May/June 2018 Ala Breve

a l a b r e v e

The University of South Alabama Department of Music, through its innovative curriculum, empowers professional musicians, music educators, and those who wish to enrich their lives through the arts. The Department serves the needs of the University to promote general education and to provide a vital cultural link to the great state of Alabama and to the Gulf Coast region. Its excellent facilities and faculty, promotion of technology, and dedication to life-long learning provide a wide spectrum of experiences for both the student and the community.

Ensembles

Symphony Orchestra

Jaguar Marching Band

Clarinet Ensemble

Trumpet Ensemble

Trombone Ensemble

Tuba Euphonium Ensemble

Chamber Brass Ensembles

Chamber Woodwind Ensembles

Percussion Ensemble

USA Steel Band

USA World Music Ensembles

Piano Ensemble

Guitar Ensemble

Degrees

BM with Concentration in Music Education (Instrumental or Vocal)

BM with Concentration in Performance (Instrumental or Vocal)

BM with Concentration in Elective Studies (Business)

MM in Music Education (General, Instrumental, or Vocal)

MM in Performance (Brass, Percussion, Piano, Voice or Woodwind)

MM in Collaborative Keyboard

January

February

March

April 14, 2018

Susan Smith, AMEA President

mindset that music is a ser vice only to a community and not an academic venture with standards and rig or We can feel under-appreciated as teachers and administrators Suppor t other teachers and this will come back many times over.

Don’ t bur n bridges - We are faced daily with outside neg ativity or challenging circumstances as teachers It is tempting to say or email something we might reg ret as a reaction. Tr y to count to ten or r un it by someone you tr ust before hitting send!

As I write my final ar ticle as President of the Alabama Music Educators Association, I am str uck by how quickly the time has raced by and how many things have chang ed in our profession and daily life in the last two years. It has been a tr ue honor to ser ve the music educators of our state and I appreciate the oppor tunity given by the membership My jour ney of teaching and leadership has been molded by teachers, colleagues, mentors and family who have often said just the small things to kee p me centered An encouraging word or a moment of interest and suppor t might be just the thing we each need What we do as music teachers is valid and impor tant - I have never been more convinced of this I have been guided by a few phrases that I hope will be helpful or interesting to you as you ste p into the classroom each day

K eep moving forward - Some days this is all we need to g et us through

Get 1- 3 things done a day - We all g et overwhelmed by having so much on our plate. If we can focus on completing just a few things, we will feel confident and successful I love to check something off a list!

Teach for the long haul - My mom was a music teacher her entire life and this was a big piece of her teaching philosophy We sometimes make decisions or react in ways that might seem the easiest or most efficient route in the moment However, in the long r un, this might not be wisest course of action. Be careful to not allow shor t ter m outcomes over ride long ter m g oals

Don’ t always apologize - As teachers and ser vant leaders we sometimes take the blame for things that aren’t our fault, or we apologize just to make someone else feel better T his is something I have lear ned through the strength and guidance of my daughters

Celebrate successes but never be satisfied - As music teachers, we must be our own marketing team and tell all about the successes of our students and prog rams We are our own best advocates and should tell those in our communities Standards of success should be something that chang es and continues to move forward. Don’t ever be satisfied!

You deser ve to be appreciatedSometimes it is easy to be caught in the

Model who you want those around you to be - I see so many wonderful educators in all fields I want to emulate. Our students look up to us If we don’t like their behavior or reactions, we should take a moment to evaluate our own

Find a hobby - Our jobs can be so allencompassing that we forg et to care for ourselves One of my mentors, Linda Gammon, taught me that having a hobby or interest outside of music is impor tant to kee p a fresh outlook as a teacher.

Ever y child deser ves a championYou might be the only person who sees value in a child Take that responsibility seriously When they tr y your patience, wipe the slate clean and star t over tomor row My husband Rober t often says “Be on the lookout for Mozar t ” We might have a Mozar t in our class and we need to nur ture and foster that talent

As teachers, we choose a career of ser vant leadership by the nature of the job. We tr y to leave things better than we found it Along the way we make a lasting impact on our students, communities and families. It isn’t always easy and sometimes it doesn’t seem wor th it However, all it takes is that one lightbulb or “thank you ” to make it all wor thwhile AMEA is a strong org anization because of the

“Ever ybody can be g reat… because anybody can ser ve ”

- Mar tin Luther King Jr.

leadership of those who have come before and will continue to thrive if YOU become involved and help guide the future path. I hear people say “I don’t know how to g et involved” or “there is no place for me ” Here are some ways to g et star ted making a connection to the state music org anization:

Attend an AMEA Professional Development Conference - While we always have g ood attendance at the conference, we want a larg er percentag e of the music teachers in the state to benefit from the infor mation and perfor mances shared Encourag e a colleague in your area or a young er teacher to attend as well.

Apply to present at conference - Our application process is live and available on the www myamea org website We are acce pting applications for educational sessions and ensemble perfor mances until June 1 We will also be g athering applications through October 1st for our Lightning Round session which includes 6-10-minute sessions We are also acce pting applications for small ensemble chamber perfor mances If you have a g reat idea to share, this is the place!

Star t a Tri-M Music Honor Society Chapter - T his is g reat way to g row suppor t for the music prog ram at your school and to encourag e collaboration within the ar ts prog rams It can also bring recognition for your students at the level of the other academic honor societies in your school High School and Junior High School chapters alike can bring schools tog ether with ver y little effor t and highlight what you are doing in your music prog ram.

Suppor t a collegiate CNAFME chapter - If you have a colleg e CNAFME chapter near you, invite them into your classroom for hands-on experience. You might also offer to speak to the g roup about what you do in the classroom each day

Division clinics and ser vice - Each of our AMEA Divisions offer multiple sessions and clinics throughout the year. From the Elementar y Orff and Kodaly workshops to the All State Choir or Orchestra Festivals and Summer ABA Conference, there are many chances to make connections and g et involved We are always looking for those to ser ve as district officers and state officers and that level of ser vice usually star ts with moving a riser or music stand and pitching in at an event

Cong ratulations to our new PresidentElect, David Raney and Recording Secretar y, Carla Gallahan Your willingness to ser ve is much appreciated. Special thank you to the most recent Past Presidents, Dr Carl Hancock and Dr. Sara Womack for their guidance and patience T hank you to Greg Gumina for your help and suppor t and your never-ending optimism. T he calming daily leadership of Gar r y Taylor has guided each president during his tenure and the strength of the org anization is a direct result of his steadfast commitment to the better ment of music education in Alabama.

Finally, thank you to my family for your suppor t and ability to focus my daily walk. I appreciate the time you have given up in the interest of AMEA and for your constant love and encourag ement.

Remember to g et involved and teach for the long haul!

Susan

An educational festival for elementary, middle, and high school students in band, choir, and orchestra

2018 dates: April 20-21, April 27-28, May 4-5

2019 dates: April 12-13, April 26-27, May 3-4

www.SMMFestival.com or call:1-855-766-3008

“Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But ever yone has something to give.”

- Barbara Bush

President

Susan Smith

104 Smith Hall Troy, AL 36082 (334) 670-3322

president@myamea org

Immediate Past President

Carl Hancock University of Alabama Box 870366 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (205) 348-6335

past president@myamea org

President, AOA

Samuel Nordlund 405 Buchanan Hall Samford University

800 Lakeshore Dr Birmingham, AL 35229 snordlun@samford edu

President-Elect

Greg Gumina

Shades Valley High School 6100 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL 35210 (205) 956-4638

president elect@myamea org

Recording Secretary

Carla Gallahan

113 Long Hall

Troy University Troy, AL 36082 (334) 670-3502 recording secretary@myamea org

President, AVA

Ginny Coleman

Tuscaloosa County High School

12500 Wildcat Drive Northport, AL 35475 (205) 342 2670

gcoleman@tcss net

AMEA Collegiate Advisor

Edward (Ted) Hoffman

Treasurer/Registrar

Pat Stegall

AMEA Registration

PO Box 3385

Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 treasurer registrar@myamea org

President, ABA

Doug Farris Brewer High School

59 Eva Road

Somerville, AL 35670 (256) 621-0540

djfarris@morgank12 org

President, Elem/Gen

Phil Wilson

Ogletree Elementary School

737 Ogletree Road

Auburn, AL 36830

prwilson@auburnschools.org

Industry Representative

Becky Lightfoot

Arts Music Shop

3030 East Blvd

Montgomery, AL 36116 334/271-2787

beckyl@artsmusicshop com

Executive Director Editor, Ala Breve

Garry Taylor

1600 Manor Dr NE Cullman, AL 35055 (256) 636-2754

amea@bellsouth net

University of Montevallo Station 6670 Davis Music Building 308

Montevallo, AL 35115 (205) 665-6668

ehoffman@montevallo edu

Assistant Executive Director

Rusty Logan

2020 Janabrooke Lane

Auburn, AL 36830 (334) 663-1702

rlogan9853@gmail.com

President, Higher Education

Becky Halliday

University of Montevallo

Department of Music

Davis 317

Montevallo, AL 35115 (205) 665-6666

AHalliday@montevallo edu

Alabama Department of Education Arts Education Specialist

Andy Meadows

50 North Ripley Street Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (334) 353-1191

ameadows@ALSDE edu

Benefit from Professional Development and Summer Prog rams

As we approach the end of the 2017-2018 school year, I would like to wish the AMEA membership a happy summer. Many of the institutes of higher education offer professional development and summer prog rams to develop musicianship in people of all ag es. I hope you will visit the websites of our Alabama colleg es and universities to see if you and your students can benefit from these oppor tunities

T he Higher Education Division continues to g row and develop as we strengthen our collaboration with the Collegiate Division. Our combined mixer and the HED recitals at the

AMEA conferences have given faculty and students oppor tunities to interact in a variety of settings. In addition, our membership throughout the state continues to g row as more faculty members see the benefits of joining our org anization.

During my time as President, I have enjoyed working with the HED and the AMEA Executive Council, and I look forward to suppor ting the vision of the incoming officers: Mildred Lanier, President; K atrina Phillips, President-Elect, and Secretar y-Treasurer Michael

Zelenak

A M E A P r e s i d e n t s - P a s t t o P r e s e n t

1 9 7 2 F r a n c e s P. M o s s

1 9 7 4 G e o r g e H a m m e t t

1 9 7 5 F r a n c e s P. M o s s

1 9 7 6 S . J. A l l e n

1 9 7 8 W. Fr a n k M c A r t h u r

1 9 8 0 P a u l H a l l

1 9 8 2 L a c e y P o w e l l , J r .

1 9 8 4 J o h n n y J a c o b s

1 9 8 6 M e r i l y n J o n e s

1 9 8 8 R o n a l d D. H o o t e n

1 9 9 0 K e n W i l l i a m s

1 9 9 2 D i a n n e J o h n s o n

1 9 9 6 J o h n n i e V i n s o n

1 9 9 8 M i c h a e l M e e k s

2 0 0 0 J o h n M c A p h e e , J r .

2 0 0 2 To n y P i k e

2 0 0 4 B e c k y R o d g e r s

2 0 0 6 J o h n B a k e r

2 0 0 8 P a t S t e g a l l

2 0 1 0 S t e v e M c L e n d o n

2 0 1 2 S a r a Wo m a c k

2 0 1 4 C a r l H a n c o c k

2 0 1 6 S u s a n S m i t h

2 0 1 8 G r e g G u m i n a

r y B o b o

1 9 9 4 J a m e s K . S i m p s o n

Phil Wilson - President, Elementary/General Division

Shar pen Your Saw!

Dear Elementar y Friends,

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four shar pening the axe. ” President Lincoln was “shar p” enough to realize that a dull axe would not effectively do the job he was aiming to do. T he same can be said for us. After more than nine months of planning, teaching, smiling, wiping tears and noses, clapping, singing, dancing, lear ning, playing instr uments, laughing, and collaborating, it is time for you to shar pen your saw In his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Ste phen Covey sug g ests that highly effective people spend time Shar pening Their Saw, meaning they take time to rest, rejuvenate and begin making plans for the new year As you enjoy the summer months, take time to ref lect on who you are as a music educator, and how your students benefit from your presence in their lives A little ref lection will surely inspire you to retur n to your school in the Fall with a renewed pur pose to educate as you never have before . because your students deser ve it

For your planning pur poses, we are pleased to announce that our annual Elementar y Music Festival will be on Friday, October 12 on the campus of Samford University In honor and celebration of Alabama’s Bicentennial, our festival director Cliff Huckabee has ar rang ed to have two directors with dee p Alabama roots Dr Damion Womack, assistant professor of music at Huntingdon Colleg e, will be directing one ensemble with a choral emphasis, while Mrs Rhonda Tucker, retired Alabama educator, will be directing the

Orff emphasis ensemble. Your students are sure to g ain g reat knowledg e in either ensemble T here is limited space available for your students, so be sure to sign up early at www.tinyurl.com/ameafestival2018.

We are also excited to lear n from Mrs Rhonda Tucker at our joint Fall Workshop on Saturday, October 13. T his workshop is a g reat oppor tunity for music educators to lear n tog ether under the leadership of an exper t Stay tuned for details on time and location

Other activities to shar pen your saw this summer include:

Orff-Schulwerk Levels I and II

Cer tification will be June 18-29 at Samford University T he instr uctors are Erika Bridg e, Brent Holl, and Rachel Aupperle. For more infor mation, please contact Lar r y Hardin at lhardin@samford edu for more infor mation

Kodaly Levels I and II will be July 9-20 at St Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook For more infor mation, please contact Dr. Beck y Halliday at ahalliday@montevallo edu

T he East Alabama Music Workshop will be held at Grace United Methodist Church in Aubur n August 25, 9 a.m. till 1 p m Contact Dr Rob Lyda at lydarob@me com for more details

We are working to provide meaningful oppor tunities for you. If you have ideas or sug g estions, please be sure to share them with us We will also be updating our email database soon.

We want to hear from you! If you have not been receiving emails from us, please send an email to elementar yamea@gmail.com, and we’ll be sure to add you to our mailing list

Happy sawing and well wishes, Phil

Wilson, President Elementar y/General Division

Take time to r eflect on who you ar e as a music educator, and how your students benefit fr om your pr esence in their li ves.

Marching Percussion

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9300 Series

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Passing the Baton

Greetings, Music Educators!

As we all look forward to summer, we will also hopefully be able to look on the prog ress we have made this year, with pride. Since the 2018 AMEA Professional Development Conference, the AOA has presented the 2018 All-State Orchestra Festival, and the 2018 statewide OMPA. With record numbers of auditions and acce pted students, All-State Orchestra was ag ain a splendid success. We welcomed three esteemed conductors to Tuscaloosa, including Oreg on Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor and UA Music Ed alumni, Nor man Huynh. Incoming AMEA President, Greg or y Gumina, even made a cameo as guest conductor with the Festival Orchestra, leading his ar rang ement of “Alabama” in honor of the Bicentennial celebrations Our big g est concer n for the festival was the f lu e pidemic that was so prevalent this year, but thankfully, the larg e majority of our students and clinicians were able to stay happy and healthy.

T his past April 6th, school and youth orchestras from across the state converg ed on Samford University in Bir mingham for our third annual OMPA T he Aubur n University Youth Orchestra Sinfonia and the Orchestra at Ramsay High School both ear ned “straight ones, ” and several other ensembles ear ned overall Superiors. Cong ratulations to all the outstanding perfor mers and directors! T he AOA is already in

the process of planning the 2019 OMPA, and we anticipate continued g rowth in numbers and quality of prog rams around our state.

During the All-State Festival in Febr uar y, AOA held elections for Executive Board positions coming open on June 1. On that date, Dr Guy Har rison will officially take over as President. T he AOA Board is excited to announce that Dr. Daniel Stevens will move from Secretar y to VicePresident/Pres.-elect, Jacob Frank will remain on as Treasurer, and Rachel Christmas, orchestra director at Car ver High School in Bir mingham, will assume duties as AOA Treasurer. I am extremely proud to pass AOA leadership on to such capable individuals, whether new to AOA, or just in a new position! Julie Hor nstein, our constant steadying force, continues to ser ve as AOA Executive Director

As I sign off on my final ar ticle as AOA President, I want to thank you for your suppor t of Music Education in Alabama, and for reading my ar ticles. I hope I have been able to share my passion for g rowing orchestra and string prog rams in Alabama. All that has been accomplished in my two-year tenure would not have been possible without the exper tise and teamwork from the entire AOA family I am looking forward to a bright future for orchestra students, teachers, and prog rams across Alabama, as our new leadership continues moving forward!

Samuel Nordlund- President, Alabama Orchestra Association

Scenes from AOA All-State

Ginny Coleman - President, Alabama Vocal Association

E N D - O F

T H E - Y E A R W R A P U P

As the school year comes to a close, and my time as AVA President comes to an end, I have spent some time ref lecting on the work that we have done over the past few years. I am proud of the advances that our org anization has made. We have increased our efficiency through the use of technolog y, focused on our mission statement, and worked to reach out to the membership. We have also looked closely at our policies and made improvements where necessar y. Although we have made improvements, there will always be work to do, and I hope that you will also consider ser ving this org anization that provides so many oppor tunities for your students I appreciate the oppor tunity to have ser ved as AVA President for the past two years. I am looking forward to continuing to ser ve in a different capacity

ALL-STATE

It was so nice to see many of you at the All-State festival in March I appreciate all those who ser ved as concer t coordinator, choir coordinator, attendance monitor, or in any other capacity to be sure that ever ything ran smoothly I think that the students enjoyed their interaction with the conductors of the various choirs. I was also pleased with the final

perfor mances

We appreciate Samford University for once ag ain hosting AllState. Kenny Gannon, Tim Banks, and the staff at Samford were welcoming and helpful. We look forward to being back in 2019

AMEA SUBMISSIONS

I hope that the recordings you received from SCPA were helpful to you this year One of the reasons that we decided to begin recording each choir is so that each of you would have a high-quality recording in the event you decided to submit to perfor m at AMEA. I am proud of the increase in submissions that we have had over the past several years. T his increase has contributed to increased quality of perfor mances If you are considering this, please know that the deadline is June 1 You can find instr uctions on the AMEA website

In addition, please also consider submitting to present a session if you have something of value to share. We are always looking for new ideas!

AVA BOARD

As my tenure as president ends, and Meg Jones’ presidency

District 1

Outstanding Choral Students

Ben South

Muscle Shoals High School

Hannah Bradford, Director

Chloe Sneed

Florence High School, Brad White, Director

District 2

Outstanding Choral Students

Cole Cabiness

Tuscaloosa County HS

Ginny Coleman, Director

McK ay Medders

Hillcrest High School

Khristina Motley, Director

District 3

Outstanding Choral Students

Har rison Hor nsby

Clay-Chalkville High School

Stacy Daniels, Director

Hannah Bog ard

Vestavia Hills High School

Meg an Rudolph and Gavin Dover, Directors

District 4

Outstanding Choral Students

Dylan Haynes

Oxford High School

Holly Luke, Director

K ayla Borden

White Plains School

Kelly Leonard, Director

begins, the AVA board will welcome five new members. I encourag e you to suppor t Meg and the new board members. Share your ideas and concer ns with them T he new AVA Gover ning Board will meet for our summer board meeting midJune If you have any ideas or sug g estions that you would like the board to consider during our meeting time, please submit in writing before the end of May We want to hear your ideas and sug g estions for improvement

FALL WORKSHOP

Please g o ahead and mark your calendars for our 2018 AVA Fall Workshop! As always, the workshop will be held on the Friday after Labor Day, which is Se ptember the 7th We will meet in Montg omer y at Huntington Colleg e so that our colleagues in the nor th and south of the state can all save a hotel night if needed.

COMMUNICATION

Over the past several years, we have made an effor t to provide the AVA membership with increased instr uctions and reminders about registration deadlines, etc. We occasionally g et questions about where to find infor mation You should expect all infor mation for all AVA events to be available on our website For example, if you are attending an SCPA in another district you should be able to g et all infor mation concer ning the event you are attending from the AVA website. Let your district chair man know if you have difficulty accessing anything

OUR MISSION

T he AVA Board is continually striving to 1) maintain adherence to our mission statement and 2) improve our functionality Along those lines, we have begun discussion about the following:

Streamlining the All-State audition process using available recording technolog y rather than sending 5 judg es on a tour around the state

Modifying the All-State audition for m to a r ubric-style adjudication for m

Modifying the sight-reading por tion of SCPA to allow directors to choose an appropriate sight-reading example for their students based on students’ ability

T he future of All-State Show Choir and how it fits into the str ucture of AVA

T he future of Honor Choir and how it fits into the str ucture of AVA

We are interested in thoughtful, written feedback in the for m of an email to me or anyone else on the AVA Board Please let us know if you have anything you would like to add to the conversation. Your thoughts are welcome and appreciated. You may send your questions, sug g estions, or ideas to presidentofava@gmail com

Ag ain, thank you for the oppor tunity to ser ve as AVA President. And, thank you for taking the time to read about your professional association I am looking forward to seeing you in Se ptember!

Ginny

Matthew Bao

James Clemens High School

Har ris Gessner, Director

Grace Collins

Buckhor n High School

Meg Jones, Director

District 6

Outstanding Choral Student

Jean Leah Atkins

Tallassee High School

Michael Byrd and Amanda Anderson, Directors

Outstanding Choral Student

Chris Richey

St Paul’s Episcopal School

Jody Powell, Director

Meg an Matthews

Alabama School of Math and Science

Mar tha Mozer, Director

Outstanding Accompanists

Rebecca Wilson

Opelika High School

Amy Griffin, Director

Har rison Hor nsby

Clay-Chalkville High School

Stacy Daniels, Director

District 5

Outstanding Choral Students

District 7

Band Is Alive and Well In Our Great State

ALL STATE 2018 is in the books! After coming off an amazing week of All-State Band I am f looded with words to express how band is alive and well in our g reat state T he ABA All-State beg an with the Solo Festival held at Huntingdon Colleg e T he amount of talent and hard work is amazing and somehow the judg es nar rowed it down to seven finalists Dalton Kulick from Har tselle High School was the winner of the finals and also received the first ABA Solo Festival Award of $500.00, which was awarded at his school on the T hursday following All-State

T he next day was filled with auditions and pre parations for the rehearsals for over 650 students Our clinicians, Col Timothy Holtan, Julie Giroux, Rick Good and Cher yl Floyd beg an their rehearsals on T hursday night. T his year we added clinics on Friday for the directors. T he first was a front ensemble clinic with Jeff Lee from New Mexico State University through Sk ype and was an infor mative clinic on amplification of the front ensemble Another clinic was a second par t to the Middle School Coffee Talk from the AMEA conference with Brandon Peters, Leah Seng and David Caddell. It was g reat to hear the new ideas from the clinicians and from the par ticipants on how to g et students motivated and working. T he last clinic of the day was a district level All-State audition procedure clinic, where we discussed our plan to standardize the process each district uses to audition for All-State T he concer t Friday night by the Alabama A&M Wind Ensemble conducted by Carlton Wright was not only outstanding but inspiring Saturday’s All-State concer t was filled with beautiful musical moments. T here were many. All the bands did an outstanding job. One of highlights of the prog ram was Julie Giroux’s new piece entitled “Our Castaways”, which is about the rescued animals we have as par t of our families T he cover and several pag es of the score are covered with the pictures of our beloved pets and the proceeds of this project will be donated to the Humane Society. All the bands were excellent and it always amazes me what our band students can and

do accomplish in a matter of two days. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Gene Butler and District 6 directors for their tireless work on the logistics of this event Ever ything ran smoothly and professionally

We have now been through an entire year under the evaluation process and the data we have collected is ver y eye opening. I want to thank our district chair men and vice-chair men for the outstanding job they do in r unning their districts and for completing the extra work that g athering data requires Even though the evaluation is a 4 year cycle the board will be studying the infor mation this summer to make sure nothing needs to be addressed sooner T he data will be available to the membership after summer conference on www.abafest.com.

As we retur n to our schools pre paring the final concer ts, testing, recr uitment and g raduation, don’t forg et to evaluate your year- the g ood, the bad and the ugly Make plans to join us in Orang e Beach on June 19-21 for the ABA Summer Conference T he clinics so far are two clinics with David Greg or y on working with your administration and the other on rehearsal techniques. T here will be a clinic on copyright law and Andy Nevala will be presenting a clinic on teaching Latin Jazz to your high school and middle school jazz bands With Andy’s clinic, he is asking directors to bring their instr uments to be the reading jazz band for the clinic T here will be a sign up for this clinic on the registration for m Of course, we will still have the shrimp boil with the old fog ey series. So make plans to join us at the beach for a time to unwind, recharg e and fellowship with our ABA family T hank you for allowing us to ser ve the membership as the ABA board of directors and as always, please let us know of concer ns or ideas to make the org anization a strong er, better ABA

Doug Farris - President, Alabama Bandmasters Association

Solo Festival Winner Dalton Kulich, Har tselle HS

2nd Place-Landon Holladay, Alabama Christian 3rd Place-Caroline Habig, Hoover HS

4th Place-Aaron Easdon, Hewitt-Tr ussville HS 5th Place-David Persky, Stanhope Elmore HS

James Champion presents the Phi Beta Mu Lamar Triplett Scholarship to , Madeleine Worley, Tallassee High School

Piccolo-K aitlyn Suttles, Helena HS; Flute-Caroline Gamard, Fairhope HS; Oboe-Rebecca Keith, T hompson HS, Bassoon-James Smelley, Hillcrest HS; Eb Clarinet-Natalie Spence, James Clemens HS; Bb Clarinet-Dalton Kulich, Hartselle HS; Alto Clarinet-K aitlyn Stahl, American Christian Academy; Bass Clarinet-Jay Zayas, Sparkman HS; Contra Clarinet-Matthew Rocchio, Oak Mountain HS; Alto SaxTucker Her nandez, Winterboro HS; Tenor Sax-Quentin Moffet, Randolph School; Bari Sax-Grey Vanderberg, Bob Jones HS; Tr umpet-Sam Butler, Fairhope HS; French Hor n-Dylan Meyer, Bob Jones HS; Trombone-Michael Key, Trinity Christian; Baritone-Dominic Kuzy, Grissom HS; Tuba-Colby Batchelor-Sparkman HS; String Bass-J T Matthews, Vestavia Hills HS; Percussion-Trey McAr thur, Saraland HS

ABA All-State Clinicians:

Red Band: Colonel Timothy Holton

White Band: Julie Giroux

Middle School Band: Cher yl Floyd

Blue Band: Rick Good

6th Place-Zachar y Chou, Vestavia Hills HS

7th Place-Alanna Bradley, Hewitt Tr ussville HS

Dominic Kuzy, Grissom HS (Because of an er ror, Dominic was omitted from the original finals list

T he first ABA Solo Festival Award is presented to Dalton Kulich, Har tselle High School Pictured L to R, ABA President Doug Far ris, Dalton Kulich, Har tselle City Schools Superintendent Dr Dee Dee Jones, Randall Key, Band Director, and Jeff Hyche, Principal

1st Chair Middle School Band

Flute-Wei Wei Guo, Hewitt-Tr ussville MS; Oboe-Maddie Mann, Hewitt-Tr ussville MS; Bassoon-Clara Cagle, Nor th Jefferson MS; Bb Clarinet-Jones Preg, Hewitt-Tr ussville MS; Alto Clarinet-Matthew Cor nelius, Trinity Christian School; Bass Clarinet-Chloe Taylor, Luver ne HS; Contra Clarinet-Maddie Mar tin, Haleyville MS; Alto Sax-Cate Kramer, Pizitz MS; Tenor Sax-Steve Jung, Liber ty MS; Bari Sax-Jacob Johnston, Discover y MS; Tr umpet-Lydia Hanje, Pizitz MS; French Hor n-Praveena Kumaresa, Spanish For t MS; Trombone-Ian Franzer, Hewitt-Tr ussville MS; Baritone-J P Aufdemor te, Ber r y MS; Tuba-Ramsey El-Fallah, Ber r y MS; String Bass-Zoe Johnson, Alabama School of Fine Ar ts; Percussion-Jackson Hanks, Bumpus MS

1st Chair Red Band

Tips That Click

T he Best Advice I Ever Received About Pr eparing My Band For Assessment…. (Par

t Two)

T his is a continuation of last issue’s installment of tips for pre paring bands for Music Perfor mance Assessment and Spring concer t festivals. I have taught for many years, but found several jewels that I was able to use as I went out and advised directors and bands g etting ready for contest Even though contest has passed, these tips can be employed in your future planning and most should be par t of your daily routine

Dr. James Simpson – Retired, University of Nor th Alabama, Canton (MS) High School

Select music suitable to the playing of your ensemble. Be thoroughly pre pared in ever y categ or y assessed

Randall K ey – Har tselle High School

While the entire adjudication sheet is impor tant, be sure and focus on the top of the sheet. Tone quality is essential. T he Music Perfor mance Assessment is a snapshot of your prog ram. MPA does not define a prog ram, however assessment is an impor tant tool to supplement your prog ram

Regina Raney – Cedar Ridg e Middle School

Plan to be ready to perfor m two weeks before the actual date of your contest. Distractions and emerg encies happen.

Glenn Spiller – Retired, Decatur High School, Selma High School

Work on all elements of playing Make a priority to listen to each student weekly. Strive to make expressive music ever y day

Gene Inglis –Saks High School

Make a concer ted effor t to lear n g ood and appropriate literature for MPA. In my first year teaching, Lacey Powell (Alabama Bandmasters Hall of Fame) encourag ed me to study past prog rams from festival perfor mances He told me to lear n the pieces the “ g reat” bands played

Bill Connell –Grissom High School

Set a timeline. Be ready to perfor m 2 weeks before the contest If you can’t make the timeline, chang e the music to something less difficult.

David Raney – Sparkman High School

Music selection is the most impor tant par t of the process It must fit the personality of the students. Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals!

Tommy Brannan – Retired, Tuscaloosa County High School

I will never forg et advice given by Dr William Revelli (University of Michig an): “Pick music for your band (instr umentation) T his may not necessarily be what you want to play. You build your band at concer ts, not State Contest!”

John Cooper – Austin High School

PLAY IT SLOW FIRST! I think too many people never play passag es with 100% accuracy at a slow tempo Instead, they just play fast and just “cover” the er rors. Play it slow: with g ood tone, g ood intonation, g ood subdivision, g ood ar ticulation, etc I believe that this provides benefits not only for the piece you are working on, but for other literature you will pre pare down the road FINGER IT CORRECTLY! On woodwind instr uments especially, there are many fing erings but they are not all utilized the same Have your students use the best fing erings, even if it takes more time to teach this at the beginning stag es of pre paring the piece.

Wiley Chester Bean – Retired, Causey Middle School

Establish characteristic tone quality throughout the sections

T his helps the band in reference to balance and intonation

Working with long tones, lip slurs, and chorales will help the band in many ways!

Randell Wallace – Retired, Clay-Chalkville High School

When selecting music, choose pieces that your older players can play larg e sections of almost immediately, without much difficulty Sometimes, our music selections tend to be so difficult that expressive element is dee ply affected. T his causes many problems in cleaning things up and perfor ming the music to high expectations.

David East – Retired, Lamar County High School, Amor y High School

Just because you like it, doesn’t mean that they can play it Have a seasoned (successful) director listen to your band before making final contest selections

David Allinder – Shades Valley High School

Invite people into your rehearsals to hear your bands T heir comments will help but more impor tantly, their presence may open your ears to the sounds your band is making

John Bradley – Retired, Florence High School

Pick music your students can play!

James Smith – Retired, Troy University

In 1978, Oliver Hobbs ( Florida Bandmasters Hall of Fame) asked me a week before district festival in Florida: “Is it too late to chang e your music?” Music selection is the key to success!

I hope that ever yone has had a g reat experience at Music

Perfor mance Assessment for this year and will examine their pre paration for the future in light of these sug g estions. All of the contributors were asked to just jot down the first thought that came to mind, and the contributions covered almost ever y aspect of festival pre paration. A common thread was how impor tant music selection was to the success of the band Unlike the English or Math teachers, we g et to deter mine the literature that will be assessed, and so we must be well versed in the pieces that might be appropriate for the abilities of our students understand how to use them to reinforce the musical skills and fundamentals we are teaching daily Also, look over the two ar ticles and see how many times these ver y accomplished teachers mentioned the impor tance of tone quality and deliberate slow practice. My sug g estion is to copy these two ar ticles and ref lect carefully on each sug g estion and how you can employ it into your daily teaching!

Rho Chapter of Phi Beta Mu Inter national Bandmaster

Frater nity is committed to the improvement of bands and band instr uction in this state Comments on this column and ideas for future columns are welcome! Please email: pemin@mac.com

Chris Lindley (Right) presented the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Band Director Award by Tommy Brannan

Justin Ward (Right) presented the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Yound Band Director Award by Tommy Brannan

New Phi Beta Mu Member Susan Smith (Right) and her sponsor Randall Coleman

New Phi Beta Mu Member Corey Spurlin (Right) and his sponsor Rick Good

W hy I Want To Become a Band Director

by Madelaine Worley

My name is Madelaine Worley and I am a senior at Tallassee High School I have been a member of band for six years and I play clarinet, saxophone, and f lute I ser ved as section leader for two years and dr um major for this past football season I also am a member of the track and field team at my school. Amongst all these things, the most impor tant par t is that I am a Christian.

You now might be wondering why I shared some of those things with you T he reason I shared the things I did is because they are all apar t of the reasons I want to become a band director T hey are a par t of why I want to educate, teach, and inspire students in new ways It is the experiences, people, and power of my g racious God that made me into the person I am today

Before I tell you about these things, I would like to address the simple idea of my love and passion for music. A few years ag o my dad said to me that “he should have known that I was g oing to be a music person when I was a baby”, considering I would cr y when the music from the toy hanging above my head tur ned off No matter where we went in the car, I wanted and still do want music playing After ever y honor band, I still never fail to listen to music on break or on the way home I spend my free time teaching myself other instr uments, like saxophone and f lute. I do not think I can ever g et tired of music Since joining band and choir, my love for music has only g rown T he power of music in a person’s life is indescribable and a tr ue gift from our g ood God It takes just one song to define a person’s mood in a moment. It can take one note or chord to make a person g et chills all through

their body. Music is one languag e that ever yone has in common It is a beautiful and mar velous thing that people forg et about today I want people to star t recognizing the power and beauty of music ag ain. One of my g oals is to make students excited about g oing to sing in choir class and play their instr ument in band class I will not let music g o unnoticed anymore T his is not just a job, but a mission, to share the love and enjoyment of music with students, revealing its tr ue power and impor tance

T his passion for becoming a band director tr uly did not blossom up over night. It took about five years of experiences, lessons, and g rowth to g et to me to this point. One of the g reatest

reasons I want to become a band director is because I want people to know that you can do both. What do I mean? You can be a band nerd and an athlete You can be in band and be an ar tist. You can be an ar tist and an athlete You can be one You can be all three. As it probably appears, I am a band nerd But, I also would consider myself an athlete My dad is a football coach and the head track coach for my school I have been around spor ts my entire life. I have played spor ts since I was five years old, from softball, to track and field, to simply just loving the idea of a healthy lifestyle. I do all of this while still loving band In this world today, people are put into categ ories. I want to put an end to people being put in categ ories. Who ever said that a

Madaleine Worley is the 2018 recipient of the Phi Beta Mu Lamar Triplett Scholarship T his essay was written as par t of the scholarship application process

Madaleine Worley (center)is the 2018 recipient of the Phi Beta Mu Lamar Triplett Scholarship. She is cong ratulated by Tallassee High School Choir Director Michael Bird (Left), and Band Director Melanie Per r y (right)

person could not be both? A person can be anything they want to be. T hey can be apar t of multiple things that are completely different from each other T hey can be g reat at both. People themselves have the ability to create a name for themselves and do what they want to do in their lives One of my missions is to teach students to be different and do what they want to do. I would love to be the director of a band one day that has not only band loving students in it, but athletes, ar tists, sing ers, and combinations of all the amazing things their are to be in this world

One of the g reatest lessons I have lear ned is the power of humility and love as a leader I was blessed by God to have the oppor tunity to be the dr um major for my school this year. It was one of the g reatest experiences, that g rew me in so many ways. I have str ug gled

with pride since I joined band in seventh g rade and I am g rateful that God drag g ed me out of the hole I was in As dr um major this year, as well as section leader for the past two years, I lear ned the impor tance of putting others above myself. I lear ned that it is not about what I want as the leader, but what is best for the entire band as a whole. I was not given these positions to glorify myself, but to lead, g row, and love my band. I was given a taste of what it is like to be the example It showed me the impact a leader can have on the people they are leading I am sad that the season has ended, but I now know that I want to lead people the rest of my life. I want to teach students that it is about what is best for the band and others around them, not themselves From being dr um major this year, I developed and g rew relationships with my band directors and fellow peers that I never would have had if I had made this chance all about me.

As a band director, I want my students to not just see me as a teacher, but as someone they can look up to and tr ust I want my students to feel apar t of a family because when you have a band full of people in unity on the inside, it helps to define and shape them into the best band they can be on the outside

I hope that you now see that I have had a lot of experiences, g rowth, and lessons to inspire my desire to be a band director I love music and I love band But the reason I want to become a band director is not simply because of my passion for music, but for people It is my g oal to teach students to g et rid of the status quo and be both It is my g oal to teach students the impor tance of humility, self lessness, and kindness to others. It is my g oal to make the band room fun ag ain, while reviving and reteaching students the power, love, and indescribable voice of music.

AMEA Industry/Institutional Membership

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!

Meet the 2018-2019 AMEA Gover ning Board

Greg Gumina President

David Raney President-elect

Doug Far ris ABA President

Mildred Lanier HED President

Susan Smith Immediate Past President Guy Har rison AOA President

Phil Wilson ELEM/GEN President

Carla Gallahan Recording Secretar y

Meg Jones AVA President

Andy Meadows ALSDE Ar ts Education Specialist

Pat Steg all Treasurer/Registrar

Jordan Hare CNAfME President

Ted Hoffman CNAfME Advisor

Beck y Lightfoot Industr y Member Re presentative

Gar r y Taylor Executive Director Editor

Rusty Log an Assistant Executive Director

If You Build It, Will T hey Come? Building a Secondar y Choral Prog ram

By K ay Dick

If you are the director of a thriving high school choral prog ram with plenty of students, g reat parental suppor t, a larg e budg et, overwhelming administrative suppor t, and consistently receive Superior ratings at State Choral Perfor mance Assessment ever y year, or if you are walking into a well-established prog ram which enjoys these things, this ar ticle may not be for you However, if you lack in any or all of these areas as I do or have, perhaps you might read on I am cer tainly not an exper t or “gur u ” of any sor ts but humbly offer my stor y with the hope that it may inspire and give hope to pre-ser vice or new teachers or perhaps it may spark new ideas for those who need them

My experience over the past 30+ years has been in church music, homeschooling, private studio, and most recently, for the past 11 years, teaching choral music in two Shelby County schools In ever y job, church or school, I was hired to “build the prog ram ” I have cer tainly made my share of mistakes, but in ever y position, we experienced healthy g rowth in numbers and quality of prog ram, and I have satisfaction knowing I fulfilled my mission to “build the prog ram ”

“If you build it, he will come ” is a quote from Kevin Costner’s 1989 spor ts fantasy movie, Field of Dr eams In the movie, Costner plays an Iowan cor n far mer Ray who mystically hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field on his far m. T hrough the experience, he is able to recapture his childhood innocence and re pair his fractured relationship with his father who had passed away some time earlier At the conclusion of the film, a road with hundreds of cars is shown indicating that because he built the baseball field and followed his dreams, hundreds of others will be able to realize their dreams It is definitely a beautifully romantic idea that if you build something, others will benefit T hat is exactly what I am advocating for a choral prog ram “If you build it, they will come ” T he question becomes, “How do you build it?” T he following is a list of things I have lear ned along the way but is not, by any means, exhaustive, so take what applies and leave the rest:

Imposter’s Syndrome is the tendency to feel like you do not belong or know as much as others think you do (Car rillo & Baguley, 2015) Be the exper t! You know more than they do! T he night before I ste pped into my public school classroom for the first time, I had the nor mal

“jitters” and in speaking to my husband said, “I don’t know if I can do this!” to which he re plied, “Yes, you can! Do you know more than they do?” I had to admit that I did. Even now, when I am faced with doing something I do not feel “exper t” in, I remember his wise words.

Make friends with the lunchroom ladies and the housing people T his has been my mantra since colleg e. Expand this idea to include the bookkee per, front office person, counselors, custodians, librarians, etc. In other words, sow g ood seeds with the suppor t people and treat them well; you will need them.

Educate your faculty and administration: If they are dumb, it might be your fault! T here is no one else in the building (with the exce ption of your band director and theater teacher) who “ g ets” perfor ming ar ts the way you do. If you need your classes str uctured differently, want to add classes, have unmet g oals for your prog ram, etc , YOU are your best advocate! One year, my choral students designed a bulletin board in the cafeteria during National Music Education Week

As par t of the display, we posted statistics about the cor relation between perfor ming ar ts students and elevated standardized testing scores, g raduation rates, and g rades. My principal commented to me that he knew the ar ts were powerful in the lives of students, but seeing it in black and white really helped him “know” how impor tant our prog ram was.

Fight for your prog ram whether you are tenured or not! Be pleasant, positive, professional and persistent about how your prog ram benefits students and their families, the school, and your community Remind ever yone of this regularly.

Prog ram face time in the community. Get your students in front of as many school and community g roups as possible T his is where you g ain “street cred”, as our high school students say and as you know, it is all about imag e these days. Your choral prog ram is no different “T he experience of your ensemble must be more attractive than the myriad other activities (cur ricular and others) offered” (Luethi, 2015, p 26) Singing at spor ting events, awards ceremonies and other school activities,

nursing homes, business g roups, retail openings, clubs, cor porate events, restaurant spirit nights, city and county events, benefits, the librar y, etc not only builds your students’ confidence but it also shows people that you are all working tog ether to build your community. T his builds social cur rency for your prog ram

“You would look shar p in a tuxedo! Wanna join choir?” Diana Mayhal, one of my mentors, told me how she built the choral prog ram at Ber r y High School when it first opened and she moved jobs from Simmons Middle School During the summer before star ting at Ber r y, after g etting the list of the entire school, she spent hours in the school office personally calling numerous students whom she had taught previously, telling them that she was the new high school director, inviting them to join choir She said as she went about her days in the halls and saw boys she had taught before talking in g roups, she would stop and ask them if they still wanted to sing. If there were boys she did not know, she would ask them if they sang and if they said they did not know, she would say, “Hey, you’d look shar p in a

tuxedo; I can teach you to sing,” which she said always made them stand a little taller Diana operated her prog ram under the assumptions that she could teach anyone to sing if they had a g ood attitude and were teachable, and that kids need to feel needed T hese tactics worked because, as you may know, Diana, who eventually moved to Hoover High School, along with Cathy Shelton, built one of the larg est and most successful choral prog rams in Alabama T hese ladies have since retired from fulltime teaching but the leg acy continues under the capable and talented direction of John Kincaid and Amanda Slay

Develop a shor t and long-ter m plan, stick to it, but be f lexible With the help of your parents and administration, develop a long-ter m plan for prog ram development and g oals. When I came to Chelsea, the shor t ter m g oals included having g ender specific choirs and an advanced mixed g roup Dr Meg an Rudolf, director at Vestavia Hills High School, completed her disser tation work in g ender specific choirs, and I used her research to strengthen my “ case ” with my administration. Within two years, I was g ranted my request T he longter m plan also included adding a competition show choir, which has become a reality, and to add AP Music T heor y, which is slated this next school year T he cur rent long-ter m plan will add Music Technolog y classes, which I have been told might be possible year after next I am ver y thankful for our suppor tive, innovative, “thinking-outsidethe-box” principal, Wayne Tr ucks

Do not be afraid to ask for money for your prog ram as it is an investment in your students When I star ted at Vincent Middle High School, I had two high school students, a bunch of rowdy middle schoolers, no money, no choir room (we star ted in a trailer…oops, sor r y…lear ning cottag e), no music, no piano, and no prog ram. T hat first year, we charg ed $20 fees, had a piano donated, and g rew the high school prog ram to a whopping three students. Perfor ming for the school and community g ained us recognition and before long the PTO contributed $500 toward the purchase of for mal wear A

local politician (thanks to my innovative then-principal Gar y Minnick) donated money for a small set of choral risers. Because of this, we had the beginnings of a real choral prog ram In my cur rent position, the Chelsea PTO has been ver y g enerous, helping us purchase a keyboard, sound system, and fog machine for which I am g rateful

Star t some kind of auditions as soon as possible. T his legitimizes your prog ram. Use outside judg es Call in favors with colleagues and/or pay them whatever you can.

Be your best advocate: Talk to your principal and administrators about the g reat things that are g oing on in choir and the eter nal benefit to your students and their families. T his is not brag ging for your eg o; the g ood things said about your prog ram should come from you first

Invest in yourself by joining Alabama Vocal Association (AVA) and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and GO TO THE EVENTS! T his g oes without saying and yes, it is wor th the investment, even if your prog ram cannot afford to pay for your membership. Pay your own way to the events until your prog ram can suppor t you. Push yourself to remain a student; take risks and tr y new things. Lear ning does not end with your deg ree Continue to do things that help you develop as a musician and teacher

Sing in a high level g roup with a strong director, take a re-fresher conducting class, begin classes toward a higher deg ree, do whatever it takes to remain “fresh” as a musician first, teacher second “We are musicians, and must never forg et that our skills are the most impor tant par t Unlike the movie ‘School of Rock,’ those who can’t do shouldn’t be teaching music”

(Heber t, 2013) Your long evity, creativity, and professionalism de pend on your personal g rowth along the way T hink long-ter m.

Brag on your students to anyone and ever yone who will listen, parents and students included. Send random emails to parents telling them something encouraging about their student Tell them

each time you see them at events.

Take care of yourself physically. T his is one I am not so g ood at, as I have, in the past, let the job over take my “free time,”; this is a mistake Exercise, eating healthy, and drinking lots of water (in and out of school) enhances your stamina; building an active choir prog ram requires stamina I wish I had taken this advice more seriously over the years, but I recently joined a small g ym where I work out three mor nings before school, yes, at 5 a m and I feel better than I have in years, with the exce ption of being sore all of the time.

Sur round yourself with suppor t; star t small Find one or two parents who will help you with the administrative tasks, and empower them to take on some of the detail/org anization things so that you can concentrate more on what you were trained to do and love T his makes you happy and being happy in your job is paramount to you and your students If you focus on building your parent org anization, they too, like students, will come, and before long, you will have a small ar my of suppor tive, amazing parents who will come alongside you T he g oal should be for them to take ownership of the prog ram T his may not happen over night, but slow, steady building of expectations and casting the vision will pay off in the long r un

Find a “schtick” that works for you

Whether its trips (if just for one day to begin), using cur rent musical g enres, star ting an acappella or vocal jazz g roup, or show choir, students need to be drawn to your prog ram You may tr y some ideas and maybe it takes a couple of tries before it works T hat’s ok I “star ted” a show choir at Vincent with sixteen students, four stock pop ar rang ements from J W Pe pper, a local ballet teacher to choreog raph (for free), and a two-day “camp” during Christmas Break T he first day I had about 10 of the 16 show up; the second day, four came We decided that maybe they weren’t as ready for a “Glee” experience as they thought After all, it actually took hard work Epic failure, right? I thought so. T he next year I moved jobs to Chelsea where parents and

students asked me to star t a show choir. My “past failure” could have deter red me, but even though I knew ver y little about it and had zero training, I jumped in with both feet T he first two years, I auditioned the g roups, used students and friends to choreog raph, sang stock ar rang ements, and took the “show” to the ACDA Show and Jazz Choir Festival (as it was called then; it is now called Contempo). T he following year I did all of that, hired the talented Gavin Dover (co-director of choirs at Vestavia Hills High School) to choreog raph, took the g roup to ACDA, and entered them in the Festival Division of one other competition My parents and community were beginning to suppor t in a big way and after several conversations, we decided to begin competing, but I needed help. Upon recommendation from Gar rett Lindsey (director at Jasper High School) I hired an amazing young man from Nashville, Dallas Pritt, to design and choreog raph our show Dallas’s specialty is taking g roups to the next level and he has done an outstanding job for us T his past year, we expanded our competition season ending a ver y successful r un at the Hear t of America National Competition in Nashville. All that to say, it is a process, but finding something that will draw students in is necessar y to building a thriving prog ram Find what works for you, your students, and community

“

Seek out mentors. Find those people whom you admire and offer to buy them a cup of coffee at a conference or breakfast on a Saturday mor ning; pick their brain Even though I have lots of experience (ok, I’m old), there is so much more to lear n I hope I never stunt my g rowth by acting like I have “ar rived” or know it all.

Do quality perfor mances and trips. Do more with less Better to leave them wanting, than wishing they could leave, or worse, watching them walk out the back door Make sure you are putting your “best foot forward” ever y time. Always consider your audience when prog ramming, and make sure you have something that will appeal to the music lover, not just the music academician

Communicate with your bosses and by this, I mean your students’ parents T hink of them as your “customers” As I strive to give them the best quality choral prog ram possible, I rely on Char ms, Google Classroom, and GroupMe to send upcoming infor mation out monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily, de pending on the events. You cannot communicate too much

Go beyond the music Build students Our motto is “Discovering Passion and Building Character T hrough the Ar ts” I came to this after much soul-searching and consideration about what I wanted the

end-g ame ” to be for our prog ram. In other words, what is the “eter nal” value of what we do in the Chelsea High School Choral De par tment? In my opinion, that has to star t with the director, then comes to fr uition as the director consistently impar ts it to students, parents, administrators, and community members. In the past few years, my teaching philosophy has slowly tur ned from being “all about me and my eg o ” to me being “all about the kids” and what is best for them. Sometimes that means “tough love” and fir mly “holding the line” on a policy For example, when they have had a rehearsal date for six months, but suddenly could not g et off work and tell you the day of. Sometimes it means helping them through a difficult family time by pulling them aside to tell them you care and are available Sometimes it means attending ballg ames (where your students are also on a spor ts team) when you are already stretched thin Sometimes it means admitting to them that you messed up and showing them how you are lear ning from it. It means relating to them as a human and always as a mentor, not blur ring the boundar y lines between student and teacher. It means living your life as an open book and inspiring them to be better than they are because you are striving to be better than you are It means teacher and students on a co-jour ney to achieving more tog ether (Silver man, 2016). It means being authentic Teenag ers love and respect this and can sniff out “fakeness” from a mile away Having my daughter in my prog ram the last four years has definitely been a defining inf luence in my teaching jour ney Having her with me ever y day forced me to see things from the student perspective and ultimately made me a better teacher and mentor.

As I have said, I still have much to lear n, but perhaps my stor y and the transparency with which I have shared it, is helpful I continue to be humbled and honored to be called someone ’ s “choir teacher” I sincerely hope that I can inf luence my students in the same positive ways which my teachers did for me.

Our (yours and mine) teachers built it, and

we came. If you build it, they will come.

References

Car rillo, C , Baguley, M , & Vilar, M (2015). T he inf luence of professional identity on teaching practice: Experiences of four music educators. Inter national Jour nal of Music Education, 33(4), 451-462 doi:10.1177/0255761415582348

Heber t, G (2013, Winter) Ste ps in building a strong high school choral music prog ram Retrieved from acdawester n.org/Tactus Newsletter files/ winter2013/heber t html

Luethi, D. (2015). Idea bank: Ten ste ps to recr uiting sing ers Music Educators Jour nal, 102 (1), 25-27. doi:10 1177/0027432115595969

Silver man, M (2016) Listening-for social justice In L C DeLorenzo (Ed ), Giving voice to democracy in music education: Diversity and social justice (pp 157-175) New York, NY: Routledg e.

K ay Dick is in her 6th year at Chelsea High School where she leads 3 choirs, teaches music appreciation, and classes for high school students who are considering a career in education. Previously she taught choral music at Vincent Middle High School, also in Shelby County K ay has a master’s deg ree from T he Souther n Baptist

T heological Seminar y in Church Music and a BS in Music Education from Louisiana Colleg e She is cur rently a PhD candidate at Aubur n Beginning her professional career as a Baptist minister of music, K ay has been teaching music in a variety of settings for over 30 years. She lives in Hoover, AL with her husband and daughter and has 2 g rown sons and a daughter-in-law

K e e p C a l m and Teach

by Phil Wilson

CONGRATULATIONS! You endured the hardships that being an underg raduate music education student car ries and landed a job teaching music Or maybe you chang ed jobs, or you are rapidly headed toward bur nout. Reg ardless which scenario fits your situation, chang e is abreast and how you handle the chang e maybe the linchpin to your success. According to an NPR re por t, it is estimated that eight percent of teachers are leaving the teaching profession yearly in the US. T his eight percent is higher than any other profession (Wester velt, 2016). T he ar ticle g oes on to state a rang e of reasons why educators from across the countr y left their jobs including poor funding, hostile political climate and of course money, to name a few. T hough these are ver y credible and understandable reasons for leaving, America’s students are the ones who take the big g est hit from teachers leaving their jobs. Many effor ts to thwar t the mor tality rate of teachers have been explored and instituted, but more still needs to be done. T his ar ticle will attempt to address ste ps to assist new teachers, teachers who are changing

schools and teachers who are in a r ut to cope with the teacher dropout and fatigue issues we face.

Mentoring. Mentoring is an ag e-old practice dating back to Greek Mytholog y In Homer’s e pic poem The Odyssey, before King Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War he ar rang ed for his son Telemachus to lear n from his friend and advisor Mentor Mentor guides or “mentors” Telemachus in a jour ney to find his father and a g reater understanding of himself (Haack & Smith, 2005; Smith, 2005). Since its’ mention in The Odyssey, the effects of mentoring have been studied and implemented into all faucets of life Many school systems have employed mentoring as a means to assist new teachers in the transition from student to teacher. Unfor tunately, there are still some school systems who do not match new teachers with mentors As music educators, and most of the time the only ones in our buildings who do what we do, we are sometimes matched with mentors outside of our discipline While having a mentor outside of our discipline is g reat for lear ning policies of the school and acclimating music teachers to the profession, it does ver y

little to help with the music teaching So, what should one do?

Ask and it shall be given During the inter viewing process, or after you have acce pted the position, ask your inter viewer if a mentor will be assigned to you. Be specific in what you feel you will need in a mentor and even make sug g estions as to who can ser ve as your mentor

Take it upon your self to find your own mentor. If you are not assigned a mentor in your own discipline, reach out to music educators who you deem as successful and ask them to begin a mentoring relationship with you Mentoring is not just a transfer ring of knowledg e from one to another, but a relationship of both par ties sharing professional thoughts and questions. You never know, you may possess something a seasoned teacher may need to move their prog ram into the new centur y.

Cof fee talk A mentoring relationship takes time and effor t to ensure that both par ties are g rowing due to the relationship Contacting your mentor only when you have a question or an issue will not yield a fr uitful relationship Instead, establish a regular meeting time with your mentor. Make your meeting times reasonable enough so you both can reap the benefits of the relationship. Ag ree to meet in public places so that ever ything can be on the up and up. Come to the meetings ar med with questions, celebrations or fr ustrations so that you can make the most of the time you have

Take a break If you feel the mentor/mentee relationship is not working, it is perfectly ok to say so Seasoned music educators will appreciate the honesty and the consideration of their time and effor t

Make A Plan. Unless you are beginning at a newly constr ucted school, there

probably exists an overall perfor mance schedule of mandator y events where your ensemble will perfor m. Utilizing the already established schedule, begin planning your instr uctional year. As a first-year teacher, I remember stressing because a perfor mance was closer than I thought, and my students were not as pre pared as I would like for them to be Creating a yearly list of g oals and dates to meet those g oals, and using those g oals to create weekly objectives, will help you stay on track T his is not to say that your g oals are set in stone Adjusting your g oals is totally acce ptable as you g aug e the proficiency level of your students, recr uit students for your ensemble or even add perfor mances to your year.

Org anization is also a major component of planning. Org anizational strategies assist the new teacher in developing proper lear ning conditions (Freiberg, 2002) T hinking systematically about your classroom before students enter

can help you stay on track How do you want students to enter your classroom? Where will they sit? How will you collect items? T hese, plus others, are questions to ponder as you begin making plans for your classroom Knowing where you are g oing, and how you want to g et there, before you hit the street will ensure your ar rival at your destination.

Communicate According to Ni (2015), one of the top ten reasons why relationships do not work is par ties do not communicate effectively. As a new teacher, and even as seasoned teachers, this is a conce pt we need to continue to work on With the multiple modes of communication that exists today and with new for ms of communication technolog y being created weekly, there is really no excuse. Here are a few sug g estions to establish and maintain:

Email Almost ever yone communicates today via email. On the per mission for m I send home with my elementar y ag ed students, I ask parents or guardians for an email address so that I can stay in touch As each per mission slip is retur ned, I create a database in Excel, and copy and paste the email addresses into my email prog ram to create a distribution list. Be sure to put on your per mission for m to write in print so that you will not enter addresses incor rectly. On the mor ning of our weekly rehearsal, I send an email reminding parents that we will meet. I have had to cancel rehearsals due to severe weather or other extenuating circumstances and email was a g reat tool for reaching out to parents. Parents email me when students will not be at rehearsal and the reasons why Because students tend to lose pieces of impor tant papers between school and home, I attach the papers parents will receive at home so that they can have advanced notice I tr y ver y hard to email parents about upcoming events, rehearsals or g eneral music room news two weeks in advance so that they can make pre parations to attend and have their child pre pared

Remind.com Many parents, like students, are attached to a cell phone.

Why not use this for your g ood?

Utilizing the app Remind.com, you can send instant reminders to your parents about events via your cell phone or computer. Parents can choose to receive infor mation via text or by email T his app also allows you attach documents or pictures to share to multiple parents at once. Parents are even able to respond back to you via the app, without having to call you on the phone Along with an email, I also send a cut and pasted reminder through app on rehearsal days Remind.com is one of many communication apps Talk to your tech teacher to discover more

Shared Calendar s As a new teacher, it is impor tant to lear n to be a long-rang e planner Whenever you have solidified dates, put them on a digital calendar and share them with your parents If you are sharing a calendar, whatever new events you put on the calendar will g et noticed by the parents and it saves you spending countless hours at the copy machine making multiple paper copies for students.

Graduating and attaining your first job is an exciting and hor rifying time in your life T he first years of a new teacher’s career is equally as exciting and hor rifying T he advice given here is a just the tip of the iceberg of advice for new teachers, but the last bit of advice is the most impor tant. Don’t Quit.

Per severe. Florence Chadwick was a lady who loved to swim. She dreamed of being the first woman to swim the 21 miles from the Catalina Island to the Califor nia Coast At the ag e of 34 on July 4, 1952, she set out amidst the thick fog and cold ocean water to accomplish her task with her mother and trainer in boats nearby encouraging her. After swimming 15 hours, she asked to be removed from the water due to the heavy fog and her uncer tainty of where the coastline was Soon after she was lifted out of the water she discovered the she was less than a mile away from the shoreline and her g oal. Devastated but deter mined, Florence Chadwick went home and after a time of rest

beg an training to accomplish her initial g oal. T his time she knew what to expect and persevered through the thick fog and cold ocean water until her hands slapped the shore of the Califor nia Coast Florence Chadwick’s stor y is a g reat one to remind us of what we can accomplish if we stay the course DON’T QUIT! T he children of Alabama deser ve a fighter and you deser ve to be their champ

References

Freiberg, H. (2002). Essential skills for new teachers Educational leadership Retrieved from http://www.meekog raphics.co m/cmcdtestsite/Files/Essential -Skills-for-New-TeachersEd Leadership pdf

Haack, P., & Smith, M. V. (2000). Mentoring New Music Teachers: Mentoring, an ag e-old conce pt, offers definite advantag es to the new teacher who takes the time to identify a mentor and request his or her help. Music Educators Jour nal, 87(3), 23-27 doi.org/10.2307/3399659

Ni, P (2015, July 12) Top ten reasons relationships fail. Retrieved from https://www.psycholog ytoday.c om/us/blog/communicationsuccess/201507/top-10-reasons -relationships-fail

Smith, M. V. (2005). Moder n mentoring: Ancient lessons for today Music Educators Jour nal, 92(2), 62-67. Retrieved from http://jour nals sag e pub com/d oi/abs/10.2307/3400199?jour n alCode=mejc

Wester velt, E. (2016, October 24). What Are T he Main Reasons Teachers Call It Quits?. Retrieved from https://www npr org/sections/ ed/2016/10/24/495186021/wh at-are-the-main-reasonsteachers-call-it-quits

Phil R Wilson the music teacher at Ogletree Elementar y School in Aubur n, Alabama, where he has taught for the past 16 years. Prior to coming to Aubur n, Phil taught at T homasville High School in T homasville, Georgia, where his duties included directing the chor us, assisting the band director, and directing literar y activities. Phil g raduated from Troy (State) University in 2001 with a Bachelors of Music Education deg ree and went on to pursue his Masters of Music Education deg ree from Aubur n University in 2007. In 2010, Phil became a National Board Cer tified Teacher in the area of Early and Middle Childhood Music. He is cur rently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Education from Aubur n University. Phil is the 2010-2011 Alabama State Teacher of the Year Phil is a member of NAfME; T he National Association for Music Education, the Alabama Music Education Association where he ser ves as President of the Elementar y division, the Alabama Education Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Professional Music Frater nity of America He also ser ves on the board of the Alabama National Board Cer tified Teachers Network

An educational festival for elementary, middle, and high school students in band, choir, and orchestra

2018 dates: April 20-21, April 27-28, May 4-5

2019 dates: April 12-13, April 26-27, May 3-4

www.SMMFestival.com or call:1-855-766-3008

Choral Music Reviews

In Beauty May I Walk

Music: Jonathan Dove

Text: Anonymous (Navaho)

A cappella, SATB

Publisher : Edition Peters (EP7637)Wr

Approximate perfor mance time: 4’30” (approximate)

Voces 8 perfor mance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Gbkb1uHys

In beauty may I walk, All day long may I walk, Thr ough the r etur ning seasons, Beautifully, beautifully, joyful, joyful!

W ith grasshoppers about m y f eet may I walk W ith dew about m y f eet, It is finished in beauty.

-Anonymous (Na vajo)

British composer, Jonathan Dove, utilizes several composition devices to create this setting of the text which was written as a “leaving present” or travel blessing for his g ood friend

Listeners will hear the principal melodic fragment first with the bass section; subsequent voice par ts will introduce rhythmic variations of this melodic motive, often trading treatments in seamless exchang es. T he overall effect musically captures how all of our individual life jour neys intersect and overlap while we collectively become a par t of the beauty before us, behind us, and all around us.

Each Morning She Walks

Music: Charles Anthony Silvestri

Text: Eric Whitacre

A cappella, SATB divisi

Publisher : Walton Music (WW1639)

Approximate perfor mance time: 4’27” (approximate)

Audio perfor mance:

https://www youtube com/watch?v=QMVMxiUZWxU

Each mor ning she walks, Rising in darkness, called by the sea Cir cle on cir cle on cir cle, The tips of her wings softly polishing the stones.

Each mor ning she stalks, Br eath in her qui ver, bow of compassion, Ste p after ste p after ste p

Hunting silence, solitude, peace

And then she r etur ns, Her eyes full of stars, Her hear t full of daybr eak, Her ar ms full of ar r ows and f eathers and light Each mor ning , Silky and war m, She places her pr ey at m y f eet.

-Eric W hitacr e

For many years, Charles Silvestri has written lyrics for composer Eric Whitacre, but in 2015, they decided it would be interesting to switch roles Commissioned by a consor tium of choirs, Whitacre penned this mystical poem as a gift for his wife and Silvestri wrote the ethereal composition. Written with three tonal sections (cor responding to “she walks”, “she stalks”, and “she retur ns”), the listener will be able to trace the nar rative of the “mysterious huntress” throughout her jour ney through musical ostinatos and captivating melodic lines

Evensong

Music: Eric William Bar num

Text: Ridg ely Tor rence

SATB divisi with cello

Publisher : music available from composer after premiere. Approximate perfor mance time: 7’ 25” (approximate)

For an in-de pth look at this work by the composer, visit: https://ericwilliambar num.wordpress.com/categ or y/composing-sub-rosa/unear thing-ewb/

Beauty calls and gi ves no war ning , Shadows rise and wander on the day

In the twilight, in the quiet e vening

We shall rise and smile and go away.

Over the flaming lea ves

Fr eez es the sky

It is the season that grie ves, Not you, not I

All our spring times, all our summers, We ha ve ke pt the longing war m within. Now w e lea ve the after-comers

To attain the dr eams w e did not win

O w e ha ve wakened, Sw eet, and had our bir th, that’s the end.

Dr Diane Orlofsky

And that’s the end of ear th, And w e ha ve toiled and smiled and ke pt the light, And that’s the end of night. Beauty calls.

-Ridgely Tor r ence

It seems fitting that my last choral review column features this ver y special piece. I commissioned the work from Eric Bar num in the Spring of 2017 to mark the 10th anniversar y of the TROY University Concer t Chorale (having worked with him in 2011 on another commission, “Confessions”). In this composition, Bar num chose to musically set the lyrical poem, Evensong , by poet, Ridg ely Tor rence Tor rence’s poetr y reveals a dee ply rooted moral sensibility, a concer n for humanity, a year ning for a better world as well as a fr ustration with the harshness of reality Bar num musically captures the pathos and bittersweet beauty in the text and the Chorale is looking forward to perfor ming this under his direction in the famed Car negie Hall in May of 2018 T he piece is a “minimaster piece” and is destined to become a beloved standard in

Notewor thy...

Bar num ’ s catalog

I would like to take this oppor tunity to thank outg oing AMEA President, Susan Smith, for asking me to ser ve in this capacity for the past two years It has been an honor to write for the Ala Br e ve (thanks to Gar r y Taylor as well, for kee ping all of us on task with writing deadlines, too!). I hope that my perspectives on new choral music have been helpful and that you have discovered new and challenging literature as a result

Dr Diane Orlofsky is Pr of essor of Music and Dir ector of Choirs at Tr oy Uni versity, wher e she oversees the choral pr ogram and teaches under graduate and graduate classes in music education. She is the conductor of the Tr oy Uni versity Concer t Chorale and the Dir ector of the Tr oy Uni versity vocal jazz ensemble, fr equenc y

Cong ratulations to Ginny Coleman and Tuscaloosa County High School for being named one of five 2018 Music Education Innovator g rant recipients Ginny’s proposal, “All Tog ether Now: Including Children with Severe Disabilities in Choir” provides high school students with and without disabilities the oppor tunity to work tog ether to lear n popular music and perfor m in the community

April 18, 2018 (Reston, VA) T his spring Give A Note Foundation invited proposals for the Music Education Innovator Award that demonstrate school music prog rams led by creative music educators using innovative and sustainable strategies in non-traditional or traditional secondar y music courses T hese prog rams needed to show they were designed to attract students not typically enrolled in music education courses, in effor ts to increase access to music education through diversity in cur riculum and approach. T hank you to founding sponsor of the Music Education Innovator Award g rants, the CMA Foundation. Grant applications came in from around the countr y, and Give A Note is pleased to announce the five recipients of the Music Education Innovator Awards. T hese music prog rams will receive $4,000 g rants to build upon prog rammatic successes to date, in effor ts to create lasting chang e in their schools or districts.

Ginny Coleman, Tuscaloosa County High School, Nor thpor t, Alabama: “All Tog ether Now: Including Children with Severe Disabilities in Choir ” “T he TCHS Wildcat Choir is cur rently in its third year T his choir is an adapted choir class, which means that it provides high school students with and without disabilities the oppor tunity to work tog ether to lear n popular music and perfor m in the community It is one of the first of its kind to include students with mild, moderate, severe, and multiple disabilities, including some who are non-verbal, in a high school choral classroom where instr uction is specifically designed to meet the needs of all students.”

Tuscaloosa County High School “Wildcat” Choir

PERFORMING ENSEMBLES

“Pride of Dixie” Marching Band

Symphonic Band

Wind Ensemble

Studio Jazz Band

Percussion Ensemble

Collegiate Singers

Chamber Choir

Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Opera/Musical Theatre

Shoals Symphony at UNA

DEGREES OFFERED

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Band Music Reviews

One of the most difficult aspects of selecting literature for our ensembles is to select pieces that not only challeng e our students and allow them room to g row, but pieces that are interesting and enter taining for our audience members When we are working to finalizing our prog rams, it is always helpful to kee p in mind that our concer ts should have a beginning, a middle, and an end and we should select music that helps us paint that picture Contrasts are so critical to a successful prog ram You want to take your audience on a jour ney that is enter taining and enjoyable…and even educational! I hope the following three pieces might “fit the bill” for you on your next concer t.

If you are looking for a dynamic opener for a concer t, Atlantabased composer William Pitts has an excellent new work that makes for an attention-g rabbing star t to your prog ram Revelr y is composed at the g rade 4 5 level with ver y standard instr umentation T he percussion writing has several infectious g rooves and is listed requiring 8 players When I select an opening piece for my concer ts, I love to find pieces that allow the entire band plenty of oppor tunities to play. Revelr y does just that with writing that will eng ag e both your band members and your audience as well. T he piece utilizes hemiola, rapid re peated ar ticulations and catchy melodies to create a shor t, 3-minute composition that is sure to star t your concer t on the right foot Like many other composers today, Mr Pitts self-publishes his music and you can access his librar y from his website williampittsmusic com

Although not necessarily a new piece, Kevin Puts’ Char m, written in 2012, is a wonderful addition to the American Composers For um ’ s BandQuest series. T he BandQuest series is a wonderful collection of works by world renowned composers that are written specifically for young bands. Some of the most outstanding composers from all g enres have been commissioned by the American Composers For um to provide works at a lower g rade level to expose young musicians to their works Char m is a delightful g rade 3 piece that can ser ve as an initial introduction to mixed meter T he entire piece, exce pt for one measure, is written in 7/8 time Care must be given to precise maintenance of the eighth note pulse, with the subdivision being consistent at 2+2+3 throughout. T he percussion writing is demanding, but attainable and will provide numerous oppor tunities for the players to hone their skills A unique feature of Char m is the clapping par t for the wind players T his helps develop a g ood sense of inter nal pulse within the ensemble All of the woodwind and brass par ts are written in comfor table rang es and allows for the development

of characteristic tone qualities in all par ts. Your students will love working on Char m and it is an excellent teaching piece Char m is sure to be a favorite for the audience and students alike

Written in the key of d minor, Ancient Spells and Rituals by David Gorham, could provide a delightful chang e of pace for your prog ram Gorham utilizes the minor mode to create imag es of dark mysterious rituals from ancient times and students will enjoy this chang e of pace that is ver y well constr ucted at the g rade 2 level. All par ts are written to give ample oppor tunities for students in all sections to contribute. Written entirely in 3/4 time with many different ar ticulation markings, students are required to use care to execute these markings ver y carefully in order to create the exotic mood T he piece is published by Wing er t Jones as a par t of their Achievement Series T his series provides excellent instr uctional tools by including a re producible worksheet and an end of unit written test that can be ver y useful for reinforcement of conce pts

Best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable summer! Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you or your prog ram.

Randall Coleman Associate Director of Bands University of Alabama Conductor and Music Director Alabama Winds rocoleman@ua.edu

AMPLIFY: 2018

NOVEMBER 11-14, 2018

Come join us once again in Dallas as we dive deeply into what we do as music educators to support our students each and every day. Presenters of the following topic areas, or “Opuses,” will help you share your own practice, collaborate with colleagues from across the nation, and expand upon your toolkit of supports, ideas, models, and activities.

AMPLIFY: LEARNING - Teaching Music as a Well-Rounded Subject

How do we move beyond the podium and include our students as active music-makers and leaders in our ensembles as promised in our 2014 Music Standards?

AMPLIFY: INNOVATION - Cultivating Innovative Music Making

How do we successfully embrace a variety of musical experiences with this generation of students?

AMPLIFY: INVOLVEMENT - Engaging Diversity in Music Making and Teaching

How do we create a fully inclusive classroom for all learners and all students, regardless of background, learning style, or level of musical experience?

AMPLIFY: INSPIRATION - Inspiring Students through Music Creativity

How do we provide for the creation and improvisation of music throughout the curriculum – whether an ensemble, general music, or music appreciation class?

AMPLIFY: TECHNOLOGY Teaching the Tech-Savvy Generation

How do we integrate technology in a meaningful way that engages students and provides new opportunities that were never before possible? Presented by TI-ME, Technology for Music Educators.

C r e a t i n g a P r a c t i c

C u l t u r e

By Colin Hill, DMA

As a music educator, there is nothing more satisfying than teaching a student who practices dilig ently each week. T heir prog ress is continuous and new conce pts and material can be frequently introduced. Both the student and the teacher leave each lesson/rehearsal feeling successful and their steady prog ress kee ps both par ties fully eng ag ed, providing mutual motivation for future sessions

Unfor tunately, for most educators, these students are few and far between Many students exhibit sub-par practice habits. As a result, lessons/rehearsals are often focused on material covered in previous weeks and teachers end up re peating conce pts ad nauseam Fur ther, students often feel anxiety entering lessons/rehearsals, dreading the inevitable conversation, “W hy didn’t you practice mor e?” Teachers often find these situations equally fr ustrating, and count down the minutes until these sessions come to an end

Is this challeng e an inherent trait of music education or perhaps a product of the way we teach? Cer tainly some students walk in the door with more discipline and a strong er work ethic than others, but I’m convinced it is possible to drastically improve the practice habits of all of our students.

Typically, bad practice habits stem from

a lack of interest, motivation, or perceived prog ress However, when students are taught how to practice efficiently, using fun and creative methods, a successful practice routine can be developed. When prog rams are able to develop this successful practice culture among its members, the lear ning process becomes much more enjoyable for both the students and teacher.

T his ar ticle is designed for educators who are looking for new and innovative ways to motivate their students to practice. I will share methods I have discovered or been exposed to as a student and as an educator at the middle school, high school, and collegiate level, as well as my disser tation research on practice habits.

When motivating students to practice, the first ste p should include an effective explanation of the impor tance of practice. While all students and educators intuitively realize that practice is necessar y for our development, research on the practice habits of the most gifted consistently shows that innate talent plays a much smaller role than pre paration Fur ther, substantial evidence sug g ests that master y can only be achieved after 10,000 hours of practice early in life.

T he second ste p is to require each student to create an individualized

practice schedule. Our society operates on a web of schedules, and if students can develop a consistent practice schedule (time and day), practice becomes a routine, rather than something that must be “fit” into each day When executed cor rectly, students will “show up” to their designated practice time, much like they attend rehearsals and classes T his approach doesn’t allow for other oblig ations to prioritize themselves over practicing and eliminates most issues of motivation.

T his ar ticle is re printed with per mission from the Tennessee Musician, the official publication of the Tennessee Music Educators Association

T he third ste p is to create sustaining motivation While some teachers resor t to ster n communication as their default routine, there are numerous positive methods that can be much more effective. When implemented cor rectly, these methods can help a student, and an entire prog ram, develop a long-lasting devotion to practice

Public Practice Logs

Practice logs are an ag e-old way of encouraging/enforcing practice hours

However, these often fail for a number of reasons: dishonest entries, lack of enforcement, poor par ticipation, added busy work for educator, etc. A simple solution is to make these logs public and highly promoted. Instantly, practicing becomes a competitive activity, as students tr y to “out do” one another and avoid finishing near the bottom of the list Practicing then becomes a desirable activity, tied to the prog ram’s weekly culture T his system naturally accomplishes many g oals. One, the students who already exhibited g reat

practice habits receive deser ved recognition and feel pressure to maintain their re putation as a “top student.” Students also begin to see a cor relation between practice hours and ability level T he top players are almost always near the top of the list, while the weak players routinely finish at the bottom. For the weaker students, this is often a tangible explanation as to why they are inferior players Some students blame their deficiencies on their “lack of talent” rather than acce pting it as a product of their work ethic

While dishonesty will still occur, it is a favorable type of dishonesty T hose who lie about their practice hours do it because they feel pressure from their peers to practice more. Fur ther, these lies are typically debunked rather quickly when they claim to be practicing a high number hours but consistently show up for lessons/rehearsals unpre pared

Enforcing par ticipation is as simple as giving g rade deductions for those who do not complete the public practice log on a weekly or bi-weekly basis Fur ther motivation can be created by giving out weekly or monthly awards to students who achieve exemplar y practice hours.

Recorded Assignments

With today’s smar tphones and computers, ever y student should have access to a recording device Supplementing weekly lesson assignments or rehearsal g oals with individual recording assignments often resolves many practice issues.

A recording assignment could be an exercise, phrase, or excer pt that the student is required to record and submit by a designated deadline. T he student may record it as many times as needed (if done cor rectly, it should take multiple takes), and the version submitted should be as close to “perfect” as possible.

T he success of this method lies in the simple fact that it takes a substantial amount of practice to produce a

recording of a perfect r un-through

Many students have the false notion that if they play it right once in the practice room, they are pre pared However, when the red light tur ns on, the student will feel added pressure as they attempt to capture a perfect r un-through. Successfully capturing a cor rect re petition requires a much higher level of proficiency.

T he pressure felt when tr ying to record a perfect r un-through is ver y similar to the pressure one feels in a perfor mance. T his pressure is rarely felt in the practice room, which is another benefit of recorded assignments.

Before students submit their recordings, require that they listen closely to their final product T his process of selfevaluation can be an eye-opening experience for less experienced players and teaches them what they actually sound like For most, this instills a

newfound awareness of their abilities, eliminating distor ted self-perce ptions.

Regular Occur ring Solo Perfor mances

It is amazing how hard students will practice when they know they have to g et up and play for their peers. It only takes one or two unpre pared public perfor mances to improve a student’s practice habits. While this may sound harsh, the fear of embar rassment is a hug e motivator.

T hese perfor mances could be for mal (perfor mance attire, on stag e) or in a more relaxed environment (masterclass type setting). Reg ardless, the frequency is key It is recommended that each student be required to perfor m solo at least twice per semester and could be as frequently as once per week, maybe in the for m of a playing test.

Incentives and Prizes

Positive reinforcement is often the most successful type of motivation Reward your students individually or as a g roup for accomplishing their practice g oals For example, individuals may receive small prizes or something as simple as candy for lear ning all their assigned lesson material. In a g roup context, students could be rewarded with a pizza par ty after reaching a cer tain number of combined practice hours Creating incentive, especially with young er students, can be highly successful

T hese methods are just a few ways that educators can motivate their students to practice. T here are many other methods and strategies that can be implemented, and reg ardless of the approach, it is impor tant that educators remain proactive reg arding their students’ practice habits. While it is unrealistic to expect that all students will develop g reat practice habits, it is possible to g reatly improve the culture and attitude towards practicing

Dr. Colin J. Hill cur rently ser ves as the Professor of Percussion Studies at Tennessee Tech University

As an active perfor mer, Colin has been invited to perfor m concer ts throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and perfor ms regularly with the BluHill Percussion Duo, Br yan Symphony Orchestra, and the TTU Faculty Jazz Combo As an educator, he has appeared as a guest ar tist and clinician at numerous high schools and universities throughout the United States as well as several PAS Days of Percussion and PAS Inter national Conventions. Colin holds deg rees from T he University of Nor th Texas (B M ), Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (M.M.), and T he University of Kentuck y (D M A)

To arrange a visit, email music@uab.edu or call 205 934-7376

School of Music

DEGREES OFFERED

Bachelor of Music

Performance, Jazz Studies, Composition, Theory Music Therapy

Bachelor of Science

Music Education/Instrumental Music Education/Choral

Bachelor of Arts

General Music, Music Administration

Master of Music

Performance, Wind Conducting, Choral Conducting, Church Music, Composition, Theory, Arranging, Music History

PERFORMING ENSEMBLES

e Huxford Symphony Orchestra

Alabama Wind Ensemble

Symphonic Band

Concert Band

e Million Dollar Band

University Singers

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University of Alabama Opera eatre

Master of Arts

Music Education

Doctor of Musical Arts

Composition, Performance, Wind Conducting, Choral Conducting

PhD Music Education

Education Specialist

Contemporary Ensemble

Jazz Ensemble

Jazz Band and Jazz Combo

Chamber Music

Early Music Ensembles

For audition information and our upcoming calendar of events please visit our website. music.ua.edu