues. When you are joining or renewing your membership, think of those music teachers in your area that may not be active members, and send them a message inviting them to join! You could send an email with their contact information to me at treasurer_registrar@myamea.org and I will invite them!

Remind your colleagues to join. Include the new music teachers (this year there are many new teachers out there), be involved as a mentor to the young music teachers, and invite the inactive music teachers that you know. If you just retired, keep coming to the conference

(registration is free for you) and renew your NAfME membership at a reduced rate.

Renew your membership now at www.nafme.org. Membership in NAfME is required for participation in state MEA-sponsored events like the AMEA Conference, the Elementary Division Fall Conference, and All-State and Musical Performance Assessments. Joining NAfME secures your membership in AMEA and your division.

Register now for the 2023 AMEA conference online at www.myamea.org. You will find it is easy and will save you time and money. Reunite with friends and colleagues from all over the state in January. Rejuvenate your energy, renew your enthusiasm, and join us as we gather in Birmingham.

Pat Stegall, Registrar

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Hilen Wilson - President, Alabama Vocal Association

Fa l l U p d a t e s a n d R e m i n d e rs

I

hope you all have had a wonderful summer and have enjoyed some time to rest and prepare for this year. The past three years have been a difficult journey for all music educators, so I hope that you are refreshed and ready to take on the new school year. The AVA Governing Board had an enjoyable and productive summer board meeting and we are eager to get started on this year’s AVA events.

NAfME Membership If you have not already done so, please renew your NAfME membership. You can do so at www.nafme.org. NAfME membership is required to register for any AVA events.

Summer Board Decisions and Changes for 2022-2023 • Fees were adjusted and approved for the upcoming year.

• All-State Show Choir will not be held in conjunction with AMEA this year. ASSC will be held at Spain Park High School on April 12-14, 2023. The audition format will also be different this year - students will participate in a vocal and dance audition via zoom.

• Our handbook was revised and changes will be presented to the membership at Fall Workshop for a general membership vote.

• Our clinicians for this year’s All-State Festival chose fantastic repertoire and I cannot wait for our students to work with them! o MS Mixed: Jose Rivera, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke o MS Treble: Bridget Sweet, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign o HS TTBB: Charlotte Botha, Hamilton College o HS SSAA: Meredith Bowen, Radford University o HS SATB: Francisco Nunez, Young People’s Chorus of NYC 2022-2023 AVA Events Please visit the AVA website to find the dates for all events for the year. Be aware now of all registration deadlines and plan ahead to avoid paying any late fees.

Fall Workshop Our next event will be Fall Workshop at the University of Montevallo on Friday, September 9. I am excited to have Josh 10

Palkki from California State University at Long Beach as our clinician this year. He will be presenting relevant sessions on score study and lesson planning, gender expansive and trans singers, as well as a reading session. We will also have mini break-out sessions, a performance from the University of Montevallo Concert Choir, and our General Membership Meeting. Thank you so much to Melinda Doyle for hosting us again this year. All teachers in years 1-5 are invited to our New Teacher Luncheon for a refresher on all AVA events and to connect with teachers in your district. I hope to see you all there!

Thank you for taking the time to read about our organization.

Again, I know this has been a difficult time for many of us, but please know that AVA is ready to continue working, advocating, and providing the best vocal education that we can to our students. Please reach out if you see any area of our organization where you feel you can serve, or if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions. Please see below contact emails for members of the Executive Board as well as District Chairs. We all look forward to hearing from you and serving you this year.

Hilen Wilson, AVA President: hilen.wilson.ava@gmail.com Amanda Slay, AVA President-Elect: amanda.slay.ava@gmail.com Jody Powell, AVA Vice President: jody.powell.ava@gmail.com Nichole Hill, AVA Recording Secretary: nichole.hill.ava@gmail.com Meg Jones, AVA Executive Secretary: execsecava@gmail.com Matthew Gardner, District I Chair: matthew.gardner.ava@gmail.com Frank Andrews, District II Chair: frank.andrews.ava@gmail.com Zachary Banks, District III Chair: zachary.banks.ava@gmail.com Marlin Ward, District III Co-Chair: marlin.ward.ava@gmail.com Carrie Payne, District IV Chair: carrie.payne.ava@gmail.com Debbie Flynn, District V Chair: debbie.flynn.ava@gmail.com Sallye York, District VI Chair: sallye.york.ava@gmail.com Christie Breland, District VII Chair: christie.breland.ava@gmail.com

Our district chairs will be hosting virtual district meetings in the first two weeks of school, so please be looking for those invitations soon. I hope everyone has a wonderful start to their school year and I look forward to seeing you all at Fall Workshop!

Sincerely, Hilen Wilson August/September 2022

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Dr. Carly Johnson, President, Higher Education Division

The Future Depends on What We Do Today

A

s we look ahead to a new school year, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank outgoing HED Division president, Dr. Michael Zelenak, for the wonderful leadership and insightful vision that he has provided to the Higher Ed Division over the past two years. It has been a joy to work with Michael on a variety of music-related projects, and I am extremely grateful for his continued friendship, support, and shared enthusiasm for teaching!

I also want to take the opportunity to introduce two new members of our HED leadership team: Dr. Stephen Foster, Director of Bands at Faulkner University, who will serve as our new HED Presidentelect, and Dr. Brandon Slocumb, Chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Coordinator of the Music program at Huntingdon College, who will be serving as our new HED Secretary/Treasurer.

Dr. Stephen Foster

Dr. Brandon Slocumb

Now, let’s take a look at what all the Higher Ed Division can offer to you in 2022-2023.

If you are in search of professional development opportunities, you will definitely want to read more about how to apply for and participate in the various performance and presentation opportunities available to HED members. If your interests are in performance, we will be programming not one, but two HED showcase recitals that will take place during the 2023 AMEA professional development conference in Birmingham in January. One of the recitals will feature a program comprised of artist faculty from a variety of universities and colleges across the state of Alabama performing solo and chamber works. The second recital will be an opportunity for applied instructors and chamber ensemble coaches to feature their undergraduate and/or graduate students from all disciplines and areas of applied study in performance. Last year, the trumpet ensemble from the University of ala breve

Alabama at Birmingham led by Dr. James Zingara gave a stunning introduction to this program, and then the tuba/euphonium ensemble from Auburn University under the direction of Dr. Stephen Kunzer closed out the program with an equally spectacular performance! If you are interested in performing on the 2023 recital or would like to have one of your students or student chamber groups perform, look for the HED Recital Call for Performers to be posted soon on the 2023 AMEA conference website.

If research is your passion, another wonderful way to be involved at the 2023 AMEA professional development conference is by submitting a research poster proposal for inclusion on one of two research poster sessions that will be presented by the HED division during the 2023 conference. Look for the HED Call for Research Posters to also be posted soon on the 2023 AMEA conference website to find out more details and how to submit your research poster proposal. The Higher Ed division is also currently looking for volunteers to serve as presiders for our clinics and sessions that will take place during the 2023 professional development conference in January, so if you would like to serve in this capacity as a presider, please email me at cjjohnson@alasu.edu. Presider slots are available for all three days of the conference: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so if you have a preference, let me know!

One of our newest conference offerings has been the creation of an EdTPA Lesson Planning Competition in conjunction with the Collegiate Division and our CNAfME student leadership. This new competition serves as a collaborative opportunity for our collegiate CNAfME members to present and take part in meaningful professional development with seasoned members from the Higher Ed Division providing feedback, coaching, and support. The competition (really, more of a friendly and supportive showcase) allows for a stage on which our music education students can shine and acquire additional experience with the planning, preparing, and delivering of effective lesson plans.

By utilizing the structural format of the edTPA performance-based, subject-specific assessment system used by teacher

preparation programs throughout the United States to emphasize, measure, and support the skills and knowledge that all teachers need to develop to be successful in the classroom, competition participants put into practice what they need to master while receiving valuable feedback and advice from experienced music education specialists from several of the top music education programs institutions in the state of Alabama. This year, the competition will take place on Saturday morning during the 2023 AMEA professional development conference in January and will feature prizes and awards for the most outstanding presentations.

Look for the HED/Collegiate Call for the edTPA Lesson Planning Competition to be posted soon on the 2023 AMEA conference website.

In addition to these scholarly activities, there will also be plenty of opportunities to socialize and network during the conference including at our annual HED Friday afternoon Luncheon and at our annual HED/Collegiate Division Mixer that takes place on Friday evening during the conference. In closing, if you desire to be part of, and take a more active role in a stimulating, inclusive, diverse community of academics, educators, and artists from across the state, then the HED Division is the place for you! I look forward to connecting with each of you more throughout the upcoming year and wish you all a wonderful start to the new school year!

13

Mariah Martin, President, Alabama cNAfME

Collegiate Summer Updates and Announcements Dr. Meghan Merciers, Advisor

T

his summer, cNAfME chapters across Alabama have been very active attending conferences, working as counselors/clinicians at summer music camps, and planning for the upcoming academic year!

ALcNAfME President-Elect Sarah Hicks shares her experience from the 2022 NAfME Collegiate Advocacy Summit (virtual, June 23-25, 2022): “This was my second time attending the Virtual Advocacy Summit, and not only did it live up to my expectations once again this year, but the collegiate board went above and beyond to make this year’s conference incredibly relevant and helpful to students. I made some fantastic connections with collegiate students all across the country as we had a virtual mixer, many opportunities to converse with each other, and were greatly encouraged to reach out to those whose ideas inspired us. The sessions and speakers were phenomenal, my favorite being the panel which featured Johnny Hamiel, Rob Lyda, Dave Kauffman, and Jazzmone Sutton. The panel shared personal stories and experiences that gave me so much hope for my future. It was really powerful to hear from these highly recognized professionals who struggled with insecurities, with music theory, and with finding their first job just like I have.

The highlight of the Summit was the breakout rooms on Saturday which took students step-by-step through PRAXIS and EdTPA, allowing us to choose areas such as strings, music technology, or specific parts of the EdTPA that we wanted more information on. Overall, 14

the Collegiate Summit was a way to spend a weekend. I was encouraged, educated, and informed. If given the opportunity, I will most definitely choose to attend again.”

In addition to the summer activities, your new ALcNAfME Executive Board has been busy planning the 2022 Collegiate Summit, “Unity,” which will be held at the centrally-located University of Alabama Moody Music Building on Sunday, October 23, 2022, from 1:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. We will feature speakers on a diverse number of topics, an early-career teacher panel, and for the first time ever we will host music sight-reading sessions. Dinner will be provided. We will also collaborate again this year with the Higher Ed Division on the edTPA Lesson Planning Competition. The deadline for submissions will be November 1, 2022, with finalists to present at the 2023 AMEA Conference in Birmingham, AL. Stay tuned for submission information in our upcoming newsletter to submit chapter updates. Be sure to check out our Instagram @cnafme_al and tag us in your event posts!

UNA Chapter Spotlight: The members, officers, and advisors of UNAcNAfME are here to help our music students in any way we can. You can find us helping out at departmental

UNA cNAfME Officers

student recital hours, junior and senior recitals, ensemble concerts, honor band, MPA, All-State Prep Clinics, and more.

In the past, UNA’s cNAfME has helped plan, fund, and host a variety of events geared towards our music education students. Some events we have planned for this upcoming season are conducting masterclasses, sight-reading sessions, vocal technique classes, education seminars, and guest speakers on varying topics.

This year’s President, Mary Elizabeth Howze, is a violinist in both the Shoals Symphony Orchestra and the UNA Contemporary Ensemble. She is also a strings teacher at Kilby Laboratory School. Her goal as a future music educator is to inspire students to be the best they can be and to teach them the importance of music education and how impactful it can be.

August/September 2022

Our President-Elect, Colby Allison, is a percussionist in the UNA Band as well as a tenor in the UNA choir. His goal for the upcoming cNAfME year is, “to see the membership grow and focus on growing our teaching skills to better help us in the future.”

Our Treasurer, Macey Vandiver, is both a trumpet player in the UNA Band and an alto in the UNA Choirs. She believes that cNAfME has given her opportunities to experience what it’s really like to be a music educator.

“Through being in this chapter, I have been given resources, friendships, and experiences that will help me in my future career.”

Taylor Romanczuk is serving her second year as our Secretary. She is a senior majoring in Choral Music Education. cNAfME is important to her because “It gives future music educators the ability to explore what music really has to offer. I’ve learned a lot about teaching and conducting, how to get students involved, different types of instrument techniques, and I’ve also attended several music conferences.”

Aleesa Parnell is also serving her second year as our Historian. She is a cellist in the Shoals Symphony Orchestra as well as a soprano in the UNA choir. “I always tell people my favorite days are Tuesdays because I get to teach strings at Kilby Laboratory School, tutor middle schoolers, and then go to a NAfME meeting. It’s my three favorite things: music, education, and friends.”

UNA’s cNAfME officers would like to thank our advisors, Dr. Meghan Merciers, Dr. Tom Lukowicz, Professor Christina Volz-Stomackin, and Dr. Gretchen Windt, for all of their help and support in our chapter. To stay in touch with our UNA cNAfME community, you can like us on ala breve

Facebook at UNA National Association for Music Education Collegiate Chapter or follow us on Instagram @unafme.

UA Chapter Spotlight: Officers: Noah Graham, President John Niiler, Vice-President Mariah Martin, Secretary Alexander McMahon, Treasurer Rosemary Caldwell, Instrumental Rep Meredith Taylor, Choral Rep Sarah Quinn Richey, General Music Rep Audrey Colabrese, Public Affairs UA’s chapter goals are to support through community outreach and togetherness, to advocate for those who need a voice in the world of music, and to enrich by providing professional development for our fellow future music educators. We plan to provide more enriching speakers to our members to provide them a more well-rounded development track that can be transferred to any discipline or task.

Service projects include volunteering to help and facilitate the smooth operation of honor bands and festivals held in the music building. To stay in touch with our UA cNAfME community, you can follow us on Instagram @ua_cnafme.

UA cNAfME Chapter

AMEA Presidents Past to Present 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1975 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Yale H. Ellis Walter A. Mason Vernon Skoog John J. Hoover Lamar Triplett Carleton K. Butler Mort Glosser Wilbur Hinton Lacey Powell, Jr. G. Truman Welch Jerry Countryman Floyd C. McClure Jerry Bobo Frances P. Moss George Hammett Frances P. Moss S. J. Allen W. Frank McArthur Paul Hall Lacey Powell, Jr. Johnny Jacobs Merilyn Jones Ronald D. Hooten Ken Williams Dianne Johnson James K. Simpson Johnnie Vinson Michael Meeks John McAphee, Jr. Tony Pike Becky Rodgers John Baker Pat Stegall Steve McLendon Sara Womack Carl Hancock Susan Smith Greg Gumina David Raney Rob Lyda 15

Sarah McLendon- President, Elementary/General Division

Give it Away

T

he existential question: What is the meaning of life? This question has probably been asked by just about everyone in history. And you will receive a different answer from just about everyone that you ask. Pablo Picasso said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

We have two gifts: music and teaching. ”Music is the universal language of mankind.” Music has no boundaries.

Everyone can enjoy music regardless of age, language, religion, or culture.

Music can make us feel the full spectrum of emotions. Music can cure insomnia and anxiety. Music is magical!

We have spent our lifetimes learning our craft. What other professionals start to prepare for their careers in infancy? None of them! At an early

age, we were listening to and moving to music. As we got older, many of us took lessons on an instrument or voice. We have been gifted with the ability to read, analyze, and make music.

According to Miriam-Webster, the definition of a teacher is “one whose occupation is to instruct.” Teachers help students learn by giving subject knowledge to them in situations where they can learn. We create a loving, safe environment; an environment where our students can learn and succeed.

Children are fun! We lead the students in their discoveries. We get to see the lightbulb go off when they finally get it! We make a difference in the lives of children every day. We teach life lessons from failures and successes. We get to see our students grow up before our eyes.

We know our gift, now go give it away! Best wishes on a fabulous new

year teaching our favorite musicians!

Upcoming Dates: East Alabama General Music Workshop, Saturday, August 27, 9 am - 1 pm, Auburn; Clinician - Dr. Scott Sexton Elementary Music Festival, Friday, October 14, Metropolitan Church of God in Birmingham, Alabama; Conductors -Cristi Cary Miller & Dr. Scott Sexton Joint Fall Workshop sponsored by Elementary/General Division of AMEA, AOSA, and SHAKE, Saturday, October 15, 8:30 am - 1 pm at Metropolitan Church of God NAfME In-Service Conference, Nov 26, 2022, National Harbor, Maryland American Orff-Schulwerk Association, National Professional Development Conference, November 2-5, 2022, Kansas City, Missouri 2023 AMEA Professional Development Conference, January 19 - 21, 2023, BJCC - Birmingham, AL; Clinicians - Sandy Lantz & Gretchen Wahlberg

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August/September 2022

General Music Reviews

by Deanna Bell

Welcome Back to School!

Deanna Bell Vestavia Hills Elementary East Music Teacher Adjunct Professor of Music Education, Miles College and UAB Conductor of the Birmingham Wind Ensemble

T

he Summer of 2022 has taught me a lot of things. One is how to rest and relax. The other is finding the right balance between work and life. Teaching during Covid has changed me. I am sure that it has changed all of us.

One thing I want to bring back to school with me this year is happiness and joy. I want to laugh everyday with my friends and have fun teaching like I use too. Is it possible to have fun teaching at school? I say Yes! Forget about the things that make us stressed. Don’t worry about the things that you cannot change. Make the best of the situation you have and go from there.

One thing I am looking forward to is the release of Julie Andrews’ new book “The First Notes, The Story of Do, Re, Mi.” Overview: “Centuries ago, a young Italian monk named Guido longed to find a way to write and teach music. Eventually, he created the musical scale, using the words Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do...one syllable for each note. Though the other monks thought it was a waste of time, Guido's music couldn't be silenced. His discovery remains the foundation for learning music today, and inspired the famous song “Do-Re-Mi,” which Julie Andrews sang in the beloved movie The Sound of Music.”

Julie Andrews and her daughter have written over 30 children’s books together and I am really looking forward to this story. There are so many musical possibilities with this book. The book will be released on November 1, 2022. If you have any ideas, share them! Post your ideas on the Orff or Kodály Facebook page. Let’s discuss this at AMEA and share our new and fun ideas.

Let’s have something that we are all working on together that is fun for us and our students! Want to host a zoom party and discuss the book? Want to brainstorm ideas of how to write an Orff accompaniment with our new beginning teachers? Let’s use this year to reconnect to each other and to reconnect to our craft.

As you prepare for the next school year, the best thing you can do for yourself is to join professional organizations.

Join NAfME, AOSA, and OAKE. (Make sure you select the Alabama Chapters as your state organizations.). These organizations will provide the support your need and connect you to a network of endless ideas!

Don’t forget, HAVE FUN! ala breve

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Joel Henson- President, Alabama Bandmasters Association

Take Time to Enjoy the Experience

B

y the time this article is published, many of you will be in the heat of marching season or getting prepared to start students on their musical journey. This time of year is always so exciting for students and directors alike. Many of the things we do are the same year after year. We will be reminding our students about posture, hand position, sunscreen, hydration, and all the things that go with being a successful musician. However, it doesn’t matter if this is your first or last year teaching, nothing is ever exactly the same every year of our careers. Students keep the journey of being a band director fresh, interesting, and fun. The pandemic has taught us to never take anything for granted. It is my hope that through the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest times in our professional lives, we take time to enjoy the experience. Remember that band is supposed to be fun not only for our students but for us directors as well.

students when we are having to make tough decisions. Keith Anderson presented a clinic that gave directors practical ways to adapt stock drumline parts to make them both more interesting and effective. Nathan Haskew’s clinic made a correlation between the moving “Turning Red” and the middle school band culture. The shrimp boil was catered by the resort and was quite a feast. The bread pudding was the truth!

It was also great to get new and fresh ideas from our friends at Southwind Drum and Bugle Corp Elanders Frazier and Terry Sanders. Thank you to Fruhauf Uniforms, Marchmaster Inc., Custom Fundraising Solutions, AWB Apparel, Performance Carts, Demoulin Brothers and Company, Best in Class Tours, Terry Ownby Consulting, Samford University School of the Arts, Arts Music, American Travel Consulting, and Southern Performances. We are so grateful to our sponsors for their longstanding support of our organization. We will return to the Perdido Beach Resort next year from June 19 to June 22, 2023. I hope you make plans to attend.

The ABA Board had a very productive meeting at the Summer Conference. Attached are some highlights from these meetings:

The Summer Conference at Perdido Beach Resort was a huge success. This new venue was super accommodating to our membership. Our keynote speaker, Jon Bubbett, was a perfect way to start our event. He reminded us that what we do matters and to imagine our own children’s faces on the faces of our 18

Alabama Bandmasters Association

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2023. Those will be available for your perusal soon on our website under the Solo and Ensemble tab.

The board adopted a new policy addressing e-print scores at MPA. Please make sure you review it at your convenience. It will be published under the MPA tab on the website.

The nominating committee is District I and II: Emily Parker (Hampton Cove MS), District III and IV: Daniel Seay, Chairman (Muscle Shoals MS), District V and VI: Alex Johnson (Montgomery Catholic), and District VII and VIII: Sean Noah (McGill-Toolen HS). If you have suggestions for the offices of the President-Elect, Recording Secretary, or Jazz Chair-elect, please notify these people.

Due to the rising cost of services and venues, the budget committee recommended and

The board adopted new sheets for Solo and Ensemble for Future All-State Band Festival Dates

APRIL 27-29 2023) VON BRAUN CENTER-HUNTSVILLE APRIL 25-27, 2024 VON BRAUN CENTER-HUNTSVILLE APRIL 9-12, 2025 OUTLAW CONVENTION CENTER- MOBILE APRIL 15-18, 2026 OUTLAW CONVENTION CENTER- MOBILE August/September 2022

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board approved fee increases to MPA, State Solo Festival, and State Level All-State for 20222023. MPA Registration will increase to $2 per student; school fee remains the same.

State Solo Festival increases to $35 per audition and there is a new $10 school fee. Lastly, State Level All State Registrations will

increase to $40 per student with a $50 school fee. These fee changes will allow us to continue to provide meaningful experiences for our students.

The board heard three proposals for All-State 2025 and 2026. All State 2025 and 2026 will be back in Mobile at the Outlaw Convention Center.

In closing, make sure you have renewed your Nafme membership. Our website is directly linked to NAfME and will change your status and credentials if you are not a member in good standing. Best wishes for a successful and memorable year of music-making and life-changing experiences.

Please look for legislation in the next Alabreve and website regarding: • • •

Bylaw revision from the Constitution Committee Jazz Music Performance Assessment MPA Classification Revision

2022-2023 Jazz Education in Alabama

W

e have some exciting new opportunities offered by the Jazz Education Division for this next school year. First, we are looking forward to another fantastic year hearing our state’s best student jazz musicians audition for and perform at the 2023 AllState Jazz Band festival as well as other events that are being planned throughout Alabama. The All State Jazz Band auditions are some of the earliest auditions on our ABA calendar. We hope you will encourage your students to submit their best recordings for this event.

The All State Jazz Band audition registration deadline is Nov. 1, 2022, and the student audition recordings are due by the end of the day on Nov. 15, 2022. All registration information and audition material can be found through alaband.org.

Directors must be registered through alaband.org to register students for All-State Jazz auditions. Students will record and submit their auditions virtually as we have done in the past.

The 2023 All-State Jazz Band festival will be in conjunction with the AMEA ala breve

conference from January 19-21, 2023 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. We are proud to announce a remarkable panel of clinicians to work with our students at this event. The clinicians for this year’s All-State Jazz Bands include Todd Stoll, the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Vice President of Education in New York, Dr. Dave Camwell, Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Troy University, Theo Vernon, Director of Bands at Grissom High School, and Kim Bain, retired from Pizitz Middle School and past ABA Jazz Education Chair. With such a remarkable group of educators, we hope to see many of your students involved in the All-State Jazz Band auditions and festival process.

In addition to our annual All-State Jazz Band festival, a new opportunity to support jazz programs in our state has been in the process for some time. The Jazz Education Division, with the help of several peer reviewers and the feedback of the ABA Board, has a legislative proposal for the ABA membership to consider for potential Regional Jazz

Ben Posey, Jazz Chair

Adjudicated events. Research into an MPA-like event for jazz bands found that there are enough jazz bands in our state that would like to see ABA-sanctioned regional adjudicated events in addition to clinic opportunities for their jazz programs. We believe annual ABA-sanctioned jazz events can develop growth in our state’s jazz programs, support jazz education in our state, and increase participation and preparedness at other jazz events and festivals. We encourage you to review the proposed legislation through alaband.org.

We hope you have a wonderful start to the school year. Please feel free to contact us if there is anything we can do to help you or your students prepare for any jazz events.

Benjamin C. Posey, Jazz Education Chair bposey@hoover.k12.al.us Nic McDonald, Jazz Education Chair-Elect njmcdonald@tcss.net 19

Tri-M National Music Honor Society

A

ol o h c S h Spotlight: Hig ar e n Y r u e b h t u A r of e t p a h eC t a t S M Tri-

uburn High School’s Tri-M chapter 8907 was established in 2018 by our Director of Bands, Deanna Marshall and senior student Noel Lange the 2018 Tri-M President. When asking Mrs. Marshall what her goal was for this Tri-M chapter her response was simple, but to the point. “My goal is to foster the love of all music while giving back to our community through various community projects.

All in hopes that it will remind everyone that music is a vital role to our education system. Music gives every student participating a voice and a place to belong. That is what I want Tri-M to represent.”

Tri-M chapter 8281 accepts members from band, choir, auxiliary groups, piano and music theory classes. We average a current

membership of around140 students since inception.

In order to be a member in good standing each student must complete ten hours of service per semester.

We are especially proud of our continued effort to help our local food bank, East Alabama Food Bank.

We have collected between 900-1,100 pounds of food annually. We also had our first ever benefit concert to support the Auburn Toy Drive where we collected $400 in cash donations as well as over 160 toys. Tri-M also assists the Auburn Band Parents Association during football season by restocking the concession stands for home

games. We have also helped in the recruitment process for beginning band, providing ushers at concerts

for band and choir programs, providing music outreach programs to elementary schools, and being ambassadors of music throughout our community. Most activities are student led by our current chapter president Hannah Herring and organized with director assistance.

The Auburn High Tri-M Chapter would like to extend their sincerest thanks for being selected as the 2021-2022 Tri-M Chapter of the year for the state of Alabama. We appreciate the recognition of our students and their dedication to being ambassadors of music in our community. https://auburnhstrim.weebly.com Follow us on Instagram @auburnhs_tri_m

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August/September 2022

Joseph Lee, President, Alabama Orchestra Association

AOA Updates

I

hope that these weeks of summer have offered opportunities for rest and renewal. Whether you lead one of Alabama’s youth orchestra programs, a public or private school string/orchestra program, a university orchestra, teach private or group classes, or are involved in string music education in other ways, the members of the Executive Committee are grateful for your membership and participation in the Alabama Orchestra Association. We appreciate your commitment to the music education of Alabamians of all ages and seek to be a resource for you as you work to continually inspire and nurture the student artists in your care.

The members of the AOA Executive Committee are: Joseph Lee, President; Jordan Kirchner Ford, Vice-

President/President-Elect; Rachel Christmas, Secretary; Tricia Marotz, Treasurer; Leroy Hughes, All-State Chair; Daniel Stevens, Past President

Festival to attend the AllState Orchestra Festival. More information regarding auditions can be found here: https://alabamaorchestraassociation.org

At the February 2022 membership meeting, held on the campus of the University of Alabama, the membership of the Alabama Orchestra Association voted to enact a rather significant change to the structure of All-Region and All-State Orchestras. Beginning this season, students from across Alabama will audition for either the North AllRegion Orchestra or the South All-Region Orchestra, dependent upon their geographic location. Students will be selected for the All-State Orchestra Festival will be chosen based on their score for this audition. Students must plan to attend the All-Region Orchestra

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all that you do to ensure that orchestral music not only exists in the State of Alabama but thrives in the State of Alabama. As we embark on this new academic year, may we strive to build musical communities where our students find safe spaces to express themselves, their experiences, their hopes, and their dreams for a kinder world where all are loved, nurtured, and supported. May this be our goal and may music be our vehicle.

in

Musically yours, Joseph Lee, President

wi

ou

at Samford’s School of the Arts Division of Music

Samford University offers degrees in composition, commercial music, music education, music and worship, instrumental, piano, and voice performance, and piano performance and pedagogy.

arts@samford.edu • 205-726-4111 • samford.edu/arts Samford University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Employer.

ala breve

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and euphonium, upper level music theory and aural skills courses, and serve as the Director of the ASU Trombone Choir.

Campus Connections Colleges and universities are encouraged to submit newsworthy materials and announcements for publication in Ala Breve

Jacksonville State University/ David L. Walters Department of Music

T

he JSU Marching Southerners have been awarded the 2022 Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Established in 1982, the Sudler Trophy recognizes collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life. It is awarded biannually to a college or university marching band that has demonstrated the highest musical standards, the most innovative marching routines, and ideas, and has made important contributions to the advancement of college marching band performance standards. The Marching Southerners staff includes Dr. Ken Bodiford, Director of Bands, Mr. Clint Gillespie, Associate Director of Bands, Dr. Jeremy Stovall, Assistant Director of Bands, Mr. Rodney Bailey, Colorguard Coordinator, and Ms. Noelle Stovall, Ballerina Coordinator.

The JSU Percussion Ensemble conducted

by Dr. Matthew Gray Jordan has been selected to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Conference (PASIC) in November 2022.

Dr. Jeremy Benson, Professor of flute, has been selected as a Main Guest Artist for the 2023 Florida Flute Convention in Orlando, Florida. He will present a fulllength recital and teach master class/lectures for over 500 flutists on January 27-28, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Jeremy Benson has also been invited as one of two USA Ambassadors to 22

teach and perform at the International Festival of Flutists in Lima, Peru in May 2023.

Dr. Benson's flute student, Sierra Tolhurst, was named a winner in the national Delta Omicron Solo Artist Competition. She will perform a recital in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2022.

Mr. Clint Gillespie, Associate Director of Bands, will be inducted into the Spirit of Atlanta Hall of Fame on August 6th.

Dr. Andy Nevala, Director of Jazz Studies, has been invited to perform at the Jazz Education Network's (JEN) Annual Conference in Orlando, FL on January 7, 2023.

Alabama State University Dr. Jonathan Houghtling was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Trombone/ Theory for the Department of Music at Alabama State University. Dr. Houghtling completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance from the University of Alabama, a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance and Artist Diploma from DePaul University, and the Bachelor of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Alabama State University. At ASU, Dr. Houghtling will teach applied trombone

Dr. Shane Colquhoun was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Contemporary Musical Styles, a new position for the Department of Music at Alabama State University. Dr. Colquhoun completed his Ph.D in Music Education from Auburn University, a Master of Education in Music, and a Master of Education in the Administration of Higher Education, both from Auburn University, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Technology and Business from BethuneCookman University, and brings a wealth of teaching experience from serving as Director of Bands at Loachapoka High School for fourteen years prior to his appointment at ASU. At ASU, Dr. Colquhoun will teach music technology and music education courses, along with courses focused on the study of AfricanAmerican musical styles in both contemporary classical and commercial musical settings.

ASU piano professor, Dr. Adonis Gonzalez-Matos recently celebrated the release of a new CD, Cuba, Alabama, from Blue Griffin Records, available on all major streaming services, in collaboration with clarinetist Dr. Osiris Molina from the University of Alabama, and guitarist Rene Izquierdo from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, that features contemporary Cuban music by Cuban composers Andrés Alén, Leo Brouwer, Paquito D'Rivera, Javier Zalba, and an arrangement of Ernesto Lecuona's La Comparsa by Daniel Western.

August/September 2022

To learn more about Music at UAH, contact us at music@uah.edu.

AUDITION INFO: UAH.EDU/MUSIC/AUDITIONS

EVERYONE DREAMS WE MAKE IT REAL JOHN M. LONG SCHOOL OF MUSIC DEGREE PROGRAMS UNDERGRADUATE

GRADUATE

• Bachelor of Music Education

• MS in Music Education

• BA in General Music

• Graduate concentration in Music Industry (MBA)

• BS in Music Industry

334-670-3322 music@troy.edu troy.edu/music

University of Montevallo Department of Music 205-665-6670 montevallo.edu/music

@montevallomusic

@um_musicdepartment

Events

For Middle & High School Students Sept. 30, 2022 Oct. 15, 2022 Nov. 5, 2022 Feb. 17-18, 2023 March 3-5, 2023 March 21, 2023

Festival of Voices All-State Choir Workshop Single Reed Symposium Middle School Honor Band High School Honor Band Choral Festival Day

Auditions For Scholarships Jan. 28, 2023 Feb. 25, 2023 March 4, 2023

Honor Band participants only

March 18, 2023

Scan the QR code to learn more about Music at Montevallo

FAME

Scholarship Essay

By Heather Medlin

AMEA recently awarded the FAME scholarship to Heather Medlin, a 2022 graduate of Muscle Shoals High School. Scholarship recipients must have attended the FAME program and plan to major in music education at an Alabama university. Heather plans to major in music education at the University of North Alabama.

I

t is difficult to articulate the exact moment or reason that I decided to become a music teacher. I was influenced by an army of wonderful teachers, a love for all things related to music, and an impulsive need to explain everything I knew to everyone I met.

As I grew older, I began to think excessively about the mark I wanted to make on the world. Through this process, I found a reason to definitively set my goals on teaching. I realized the best way that I could make a positive impact on others was to teach them.

My motivation for making a positive impact through teaching stems directly from the immense impact that my past teachers have had on me as I have developed as a student, as a musician, and as a person. From the time that I began my schooling, I was extremely blessed to sit under the teaching of many passionate, caring, and skilled educators in both the fine arts and in my regular studies. As a young child, I was fortunate to have teachers who not only tolerated my energetic and -at times- unusual behavior but also showed me how to focus this energy on becoming a better student. They also showed me that it was acceptable, and even imperative, to be unique. I carried these teachings with me until I arrived at middle school, where I was exposed to music on a larger scale than I had ever experienced before, and where I eventually fell in love with it.

As I began to play the clarinet in the band and sing in the show choir, I learned that music was not only something that I could consume for my own enjoyment but also something that I could be a part of and create for others. Music became something positive that I could offer to the world -something that was bigger than just myself. At the core of my discovery of music and its role in my life were the amazing music teachers that guided me and molded me into the best musician I could be. My band directors demonstrated the importance of excellence in music and ensured that all students felt welcome and at home inside the band program. My middle school choral teacher was especially influential in my decision to become a music ala breve

educator because of her extreme passion for the arts, and even greater still, her devotion to making sure her students truly understood what they were being taught and knew their potential. When I entered my seventh-grade year, she took a chance on me and recommended that I audition for AllState Chorus. She helped me throughout the audition process, and the experience that I was awarded by attending the All-State festival helped me blossom into a better performer and sparked my life-long love for the choral arts. By exposing me to my potential in choral music, she helped me discover a part of myself that I wouldn’t have known otherwise and in turn began my path to eventually choosing to teach choral music as a career.

As I entered high school, I began to realize that education was so much more than teaching a subject. My teachers gave me many opportunities to advance my scholarship and musicianship, but they also helped me develop my sense of self. For the majority of my educational career, I had been struggling with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). This struggle came to a head in my junior year of high school, when one of my teachers noticed that my grades were dropping and that I seemed overwhelmed in class. With her recommendation and help, I was able to get diagnosed with ADHD and I received the help I needed to continue to succeed academically and in all aspects of my life that this disorder affected. This situation showed me that as a future teacher, I wanted to be able to help students in the same way.

Through my own experience as a neurodivergent student and from the experiences of others around me, I have come to realize why access to education especially music education- is so deeply important for developing students. As a member of my high school’s choir and band, I was given an army of supporters both in my peers and in my teachers. I was also given an outlet in music, and I was shown my potential and future purpose in music education by the leadership and performance opportunities I was given.

Perhaps even more important than all of

this, though, was the sense of belonging that I and others gained by being a part of these programs and classes. I began to notice how much of an impact that simply being a part of a chorus or band class made on others, many had no prior connection to music or that had simply enrolled in the class for a credit. I experienced a growth in my own character and confidence by being involved, but I also watched as others came out of their shell and found an outlet and an accepting, loving community through performing arts. Throughout my involvement with the performing arts, I watched everyone who walked through the doors be positively affected in some way by surrounding themselves with the arts. While gaining a well-rounded education and becoming well-versed in the important language of music are certainly crucial aspects of the importance of music education, I believe that the community and creative outlet that is available for students through the existence of arts programs is a unique and principal reason that every child should have access to them.

In my future classrooms, I will do everything necessary to create this kind of environment for my students. As a person who has gained so much from teachers who were passionate about the success of their students both in and out of the classroom, I hope to spend every day teaching and caring for my future students in a way that would impact them on an educational and personal level, ensuring that I do everything I can to allow my students to be the best that they can be. I hope to provide students with the education and opportunities they need to be successful not only in music but in life. The final thing that I will focus on is providing an outlet for those students like me who need a space to feel belonging; a space that would not reinforce their insecurities, but rather let them shine and show them that they are seen. I believe this is something that uniquely comes from an arts education, and a reason why I wish for the inclusion of strong arts programs for all schools, and I’m excited to one day be a small part of the large impact these programs make on the lives of students.

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Improving the Woodwind Section Tips That Click

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reader of this column requested that a collection of hints specific to helping directors improve their woodwind sections would be useful to him and other young directors. It seems that problems with the woodwind instruments are a continuing concern to even the most experienced directors, and we all are always looking for good advice! I polled several of the top directors in the state for their solutions that can be offered from the podium that will reinforce or create good woodwind playing.

Suzanne Winter is the recently retired director of the Pizitz Middle School Bands, which she directed to many state and regional honors. She suggests: “One thing that directors can do, that many don't think of, is to have flutists slightly raise the head as they descend the scale (or as music is in the lower part of the staff). It also helps to raise the head slightly as a note is sustained for a long time. As you know, the tendency is to play flat on sustained tones and in the lower octaves, so the raising of the head helps intonation tremendously. The director just has to use body language to remind the flutes about what to do.”

Our next contributor is Dr. Leslie Welker who is the director of the Hillcrest/Duncanville Middle School Band, which performed for us in January at the AMEA Conference. Her advice concerning the woodwind section is as follows: “I stress to the woodwinds that they should sit up straight and fill their instruments with 28

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the February/March 2011 Ala Breve.

While the biographical information of the contributors may be out of date, the tips and advice offered are just as relevant today as they were when first published.

air so they're not covered by the brass and percussion and their sound will be characteristic of the instrument. I have the reed players (clarinets and saxes) use lots of mouthpiece. I tell them to put enough mouthpiece in their mouth until they squeak. Then, they back off the tiniest bit until there are no squeaks. That's about the right amount of mouthpiece they should use. I have the flutes keep their heads up and, when they blow across the headjoint, I have them think of a laser beam of air going across. This helps them focus the sound. For double reeds, I make sure they have enough reed in their mouth and that they keep the air constant to help provide a rich sound.”

Theo Vernon is the Director of The Symphonic Band II and the Jazz Bands at Grissom High School in Huntsville.

Besides being a great director, he is one of the busiest performers in the state and provides these helpful woodwind insights: “Flutes need more room around their chairs than any other instrument. Have them turn their chairs out "towards the audience" and bring their flutes up as if they are playing the clarinet. Then they turn their head to the left and flip their wrists up to bring the lip plate to their lips. Their elbows need to be down and relaxed. Their music stand should be adjusted appropriately so they can see the music without having to move their head, arm, and hand position.

This can be very foreign to many that are not used to doing this but it can make a difference. Also, have them push their right arm/elbow forward a

little to relieve the tension in the right shoulder. It may be a good idea for flutes to not share a stand if possible to avoid bad playing posture.

Clarinets and ALL reed players need at least three working/playable reeds at every rehearsal. Be sure they are not too soft or too hard for the level of the player. They need to check to see if the reed “seals” on the mouthpiece every day. In general, when the clarinet plays top line G and above, they need to back off the speed of air a bit to allow these notes to NOT sound spread or too strong. The same advice goes for the saxophones as far as reeds and check to see if they seal on the mouthpiece. Check for too much or too little mouthpiece in the mouth and be sure the neck strap (They MUST have a neck strap) is low so they are not tilting their head forward and up.

Their chins should be pointed down a little. Their size will determine whether the alto is played in front of them or to the right side. When they are tall enough I prefer the horn in the middle of their bodies but NOT resting on the chair seat. Have them think of blowing their airstream at their left thumb at the thumb rest.

This helps to focus the air better.

Oboe and bassoons need three working reeds too if possible and affordable. With the changes in weather and temperature in every venue, it is a must. Check for how much reed is going in the mouth. Too much and it will sound very spread and unfocused. Too little and it will sound very thin.

August/September 2022

have a limited dynamic potential. If woodwinds try and play louder than they can, lots of bad things happen like bad tone, bad blend, and bad intonation. While it is true that from time to time to achieve a specific effect we should allow the brass and percussion to dominate the band sound, most bands could raise their evaluation at festivals a whole level by just balancing to the woodwinds.

Bass Clarinets need to have the proper length on the post and the post should be positioned under their chair in front of them between their legs at an angle so their head is tilted down a little. This will help to insure the proper angle of the mouthpiece. It also depends upon what brand instrument and neck they are playing on too to determine the proper angle. We use synthetic reeds http://www.legere.com/ for all our low reed instruments. They are great and last a very long time!”

Kim Bain is the Director of the outstanding Pizitz Middle School Band a ‘first call” saxophone player for the major professional performances in the Birmingham area. She offers a checklist of several important points for helping the saxophone section.

1. The instrument needs to be in top working conditions. Leaky pads make fuzzy, unfocused sounds.

2. Mouthpiece selection: Vandoren Optimum AL3 for altos and Rousseau New Classic for Tenor. Of course, the standard is the Selmer C star, but this mouthpiece has become quite pricy.

Run away from any metal mouthpieces ala breve

that enter your band room, and allow them only in your jazz band.

3. Reeds: I still recommend the Vandoren, Purple box, strength 3.

4..If you do a lot of tuning exercises on F concert (Remington etc.), don't be surprised if your altos and baris sound sharp. The D is quite sharp on all brands. Concert A is a much better tuning note.

Our final contributor, Professor Raymond Smith, is the woodwind instructor and Director of the Concert band at Troy University. In his thirtyplus years of teaching, he has guided students and bands at all levels, from elementary to graduate school. His advice is not so much a “quick fix” from the podium, but some good longterm guidelines to help the development of the overall band program. He states: “I am a believer that good band sound, good woodwind tone, good intonation, and good technique begins with targeted listening. While most band directors preach to listen down to the bass section for intonation, they seldom do a good job of teaching to balance to the woodwind section. The woodwinds

One reason for not playing transcriptions is a lack of understanding of the woodwind sound within the texture of the band. Many modern composers have replaced the traditional role of principal clarinet with principal percussion or lead trumpet. While many of these contemporary compositions are exciting, the woodwinds are often little more than chord organs. The woodwind choir is a beautiful blend that we can use to raise the whole level of our groups.

I encourage every band director to find ways to make every section an important part of the whole. We woodwinds understand that in the marching band we will never be as loud as the brass and percussion. BUT - we need our turn. We chose the concert band. Most band directors think nothing of hiring outside help for their dance line, percussion, or flags, while the flutes, clarinets, and saxophones are mostly left to figure it out on their own. I submit that playing a flute is a little more complicated than most flag routines. Let’s spend as much time and money on the clarinets as we do on the drum line.”

Rho Chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity is committed to improving quality instruction and advancement of bands in this state. Please email pemin@mac.com with any comments on this column or suggestions for future columns.

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educator, taught general music and strings, had a baby, and graduated with a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education.

Editor: Why did you decide on a career in music education?

Teacher Profile

Jordan Kirchner Ford

Editor’s Note: This Teacher Profile marks the first in what we hope becomes a regular feature of Ala Breve. Each issue will spotlight a different music educator from across the full spectrum of AMEA - new teachers, experienced teachers, retired teachers, and teachers from each of AMEA’s different divisions. We begin the series with Jordan Kirchner Ford.

Editor: Briefly tell us about your current position, how long you’ve been there, and a little about your schedule.

JKF: I am the Orchestra Director for Alabaster City Schools. I direct orchestra ensembles at Thompson Middle School and Thompson High 30

School, as well as teach the violin/viola class and coordinate the other afterschool string classes at Thompson Intermediate School. This program is in its beginning years, as the 2021-2022 school year was the first with a full orchestra program!

Editor: Tell us about your background – hometown, college, family, etc.

JKF: I grew up in Knoxville, TN, and started playing the violin when I was four. Knoxville was an amazing place to be a string player, as they have a vibrant youth orchestra program, as well as orchestras in most of their schools. I moved to Birmingham to attend Samford University and graduated from there with my music education degree. Since graduation, I have gotten married to a fellow music

JKF: I have known my entire life I wanted to be a teacher. My mother was a teacher, and I saw how impactful sharing knowledge with others can be. In middle school and high school, I experienced how important music was in my personal development, much beyond getting grades for a subject in school. As an adult, I want to share those experiences with the students of the future. I’m also a sucker for the lightbulb moments when someone understands something they didn’t before.

Editor: Who are some of your teachers/colleagues that you would consider mentors and why?

JKF: Being a lifelong musician means I am very blessed to have MANY mentors, both from when I was in school to now as an in-service teacher. My violin teacher back home in Knoxville, Kathy Hart, and my high school orchestra director, Peggy Jones are two of the biggest reasons I developed into a music educator, even before going to get a degree for it. During school, my music education professors, Dr. Tim Heath and Dr. Susanne Burgess had the biggest impact on my drive, understanding, and love for music education. I also was so lucky to student teach with the best of the best at both the elementary and secondary levels, John Keyton at Bluff Park August/September 2022

Elementary and Jon Bubbett and Justin White at Thompson High School. All three are still to this day willing to lend a listening ear when I need help, and I am so grateful. As an in-service teacher, I am constantly learning from colleagues around me, but since I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, just know I’m always listening and learning from the great music educators in Alabama!

Editor: Are there any embarrassing teaching moments you’re willing to share? What are they?

JKF: When I taught general music, it was well known by the students that Mrs. Ford can’t remember the lyrics to anything. I would often get caught getting things backward or making

stuff up. Luckily, my students always kept me straight.

Editor: How do you spend your summer breaks?

Editor: Name one accomplishment that fills you with pride so far in your career.

My summer breaks are spent doing all of the adult things I put off during the school year. I also love getting extra time with my husband (teacher family perk), son, and dogs. We do things like swim, go to parks, and occasionally just sit and relax. I also always try to do one productive teacher thing, like professional development or learning experience.

JKF: I am very proud of the work I’ve done so far to increase the orchestra footprint in our state. We have a long way to go, but with a little determination and teamwork, I think we’ll get there one day!

Editor: What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

JKF: My students are often surprised that I know things about pop culture, like popular movies, shows, video games, social trends, etc. Just because I’m an orchestra teacher doesn’t mean I live under a rock.

Editor: Are you involved in other music-related activities in addition to your teaching position? If so, please explain.

JKF: Many of my Saturdays are spent playing at weddings, usually in quartets. It’s a fun, easy way to make some extra cash while also fulfilling my chamber music itch. I am also an instructional coach with the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra. I help coordinate rehearsals and stringrelated things with the students in the orchestra. Finally, I’m the Vice President of the Alabama Orchestra Association, which helps coordinate many of our state orchestra events and collaboration between string teachers in the state of Alabama.

Editor: Lastly, what are your interests or hobbies not related to your teaching position?

JKF: Unfortunately, being a music educator doesn’t lend itself to much time outside of the job, but I work on finding the best park in Birmingham for my two-year-old, as well as finding the best restaurants.

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Choral Music Reviews

Dr. William Powell

Focus: Selected choral compositions with accessible and intermediate piano accompaniments that sound harder than they appear

Children, Go Where I Send Thee (SSA & solo soprano with piano and percussion; opt. rapper and bass guitar; also available for SATB) Traditional African-American Spiritual arranged by Kevin Phillip Johnson Rap crafted by Ayana Davis Carl Fischer CM9742 / $2.75 Duration: Approximately 4:05 Released in 2022, this arrangement is sure to invigorate choirs and audiences alike. Dr. Kevin Phillip Johnson offers an impressive setting with his creative use of harmonies, rhythms, hand claps, and a driving accompaniment to anchor the repeated and forward-moving texts of this well-known spiritual. As director of the Spelman Glee Club, Johnson evidences a firm understanding of treble voices. The arrangement is from his Soulful Singing Series, and it is best sung by choirs that know how to perform with grit and vigor. Although

an advanced junior high choir could sing it well, I believe that this setting is best suited for high school choirs and above. It must be sung from memory, and it is well worth the investment of time, resources, and effort. Be aware that the full instrumental score (including piano) is published separately. The instrumental parts are very accessible to intermediate players, especially since the notation is mostly ostinato except for the refrain and the extensive rap segment.

Shenandoah (Three-part mixed, piano; also available for two-part) arranged by Andrew Parr Text by Friedrich Rückert (adapted) Choristers Guild CGE435 / $2.25 Duration: Approximately 2:48 As part of American folksong literature, this arrangement of

Shenandoah is great for choirs that do not already have this song in their choral repertoire. Parr offers a very accessible three-part setting of his arrangement of Shenandoah. This is an ideal voicing for beginner and intermediate choirs of mixed voices.

The third voice works very well for boys’ changing voices in the mid-toupper range. Low baritone singers might have a difficult time sustaining the C# (at middle C). The flowing piano accompaniment requires a player who will watch and follow without rushing or slowing down apart from the conductor.

A la Puerta del Cielo (Three-part mixed, piano; also available for SSA and two-part) Traditional Spanish lullaby arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram Choristers Guild CGE452 / $2.25 Duration: Approximately 3:10 This song is great for teaching phrasing, sustained singing, and staggered breathing. It is also great for singing in Spanish. Part three is comfortably written for mid-ranged baritone and tenor voices. The score includes a helpful pronunciation guide and a translation of the text. Intermediate pianists will enjoy playing the lyrical and expressive accompaniment.

Choral Reviews William Powell Director of Choral Activities Auburn University 32

August/September 2022

David L. Walters Department of Music

JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

» Friday, February 3, 2023 » Saturday, February 4, 2023 » Friday, February 10, 2023 » Saturday, February 11, 2023

The JSU Marching Southerners were selected by the John Philip Sousa Foundation as the 2022 recipient of the Sudler Trophy and the JSU Percussion Ensemble has been selected to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) on November 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, IN.

DEGREE PROGRAMS IN MUSIC Bachelor of Arts in Music ∙ Music Education with Instrumental or Vocal Concentration ∙ General Music with Instrumental or Vocal Concentration ∙ Performance with Instrumental, Jazz, Piano, or Voice Concentrations Master of Arts in Music ∙ Vocal Music Education ∙ Vocal General Music ∙ Instrumental Music Education ∙ Instrumental General Music Minors ∙ Jazz Studies ∙ Music ∙ Music Technology

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33

HOW TO BUILD YOUR JAZZ PROGRAM I

Dr. Andy Nevala, Chris Kozak, Dr. Dave Camwell

n this article, Dr. Andy Nevala, Director of Jazz Studies at Jacksonville State University, Chris Kozak, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Alabama, and Dr. Dave Camwell, Director of Jazz Studies and Saxophone at Troy University, will each weigh in on how to build a jazz program.

We are part of a larger group of Jazz Educators focused on improving jazz education in Alabama, a non-profit group Alabama Jazz Collective.

Dr. Andy Nevala, Director of Jazz Studies at Jacksonville State University: Many of you are wanting to build or start a jazz program at your school, and have limited resources to do so. One of the first things to start thinking about is how you would present the idea of creating a jazz program to your administration. What do you say when your principal asks “Why do we need to have a Jazz program?”

The reasons for having jazz as a part of your music program include, but are not limited to: educating students on the impact jazz has had on our culture and cultures all over the world, allow an opportunity for students to find their own voice through participation in a jazz ensemble or combo, help students develop critical thinking and listening skills, developing a better understanding of music theory, and improve their musicianship skills. For students already seeking a career in music, having jazz as a 34

part of your school’s music program will enable them even further to have success in their future careers.

But how do we build a program, with the resources you already have? Start with your pep band. These are close to the same instrumentation as a jazz ensemble, and already have an outlet to perform. Sneak in a few jazz charts that have easy, open solo sections, such as (yes, I’m saying it) Chameleon, or “Jungle Boogie”, which lets students explore soloing without having to think about the “changes”. Then sneak in another tune that might be a blues or an easy standard: lots of Dave Wolpe arrangements are written for younger groups and are readily accessible. There are many arrangements of Holiday songs for this type of ensemble - have them play a few to close out your last band concert of the fall!

Great, now that you have an ensemble that is starting to smell like a jazz band, how do you improve on that?

Ask for a dedicated rehearsal time during the schedule. I know many schools that could only rehearse during “zero” hour or before school started. Once your group has gained visibility by playing at band concerts, basketball games, and even having your own jazz concerts, you can approach the administration and ask for an hour during the school day for your jazz group. It could get some of you out of teaching something you don’t want to teach and would be a great benefit to your program. You could teach jazz theory, improvisation, and jazz

history, and introduce more difficult tunes that require rehearsing on the same level as your concert bands.

Including guest artists on your concert will also help draw attention to your program. Many of the universities with jazz programs, such as the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama - Birmingham, Troy University, Jacksonville State University, and other members of the Alabama Jazz Collective are willing to bring groups to your school to perform with and for your students, at virtually no cost to you. It’s what we do!

Use us!

Chris Kozak, Associate Professor of Music and Electric/Double Bass, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Alabama: Dr. Nevala hits on some great points for starting a Jazz Program at your school. Informing your administration of the importance of Jazz as a valid musical art form can be challenging for many to accept however it is a fact. It is truly an original American art form that has had a tremendous effect on the development of modern styles and genres of music.

Many programs don’t have the resources in funding, equipment, or even student population. In these situations, you need to make do with what you have, and like a main component of Jazz, you’ll have to improvise!

One point I’d like to address that August/September 2022

hasn’t been covered is instrumentation and how to overcome an ensemble that isn’t composed of what some might consider a “traditional Jazz band.” Many directors starting programs are often faced with what seems like “nontraditional” instrumentations relating to Jazz. Picture the instrumentation: 2 clarinetists, a Tenor Saxophonist, an Alto Saxophonist, an Oboist, a Pianist, 2 Guitarists, a Drum Set player, and a Tubaist. Could this group play Jazz? Of course! Part of the anxiety for band directors is not having a library of material for their groups, as odd as the instrumentation can sometimes be but fear not. Lest we forget, the development of our modern Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, and Jazz Band came from improvisatory scenarios that DID NOT HAVE SHEET MUSIC. Imagine that, not using a sheet of music with EVERY NOTE written out. Crazy right? Not so.

This is a great place to start. Jazz Standard lead sheets from a Real Book or Jamey Aebersold (www.jazzbooks.com) are available in the keys of all of those instruments and for around $50.00, you could have as many as 30 tunes for your students to play! If you know how some of our historically significant bands began (I’m looking at you Count Basie Orchestra,) you can take the same approach, and in the process, help students develop aspects of their musicianship without them even knowing. Kind of like putting kale in a fruit smoothie…except it’s Jazz…and it’s not a smoothie.

There are a few things to consider when taking this approach.

Select only a few tunes for the students to work on. The Jazz Standard repertoire is quite large but a good place to start if you are unfamiliar with what tunes to pick would be the website: jazzstandards.com. It lists 1000 Jazz Standards that also have historical information and in most cases, details on each tune as it relates to form or harmony. Next, find as many historical versions of the tunes for your students to listen to as you can. HAVE YOUR STUDENTS LISTEN TO THE MUSIC. Probably one of the most important considerations is that our ears are our ala breve

Alabama Jazz Collective greatest assets and there is no better place to develop this than playing and studying jazz music. Once they have the lead sheets and have listened to the music, it is time to play. Have them try to replicate what they hear based on the music provided. They can try to emulate the arrangement but most importantly, have them listen to the melody and play it.

Everyone in the band should do this.

Rhythm section players too but they should also listen to what role their similar instruments are playing. Guitar and Piano can have a dual function in melody and harmony at different times or together while the individual wind players should focus on playing the melody. The most important thing is to have them play.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and we hope you’ll consider developing or furthering the programs you already have. We understand this can be particularly daunting especially if the band director does not have much experience in Jazz but there are plenty of resources available. To echo Dr. Nevala, we are here to serve you and the music!

Contact any one of us and ask if we can help. I have yet to meet a Jazz Educator who doesn’t want to “pass the Jazz torch!”

Dr. Dave Camwell, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies, Troy University One of the most important pieces of advice I was ever given was in graduate school by Dr. Gene Aitken at the University of Northern Colorado; he told our jazz pedagogy class that strong programs are mostly built by solid intrinsic motivators. Students want to be part of something that has real artistic value, worth, and meaning to them. They want the feeling that the time that is put into the ensemble/rehearsal/practice is truly worth it, resulting in artistic and practical rewards. Extrinsic motivators of tours, socializing, trophies, and other enjoyable aspects of music programs are certainly helpful, but the true mark of a successful program is the buy-in from students who are truly interested in developing an appreciation and love of jazz.

So how do we do that? Firstly, as stated by my AJC colleagues, the importance of choosing quality literature of an appropriate level is of paramount importance. There is no quicker way to sink a rehearsal than to pick music that is too hard; even if it’s your favorite piece and you think they could get it with enough work, at the high school level, it is often not worth the dampening of 35

morale that can occur if success remains elusive. I do think that occasional “stretch” pieces are good, but picking a stylistic variety of pieces that provide different opportunities and methods for students to engage with jazz music cannot be overstated. It is also important to not just play 3-4 pieces a semester!

Even the most well-arranged and instructed music can become sheer drudgery if over-rehearsed. Finding the line between accomplishment, improvement, and exploring new works that propel the ensemble to a higher level is always a constant and important goal.

Depending upon the number of rehearsals you have, I would suggest a time frame of approximately six weeks per set of charts, with an ideal semester including 2-3 performance opportunities.

I also agree with my colleagues that starting with smaller numbers, and including non-traditional instruments should not be eschewed. Yes, there are jazz purists at the professional level, but I feel strongly that we should be welcoming to all interested musicians.

Whether it’s a close double, or it’s a revised part, there is always a way to include those that have interest and ability. Jazz combos are indeed a great way to learn many aspects of jazz, and are an advantage in providing sufficient solo opportunities to all members. Many publications feature varied instrumentation, so embrace the musicians you currently have and provide them with tunes that will work for their exact specifications!

Finally, I would encourage jazz listening sessions; Spotify, youtube, and apple music playlists are but some of the very easy ways to expose students to this music. Without a strong idea of what the music should sound like, it is quite difficult to achieve an authentic and genuine performance. I often liken it to learning a foreign language without ever hearing a native speaker! Transcription is another wonderful tool that can be used to dig deeper into stylistic tendencies, as well as provide some tools to begin improvising with.

Jazz music should be a

rewarding, enriching, meaningful experience that above all is FUN! As a director, YOU are the most important conduit that brings this wonderful music inTo your students’ world.

Find us here: Dr. Andy Nevala: anevala@jsu.edu Chris Kozak: ckozak@ua.edu Dr. Dave Camwell:dcamwell@troy.edu For more information on the Alabama Jazz Collective: www.AlabamaJazzCollective.com

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August/September 2022

Welcoming New Faculty for 2022!

Dr. Robert Abend Associate Director of Bands

Dr. Clayton Maddox Asst. Professor of tuba/Euphonium

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Coupling Exercises to Cultivate Development

I

believe in a daily routine. I believe certain exercises enhance my playing more efficiently than others. I believe my daily routine helps keep my skills fresh. I also get bored of doing it every day. I am sure my students feel the same way because they have told me. During this last semester, we set out to find ways to cover the same concepts on a daily basis, without doing exactly the same exercises. This led us to multiple ways to combine two basic (and universal) brass exercises: a two-note lip slur and a descending Remington exercise. One key point that we learned over the semester: changing between notes tends to be overdone in the low register and creates a world of problems for any notes that come after the low register.

Hopefully, by putting these exercises to the test, you and your students can start to fine-tune the lower register and overcome common pitfalls that this register can provide.

As you can see, both of these exercises start on a Concert F. ala breve

Remington First, Slur Second

Placing the exercises in this order allowed us to focus on establishing the correct distance AWAY from the Concert F. This means our air, our lips, and consequently our buzz. By slowly expanding our buzz lower and lower, we can find the exact change for a great sounding low Concert B-flat, as it is only a little more change than the low Concert B-natural.

Normally, students will have an established habit of how they move between Concert F and B-flat, often involving letting go of the embouchure structure to just get the low Concert B-flat out. By expanding down by half-step, the student can maintain a similar method of tone production as they approach the “low open note.” One vital part of the initial portion of this exercise is how to transition between notes. The buzz needs to change as the valve/slide is in motion. A motto we have taken on is “change, then undo.”

Moving from Concert F to the second-valve Concert E requires an ever-so-slight change in the buzz and therefore the aperture size. Most younger students fail to realize the need to “undo” that change as they move from the E back up to the F. The thought process we have adopted (while listening for our best, consistent sound on every note) is “F-change-E-undo-F.” Again, the “change” and “undo” occur during the valve motion. With smaller intervals, the 39

change may seem unimportant, but as we move to larger intervals, this change needs to be intentional and a defined distance. By making the students aware of the smaller change, it allows them to be conscious of making the change slightly more for each interval.

Once the student has established how to move from Concert F to the low B-flat, the exercise moves into the lip slur portion. The distance of this portion is always a descending Perfect Fifth, meaning the amount of change required should also be the same, the only difference is the starting note of the lip slur. By establishing the Concert FBb-F lip slur, we can move to the second valve/position for Concert E-A-E and focus on recreating the same “change and undo” but just starting slightly lower in the register. We have found that this method has allowed the students to have a more focused sound in the lower register, as they are not “just opening up” but rather “opening up the right amount.”

Remington Inside the Lip Slur

By placing the Remington concept inside of the lip slur, the student can reinforce not having a generic “low note setting,” but rather a lower register that they can move in and out of freely. While this exercise does not go as low as other exercises, it serves as a building block for future exercises. I have used this exercise in a previous article entitled “Rethinking Basic Lip Slurs’’ which appeared in the Summer 2020 edition of Ala Breve. Again, the focus on the air/buzz change occurring during the valve/slide change should ensure the student is changing the proper amount.

This exercise is unbalanced in its interval content. The Concert F-E change is only a half-step, but the E-low Bb change is an augmented fourth, and then returns to the starting not byr eversing the direction of those intervals. As the exercise progresses, these intervals shift to an initial interval of a tri-tone, with the half-step between the two bottom notes. The two biggest indicators of a problem with the students’ method of production in getting to the low B-flat are 1) a “fall into” the bottom note, and 2) an “pop” or “hard left edge” to the note after the low B-flat.

With both of these, we are listening to a specific sound to be a sign of a technical deficiency. The first indicator (the “fall”) is marked by an unstable front and middle of the note. This should be addressed by using the previous exercise and finding an exact placement of the low B-flat.

40

The second indicator (the “pop”) is a sign that the student is not “undoing” the change that allowed them to get to the low note successfully. The “pop” at the left edge of the upper notes is caused by an aperture that is too wide and is unable to become small enough to ensure a smooth transition. With either of these two indicators, a great strategy to make the student aware of the change is to halfvalve the exercise and focus on the transition of the buzz.

If the student is unable to produce a half-valve that can smoothly move around this register of the instrument it is typically because they are blowing “generic” air that has no exact information to tell the lips to buzz. In this case, buzzing and pitched air flow exercises can help remedy the student’s awareness.

The next two exercises both contain one expanding interval and one consistently placed Perfect Fifth slur. These can work hand-in-hand with each other to develop fluid motion in and out of the low register. They are presented here in the preferred sequence to study them, as the second requires greater control of the air stream.

Lip Slur Inside the Remington

This exercise places the first “valved” note immediately after the Concert F, from there the lip slur will take place.

The student should focus on how to achieve the change from the open F to the second note (revisit the first exercise in the article if this is a problem) and then consider the second note to be the start of the lip slur portion of the exercise. The distance of the Perfect Fifth should always August/September 2022

exercise. The distance of the Perfect Fifth should always require the same amount of change, and this exercise ensures that the student is placing the starting note of the lip slur in the correct place. Initially, we have found it helpful to break the exercise down into its two parts and connect them with a Caruso-style nasal breath during the half-note rests and hold our embouchure and mouthpiece in place before moving on.

isolated successfully before returning to the combined exercise.

As there are a lot of moving parts in this exercise, the student needs to find a few tips while practicing. The first item would be to use the non-depressed valves to help aid the lip slur by having a quick “half-valve squish” on the way down. This will ensure the low note is not a generic setting.

The second tip is to compare the last Concert F of each portion of the exercise to the first Concert F in the next portion. This will tell the student if they are “undoing” things properly and returning to the same starting point for every valve/slide combination.

As you can see, this exercise places the Remington progression overtop of the lip slur. As with the “Remington Inside the Slur” exercise, the student must control the initial descent through the valved notes and onto the low B-flat, but then must immediately continue downward to the next valved note. Unlike previous combinations of these two exercises which contained only two descending intervals and two ascending intervals, this variation contains three descending and three ascending intervals. Even though the same valve/slide combination is used after both “open” notes, the change required to successfully navigate the registers is quite different. Since there are multiple moving parts in this exercise, feel free to use the Caruso-style breakdown and breathing plan on each set of two notes.

Remington at the End of the Slur

This is the second in the pair of exercises meant to work on developing a fluid low register. By placing the Remington at the end of the lip slur, the student can focus on a familiar process (the slowly expanding interval change) but have the process start in a new place. The starting slur between Concert F and low B-flat should allow the student to feel stable in the process of finding the correct initial setting for the Remington portion. A few takeaways from previous exercises in the article that will be beneficial to transfer into the low register Remington. First, ensure the airflow is forward into the low notes and does not “weaken” but instead gets wider to fill up the space between the wider aperture. Secondly, do not underestimate the “undo” factor back to the low B-flat. This will be vitally important to ensure a great ascending lip slur back to the starting Concert F. Lastly, remember to compare the last note of one portion with the starting note of the next portion. This will provide direct and easily observed feedback if the student is returning to the same starting place. If the two Concert Fs differ in tone quality, pitch, or volume, break down the exercise into manageable parts that can be ala breve

Overlapping This is my favorite way to combine these exercises as it forces the student to constantly be engaged in what change is coming up and how they undo that change.

Hopefully, these examples can help spark some imagination on how you can deviate from a traditional warm-up routine while enabling yourself or your students to be more mindful of what is the focus and how we achieve great results.

Dr. Thomas Lukowicz is the Assistant Professor of Low Brass at the University of North Alabama, Tuba-Artist Faculty at the Tennessee Valley Music Festival, and has held the Principal Tuba position of the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of New York since 2007. Additional performance appearances include the Columbus Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Brass, the Naples Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony. In 2001-2002, he was a member of the North American touring cast of Blast!.

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AMEA Division Events

2022 - 2023

Alabama Vocal Association Event Fall Workshop AMEA All-State Show Choir Festival All-State Chorus Festival

Date September 9 January 19-21 January 10-11 March 9-11

Location University of Montevallo BJCC ZOOM BJCC

Solo & Ensemble District I District II District III District IV

March 1 April 5-6 April 14 February 16

University of North Alabama Moody Music Building, Tuscaloosa Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Birmingham Jacksonville State University

District V

February 27-28

First Baptist Church in Huntsville

District VI District VII

March 28 March 16

Taylor Road Baptist Church, Montgom Springhill Baptist Church, Mobile

State Choral Performance Assessment District I District I District II District III District IV District V

March 1 March 2 April 5-6 March 14-16 April 6 April 17-18

University of North Alabama First Baptist Church, Decatur Moody Music Building, Tuscaloosa Canturbury UMC, Birmingham Gadsden City High School Grissom High School

District VI

March 28

lor Road Baptist Church, Montgom

District VII

April 4

Springhill Baptist Church, Mobile

All-State Chorus Auditions Gadsden Huntsville Florence Tuscaloosa Montgomery Mobile

November 3 November 4-5 November 6 November 7-8 November 9 November 10

Gadsden City High School Mayfair Church of Christ Florence High School Christ Episcopal Church Saint James School University of Mobile

Elementary/General Division August 27, 2022 October 14, 2022 October 15, 2022

East Alabama General Music Workshop Elementary Music Festival AMEA/AOSA/SHAKE Fall Workshop

Auburn Metropolitan Church of God, Birmingham Eastmont Baptist Church

November 2-6, 2022

NAfME Inservice Conference

National Harbor, Maryland

November 2-5, 2022

American Orff-Schulwerk National Professional Development Conference Kansas City, Missouri

January 19-21, 2023

AMEA Professional Development Conference

Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex

Alabama Orchestra Association October 28, 2022

All-State/All Region Orchestra Audition Deadline

Strings, Harp, Piano

November 11, 2022

All-State/All Region Orchestra Audition Deadline

Woodwind, Brass, Percussion

January 7-8, 2023

All-Region Orchestras

North/South

January 19-21, 2023

AMEA Professional Development Conference

BJCC

February 9-12 2023

All-State Orchestra

TBA

April 22-23, 2023

Orchestra Music Performance Assessment

TBA

AMEA Collegiate Division October 23, 2022

Collegiate Summit

The University of Alabama Moody Music Building

January 19-21, 2023

AMEA Professional Development Conference

Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex

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August/September 2022

Alabama Bandmasters Association District Statewide

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

District 8

ala breve

Event AMEA Conference All-State Jazz Festival All State Jazz Recording Due All State Solo Festival All State Festival Summer Convention District Fall Meeting All State/ District HB Auditions District Honor Band MPA #1 MPA #2 Solo and Ensemble #1 Solo and Ensemble #2 Spring Meeting District Fall Meeting District Fall Meeting All State Auditions District Honor Band MPA Solo and Ensemble Solo and Ensemble District Fall Meeting All State Auditions District Honor Band MPA Solo and Ensemble District Fall Meeting All State Auditions District Honor Band MPA #1 MPA #2 Solo and Ensemble #1 Solo and Ensemble #2 District Spring Meeting District Fall Meeting All State District Honor Band AudiDistrict Honor Band MPA Solo and Ensemble Solo and Ensemble District Fall Meeting All State Auditions District Honor Band MPA Solo and Ensemble District Fall Meeting All State Auditions MPA District Honor Band Solo and Ensemble District Fall Meeting All State Auditions MPA District Honor Band District Spring Meeting Solo and Ensemble #1 Solo and Ensemble #2

Location Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex alaband.org Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL Perdido Beach Resort James Clemens HS Sparkman HS Grissom HS James Clemens HS Hartselle HS Liberty MS Athens HS TBA Guntersville TBA ZOOM Albertville HS Albertville HS Gadsden City HS Audiorium Arab HS Weaver HS TBA Muscle Shoals HS Russellville HS UNA Hamilton HS Oak Mountain HS Hoover HS Chelsea HS Vestavia High School Thompson High School Thompson Middle School Bumpus MS Oak Mountain HS Zoom Call Brookwood High School University of Alabama University of Alabama Brookwood High School Prattville Junior High Baumhower's Auburn, AL Wetumpka HS Auburn HS Benjamin Russell HS East Samford School Barton Academy Saraland HS Baker HS Daphne High School Spanish Fort MS Enterprise, AL Coppinville Junior High School Enterprise Performing Arts Center Enterprise HS Enterprise HS Houston Academy Greenville HS

Date January 19-21, 2023 January 19-21, 2023 15-Nov-21 26-Apr-23 April 27-29, 2023 June 20-22, 2023 22-Aug-22 January 28-29, 2022 February17-18, 2023 February 28-March 2, 2023 March 7-9, 2023 1-Apr-23 6-May-23 15-May-23 21-Aug-22 23-Aug-22 1/28/2023 2/10-11/23 February 28-March 3,2023 17-Apr-23 8-May-23 TBA 28-Jan-23 February 10-11, 2023 March 7-9, 2023 6-May-23 12-Sep-22 January 28-2023 February 24-25, 2023 March 13-16, 2023 March 20-23, 2023 18-Apr-23 6-May-23 15-May-23 23-Aug-22 January 28-2023 February 17-18, 2023 March 8-10, 2023 15-Apr-23 20-Apr-23 13-Aug-23 January 28-2023 February 17-18, 2023 February 28-March 2, 2023 22-Apr-23 29-Aug-22 January 28-2023 March 7-10, 2023 March 23-24, 2023 6-May-23 29-Aug-22 28-Jan-23 March 7-9, 2023 March 10-11, 2023 10-Mar-23 22-Apr-23 6-May-23

Deadline 1/7/2023 11/1/2022 11/15/2022 3/1/2023 3/1/2023 6/1/2023 N/A 12/16/2022 12/16/2022 2/7/2023 2/14/2023 3/11/2023 4/15/2023 N/A N/A N/A 12/16/2022 2/3/2023 2/3/2023 3/24/2023 4/14/2023 N/A 12/16/2022 2/3/2023 2/13/2023 4/14/2023 N/A 12/16/2022 2/4/2023 1/13/2023 1/13/2023 4/3/2023 4/3/2023 N/A N/A 12/16/2022 2/3/2023 2/15/2023 3/31/2023 4/6/2023 N/A 12/16/2022 2/2/2023 2/7/2023 4/2/2023 N/A 12/16/2022 2/3/2023 2/17/2023 4/14/2023 N/A 12/16/2022 2/7/2023 2/7/2023 N/A 4/7/2023 4/28/2023

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AMEA Industry/Institutional Membership 2022-23 AMEA would like to express appreciation to the following partners who have joined AMEA in our efforts to promote music education in Alabama. Please support these industry/ institutional members who support you as music educators!

American Travel Consulting P.O. Box 750, Albertville, AL 35950

At ATC, student travel planning is our passion. Having traveled extensively throughout our careers, our team understands just how important travel is to a student’s well-rounded education.

Travel provides students real world experiences not available from a textbook and offers learning opportunities on an enhanced level. From elementary school groups headed to Atlanta for a weekend trip to marching bands flying to California for the Rose Parade, our team is ready to help plan your perfect trip!”

Arts Music Shop, Inc.

3030 East Blvd, Montgomery, AL 36116 Your One Stop Complete Music Company! ... we are a full line music store headquartered in Montgomery, AL with two additional locations in Dothan and Birmingham, AL.

BSC

Birmingham-Southern College

Department of Music FACULTY

Performance Carts

Dr. Jeremy Grall, jgrall@bsc.edu Associate Professor of Music

Performance Carts is a manufacturer of high-end carts for speakers, mixers, keyboards, drum sets, and other items used be marching ensembles in their performances. We also provide sound reinforcement consulting.

Dr. Jeff Kensmoe, jkensmoe@bsc.edu Associate Professor of Music and Director of Opera

11212 AL Hwy 157, Moulton, AL 35650

Southern Performances

PO Box 6852, Gulf Shores, AL 36542 Southern Performances was founded by David and Dayna Brannan with the mission of offering an all-around company to help any program or group perform with the highest quality equipment, apparel and instruction. With an extensive knowledge of the arts, they have combined forces to offer band and choir programs the best possible customer service for performing ensembles!

Troy University

John M. Long School of Music, Troy, AL 36082 The students, faculty, and staff in the John M. Long School of Music are committed to musical excellence in the classroom and in the performance arena. Our ensembles and classes are filled with many of Troy University’s best and brightest students from across the country and from all majors on our campus.

University of South Alabama

LPAC 1072, 5751 USA Drive South, Mobile, AL 36688 The Department of Music at the University of South Alabama, through its innovative curriculum and exemplary faculty, offers educational and creative opportunities for musicians and music educators. Propelled by an increasing music student population, a newly created graduate degree program, and a highly active concert series featuring accomplished soloists and diverse ensembles, the department continually embraces new artistic experiences that balance the rich history of music with emerging music of the 21st century. Providing opportunities for lifelong learners within our community, the department is an important asset to the University of South Alabama and a valuable resource for the entire Gulf Coast region.

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Dr. David Phy, dmphy@bsc.edu Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands Dr. Lester C. Seigel, lseigel@bsc.edu Joseph Hugh Thomas Professor of Music

OPPORTUNITIES Symphonic Band Athletic Band Jazz Band Concert Choir

Hilltop Singers Guitar Ensemble Southern Chorale Opera Workshop

DEGREES OFFERED Bachelor of Arts (BA) with a major or minor in music Bachelor of Arts (BA) with Disciplinary Honors in Performance Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA)

bsc.edu/music August/September 2022

Master of Education in Music Class A Alternative Certification Available

"AT ASU, YOU'RE NOT JUST A STUDENT, YOU'RE FAMILY." "IT CHANGED MY LIFE, LET IT CHANGE YOURS." Erskine Long '22 M.Ed Alt-A

Alabama State University

Alabama State University is an accredited institutional member of

Find us on:

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

NASM National Association of Schools of Music

MUSIC@ALASU.EDU

(334) 229-4341

FALL 2023 SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION DEADLINE:

SATURDAY JANUARY 21 2023

Marching Honor Band

Middle School Honor Band

High School Honor Choir

Sept. 10, 2022

Feb. 2-4, 2023

Sept. 27, 2022

High School Honor Band Feb. 9-11. 2023

For more information and to register visit: auburn.edu/music Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution / employer.

The University of North Alabama Department of Music offers scholarships to qualified music majors and minors in all instrumental, vocal, and piano programs through auditions.

Participants in University Ensembles may be eligible for a Performance Award, regardless of their academic major.

Audition Dates: November 11, 2022 January 27, 2023 February 25, 2023 March 18, 2023

Contact us Degrees una.edu/music ● 256.765.4375 music@una.edu ● @unamusic1

Bachelor of Music in Performance • Instrumental • Piano • Vocal Bachelor of Arts or Science in Music • Instrumental • Vocal / Choral Bachelor of Science in Education • Choral Music, P-12 • Instrumental Music, P-12

Minor • Music Certificates • Musical Theatre • Percussion Specialist

Montgomery 3030 East Blvd 334.271.2787

800-341-2787

Dothan

Birmingham

1001 Commons Dr #2 334.793.1284

4647-O Hwy 280S 205.995.8376

ArtsMusicShop.com