band director academy
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Band Director Academy offers powerful insights into the teaching of jazz and emphasizes hands-on learning and techniques that can be immediately applied to the classroom.
Jazz at Lincoln Center New York, NY
June 27 – 30
Mesa Arts Center
Mesa, AZ
May 28 – 30
for more information or to register, visit jalc.org / bda.
It’s time to win one for the kids!
It’s exciting times for music advocacy in our schools! Sacramento has recently made fundamental changes to how our school districts will be funded by shifting decision-making power from the state to the local level, with community input not only encouraged, but required.
This is an unprecedented opportunity for the Performing Arts, and as a music educator, you are uniquely positioned to play a major role in improving our students’ quality of education. By June 30th of this year, every California school district must engage its parents and community to formulate and adopt a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP ).
LCAP is a major game changer, and what we accomplish by June 30th could have a lasting impact on arts funding for years. This is your chance to speak out! The CA Alliance for Arts Ed website (artsed411.org) has some great tips on making effective presentations at school board meetings, as well as sample letters and templates to help in the process. The California PTA website (capta.org) also offers a wealth of useful information on how you can get involved and make a difference.
This is a call to action!
Please join us in actively advocating for music in our schools; for the sake of the students, the future of our communities, and the health of our society.
Thank you!
Nick Rail President, Nick Rail Music
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POSTMASTER
CMEA Magazine (ISSN 1099–6710) is published quarterly (September, November, February, May) by CMEA
Mailing Address: 9923 Hirondelle Lane, Tujunga, CA 91042–2605
Periodical postage paid at Tujunga, CA and at additional mailing offices
Subscription price of $4 00 is included in the CMEA annual dues Non-member subscription rate is $12 00 per year Single copies are $3 00
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CMEA Magazine, 9923 Hirondelle Lane, Tujunga CA 91042–2605
CMEA Magazine Art Director/Business Manager: Allen Petrinka
Mailing Address: 9923 Hirondelle Lane Tujunga, CA 91042–2605
Voice:
818 353– 3356
E-mail: cmeamagazine@dslextreme com
Rates and advertising information available at: www calmusiced com
The Executive Committee of CMEA serves as the Editorial Board The observations and opinions expressed in any article in this magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Association CMEA does not necessarily endorse any product or service advertised in this magazine
CMEA Administrative Office
Mailing Address: 2417 North 11th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230
Office: 559 587-2632 Cell: 559 904-2002
E-mail: cmea@calmusiced com Website: www calmusiced com
ON THE COVER: Two trombonists from the All-State High School Wind Symphony rehearse in Fresno’s Saroyan Theatre; CBDA All-State Junior High School Concert Band Manager Kristen Pallas; CASMEC Piano Tuner Terry Barrett; the CAJ/CBDA All-State High School Jazz Band Director Joey Sellers PHOTO ABOVE: The CBDA All-State Junior High School Concert Band in rehearsal with Conductor Angela Woo The bowls are instrumental in Old Churches
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We’ve Come a Long Way
by Russ Sperling CMEA President
When I began my term as CMEA president two years ago, outgoing President Norm Dea had made some tough calls and done some hard work to get us back on track, but we were not out of the woods yet We were in considerable financial debt to our national association, and our status and relevance as an organization was frankly in question But over the last two years, I must say that as a profession we have really come together, and CMEA is coming back in a big way
We created a strategic plan that inc luded a vision, mission and goals that we have worked ver y hard to accomplish. We are far from done, but we have made great progress (see CMEA Accomplishments following this artic le) We’ve created a new look via a new logo, website and social media presence We’ve increased our membership to 2064, as of March 1 On July 1 of this year, we will have paid off all of the $80,000 we owed to NAf ME We increased our association’s balance as of July 1 by 110% from 2012 to 2013 We split the old S outhern S ection into two: the new S outheastern and S outhwestern S ections are now in better position to provide membership ser vices to music educators in these populous, vast areas of our state.
We are becoming major players in advocac y. We led the creation of the S tand Up 4 Music coalition with our music education family of associations We’ve hired a music education lobbyist in S acramento O ur statement in response to the L os Angeles Unified School District ’ s arts education proposal received national attention We will again be at our S tate Capitol this May visiting legislators and making our case (visit the recently re-vamped standup4music org for more information) We are going to make California better for our students
I am proud of the status in which I leave CMEA as Michael D S tone takes over as president on April 6. I will remain ver y active as immediate past president of CMEA, and now also as NAf ME western division president-elect (effective July 1). Before I “ go, ” I want to discuss two big themes:
• My vision for the ongoing evolution of music education
• The CMEA of the future
Music’s Place in our Schools and How We Teach It
We are in the midst of a time of major shif ts for curriculum and instr uction in our schools nationally. Perhaps the last time this happened, it was during the adoption of No Child L ef t Behind (although this time around seems bigger to me).
We, educators in the ar ts, were not out in front when NCLB came down, and we have suffered ever since Now with Common Core and the
changes in assessments, we need to get out in front and get this right, or we will be gone for good F irst, we need to come to a consensus and advocate about where music education should fit in our schools. As I wrote in my Western Division candidate statement: I believe:
“Music Education is core and essential to the curriculum, not just an extra My vision for public education is one where the arts and sciences are at the center of
CMEA EXECUTIVE B OARD
CMEA President
Michael D Stone
E-mail: stonem@bcsd.com
Work: 661 631-4810
Cell: 661 319-8218
CMEA President-Elect
Scott Hedgecock
E-mail: scotchdir@aol com
Work: 714 626-3984
Cell: 714 393-5072
CMEA Vice President
Steven Hendee
E-mail: sjhendee@sbcglobal net
Cell: 510 329-2396
CM EA Secret ary
Duane Otani
E-mail: Dotani916@yahoo com
Work: 858 485-4800
Cell: 808 250-2279
CM EA Immediate Past President
Russ Sperling
E-mail: rsperli@cox net
Work: 858 292-3547
Cell: 619 571-6227
CM EA Administrative Coordinator
Trish Adams
E-mail: cmea@calmusiced com
CMEA Office
2417 North 11th Avenue
Hanford, CA 93230
Work: 559 587-2632
Cell: 559 904-2002
B OARD OF DIRECTORS
CM EA Bay Section President
Todd Summers
E-mail: tsummers@pausd org
Work: 650 354-8264
Cell: 650 793-4808
CM EA Capitol Section President
Brad North
E-mail: bnorth@rjuhsd us
Work: 916 771-6565, x 4600
Cell: 916 743-4471
CM EA Central Section President
Leonard Ingrande
E-mail: lingrande@centralusd k12 ca us
Work: 559 276-0280
Cell: 559 250-8753
the curriculum, harnessing the passion of students which will result in them taking ownership of their own education ”
To elaborate, for a really long time we ’ ve been organizing education around what is easier to test (English and math), rather than how kids learn, through the arts and sciences. It ’ s time to put English and math in ser vice of the arts and sciences rather than the way it is now.
S econd, how should we be teaching music? W hen I was in school, my music
CM EA Central Coast
Section President
W illow Manspeaker
E-mail: wmanspeaker@stevensonschool org
Work: 831 588-8486
Cell: 831 625-8339
CM EA North Coast Section President
Judi Sharnberg
E-mail: judimusic@gmail com
Cell: 707 502-4510
CM EA Northern Section President
David Green
E-mail: david alvin green@gmail com 775 848-3426
CM EA Southeastern Section Designated Cont act
Armalyn De La O
E-mail: adelao@csusb edu
Work: 909 537-5938
Cell: 909 838-3716
CM EA Southern Border Section President
Pauline Crooks
E-mail: Pauline.crooks@gmail.com Work: 858 485-4850, x4027 Cell: 858 207-7225
CM EA Southwestern Section Designated Cont act
Lisa A Crawford
E-mail: Lisa crawford@usc edu Work: 213 740-6935 Cell: 310 963-6422
NAf ME OFFICERS
NAf M E President
Nancy E Ditmer 18 0 6 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 220 91 8 00 33 6-376 8
NAf M E Western Division President Ellen Kirkbridge Tucson, A Z 8570 4
COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES
CM EA CA ACDA Represent ative
Merryl Nelson
E-mail: mnelson@gladdemusic com Work: 619 660-4000 x 3009
teachers taught music with an emphasis on “do this for me, ” or “play it this way ” As outlined in the soon to be released National Core Music S tandards, we need to move towards “ what students should be able to do ” We need to equip students to be independent learners, to be literate in music Beethoven said, “to play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is inexcusable,” so we need to emphasiz e teaching artistr y over technique Af ter all, if our teaching centers
CM EA CAJ Represent ative
Michael Galisatus galisatus@comcast net galisatusm@smccd edu Work: 650 574-6163 Cell: 650 743-1038
CM EA CB DA Represent ative
Norm Dea
E-mail: normdea@yahoo com 925 280-3970 home Cell: 925 286-6040
CM EA C ODA Represent ative
Kate Francis
E-mail: mskatefrancis@gmail com
Work: 408 535-6300, x29159
Cell: 415 867-5283
CM EA CAS M EC Coordinator/
CM EA Represent ative on the CB DA Board
Bill W ilkinson
E-mail: bwilkinsoncmea@gmail com Work: 559 585-3870 Cell: 559 816-6141
CM EA General Music Represent ative Richard Lawton
E-mail:richard@richardlawtonmusic com Work: 323 654-4401
Cell: 323 640-2961
CM EA Music Technology Represent ative
James Knight
E-mail: jamesknight@mac com Work: 714 536-2514, x4116, Cell: 714 914-4531
CM EA Advoc acy Represent ative
Steve Venz
E-mail: stevenvenz@yahoo.com Work: 323 224-3100 Cell: 818 445-8993
CM EA St ate Band and Orchestra Festival Chairperson
Jim Mazzaferro
E-mail: jmazzafe@egusd net Work: 916 681-7500
Cell: 916 690-1992
CM EA St ate Solo and Ensemble Festival Chairperson
Cheryl Yee Glass
E-mail: cglass@srvhs org
Work: 925 552-3044
Cell: 925 980-4404
CM EA Membership Chairperson
Regina Pryor
E-mail: reginapryor78@gmail com
Work: 661 831-8331
Cell: 661 332-9582
CMEA Mentorship Program Chairperson
E-mail: mnicholson@sandi net
Mark Nicholson Work: 858 256-2702
Cell: 858 668-8956
CM EA Music Supervisors Represent ative
Phil Rydeen E-mail: fillmore rydeen@ousd k12 ca us Work: 510 336-7609 Cell: 415 205-6525
CM EA Collegiate Represent ative Dr John Eros
E-mail: john eros@csueastbay edu Work: 510 885-3135 Cell: 773 301-7642
CM EA Tri-M Represent ative
Elizabeth Robertson
E-mail: erobertson@petk12.org Work: 707 769-9650 Cell: 707 364-4721
CM EA Higher Educ ation Represent ative
Dr Lawrence Stoffel
E-mail: stoffel@csun edu Work: 818 677-3160
Cell: 661 993-8168
CM EA Research/ Special Learners Represent ative
Dr Ruth Brittin
E-mail: rbrittin@pacific.edu Work: 209 946-2408
Cell: 209 471-6332
CM EA World Music Represent ative
Dr Lily Chen-Hafteck
E-mail: lhafteck@ucla edu
Work: 310 825-4668
CM EA Retired Members Represent ative
Jon Christian
E-mail: jonchristian41@gmail com 831 818-6044
around technique, we should be prepared to be replaced by the ever-increasing capabilities of technolog y
As music should not exist in a vacuum, we need to become visible, more in service of our communities. Rather than performing away at competitions and performing to empt y rooms at festivals 70% of the time, let ’ s become an indispensable part of the cultural fabric of our towns and cities and instead perform 70% for the people who live in our own neighborhoods If we continue to emphasiz e playing for each other rather than our communities, we risk being invisible, irrelevant and easy to cut.
The Future of CMEA
We have become an organization with an engaged, “ working ” board, and this is how we should remain California is too large and complex to believe that one office will ever be able to make an impact in this state. We need, and will continue to need, people in ever y corner of California actively working for our cause. CMEA should never again delegate its voice to others, as we used to when it
came to advocac y in particular We will need strong leaders to be at the helm of CMEA, as well as in the arts, to become school district arts curriculum leaders, especially as more of these positions open up again
CMEA and our profession will need leaders with preparation in
• Knowledge/experience in running a quality music program (without this, poor decisions get made)
• Advocac y
• Understanding of education polic y and institutions
• Non-profits
• California geography
• We need people with lots of built-in connections
CMEA/NAf ME needs to make leadership development a priorit y to equip our profession for the future I should note here that this life is not for ever yone W hen you are ser ving, you end up having to make it your priorit y for the duration of your term The work we have to do demands it, but fortunately a term doesn’t last forever. Although it seems
there is always another position waiting In Conclusion
W hen I was elected CMEA president -elect in 2010, I had no idea what was in store for me. Turns out, there was much in store. We’ve been through a lot as an organization in the last four years, and while it has taken more time and energ y than I could have expected, I’m incredibly grateful to have been a part of this transformation of CMEA I believe that the work we have done will, in the end, benefit the students of California We will continue to increase our membership, our unit y as a profession, and our presence among decision-makers. This will cause increased music enrollment and improve the qualit y of music education in California
W ith that, I thank you for your support of CMEA, for the opportunit y to ser ve you as your president over the last two years, and for the support of your votes that has placed me on the NAf ME National Executive Board and will enable me to represent California and the rest of the Western Division. Best wishes to all.
Hall of Fame Award
Honoring Lifetime Achievement in Music Education Award Recipients
Jon Christian, 2014; Orrin Cross, 2013; Gerald E Anderson, 2012; Gayanne Korkmazian, 2012; Dr David Whitwell, 2011; Nicholas Angiulo, 2010; Vincent Gomez, 2010; Robert W Lutt, 2009; Kem F Martinez, 2009; Carl W Schafer, 2009; Terry Summa, 2008; Duane Weston, 2008; John Larrieu, 2007; Barbara Cory Black, 2007; Bill Ingram, 2007; Mary Val Marsh, 2007; Carolynn Lindeman, 2006; Joe Foster, 2006; Paul Shaghoian, 2006; Frances Benedict, 2005; L Leroy Roach, 2005; Silvester McElroy, 2005; Jerry Kirkpatrick, 2005; Robert Greenwood, 2004; Arthur Huff, 2004; Lyle Stubson, 2004; Lois Vidt, 2004; John Farr, 2003; Thomas Eagan, 2003; Larry Johnson, 2002; Mary Louise Reilly, 2002; William Hill, 2001; Helynn Manning, 2001; Wesley “Colonel” Moore, 2001; Vivian Hoffstetter, 2000; F John Pylman, 2000; Lawrence Sutherland, 1999; Chuck Schroeder, 1998; Dean Semple, 1997; Burl Walter Jr , 1996; Jerry Moore, 1994; Mike Pappone, 1992; David Goedecke, 1991; Marlowe Earle, 1987; Arthur Dougherty, 1985; William Burke, 1983; Aubrey Penman, 1981; Steve Connolly, 1979;; Howard Swan, 1977; Russell Howland, 1975
1947–1949
Clarence Heagy Fresno
1949–1951
Elwyn Schwartz
1951–1953
George F Barr
1953–1955
Fred Ohlendorf Long Beach
1955–1957
Harold Youngberg Oakland
1957–1960
Joseph W Landon Fullerton
1960–1962
Douglas Kidd
1962–1964
Gibson Walters San Jose
1964–1966
Keith D Snyder Davis
1982–1984
1966–1968
Kenneth D Owens
1968–1970
Judd Chew Sacramento
1970–1972
Anthony L Campagna Foster City
1972–1974
Louis Nash La Crescenta
1974–1976
Marlow Earle Lakewood
1976–1978
Mary C. Reed Elk Grove
1978–1980
Henry Avila Monterey
1980–1982
Charles L. Freebern San Diego
David S Goedecke Stockton
1984–1986
Vivian M Hofstetter Bakersfield
1986–1988
John L. Larrieu Portola
1988–1990
L Leroy Roach Walnut Creek
1990–1992
Carolynn Lindeman Greenbrae
1992–1994
Bill Adam Roseville
1994–1996
Don Doyle Pasadena
1996–1998
Jay D Zorn La Crescenta
1998–2000
Dennis L Johnson
Salinas
2000–2002
George DeGraffenreid Fresno
2002–2004
Sam Gronseth
Paradise
2004–2006
Rob Klevan
Pacific Grove
2006–2008
Cheryl Yee Glass Danville
2008–2010
Jeff Jenkins Chula Vista
2010–2012
Norman Dea Walnut Creek
2012–2014
Russ Sperling San Diego
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Persuasion vs. Enforcement
Advocating for the Visual and Performing Arts
Opublic schools have been on the dec line for many years It is quite evident the school district governing boards believe that VAPA are an optional course of study. This is occurring despite the fact that since 1995, VAPA have been mandated by the Califor nia Educ ation Code EC S ection 51210(e) requires that all students in grades 1–6 receive instruction in the four disciplines (music, dance, theater and visual art) based on courses of study. EC S ection 51220(g) requires that students in grades 7–12 be offered the four disciplines, based on courses of study In addition, EC S ection 51050 requires the governing boards to enforce t h e c o u
Education Code. There have been no attempts by educational authorities to enforce these code sections and as a result for almost twent y years, thousands of students have been denied the opportunit y to receive instruction in the arts
As an educator for more than 56 years, I have been deeply involved in arts advocac y And, like al l ar ts educ ators, belie ved that VAPA were optional and approached advocac y as a persuader.
I a t t e n d e d t h e e a r l y L e g i s l a t i v e Ac t i o n Committee for the Arts Education (LACAE) that met year ly at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Monterey and was a member of the first board when it became a year-round organization I termed out as a board member of the California Alliance for Ar ts Education (CAAE) and am now on the Polic y Council I have attended rallies at the Capitol, wrote to and met with legislators and ser ved on a variet y of task forces and committees L ocally I have performed for the school board, been in charge of a tax override election campaign and organiz ed voter registration. I have given many presentations to civic groups and lobbied my school district officials These effor ts, along with those of hundreds of other ar ts education advocates have not been successful
It is Time to Change the Advocacy Approach from Persuasion to Enforcement
B e c a u s e I w a s p u z z l e d w hy t h e VA PA Education Code was not enforced, about 18 months ago I began an investigation to learn why and what could be done to achieve compliance. As a result of presenting to the S tate School Board (SBE) and meeting with officials in the California Department of Education (CDE), I learned that neither the SDE or the CDE have the authorit y to enforce Wow! It appeared that one way to achieve enforcement could be legislation that would give the authorit y to the CDE and the state superintendent of instruction. To pursue this I have met with staff members of both the Assembly and S enate Education Committees and the Joint Committee on the Arts Af ter finally actually meeting with two legislators, I received s o m e c o m m i t m
n t s T h e S e n a t e E d u c a t i o n Committee will take up the issue in the next twoyear session of the legislature, and the Joint Committee on the Arts will hold a hearing on enforcement in the fall This is good news and hopefully, will ultimately result in enforcement legislation If that goal is not achieved, the only other option is litigation. Lawsuits against governing boards (school boards) would pursue a writ of mandate, which requires compliance with a law There is precedence, but this course of action would only be a last resort
In the meantime, you can help by finding a way to inform your school board that they are currently breaking the law by not complying with the California Education Code. Here’s how. L ocate a parent or communit y member who is willing to inform and challenge their school board Have them contact me and I will furnish the information that they will need I have done it in my local school district and as a result received a commitment from the Assistant S uper intendent for Educational S er vices to begin working toward compliance with the VAPA Education Code We have been tr ying to persuade for years with minimal results Now we must work for enforcement
Dr. Car l W. Schafer artsed@roadrunner.com
Dr Carl W Schafer
Southern Border Section News
by Pauline Crooks
CMEA Southern Border Section President
Spring is a time of renewal and reflection It is the time for the final push to the end of the school year as well as time to begin planning for the new year. Hopefully you were able to attend CASMEC this past Februar y as well as participate in other professional development opportunities this year and have a list of new ideas to work toward implementing I personally like to keep a list of new ideas, new books to read, and new pieces of music to explore as time allows or when I need a break from my usual routine.
O ur CMEA S outhern Border S ection will be meeting next month to review and revise the mission statement and strategic plan we created in the fall of 2011 One of the top four goals we developed at that time was to establish partnerships with likeminded organizations to promote our mission This goal lines up with the 21st Centur y S kills districts across the countr y are emphasizing with students. One of those skill areas inc lude communication and collaboration. (More information can be found at www.P21.org). As we teach our students these skills we can take the time to evaluate how effectively we are using them as well I am pleased to share that our focus in this area of collaboration has paid off beyond our wildest dreams O ur jazz festival is r un in conjunction with a local radio station O ur honor choir concer t is presented in combination with one of our local school districts and with suppor t from several local music organiza-
tions All of our events have local business sponsors who provide financial support as well as door priz es for our students and/or educators. We have support from local colleges and universities who provide facilities, musical groups, guest conductors, and c linicians to help at our events. This past fall we began a partnership with the other arts organizations in S an Diego Count y, through an organization called ArtsEmpower, to hold our first annual Mega Arts Conference which provided a day of professional development for more than 350 arts educators O ur planning for the second annual Mega Arts Conference is in full swing and will be even bigger than the inaugural event. It has been wonderful to see how much of an impact these partnerships have had on the music educators and therefore the students in the S outhern Border S ection of CMEA
I encourage you to search out opportunities to collaborate in your CMEA S ection and at your school As you begin to plan for next year, evaluate what has been working well and what can be improved to better benefit students. Enlist the help of a colleague for a different perspective on your educational mission statement and resulting goals and lesson plans. Listen to music you might not ordinarily listen to, read a new book, or follow an educational blog in order to possibly find a fresh approach to your teaching Explore ways to get involved with CMEA to make a broader impact on music students across California P lease contact your section or state board to share your ideas. Most importantly, keep yourself refreshed and model collaboration for your students.
Pauline Crooks
ABuilding a Better Conference
Greater Than the Sum of Its Partners
by Bill Wilkinson CMEA CASMEC Logistics Coordinator
nother outstanding state music conference is in the books and we at CMEA have a lot to celebrate It ’ s evident that our conference is growing as many of our sessions were filled to near capacit y. This is a result of qualit y presenters who are facilitating sessions that offer pertinent information to today ’ s music educator. Definitely a hot topic this year was Common Core – these sessions offered in our professional development strand were well attended and many were standing room only Not only were our Common Core sessions well attended, but we ’ ve seen a dramatic attendance increase in our General Music sessions Thank you to Jean S trickland, CMEA’s general music representative S he’s done an excellent job choosing presenters that are ver y engaging and I know that she’s a big reason why these sessions that once were only drawing 20 attendees are now attracting 70–80 people per session. Congratulations to Jean on her retirement. It ’ s been a pleasure working with her and Dennis Mauricio, our technolog y representative These people provide CMEA with a crucial communication link to key industr y vendors such as Peripole and MakeMusic – I appreciate the help these two individuals have provided me throughout the year as we prepare for CASMEC It ’ s impossible to put on a conference without teamwork. Though it may not be apparent to the attendees, CASMEC is comprised of many organizations coming together, working in collaboration for a single pur pose. It was a pleasure working with the board members of
A break from rehearsals in Fresno’s Saroyan Hall at CAS M EC 20 1 4.
CBDA, CODA and CAJ as we prepared for the conference On the CMEA side of things, I was fortunate this year to have a dedicated team of helpers that assisted with preparing the session rooms with last minute details Thank you to S tephanie Adney, Rob Bentley, Kelsey Heater, L eonard Ingrande, Emily Johnson, J im Kusserow, Lanell McCart y and P hil V illalobos for their behind the scenes help Another crew that was behind the scenes but vital to our conference ’ s success: the hard working brothers and sisters of Fresno S tate’s Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta S igma These teams were responsible for the heavy lif ting; such as the set up and take down of concert shells, choral risers and countless music stands A special thanks to the sisters of Fresno S tate’s S igma Alpha Iota SAI volunteered to help with the packing and removal of our general music instruments at the conc lusion of the conference Lastly, I must thank Trish Adams, CMEA’s administrative assistant, for her timely communications and relentless work to see that our conference was ready to roll on Day One
CMEA is committed to providing a first-c lass conference experience for attendees and c linicians alike It was a pleasure to work with our presenters over these past months as the conference approached O ur journey with the presenters began in June when they submitted their c linic proposals. These proposals were reviewed by our selection committees and those selected were passed on to me Once I received the selected proposals, I established and maintained contact with the presenters from August on through our conference. This ongoing dialogue ensures that all details are in place to make their session and overall experience at CASMEC memorable S ometimes presenters have life circumstances that prohibit them from presenting once they are accepted S uch was the case with Br yan Holbrook, one of our presenters selected this past summer. He contacted us in November that he had to withdraw from this year ’ s conference because his wife was expecting their second child c lose to the time of the conference. Though we were sad to see Br yan withdraw, he undoubted ly made the right
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FOR MORE I N FORMATION up edu/music • UPMusic@up edu • 503 943 7228
choice; he was to present on Februar y 21 and his wife gave birth to a baby boy on the 20th Congratulations to the Holbrook family and we hope Br yan resubmits for a future conference
S peaking of future conferences, now that this year ’ s conference is behind us, we are beginning preparations for CASMEC 2015 for one last year in Fresno before we make the move to S an Jose in 2016 It will be exciting to have the Choral L eadership Academy rejoin us in 2015. We encourage potential presenters to submit proposals for these upcoming conferences P lease check www calmusiced com in the coming weeks for information and dead lines.
In c losing, I would like to thank CMEA President Russ S per ling for giving me this opportunit y to be of service to CMEA It has been a joy ser ving in this capacit y and I look for ward to working with CMEA President Michael D S tone as we work diligently to make CASMEC the premiere music educators conference in the West
I NTIMATE CLASSES I N NOVATIVE PROGRAMS. OUTSTAN DI NG ENSEMBLES.
Three Simple Rules for Orchestra
by Kate Francis CMEA CODA Representative
Me: W hy did we stop? (af ter playing only two measures of music)
Me: W hy did we stop? (af ter playing only two measures of music)
Class: Because we did not start together
Me: How do we start together?
Class: Because we did not start together. Me: How do we start together?
Bow on string – S o simple, and yet many string players do not do this S teven starts one inch above the string and Desiree starts from on the string. This will affect the sound because the attack of the note will sound at a different time and each student will have a different sound. S olution: must get all students used to putting their instrument up, then immediately putting their bow directly on the string
Watch the conductor – I like to open this up and broaden the categor y. Watch the conductor and watch the section leaders. Be aware of the other musicians in the ensemble.
Breathe – Have you ever asked a string student this question? Do you breathe when you play? The responses are entertaining, and they start thinking about breathing I love to hear a great wind section play together because their entrances are so precise as they breathe together. As the students work on breathing before the down beat there is snickering through the ensemble, but this subsides when they realiz e that if they breathe together they will play together
I cannot list the number of times each week I remind my orchestras
of these three simple rules. I let them know that the day that I do not care about one of these rules is the day they should worr y.
On a completely different note I hope that you enjoyed your experience at CASMEC this year I would like to thank Mark Aubel and the Amador Valley High School Orchestra for working hard and being the c linic orchestra for two sessions, as well as the reading orchestra to present new music from J.W. Pepper. Robert Anderson, Paul Cummings, Cyrus Ginwala, Dr. S tephen Benham, Dr. Janine Riveire, Thomas L owenheim, and Adam Noel all presented thoughtful and educational string sessions I hope you were able to hear the Junior High School All-S tate Orchestra under the direction of Richard Meyer and the High School All-S tate Orchestra under the direction of Kenneth Kiesler From the first rehearsal to the concert both groups made significant musical strides.
As I write this artic le we have twelve weeks of school lef t This is about the time that I start reflecting on my year How can I improve for my students next year? W hat can I do better in the last three months? I look at the seniors, knowing we have twelve weeks lef t until they graduate. I’m excited to watch the seniors go out and have new adventures, but I also question where the time goes Enjoy your spring and I hope it is ver y productive and musical
“We Were a Captive Audience”
An Outreach Concert at a California State Prison
by Dr. Lawrence F. Stoffel
CMEA Higher Education Representative
Outreach concerts and other such off-campus performances should be commonplace and regular activities for our college and universit y music ensembles These concerts are an important and essential component of the collegiate ensemble experience S uch outreach concerts also fulfill certain fundamental objectives of academia’s mission The California S tate Universit y proc laims the CSUs are “ working for California,” and the Universit y of California boasts itself to be a universit y “for,
by and of California ” Clear ly the off-campus concert given by a collegiate ensemble is, at its ver y core, part of the universit y mission.
Last December the California S tate Universit y, Northridge W ind Ensemble presented an unprecedented outreach concert at one of California’s state prisons – home to some of our state’s “fourth wor ld population ” L ocated in Corona, the California Institution for Women (CIW ) is a L evel I–III prison for female offenders. In addition to its large general population, CIW houses inmates with spe-
A c aptivated audience would later express their appreciation in letters to the ensemble
cial needs such as pregnanc y, psychiatric care, methadone, and medical problems such as HIV infection. CIW also ser ves as a h i g h e r s e c u r i t y f a c i l i t y f o r f e m a l e inmates in Administrative S egregation.
The California Institution for Women opened in 1952 and, except for the securit y perimeter, largely resembles a communit y college campus from that decade Indeed, the campus-like design was in k e e p i n g w i t h t h e 1 9 5 0 s ’ p r o g re s s i v e notion of rehabilitation It was originally called Frontera, a feminine derivative of the word frontier Until 1987, CIW was California’s only prison for female felons. Designed for an inmate population of 1,080, the current bed count at CIW surpasses 1,900.
P l a n n i n g f o r t h e C S U N W i n d
Ensemble’s performance at CIW began four months in advance of the concer t date The logistics for such a concer t were considerable. A formal securit y c learance was required of each member of the band Ever y aspect of the concer t was scr utiniz ed beforehand Even our concer t attire required approval by the prison warden
One month prior to the concer t the CIW chaplain and a volunteer visited the CSUN campus to speak with the W ind E n s e m b l e mu s i c i a n s T h e s t u d e n t s received a thorough briefing about concer t day logistics along with a detailed review of prison procedures and protocols Any student concerns about safet y were also answered
The chaplain also shared with us this letter from the CIW inmates:
Dear Students:
The incarcerated women here at the California Institution for Women would ver y much appreciate you all taking time out of your busy schedule to come and play for us We never have the opportunity for live music here We barely have access to music as we do not have access to the digital world you all have access to Some of us have never seen a cell phone or even used a phone without a cord attached to a wall. For many of us, this will be a brand new experience we have never had be fore –to be able to see the inst ruments and the musicians up close would be ext remely special Some of us have never seen a cello be fore or anything else. For those of us who have had the experience of a concert, it has been so long that it would be a joy to be t ransported by the beauty of music The Christmas season is notoriously difficult because it is miserable to be in prison during this time –away from family, friends, etc. A concert would give us a couple of hours from the mundane
For those of us who are older, seeing amazing young people will be special For those of us who are younger as you are, seeing people our age will give us hope help us see the possibility of other things and other ways Thank you for considering us You are welcome here in our virtual reality - Women at CIW
Upon arrival at CIW on the morning of the concert, prison securit y thoroughly inspected al l music al instr uments and cases, sheet music, folders, and equipm e n t No p e r s o n a l p o s s e s s i o n s ( c e l l phones, c ameras, key s, purses, wallets, etc.) were permitted inside the prison. Each musician was individually processed through a metal detector and then issued an identification tag
The CIW staff and securit y personnel exhibited the highest level of professionalism and efficienc y throughout the entire day.
The concert took place in the CIW auditorium This modest brick building, adjacent to the pr ison’s centr al quad, resembles a ‘50s-era school cafetorium (part auditorium, part cafeteria, part activit y room) The entire concert band could not fit on the auditorium’s small stage, so most of the musicians were seated on the main floor (Anecdotally, despite the interior ’ s austere appearance and its obvious lack of any frill, the acoustics were extraordinar y.)
One-hundred inmates were permitted to attend the concert This was designated as a privileged event for which an inmate earned a special “ducat ” to attend I could not adequately express just how profound the concert experience was for all people there that day The emotional response from the prisoners was equaled by the emotional response from the musicians.
Two days af ter the concert we received the following letter from the prisoners:
Dear D r Stoffel and Wind Ensemble,
We cannot thank you enough for coming out here and presenting us with the kind gift of music The int roductions to familiar and not so familiar tunes were interesting and enhanced the beauty and/or fun of the song The joy of music was re flected as each of the members int roduced their inst ruments which lightened the atmosphere and gave us an opportunity for gaiety Through the decades that some of us have been incarcerated, there has not been a classical music presentation given within the institution. Many of us didn’t even know what the various
CSUN Wind Ensemble students with security identification badges.
inst ruments were and this was a brand new int roduction to the Arts Finally, for a few hours we felt like human beings – giving us an escape from our daily lives here We wish all of you a warm and loving holiday. We hope that you got as much out of the day as we did because odds are that this was a new experience for you too Thankfully,
- The G rate ful Women of the California Institution for Women
A few weeks later the chaplain shared with us additional comments from individual prisoners:
“ There is no joy, there is no beauty in a prison setting at Christmas, or ever. I was enthralled by the joy and beauty of your per formance Thank you ”
“ The experience awakened a light part of me that had been shut off It made me feel as though, ‘Ever ything will be alright.’ ”
“ The CSUN Wind Ensemble’s Christmas concert was spectacular! The musical per formance they delivered came down from the heaven The holy season is the most difficult for inmates to experience alone, without loved ones. The joy that the conductor and musicians brought to us, filled our hearts and dist racted us from the pain of isolation for just a little while, we didn’t feel quite so forgotten
“Utterly amazing and ver y valuable, it brought a nice slice of humanity to CIW ”
“From the moment the music began I was t ransported away from prison walls and fences to a place where memories and possible futures reside My heart was deeply touched.”
Reactions from CSUN students were equally profound:
“Playing a concert of this nature was t ruly special and fulfilling in a way that I had not previously experienced I am ext remely g rateful for the opportunity to participate in something so special for both the audience and performers alike.” - Josiah Morales, euphonium, senior, BM Performance
“ Well it was ver y hard to play the music without cr ying, knowing that some of these inmates have not been on the outside world for decades and seeing their reactions was by far a gift, one that reminds me of the gift I have to play music for any audience that is willing to listen. It was like they’re watching a movie and we were able to see them live vicariously through that movie. The movie was us ” - Jason Kennedy, oboe, junior, BM Performance
“I have never felt the experience of sharing such an emotional musical event with so many people that I ’ ve never met be fore. You always had a sense of high expectation in the ensemble because ever yone cared so much about making sure that the music was going to be per formed at 200% ” - Alphonso Johnson, string bass, senior, BA Music Education
“P risoners are not much different than us. Ever y one of us has made mistakes in our lives, they just happened to make bigger mistakes P risoners should be respected and t reated humanely by the public We simply showed them compassion the best way we could, through music ” - Monica L ong, senior, trumpet, BM Performance
“A fter our per formance one of the inmates walked up to the clarinet section and said, ‘ You know be fore you guys got here I had no hope But after hearing you play I know that ever ything is going to be alright. I ’ m going to be okay ’ As a whole, I came in expecting to make an impact on them, who knew that they’d end up making a life-long impact on me?” – S haniee Parker, senior, c larinet, BA Music Education /BM Performance.
The concert would never have been possible if not for the efforts and dedicated work of Dr Mar yloyola Yettke, the CIW Chaplain S he shared her thoughts about the concer t in a letter:
When I received an e-mail from D r. Stoffel offering to bring the CSUN ’ s Wind Ensemble into the prison I was ecstatic Ever y step of the way of the long (and sometimes laborious) security process was met with g raciousness by him and his students. Their music t ransported all of us to a world where there are no limitations D r Stoffel ’ s int roduction of the various inst ruments was a delightful educational experience for all It was just plain fun
The students were amazing! They had such a professional presence about them The ensemble was culturally diverse which made a visual (and st rong) statement about the ability of people working together. And, of course, music often has that ability
A warden’s schedule is exceptionally demanding as one might expect, but she came in on her day off (not that it is ever t ruly a day off ), to attend the concert. Her presence elevated the significance of this first time ever event –something which did not go unnoticed by the inmates
Now, I have a confession to make I found myself watching the reactions of the inmates more than the ensemble. These women, with whom I have worked extensively, were cr ying, smiling, and profoundly brought into the experience I could see that for a brie f moment in time they forgot that they were in prison I knew that some of the women thought that they would never again see a live orchest ra in their life times; they were enthralled
I knew that some women had never experienced a concert in their lives and t ruly had no idea what to expect; they were captivated Finally, the remarks I continue to receive after the event testify to its success The deep-hearted thank yous warmed my heart and made all the work, well worth it I am fer vently g rate ful to D r Stoffel and his students for their unselfish gift of giving of their time and talent!
- M Yettke, Chaplain California Institution for Women
I also experienced the same phenomenon that Dr Yettke described about forgetting that we were all in a prison Af ter b e i n g p ro c e s s e d t h ro u g h s e c u r i t y, t h e CSUN students and I waited in the CIW auditorium for near ly an hour before the concert began I found myself frequently forgetting that we were actuall y in a prison The prison’s 1950s-era auditorium was in many ways identical to an auditorium found on the campus of a t ypical public school In many ways the concert was as ordinar y as any of the other outreach concerts that the CSUN W ind Ensemble gives ever y semester I found it to be all
the more extraordinar y that this prison concert was, at least for fleeting moments, rather ordinar y.
But unquestionably, this was no ordinar y performance Immediately following the concert, the inmates were methodically processed through the auditorium exit D uring those few minutes that it took for them to file out, a few women came for-
ward to express their gratitude directly to me and to the students. Among all of the inmates that I spoke with that day in December, I will remember one woman in particular S he shared with me that she has been incarcerated at CIW for more than 40 years. O ur Christmas concert was the first time that she had heard a performance of live music.
L et me repeat: she had not heard live music performed in more than 40 years.
A few of the women also quietly shared personal anecdotes One inmate wanted to me know that she had played oboe in her school band Another let me know that she was once a universit y professor. I found great dignit y in these brief conversations
One woman expressed her gratitude by saying that the concert could have been twice as long and ever yone would still be wanting more “It wouldn’t be possible for the concert to be too long,” she proc laimed. And then with a lighthearted smile, she added, “ We were a captive audience. ”
S ome information contained in this artic le is quoted from these California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation websites: www.cdcr.ca.gov/Facilities L ocator/ CIW.html
www insidecdcr ca gov/2013/12/universit yconcert-band-performs-for-ciw-inmates
Photo credits: Lt Richard Montes, AA/PIO (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Joyce Bean (CIW Associate Warden), Dr. Maryloyola Yettke (CIW chaplain), Dr Lawrence Stoffel (CSUN), Kimberly Hughes (CIW Warden)
Demonstration of musical instruments.
Our Work in Music
by Drew Lewis CMEA Central Coast President
G reetings from the Cent ral Coast of California.We just finished three weekends of honors events in our section which included students sponsored by 61 of our 71 full active members Students participated in our middle school and high school honor bands, orchest ras, and choirs with some of the most outstanding guest conductors from around the state It is always a joy to connect with my colleagues and their students. I f the success of these events are any indication, I am especially looking for ward to our solo and ensemble, choral, and inst rumental festivals coming up in the next few weeks
The two years I ’ ve spent as CCS president have flown by and I hope I have ser ved my section well As I wrap up my final months of the school year I ’d like to share a few re flections on teaching that I recently presented to the members of my section.
Itruly believe that my students deser ve the best that I can give them I am always striving to become a better musician and educator so I can help them succeed even more in their music education. The film composer, John W illiams stated it eloquently in Andrew Zuckerman’s book, Music, when he said “My work in music...will never be finished and I will never have enough time to know what I want to know and to be able to contribute what I possibly could S o I keep working at it ” My work will last a lifetime but I want to share a few of the things I’m currently tr ying to do in my journey. My hope is that some of these thoughts can remind and encourage you as you do the same
Plan
S everal years ago I had the privilege of chairing an incredible midd le school honor choir with Mel Carillo (from V isalia) as the conductor. I remember seeing the planning he put into rehearsals, inc luding spelling out the time he allotted for each activit y At this point in my career this was a revelation S omehow I had never thought of planning choir rehearsals in such a way Af ter this experience I planned my next chamber choir rehearsal down to the minute with what I wanted to achieve and I was astonished. I accomplished exponentially more with that rehearsal than I had in any c lasses to date S ince then, I tr y to plan c lasses in a way that makes the best use of c lass time and allows events to unfold in the c lassroom in a way that enhances the students’ learning I still remain flexible with the time to be open to unplanned teachable moments in the c lassroom, but the efficienc y of what I can accomplish with this level of planning has been wor th it
Prepare
This is one of the hardest things for me to do with my schedule, but I believe that the preparation I put into teaching c lass makes the experience better for the students.
Drew Lewis
Preparation to me inc ludes ever ything from finding time to do score study to warming up in the car on the way to work so that I can be ready to model vocal technique to my choirs even if it is ear ly in the morning I must say this is one of the biggest challenges for me, but I know the more equipped I am in score study, background knowledge, and technical aspects of the music, the more I have to offer my students.
Proactively Learn
As a professional, I think this is one of the biggest areas we need to be aware of We need to keep learning to fill in the gaps in our knowledge and competenc y. There is nothing more humbling than standing in front of students in a performance c lass to have the students reflect back to you all of your weaknesses I remember one time in the c lassroom when I hired a c linician to come in and work with my choir students on solo repertoire and vocal technique As each student came up to sing, the c linician kept addressing the same issue in ever y student Af ter the third student the revelation hit me that these students have the
same vocal issues because they are reflecting my vocal issues. This idea has been addressed by many pedagogues, inc luding Rodney Eichenberger in the video, “ W hat They S ee Is W hat You Get ” This video shows many examples of how posture, attitude, and conducting gesture can affect students in noticeable ways. S till, I’ve seen many teachers who yell at their students or complain about their students not giving them what they want, and yet the problem of ten lies with what the teacher is giving them I understand that we all teach var ying levels of interest and competenc y in students, but I still firmly believe that when things are not going well in a c lassroom and rehearsal the first place to look is to yourself There are some times when I am not the problem, but for me I know those times have been the exception and not the rule. The good news about this however is that many of the good things our ensemble are doing are also a reflection of our strengths
Put things in perspective
F inally, I need time to relax. Life as a music educator is incredibly busy. There
is so much that happens beyond the c lassroom in this job that it ’ s easy to get the life sucked out of you. I was writing this artic le in a Reed ley coffee shop while visiting family in the Central Valley when I ran in to two influential mentors from my ear ly college years As we talked we discussed how necessar y breaks and holidays are and how we have to plan for time off to recharge. I love my job, but there is more to life (thankfully) than teaching Things need to be kept in perspective T ime with friends, family, or just with a good book help me keep perspective. As my life gets busier I realiz e I need more time like this. How do you find balance? How do you give your students your best? I think these are all questions we deal with for the rest of our careers I’ve shared with you some of the ways I’m currently dealing with them and it has also given me new ideas to explore. I hope they ser ve as a reminder and encouragement to you as well Feel free to share with me your ideas on these questions as we continue the conversation I’m always available at d lewis@kirby org
Triple Team
CLA/ACDA/SCVA
by Merryl Nelson
CMEA California ACDA Representative
The 2014 CMEA/ACDA/SCVA
Choral L eadership Academy was held this year on Februar y 21–22 during the Western Division ACDA Conference, Februar y 20–22, in S anta Barbara CMEA graciously “ loaned ” the CLA to the Western Division ACDA Conference, for this year only, due to the fact that both CASMEC and the Western Division had been inadvertently scheduled for the same weekend As we have stated in all previous publications, the CLA will return to CASMEC in 2015
You may have noticed that there is a new acronym that has been added to the CLA sponsorship CMEA and California ACDA enthusiastically welcome S outhern California Vocal Association (SCVA) as they join the “team” in our efforts to provide this unique career education opportunit y for high school, college, and universit y students interested in
the choral music profession As music programs are being cut or cut back due to budget concerns and/or unenlightened school administrators, it is more important than ever that we, CMEA, ACDA, and SCVA, (along with CBDA, CODA, and CAJ) stand together in our support of each other and music educators throughout California.
W ith this in mind, the Third CMEA/ ACDA/SCVA Choral L eadership Academy of 2014 was another enormous success The 33 high school and college choral musicians were led by Dr. Edith Copley, Regents’ Professor and Director of Choral S tudies at Northern Ariz ona Universit y, in singing new literature, honing musicianship skills, learning effective and eloquent conducting techniques, and building productive and successful choral rehearsals. Dr. Copley also shared with the students some of the “ Tried & True & New” techniques and skills along with
inspiring thoughts on “ The Calling ” of a choral director S upporting Dr Copley at the piano during the various reading sessions was Mr. Daniel Hughes, founder and director of “ The Choral Project ” Dr Chris Peterson (CSU Fullerton) and Dr Jonathan Talberg (CSU L ong Beach) provided warm-ups and mixing and bonding activities throughout the two days that inspired a unique camaraderie among the students that hopefully, will continue into the future
Because the CLA was within the Western Division ACDA Conference, the students attended several concert sessions as part of the CLA schedule where they heard many outstanding choirs Af ter ward, it was a logical progression that the students be able to bring some questions to a few of the conductors of these excellent choirs who graciously shared their expertise in a panel discussion on the choral music profession, col-
Dr Copley leads CLA students in the proper shaping of vowels
Choral Leadership Academy staff, left to right: Chris Peterson, Jonathan Talberg, Edith Copley, Merryl Nelson, Daniel Hughes
lege programs, and other topics
Participating were Dr Ron S taheli (Brigham Young Universit y), Dr. Elizabeth Schauer (Universit y of Ariz ona), and Professor John Byun (Riverside Communit y College) This was a highly informative and valuable session for all present due to the thoughtful questions posed by the students. Another significant piece of the CLA experience was a master c lass entitled “ Working with High School S ingers: Approaches and Techniques,” led by choral director Carolyn Teraoka-Brady with the help of the S an Marcos High School Madrigals. All in attendance –CLA students, parents, and seasoned choral directors came away with helpful, informative knowledge and considerable inspiration from all of these sessions
The most inspiring of these activities, however, occurred as the students arrived on Friday morning Each student was assigned to one of four groups, in which they would help each other learn a madrigal to perform later on S aturday It was so exciting to travel the halls throughout the two days and witness the combined musicianship of these young people and then the excellent culmination of their work in their performance S aturday af ternoon
S pecial thanks go out to Dr. Edith Copley, Dr. Chris Peterson, Dr. Jonathan Talberg, Dr Ron S taheli, Dr Elizabeth Schauer, Professor John Byun, Mr Daniel Hughes, and Ms Carolyn Teraoka-Brady and the S an Marcos High School Madrigals for helping to make this year ’ s Choral L eadership Academy such a resounding success Also special thanks to Gar y Unruh, program chair for the WD-ACDA Conference, and S teve Hodson, president of WD-ACDA, for their outstanding suppor t of the CLA and smoothly and cheerfully overcoming the challenges of adding this extra piece to the Western Division Conference. Acting as coordinator and registrar for the event was your ACDA choral representative to the CMEA council, Merr yl Nelson.
Choral at CASMEC
Ia m h a p p y t o report that the choral strand of s e s s i o n s a t CA SMEC was alive and well in Fresno this y e a r W i t h m a n y t e a c h e r s b e i n g assigned to teach so m a n y d i f f e re n t instrumental and choral c lasses, our sessions at CASMEC pulled a wide range of attendees who were interested in educating themselves about choir music.
O ur long Thursday session was “Choir For the Non-Choral Teacher,” a session set up as the crash course for the instrumental teacher who has been asked to teach choir Many people who attended this session were in their first or second year of teaching choir – or even some who were preemptively coming to learn as they suspect they ’ ll be teaching choir next year This theme continued as the three sessions on Friday drew a variet y of a t t e n d e e s . “ W h i c h M u s i c a l T h e a t re Score is a Perfect F it For Your Program?” (presented by Brandon Adams of the Ur ban Sc hool of S an Fr ancisco and W illiam S auer land of Lick-W ilmerding High School in S an Francisco) gave insight into shows that are “off the beaten path” – just as entertaining as some of the popular productions, but perhaps less well-known or less expensive to produce Dr Jeb Mueller of Universit y of Houston gav e t wo rousing sessions on Fr iday af ternoon: the first was “Encouraging E m o t i o n a n d Te x t u a l E n g a g e m e n t Throughout the Rehearsal Process” –
how to invite students to connect to the mu s i c – a n d t h e s e c o n d w a s “ I t ’ s
Personal: Building and Maintaining a Q ualit y Music Program,” helpful for any teacher who is interested in recruiting for their program and retaining students from year to year (Isn’t that all of us?) S aturday began bright and ear ly at 8 a.m. with “ Vocal Health and Technique for Young S ingers,” by Brigid de Jong of CSU Fresno, a “must-see” session for h e l
h
d sound This was followed by the nowannual Choral Round Table, facilitated by Scott Hedgecoc k (Fuller ton High School of the Arts and new CMEA President-Elect) This “ bring your own coffee” meeting covered the integration of c hoir into the S tate Festival and Advocac y Day in S acramento and the u n i f i c a t i o n o
throughout the state as discussion topics Later S aturday af ternoon, a local favorite, Peg Hutson ( Valley Oak Midd le School in V isalia), brought the Valley Oak S inging Men, a chorus of 7th and 8th grade boys, for her session entitled “Real Men Do S ing: Working W ith Boys in Midd le School ” The “ working re h e a r s a l ” a t m o s ph e
on demonstrated repertoire choice for young male voices as well as utilization of physical movement with this age group. We finished off the conference with “S ing Your Way Through Theor y ” by Kr is Adams (Berklee College of Music in Boston), which focused on her sightsinging method designed specifically for singers.
M a n y t h a n k s t o M e r r y l Ne l s o n , ACDA Choral Representative to the C M E A S t a t e B o a r d
these diverse and engaging sessions All choral sessions were co-sponsored by CMEA a
years with the return of our ACDA colleagues and t h e C h
Academy.
Laura W illiams Director of Choral Music Mira Mesa High School S an Diego LW illiams@miramesachoirs.org
Laura Williams
Choral Leadership Academy group photo
Performance Bowings
Bowing Terms Explained for Band-Trained Teachers by Dr Thomas Tatton
What an exciting three days: I recently returned from the 2013 Midwest B and and Orchestra Clinic There were lots of wonderful performing ensembles and clinics. One such clinic, given by B ob Phillips, ASTA President, was titled “Beginning Through Advanced Right-Hand Technique for Strings ” In a one-hour session, Mr Phillips tried to cover bowing terms, right-hand finger functions, sound creation, lanes, separated bow strokes, and left-hand skills that effect sound. Way too much for a wonderfully gifted pedagogue to cover in an hour. Even more so because the rather full audience was replete with wind players and teachers having to, or wishing to, teach strings or full orchestra I know this by the soft chatter all around me with frantic note t aking, each trying to capture all of the information B ob was sharing.
There are several notions to ex amine before delving into the bowing terms themselves
String players use the term b owing to refer to the actual motion itself or, to the markings in the printed part or, the act of marking the desired bowing into a score or part, i.e., “We are going to bow the parts today ” Or, to answer the question: “What are you doing?” “I am bowing the parts ” Make sure you underst and what that string person is referring to and/or that your students know how you are using that term.
String players bandy terms about that are sometimes confusing For ex ample, the word dét aché
Dét aché can mean everything from very legato to somewhat det ached or can simply mean an up and down bow stroke that is on-the-string The s ame with the term st accato. St accato can mean a brief separation, (not unlike dét aché) to short, accented (marcato) to “hammered” (martelé) and everything in between
String players mark bowings in a score or string parts that are frequently confusing Often there are only subtle differences, or sometimes, no actual difference at all.
String players use different words and markings that enjoy different meanings in different historical periods and/or regional context A dot (•) over or under a note head has a different meaning for Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, B artók, or John Adams. And, a term like spiccato in the 18th century has a different meaning in France than in It aly That difference creates a difference in sound
Lastly, a bit of luck, often the bow markings in the parts are explained and defined in the score preface What a wonderful opportunity to st art using these terms with our students. This is also an early opportunity to st art a word wall
All is Not Lost
Only dilett antes, those attempting to impress and, perhaps a studio teacher or two at big name music schools parse words like dét aché into dét aché porté, dét aché lancé, grand dét aché or accented dét aché We don’t really have to deal with that level
of sophisticated word us age teaching grade one through five pieces; especially since most string players and teachers aren’t engaged at that level either Further, most who use that level of terminology do not agree on definition, symbol, or us age
Generally, bowings needed for most public school and youth symphony situations come in four families: 1) on-the-string, 2) off-the-string 3) various slurred varieties, and 4) special bowings There is a fifth category included in many bowing explanations that we don’t need to deal with here They are used mainly for solo work and include: ricochet,1 Jeté, st accato volante, and flying st accato can be included in this category. When a clinician comes in to work with your charges or when you st art using these bowing s,2 clarify what is meant by the term used Your students will underst and your us age and know what you mean For those experts who come in to your rehears al ask them to define the terms they are using. You need not be embarrassed, feel like y ou don’t know anything, or be intimidated – make sure you and your students underst and how a word is being used –just ask
Family I On-The-String bowings – Dét aché: any bow stroke that is up and down and on-the-string. Make sure the person who uses that term is specific Again, dét aché can mean legato, separated to varying degrees, emphasized or accented (marcato) to heavily accented (martelé) The terms marcato and martelé are almost always used independently from the term dét aché. For ex ample a string person might instruct an ensemble by s aying: “Play those notes ‘dét aché’ or ‘marcato’ or ‘martelé ’” Then, he or she should explain how those notes are to be played and where in the bow, or better yet, demonstrate
Chart for Common On-The-String Bowings
Notes without diacritical marks are simply played legato
A dash over or under the note head can mean to hold out for full value (or more), i e tenuto It can also mean a slight separation between notes or even to give that note emphasis or some weight (A dash under a slur can mean up-bow st accato or an expressive bowing such as louré or port ato See slurred bowings)
A dash and a dot can also mean either a slight separation or a more st accato stroke. It can also mean a flautando stroke if marked pp. The flautando
stroke is produced by using very light weight with
the bow and moving the bow fast across the string. This produces a sound that is light and airy, almost wispy – a flute-like sound and often used in a mysterioso section of music The closer to the fingerboard the wispier the sound – Sul Tasto
A dot can mean st accato or spiccato or even marcato depending on dynamic. (Notes marked with a dot under a slur can mean up-bow spiccato Usually one will see this with an up-beat or pick-up See slurred bowings)
An accent can mean marcato (accented) or even martelé (heavily accented) Usually used with a percussive att ack.
An accent with a dot indicates a heavy accent –marcato and martelé This is sometimes marked with a wedge ( )
Family I I. Spiccato: any bow stroke that is an up and down bow stroke that comes off-the-string. We will t alk in a different article about how far “offthe-string” the bow actually comes Spiccato includes everything from a light “brush” stroke, to crisp, to accented, or s autillé
Chart for Common Off-The-String Bowings
A dot above or below a note head can mean spiccato if the piece is at a speed the “bounce” can be controlled, or s autillé (also called s alt ado or s alt ando) if the tempo is fast enough for the bow to react with its natural bounce.
Successive down bows are very heavy and played at the frog
Successive up-bow spiccato is very much like an up-bow st accato (see slurred) and used in the s ame way. The difference is the bow leaves the string. It is most effective lower in the bow – balance point and toward the frog often depending on the number of notes involved
Family I I I Slurred bowings Slurs are notes (two or more) played under one bow direction, either up or down. The slur is the ultimate legato bowing yet there are other bowings that come under the term slur Common slurred bowing variations include everything from simple two (or more) notes-in–a-bow to up-bow st accato and louré/port ato (Two or more notes that are hooked together in one bow with just a slight expressive pause between notes.)
Various slurred and hooked bowings are often used to create a positive bow distribution situation and/or solve bow geography difficulties
1 Ricochet is sometimes a stroke used in school music – think the Overture to William Tell If your orchestra is planning to use ricochet then you are probably not in need of the information in this article
2 St art a vocabulary wall Do not be afraid to use these terms as they are the terms string players use
A slur includes multiple notes t aken under one bow direction, either up or down.
A dash or a dot above or below note heads can mean up-bow st accato or spiccato This is used often for up-beats or pick-ups and results in a strong down bow stroke on the first beat of the next bar.
Port ato or Louré, both terms are used for a bow stroke of gentle separation There is a quiet urgency or expressivity to this pulsing stroke
There are various “hooked” bowings often with included dots or dashes. This bowing may be shown by dots or dashes within the slur depending on the desired length of the notes. Hooked bowing may also be shown as consecutive up or down bows marked above the notes heads
The collé stroke is usually a gentle lift, especially for B aroque or early Classical styles. More contemporary us age collé can mean a pinched, lifted stroke.
Family IV. Special bowings include:
Playing on-the-bridge: sul ponticello [It ], sur le chevalet [Fr.] or am steg [Gr.]. The bow is placed very close to the bridge – not actually on it – to achieve an ethereal, glassy or spooky sound.
Playing over the fingerboard: sul t asto [It ] , sur le touché [Fr ] or am griffrett [Gr ] The bow is placed over the end of the fingerboard This creates a soft, light sound – flautando.
Playing with the wood of the bow: col legno [It.], avec le bois [Fr ] or, mit holz [Gr ] The stick –wood of the bow is used to strike the string to get a different, rather “wooden” or “clinky” sound
(Now, it must be s aid here that in more “today’s” music, i.e. the music of the Turtle Island Quartet, the Kronos Quartet and others, the bow and right hand are used in some rather unique ways This is a topic for another article )
Tremolo, measured (that is a set number of iterations) or unmeasured is a difficulty In most school music one slash breaks into eight notes; two slashes breaks into sixteenth notes and three slashes is most often unmeasured tremolo Tempo rarely changes this In music that one would use by, s ay Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler or Debussy, editions will vary For the most part any note with three slashes (except in slow tempos where four slashes are sometimes
used) means unmeasured tremolo. With measured tremolo one line through a half note or a quarter note equals eight notes, two lines equals sixteenths One line through an eight note equals sixteenth notes; two lines equals thirty-second notes
sixteenth notes
eighth notes
eighth notes
sixteenth notes
thirty-second notes
With regard to tremolo – you may have a clear idea what is required, however, some of your orchestra members might not. Especially for measured strokes, make sure your string section members underst and what is required and that you include this in your rehears al Otherwise, for a measured tremolo section of music someone in the back of a section might be using an unmeasured tremolo and mar an otherwise beautiful puls ating accompaniment.
In subsequent articles we will deal with easy and fun approaches to teach bowing lanes, bow geography, lifts, and bow speed and weight, and how to teach some bow strokes such as spiccato, martelé, and s autillé. There are also simple strategies for teaching awkward string changes/crossings and creating a more authentic B aroque sound without buying a slew of B aroque bows, resetting necks, and s awing off the fingerboard If you have specific questions please e-mail me at tt atton43@gmail com I will answer promptly and perhaps even include your question in an article.
I recommend every string teacher have a copy of Orchestral Bowings and Routines by Elizabeth Green, and/or Dictionary of Bowing and Pizzic ato Terms (4th Edition) by Joel Berman, B arbara G. Jackson and Kenneth S arch. B oth are published by American String Teachers Association and are available from Alfred Music or ASTA Orchestral Bowing: Style and Function by James Kjelland is a fine book to also have at the ready It is also published by Alfred Music
Dr. Tatton is a retired string specialist with the Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton, California. His previous positions include Associate Professor of String Education, Music History, Violist in Residence and Director of Orchestras at both Whittier College and the University of the Pacific His monograph on public school string teaching, Connecting the Dots, was published in 2003 He is currently active as a clinician and adjudicator as well as making appearances at school in-service training conferences He is also the previous CMEA Orchestra Representative E-mail him at ttatton43@gmail com
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Making Ourselves Indispensable
Community Building as a Strategy for Insuring Success in the Elementary School General Music Program
by Richard Lawton CMEA General Music Representative
When I attended my first CASMEC this past Februar y, I wasn’t sure what to expect I had always heard that CMEA was a band directors association, and, as a general music elementar y school teacher, I wondered how much of the conference would apply to me It was wonderful to discover that CMEA is, in fact, a broad-based music education organization, with a c lear goal of reaching out to all t ypes of music programs in ever y grade level from kindergarten to college As for the general music workshops, organiz ed by retiring CMEA General Music Representative Jean S trickland, they were great – useful, well-attended and, most importantly, fun D uring one of several excellent speeches I heard over my three days in Fresno, CMEA President Russ S per ling spoke of the importance of music programs being more visible in our communities. This notion of communit y outreach as a way of keeping music education relevant resonated again a few days later when the Pasadena-based public radio station KPCC repor ted on a proposed L os Angeles Unified School District plan to cut the existing instr umental music program at my school and others in half so that the number of schools receiving music could be doubled.1 Although the presumed goal of reaching more children may be well intended, it speaks to a lack of understanding of what music teachers do and what they need at a bare minimum to be successful.
For those of us who teach it, the notion that music is an essential part of the curriculum is a given W hat might come as a sur prise is that our non-music teaching colleagues, parents, and fellow citiz ens over whelmingly agree. In a 2003 Gallup Poll 95% of those sur veyed felt that music was an important part of a child ’ s education And of those, 75% felt it ought to be the law (which, as was mentioned several times during the conference, it is in California).2 In the years since the 2003 poll music programs across the state, particular ly in public schools, have been in shar p dec line Nevertheless, there is comfort to be taken from these numbers, for they suggest that our communities want to support music education and may support it, even in an era where only essential programs survive, if we can persuade them that music education is something their children can absolutely not do without.
School communities are never just one group, but are a series of interconnected ones, the innermost and most important of which is the communit y of our students and their families S ome of us barely get to know our kids teaching in five different schools a week, while others are considered rock stars in our standalone programs In both scenarios, and ever y variation in between, there are plent y of things we can do to upgrade the experience our kids are having Are we choosing material that is relatable? Are we reflecting on our teaching practice to ensure that we are giving our students the best chance to be successful? Are we creating enough opportunities for students to compose their own material and giving them some opportunities to showcase it? Despite the ongoing discussion about national standards and teacher evaluation, the measure of success for most music teachers still comes down to how enthusiastic their students are
A c lassroom colleague of mine, who has been with the L os Angeles Unified School District for 25 years, still takes advantage of ever y professional development opportunit y that comes along, still works long hours refining her lesson plans and evaluating her effectiveness S he does this, she says, because she views her students and their parents as her c lientele. This viewpoint will resonate with teachers in private schools, but it is
an increasingly healthy perspective for teachers in public schools, as well. Tenure doesn’t mean much if your position or department is eliminated entirely.
Just beyond the c lassroom is a larger communit y made up of administrators, other teachers and parent fundraisers S tudies show that, while they are likely to be supporters of our music programs, they may have different ideas about what the priorities ought to be – for example, placing a higher priorit y on “music appreciation” as a goal over “student composition ” 3 Although we may disagree, we need to be respectful of these views and incor porate them where possible As for our c lassroom colleagues, they are involved in a complex effort to reform education through Common Core. We can be helpful to them by using music to create problem-solving opportunities in language arts and math S ome may argue that the proper role of music teachers is to teach music, but, as we all know, music is an excellent vehic le for teaching ever y other subject A few moments spent reinforcing core concepts from other curricula can only enhance musical understanding and, as a practical matter, are likely to engender appreciation and support even from arts educations skeptics
Most of our schools are part of larger district communities that fund our programs. Of ten the search for one-siz e-fitsall solutions waters down the ver y things that are special about our programs, while at the same time increasing the perceived cost, making us more vulnerable to cuts There are limits to what an individual teacher can do to influence district polic y (and sometimes it is best to keep your head down) but this much is c lear – programs that are thought to be extraordinar y are harder to cut W hat are we doing to make our programs stand out? Festivals and competitions may be more oriented towards upper grade instr umental and choral music, but there are plent y of oppor tunities – hospitals, rest homes, neighboring schools – to take our general music show on the road. O ur kids will have a chance to showcase their skills, do some good, and remind ever yone that music, as P lato said, gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to ever ything Again, we all agree that this is tr ue but there’s nothing like children caroling one
sunny morning at the farmer ’ s market to remind ever yone how true.
The final communit y we need to reach out to more is our own. Most music teachers I know operate to a large extent in isolation. It ’ s important to check in with our peers, not just to get caught up on the latest developments, in the profession and in the effort to support it, but to remind ourselves that we are not alone
Moreover, when that checking in takes place, as it of ten does, at a workshop, it is accompanied by an opportunit y to engage in music learning along side our peers, something we encourage our students to do ever y day but don’t experience ourselves of ten enough.
W hich brings us back to CMEA and the CASMEC conference. If you didn’t go this year, consider it for 2015 At the ver y least you are likely to come away from the experience with a sense of renewed optimism And for all the reasons given here, each of us can and should do a little bit more to advance our common cause Music education is not a hard sell, but selling has to be part of the process. That sensibilit y may seem more rooted in show business than education, but that ’ s okay...we are music teachers, af ter all
1 P lummer, M (2014, Februar y 21) “LA School Arts Budget: Most funds will go to Arts Integration Teachers ” 89.3 KPCC S outhern California Public Radio
Transcript available at www scpr org/blogs/education/2014/02/21/15899/la-unified-artsbudget-most-funds-will-go-to-arts/
2 Abril, C & Gault, B (S pring, 2006) “ The S tate of Music in the Elementar y School: a Principal ’ s Perspective.” Journal of Research in Music Education, 54 (1), 6-20. http://jrm.sagepub.com/content/54/1/6
3 Major, M (S pring, 2013) “How They Decide: A Case S tudy Examining the Decision-Making Process for Keeping or Cutting Music in a K–12
Public School District ” Journal of Research in Music Education 61(1) 5-25 http://jrm sagepub com/content/61/1/5
Final Musings and Coda
by Norman Dea CMEA Immediate Past President
It ’ s hard to believe that eight years have passed since ser ving as your CMEA
V i c e Pre s i d e n t , Pre s i d e n t - E l e c t , Pre s i d e n t , a n d I m m e d i a t e Pa s t President during times of uncertaint y, and i n i t i a t i n g a n d p re s i d i n g ov e r e n o r m o u s organizational changes. Many of us knew that we were ver y c lose to the abyss, but through the dedicated work of your elected CMEA Board, the new C M E A i s n ow p e r t i n e n t o n c e a g a i n i n California W hen I took on the responsibilit y of leading the board, we collectively knew that we needed to change fundamentally, and travel down a new path of relevanc y and ser vice to our membership. I commend the board for its willingness to take on many difficult decisions under my presidenc y ; ones that were not taken lightly by anyone involved but were critical to our ver y sur vival Changes in administrative personnel, reaching out to fellow music education organizations, the cancellation of our professional development conference, and the birth of CASMEC remodeled us into a 21st centur y organization “Never let a crisis go to waste!” was the phrase I quoted some years ago from Michael Kumer of D uquesne Universit y That ’ s what I’ve lived by during my time ser ving on the CMEA Board As an organization, we ’ re continuing to transform ourselves in positive ways under new dynamic leadership. W ith all that said, I can’t tell you how proud I am of the work that has been done by your CMEA Board and our associated organizations CASMEC is a success, the upcoming move to S an Jose is a realit y and on the horiz on for 2016 (thanks to our good friends at CBDA), we have a revitaliz ed vision and blueprint for the future through our new CMEA S trategic P lan, we have a new complete CMEA Board Manual (thank you Mr S tone), we ’ re making a myriad of positive connections with organizations throughout the state, Advocac y has taken center
stage, the CMEA Board has become a
Adams is doing a superb job, and by this summer CMEA will have paid off it ’ s loans to NAf ME These loans by the way, were key to our ver y sur vival as an organization. I can’t help but reflect upon the wonderful and selfless work my colleagues have done in helping re b o o t , re i m a g e, a n d re s h a p e
n CMEA wants to ser ve the membership in tangible, meaningful, and significant ways
I’ve been asked time and time again on whether I enjoyed my time on the CMEA Board through the years. The answer is a complicated and multilayered y es That time per iod was fil led with tur moil, upheaval, and doubt Changes needed to be instituted, and actions needed to be taken to bring us back from the brink I will share this, my professional and personal life have been forever altered and also enriched by the associations I have made throughout the state and nation I’ve learned and grown more than you can possibly imagine There have been times of intense pride, and times of great despair, and it ’ s definitely a bittersweet feeling as this chapter of my profession life comes to a c lose
I know I’ve said this before but I will say it again: I don’t think that there was ever a time during my 31year career when I didn’t ser ve music education in some capacit y W ith that in mind, I strongly encourage you to ser ve music education with the professional organizations that you belong to Working with your colleagues will almost certainly enrich your teaching skills and your appreciation for what we all strive to do, as you will be in contact with many other talented and dedicated educators The concept of sharing is such an important aspect of the job we do, and is absolutely essential for our well being and survival Challenge yourself and take leadership roles in
CMEA, in your area, and at your school It ’ s never been about us as individual teachers, but about us all as a profession. I strongly encourage you to actively participate in what makes music education such a lof t y endeavor. Be an active part of the longterm solution S er vice is the cornerstone of our profession
I want to congratulate outgoing President Russ S per ling for doing such a wonderful job during his two years of refining and expanding what was done before him, for taking the lead in advocac y, and I am looking for ward to President Mic hael D S tone’s vision and leadership I can’t tell you how much I respect and admire these two gentlemen, certainly two giants in music education I want to thank the remaining outgoing Executive Board of Scott Hedgecock and Dr. Diana Hollinger, and c o n t i n u i n g Ad m i n i s t r a t i v e C o o r d i n a t o r Tr i s h Adams for their patience and support of me during my eight years This executive board has been wonderful to work with, and their dedication to CMEA and California music education is beyond question I also want to thank NAf ME President Nanc y Ditmer (Ohio), Immediate Past President Dr. Scott C . S h u l e r ( C o n n e c t i c u t ) , We s t e r n D i v i s i o n President El len Kirkbr ide (Ar iz ona) and Past Presidents Martha O’Neill (Nevada) and Dr Jeff Bush (Ariz ona), and Executive Director Michael Butera for their support as well They care deeply about CMEA and music education in California.
There are so many additional people to thank, and so little space in which to do it These are friends and colleagues who have inspired, supported and encouraged me during much of my 31 years of teaching They know me so ver y well: Bob Greenwood, L. L eRoy Roach, John Burn, Michael Boitz, S teven Hendee, Mike Galisatus, Dr. Andy C o l l i n s w o r t h , C h e r y l Ye e G l a s s , D r. E d w a r d Harris, Bob Calonico, Kem Martinez, just to name a few people from a ver y large list I humbly owe you more than I can ever repay Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank John and Ida Larrieu for their decades of dedicated ser vice to music education. Their hard work and perseverance was unquestioned We owe a large por tion of our histor y to their stewardship A most hear tfelt and profound thank you to John and Ida F inal thought: Never forget the buoyant times, the times of dishear tenment, our rich histor y, and the contributions of so many personalities past and present. The journey with our fellow par tners continues and I leave the CMEA Board with a wonderful feeling of renewed hope and humilit y The vision remains, the broad long-range plans have not wavered, we are resolute, and the good work continues. The honor is mine. Best wishes.
Respectfully yours, Norman
Dea
REVERBeration is Powerful in the New CMEA
by Lisa Crawford
CMEA Southwestern Section Designated Contact
Reverberation is the persistence of sound af ter the original sound is produced W ith near ly 500 registrants and more than 125 new members, our CASMEC 2014 conference signals return of a California tradition but with reverberation of something new…leadership that has addressed the bottom line
Inc lusivit y is a powerful thing We know the importance of it W hen we inc lude ever yone, ensure that ever yone knows they have a voice, and invite all to a place at the table, organizational and group strength builds beyond imagination. In the case of California Music Educators Association, the bottom line is more than financials. Valuation is about our relationships with each other, that there is a place that is dependable, reliable, and consistent to convene each year, to renew relationships, learn new things, with the understanding that craf ting and maintaining relationships over time is important to our profession and to our musical families. We learn so much from each other and instill these values in our students
The new CMEA is about leadership leadership from ever yone in the group Yes, head liner leadership was important to re-strengthening CMEA, but changes have been designed with ever yone in mind The relationships that are being built, maximization of the energ y of many groups, and c lose touch with strategic and financial planning has spirited an inc lusiveness that reverberates as new excitement and energ y, for ward-thinking ideas and newfound strength
I am proud of our state association Now it is our turn as the membership to power up the reverb in our own environments, and through collaborative effort, ensure CMEA’s momentum. As we lend support in ser vice to our profession over time, we find in return, constructive resources through CMEA to meet our vision of equit y and access for all students to receive, as part of the core curriculum, a consistent, sustainable, first-c lass music education.
20 1 4 CM EA Awards Gala
California All-St ate Music Educ ation Conference
Friday, February 21, 20 1 4 Fresno, California
Opening remarks by CM EA President Russ Sperling:
The CM EA Outst anding Administrator Award honors educators who, as school administrators, have contributed powerfully to the support of music education
This year, in recognition of the import ance our school administrators have on the success of music in our schools, we have three awardees.
Tonight’s first recipient is Brad Van Patten, visual and performing arts coordinator in the Irvine Unified School District Mr Van Patten has a B achelor’s Degree in Instrument al Music and a Master’s in Music Education from Cal St ate Long Beach and is completing doctoral work at Alliant University. Brad t aught in Garden Grove and Vist a before coming to Irvine where he t aught at Irvine and Northwood High Schools.
Since 200 6, Mr. Van Patten has supervised education in visual and performing arts for 3 0,000 K–12 students in art, music, theatre and dance. He develops curriculum and assessment for all four disciplines and provides ongoing st aff development relative to the st ate framework and st aff needs
Mr Van patten st ates: “Music education is an educational right and should be an expect ation for every child For centuries, educators have known that music education is an import ant element in a complete education and an integral component to the core curriculum Recent research, especially in brain development, has not only reaffirmed this but puts music and the arts to an increasingly import ant role in the education of the whole child ”
Of C M EA, Brad s ays, “Of all the professional organizations that I have subscribed to in the past 31 years, C M EA and NAf M E have been the most influential.”
CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone:
Our next administrator award recipient is Donald Wilson. Don is Principal of Wonderland Avenue School-Wonderland Gifted/ High Ability Magnet Center in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mr. Wilson is in his sixth year as the principal at what is one of the highest achieving public schools in Los Angeles. While Don spent most of his 25 years in education in some of L.A.’s poorest schools, Don has remained committed to the idea that public education changes lives
Under Don’s leadership, over the last five years the st aff has built up the general music program at Wonderland from one half-hour of classroom instruction to 45 minutes a week for upper grades, with an additional 3 0 minutes a week for primaries. There is an elective ensemble program for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders that includes chorus, percussion and recorder ensemble and, new this year, string band/bluegrass All of this is in addition to an excellent orchestra program provided by the district What makes the Wonderland
program truly extraordinary is that all of the music instruction occurs during the instructional day It would not be possible to even contemplate such a program without the patience, ingenuity and unflagging support of an administrator like Don
CM EA Vice President S cott Hedgecock:
Our final administrator award recipient is Dr. Garry Eagles. Dr. Garry Eagles is Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Dr Eagles began his first elected term as county superintendent in January of 2003 He previously served as assist ant superintendent, and as director of administrative services with the Humboldt County Office of Education for 19 years in
The CM EA Outst anding Administrator Award goes to Brad Van Patten with CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecock
The CM EA Outst anding Administrator Award goes to Donald Wilson with CM EA Immediate Past President Norman Dea.
The wrought-iron images above are details from the gate to the social hall of the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno, where the the Awards Gala was held
charge of personnel and field support services to local school districts
Dr. Eagles repeatedly encourages the County’s 3 0 School Districts to fund arts, particularly music, as core curriculum in the schools. Using his discretionary budget, Dr Eagles has funded professional development days for local music educators for the past two years.
educators who in the name of social justice are out to change the world. She has been critical to the success of the C M EA B ay Section Conference since her arrival in S an José For Diana’s immense service to music education, we are indebted
Norm D ea:
Dr. Eagles is a founding member of “Rising St ars,” a program that funds students of excellence in the arts and other areas.
Dr Eagles st ates, “I believe all of us are born with some degree of ‘music inside.’ As an educator, I feel it is extremely import ant that we try and help all children find what’s hidden within us I firmly believe the arts should not be viewed as ‘add-on’ or ‘supplement al’ programs that can be eliminated when the budget is tight and we need to cut the ‘extras ’ The arts are not extras; quite the contrary, the arts are integral elements of a quality education ”
Russ Sperling:
C M EA Section Awards are the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a music educator in any given C M EA Section It’s our pleasure tonight to introduce our Section Award recipients. As our honorees come forward, I ask that their respective Section President join them.
From the CM EA Bay Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Dr Diana Hollinger from S an José St ate University – with B ay Section President Andy Collinsworth
Dr Hollinger is completing her second term as Secret ary of C M EA, has served NAf M E as collegiate represent ative, and served C B DA as president Dr Hollinger holds a B achelor’s Degree from Cal St ate Fullerton, a Master’s Degree from North Tex as, and a D MA from Arizona St ate. She has been the coordinator of music education at S an José St ate University for eleven years. In this role, she has mentored what she terms “Hollinger’s Army”: present and future music
From the CM EA Capitol Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Don Wersky from Folsom and Sutter Middle Schools in Folsom – with Capitol Section President Brad North.
Don Wersky received his B achelor’s Degree from California St ate University, Long Beach, and completed his graduate studies at S acramento St ate University, earning a Master’s Degree in Music Education He currently enjoys teaching middle school
bands in Folsom, California, and plans to retire at the end of this school year after teaching for 35 years.
Don has t aught at all levels and areas of instrument al music education. He has t aught in the Garden Grove, S addleback Valley, Tahoe-Truckee, Folsom-Cordova, Nevada Joint Union, and Pleas ant Ridge School Districts
The CM EA Outst anding Administrator Award goes to Dr Garry Eagles with CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone
CM EA Bay Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Dr Diana Hollinger from San José St ate University, CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecock and Bay Section President Andy Collinsworth
CM EA Capitol Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Don Wersky, with Capitol Section President Brad North and CM EA President Russ Sperling
Don has served terms as president, newsletter editor, band represent ative, treasurer and webmaster on the Capitol Section board.
Michael Stone:
From the CM EA Central Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Edward Hull from Manchester GATE and Del Mar in Fresno Unified School District – with Central Section President Leonard Ingrande
Ed Hull has t aught in the public schools for 33 years He began teaching in Lakeview, Oregon, and then moved to Fresno in 19 8 4 as band director at Central High School In 19 8 6 he began teaching band at Manchester GATE school, where he has t aught since then, except for a one-year stint as a first grade teacher when element ary music was cut. Ed is well known for his youth Dixieland program and has t aken groups to jazz festivals across the U.S. and Canada. Ed has a special love for st arting beginning instrument alists and for teaching jazz. Ed plans to retire from Fresno Unified in June of 2014
S cott Hedgecock:
From the CM EA Central Coast Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Colleen Wall from Morro B ay High School and Los Osos Middle School in Morro B ay Colleen Wall, a native of California, began directing the choir at Morro B ay High School in the fall of 2005 She also serves as the choral director at Los Osos Middle School, providing her own feeder program for the high school groups Colleen worked as a part-time choral conductor, accompanist, piano teacher, and vocal coach for many years before receiving her B achelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Wyoming, making the teaching of music a full time profession. The Morro B ay High School Choral Department is a vibrant center of activity on the campus where students develop as musicians and gain valuable experience through performance opportunities.
Michael Stone:
From the North Coast Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Katri Pitts from Cutten/ Ridgewood school district in Eurek a – with North Coast Section President Judith Scharnberg. Katri Pitts received her B A in Music Education and Vocal Performance as well as her teaching credential in Music from Humboldt St ate University She teaches full time music for the Cutten/ Ridgewood School
District, which includes K–6 general music as well as three levels of choir, strings, and band for grades 4–6. Mrs Pitts is an active performer, appearing frequently in Humboldt Light Opera Company productions. In addition to having a studio of private voice students, Katri has served as secret ary of the C M EA North Coast Section for more than seven years
From the CM EA Central Coast Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Colleen Wall, with former Central Coast Section President Barbara Priest and CM EA President Russ Sperling
North Coast Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Katri Pitts, with North Coast Section President Judith Scharnberg and CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecock
CM EA Central Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Edward Hull, with Central Section President Leonard Ingrande and CM EA Immediate Past President Norman Dea.
Norm D ea:
From the CM EA Northern Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Randy Humphreys from Alder Creek Middle School in Truckee – with Northern Section President Dave Green
Randy Humphreys graduated from College of Marin in 19 85 where he studied clarinet with Robert Colonico of U C Berkeley Randy began teaching in S an Francisco at Herbert Hoover Middle School and
then Aptos Middle School In 19 95, he moved to Truckee to teach at Sierra Mount ain Middle School In 2003, S M M S closed, and Randy opened Alder Creek Middle School where he remains Randy has tirelessly promoted music in the Truckee/Tahoe area, running honor bands, festivals and exchange concerts for many years He has served on the C M EA Northern Section board as vice president and membership chair. Randy is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music at the University of Nevada, Reno.
S cott Hedgecock:
From the CM EA Southeastern Section: The
Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Bruce Rogers from Mt S an Antonio College in Walnut- with Southeastern Section Represent ative Armalyn De La O
Mr. Rogers is director of choral activities at Mt. S an Antonio College He oversees the department’s various vocal and choral programs, which span the entire spectrum of music – from classical to jazz He directs Mt S an Antonio College’s award-winning Chamber Singers and the elite vocal jazz ensemble, “Singcopation ” Choirs under his direction have achieved top ranking in national and international competitions throughout the world, including performances in concert halls throughout the United St ates, Canada and throughout Europe Mr Rogers’ choirs have had the honor of performing at numerous st ate, regional and national conventions
Russ Sperling:
From the CM EA Southern Border Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Jay Posteraro from Mes a Verde Middle School in S an Diego – with Southern B order Section President Pauline Crooks.
Jay Posteraro has t aught at Mes a Verde Middle School for his entire 19-year career. He earned music
degrees from the St ate University of New York Potsdam (Crane School of Music) and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music In March 2011, The Mes a Verde Select Ensemble won the Chicago Festival of Gold, the first time in the thirty-year history of the festival a middle school group has gained such distinction Jay has conducted many honor bands, including the C M EA-S B S Middle School Honor B and This year, Jay was chosen as one of three Poway Unified School District Teachers of the Year
CM EA Northern Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Randy Humphreys, with Northern Section President Dave Green and CM EA President Russ Sperling
CM EA Southeastern Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Bruce Rogers. Accepting the award for Bruce Rogers is Southeastern Section Designated Cont act Armalyn De La O with CM EA President Michael Stone
CM EA Southern Border Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Jay Posteraro Accepting the award for Jay Posteraro is Southern Border Section President Pauline Crooks with CM EA Immediate Past President Norman Dea.
Michael Stone:
From the CM EA Southwestern Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Brendan Jennings from John Burroughs High School in Burbank – with Southwestern Section Represent ative Lis a Crawford
Brendan Jennings heads the nationally acclaimed music program at Burroughs High that features seven highly-accomplished performing ensembles, a cutting edge technical theater program and nearly 3 00 students Powerhouse, the elite-level competitive show
choir at Burroughs, has performed in every corner of the United St ates winning numerous local and national grand championships Under the direction of Mr Jennings, the Burroughs choirs have made many appearances on national television including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dancing with the St ars, and The Voice. Powerhouse has appeared opposite artists such as Christina Aguilera, Harry Connick Jr , Steven Tyler, Adam Levine, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Darren Criss and the cast of Glee
S cott Hedgecock:
The CM EA Alfred Publishing Element ary Music Specialist Award honors excellence in Element ary Instrument al and Choral Music Instruction.
Our award recipient this evening is Patricia O’Herron. Patricia O’Herron has been a general music, choir teacher and teacher-leader for the music enrichment department at the Font ana Unified School District since 19 9 9 She is a music and early literacy integration trainer, where she teaches primary students and coaches classroom teachers to use research-based music and movement strategies that increase speaking and listening skills
Patricia st ates, “Once we singers find our voice, we must learn how to fit in with the voices around us My evolution as a choral conductor began with love for the art. I believe the future of music education depends upon our adapt ation to the changes in education, globalization and technology. I encourage my colleagues to collaborate outside their musical discipline, finding
ways to expand learning for all students.”
“C M EA has given me the opportunity to network with other public school music educators who are interested in professional development Conferences are a wonderful forum for the exchange of ideas, enriching our own teaching as we “bring home” what we have learned. The C M EA journals have kept me informed of the changes in our st ate’s arts policies and the activities of my colleagues.”
Michael Stone:
The CM EA Peripole General Music Educ ator Award honors excellence in General Classroom Music Education
Our award recipient this evening is Cindy Teresi Cindy Teresi has been a music specialist in the Loomis Union School District since 2003 She teaches band, choir and classroom music. She has a BA in Music
and an MA in Curriculum of the Arts from Cal St ate S acramento
Cindy believes that all children can benefit from music education Everyone has a voice, an aesthetic
CM EA Southwestern Section: The Outst anding Music Educ ator Award goes to Brendan Jennings, with Southwestern Section Designated Cont act Lisa Crawford and CM EA President Russ Sperling.
The CM EA Alfred Publishing Element ary Music Specialist Award, which honors excellence in Element ary Instrument al and Choral Music Instruction, goes to Patricia O’Herron with CM EA Immediate Past President Norman Dea
The CM EA Peripole General Music Educ ator Award, which honors excellence in General Classroom Music Educ ation, goes to Cindy Teresi, with CM EA President Russ Sperling.
nature to discover, an emotion to share, and a game to play It is through this interweaving of play and song that children can emerge as musical beings. The joy of the play leads to a love of music and music making that lasts a lifetime.
Cindy has been involved in C M EA since she was an undergraduate at S ac St ate. The cont acts she made then as student represent ative to the C M EA Capitol Section B oard were crucial in her getting a job offer immediately after finishing her credential program
Cindy has been actively involved in numerous early childhood portions of C M EA conferences as organizer and presenter She has advocated for more respect for classroom music teachers when, for a time, C M EA leadership expressed their goals as supporters of “band, choir, jazz and orchestra teachers ”
Norm D ea:
The CM EA Richard L Levin Orchestra Educ ator Award honors excellence in Orchestra Education and Performance
Our award recipient tonight is Sandra Lewis. S andra Lewis has been the orchestra and assist ant band director at Gunn High School for the past 12 years With a background in strings and woodwinds she received her undergraduate degree at University of
Hawaii, and finished her Master’s Degree in violin performance from S an Francisco St ate She is passionate about integrating chamber music into string orchestra education and still actively plays chamber music in outside groups.
In the past four years the Gunn High School Orchestra has performed at the C M EA B ay Section Conference, twice for the C M EA St ate Conference and this past December, the Gunn String Orchestra performed in Chicago for the prestigious Midwest Clinic
S andra has served as C M EA B ay Section secret ary as well as vice president for the S ant a Clara County Honor B and Directors Association, and has hosted numerous solo and ensemble festivals at S an José St ate.
S andra s ays, “C M EA has helped my career by sur-
rounding me with master teachers and mentors that have provided me with support both from a content st andard and a classroom management st andard. Without mentors like Tom Tatton, Tim Smith, Ernie Thompson, Ed Harris and many others I would not be even half the educator that I am today ”
S cott Hedgecock:
The CM EA Pearson Scott Foresman/ Silver Burdett Choral Educ ator Award honors excellence in Choral Education and Performance
Our award recipient tonight is Michael Hayden. Michael Hayden has t aught the choirs and music appreciation at Mira Cost a High School in Manhatt an Beach since 2007 He has a B achelor’s Degree from Butler, a Master’s in Choral Conducting form Eastman all doctoral courses completed at Michigan St ate He has t aught for more than 3 0 years in Indiana, New York and Michigan
Michael s ays, “C M EA launched my teaching career
in California. I s at down to my computer in Indiana and pulled up the C M EA website and there it was the job listing for Mira Cost a High School. I called my mentor, Rod Eichenberger, former director of choral activities at U S C, and asked him what he knew about Manhatt an Beach His response? “Michael, t ake it you will love it!” Some two months later, I was hired at Mira Cost a.
“In coming to California I knew I was entering a st ate where choral music was t aken very seriously. The legacy of C M EA has est ablished one of the most respected st ate music cultures in our country Inspired by this culture, I dove right in and have created a department that is very active around the st ate, nationally and internationally My students are all the better, in part, because of C M EA’s inspiration and musical leadership ”
The CM EA Richard L Levin Orchestra Educ ator Award, which honors excellence in Orchestra Educ ation and Performance, goes to Sandra Lewis, with CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone.
The CM EA Pearson Scott Foresman/ Silver Burdett Choral Educ ator Award, which honors excellence in Choral Educ ation and Performance, goes to Michael Hayden, with CM EA President Russ Sperling
Norm D ea:
The CM EA Jazz Educ ator Award honors excellence in Jazz Education and Performance.
Our award recipient this evening is Bob Avzaradel B ob teaches jazz band, symphonic band, orchestra, piano, and guit ar, and is co-director of the marching band at Irvine High School B ob has a B achelor’s Degree from Cal St ate University Long Beach
Previously, Mr Avzaradel has received the S C S B OA Outst anding Veteran Teaching Award, the Irene
Schoepfle Award for contributions to music education in Orange County, as well as the Jamey Aebersold Most Outst anding New Jazz Educator Award from the Fullerton College Jazz Festival
B ob’s jazz ensembles and contributions to jazz education are well known throughout California He has served as VP of jazz education for S C S B OA and on the board of CA J Under B ob’s leadership, Irvine High School is hosting their 20th annual jazz festival this spring Their festival has more than 8 0 groups that perform in one day. B ob brings in the best jazz educators possible to adjudicate, and brings in top college bands to perform for the students. Over his career, B ob has hosted 26 jazz festivals and 20 field tournaments
B ob wants all music educators to know that as an original American art form, we are indisput ably responsible to teach them about jazz, the s ame as we do for the other genres
Michael Stone:
The CM EA Byron Hoyt/ Don Schmeer Band Educ ator Award honors excellence in Instrument al Education And Performance
Our award recipient this evening is Jim Kusserow Jim has been the band director at Porterville High School since 19 9 0, and a music educator since 19 81 He has a B achelor’s Degree from S an José St ate University and a Master’s Degree from Cal St ate B akersfield
Jim has est ablished himself as one of our iconic band directors in California Way back in 19 9 0, he was inducted into the National High School B and Hall of
Fame. He is a John Philip Sous a Foundation B andworld Legion of Honor Laureate His bands have performed in the Rose Parade and at the White House
He has served as president and in other board positions of both the Tulare Kings Music Educators Association and C M EA Central Section
Jim s ays, “C M EA has shaped me into the educator I am today After receiving a “good” rating at my first C M EA festival, I was about to learn my first lesson. I heard outst anding bands and I wanted to seek out how they got the results they got ”
Jim believes that music teachers educate the whole child and expose them to the inherent beauty in music and the arts that is sometimes overlooked in our testweary educational system Jim st ates: “Music is a fundament al right to every child in K–12 schools in California ”
Norm D ea:
The CM EA John Swain College-University Educ ator Award honors excellence in Music Education at the College/ University Level.
Our award recipient this evening is Dr Andy Collinsworth. Dr. Collinsworth is the director of bands and program director for music education at Sonoma St ate University. In addition to leading the university symphonic wind ensemble and chamber winds ensemble, he teaches courses in conducting, instrument al music methods and music education Dr Collinsworth received a D MA in Conducting from Arizona St ate University, and he holds degrees in music education and in s axophone performance from the University of Nevada at Reno
Dr Collinsworth is in high demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician throughout California and the Western st ates In 2011 C M EA presented him with the Don Schmeer/ Byron Hoyt B and Educator Award honoring excellence in instrument al instruction and performance.
The CM EA Jazz Educ ator Award, which honors excellence in Jazz Educ ation And Performance, goes to Bob Avzaradel, with CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecock
The CM EA Byron Hoyt/ Don Schmeer Band Educ ator Award, which honors excellence in Instrument al Educ ation And Performance, goes to Jim Kusserow, with CM EA President Russ Sperling
Dr. Collinsworth is president of the C M EA B ay Section, and has also served as area rep and band rep for the B ay Section. He was recently named presidentelect for the Western Division of the College B and Directors National Association.
Dr Collinsworth is an incredible mentor to his music education students at Sonoma St ate University and has built that program (band and music education) from the bottom up.
Russ Sperling:
The CM EA Legislative Award honors an elected official whose advocacy for music education has made a noteworthy difference in supporting music in our schools
Our award recipient this evening is Kevin Beiser. Mr Beiser is President of the school board of trustees for the S an Diego Unified School District. Kevin’s day job is as a math teacher in the Sweetwater Union High School District.
A percussionist in high school and the first person in his family to graduate from high school and to attend college, Kevin earned his B A in Political Science from Willamette University in Oregon. Kevin returned to graduate school to fulfill his dream of helping children, earning a Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Phoenix The Greater S an Diego Math Council has named him “Outst anding Math Teacher of the Year”
Kevin s ays, “We must continue to ensure all our schools offer a rigorous curriculum that includes music, the arts, and systemic support programs to help students succeed and achieve at their full potential I will work hard to keep class sizes low, protect art, music and career vocational education, and improve graduation rates ”
Kevin has done just that, and has been outspoken and creative in making sure that music survives and thrives in S an Diego For inst ance, he got the board to use funds from electricity s avings due to new solar panels to fund music.
We could use a Kevin Beiser on every school board in California For his steadfast support of music in our schools, C M EA bestows our Legislative Award to Kevin Beiser
Russ Sperling:
At this point, C M EA would like to recognize our 5 0Year Members Unfortunately, none of our 5 0 year members this year are able to join us this year, but I do want to mention who they are: Claude Piper, now of Prescott, Arizona and Jerrold Snyder from Monte Sereno We thank them for their C M EA membership for an impressive 5 0 years, and for their service to music education
S cott Hedgecock:
The CM EA Aubrey Penman Retired Music Educ ator Award honors continued influence in developing teachers
Our award recipient this evening is Dan Neece. Dan t aught at S ant a Ynez High School from 1976 to 19 8 6 and Enterprise High School in Redding from 19 8 6 to
The CM EA John Swain College-University Educ ator Award honors excellence in Music Educ ation at the College/ University Level. Our award recipient this evening is Dr Andy Collinsworth, with CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone
The CM EA Legislative Award, which honors an elected official whose advoc acy for music educ ation has made a noteworthy difference in supporting music in our schools, goes to Kevin Beiser, with CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecock and CM EA President Russ Sperling
The CM EA Aubrey Penman Retired Music Educ ator Award, which honors continued influence in developing teachers, goes to Dan Neece, with CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone
2013. He holds a B achelor’s Degree from Cal St ate Long Beach and a Master’s Degree from Cal St ate Chico.
In 2002, Dan was awarded the C M EA Northern Section Music Educator of the Year. In 2005, he was the Shast a County Teacher of the Year And in 200 6, C M EA presented Dan the Don Schmeer/ Byron Hoyt B and award
Mr Neece has been an active member of C M EA for more than 35 years For the past 25 years he has acted as the Northern section Region 2 chairman and has been on the executive board in various capacities for 15 years He was instrument al in st arting the C M EA Northern Section Junior High B and
Dan is well known to many C M EA members as the equipment manager at six C M EA st ate conventions He was a cheerful servant, and efficiently managed a st aff that made those conferences successful.
Dan s ays, “C M EA has helped me to st ay ‘fresh’ throughout my career with new innovative teaching strategies This is why I lasted forty years in this profession and can s ay I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Norm D ea:
The CM EA Hall of Fame Award honors a Lifetime of Extraordinary Service and Commitment to Music Education in California
Our award recipient this evening is Jon Christian. Jon still serves as the band director of the S an Lorenzo Community B and and the newsletter editor for the C M EA Central Coast Section Jon’s B achelor’s Degree is from S an José St ate University and following graduation he served as a U S Army musician for four years He t aught music at S an Lorenzo Valley High School from 19 6 9 to 2000
In 19 8 4, Jon received the Outst anding Achievement Award from his school district. In 2000, the California Assembly recognized Jon for his exemplary accomplishments in education. It’s been nine years since Jon
received the C M EA Aubrey Penman Retired Music Educator Award, yet he is still serving our profession
Jon believes that the study of music is a stimulating and positive force in brain development The exposure to music and the opportunity to receive ongoing music instruction from a young age is a key to students developing musical skills, which then lead to a lifetime of enjoyment and appreciation of music
Jon st ates: “With more than twenty years of Central Coast Section B oard of Directors experience, several years of honor group chair experience, and 3 9 years of teaching, I have a lot of background and organizational know-how that I’m able to share with the board, event chairs, and our general membership ”
For devoting his career to music education in California, C M EA hereby inducts Jon Christian into our Hall of Fame
Russ Sperling:
Our next award tonight is the CM EA President’s Award honoring extraordinary accomplishments in music education.
This individual is in his 31st year of teaching and in his 6th year as the director of instrument al music at Acalanes High School in Lafayette It’s impossible to t alk about this person for any length of time without revealing his identity Yes, the President’s award goes to Norm Dea.
Norm previously t aught at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek for 25 years Norm is a proud 19 81 graduate of S an Francisco St ate University.
Norm is the Immediate Past President of the C M EA and currently serves as the C M EA represent ative on the C B DA board He has also served as vice president of C M EA, and is a past president of the B ay Section
He has been a guest conductor of regional and st ate honor bands including the C B DA California AllSt ate Junior High Honor B and, and the N C BA AllNorthern California Junior High Honor B and He has guest conducted summer camp bands at Cazadero
The CM EA Hall of Fame Award, which honors a Lifetime of Extraordinary Service and Commitment to Music Educ ation in California, goes to Jon Christian, with CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecock.
The CM EA President’s Award, honoring extraordinary accomplishments in music educ ation, goes to Norman Dea, with CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone
Music Camp, and most recently at the Alpine School District Summer Advanced B and Camp in American Fork, Ut ah He is scheduled to conduct the Nevada All-St ate Middle School Honor B and in April, 2014.
Norm has been honored for his contributions to the music education community including: C B DA Distinguished Service Award, B andworld Legion of Honor Award, C M EA B ay Section Outst anding Music Educator Award, and the C M EA Don Schmeer-Byron Hoyt Outst anding B and Educator Award.
As Norm’s successor to the C M EA Presidency, I am indebted to him for straightforwardly dealing with the C M EA’s crisis during his term Those were some dark days for our organization Facing bankruptcy, Norm made the call to cancel the C M EA conference and join C B DA to create CAS M E C here in Fresno He had to make other painful decisions that I know were personally difficult for him in order to make sure C M EA could survive for our profession
The good news is that we made it through, and Norm passed the torch to me at a st age when we have had the opportunity to rebuild C M EA for the future. And we’re doing that Norm, thank you
Because of Norm Dea’s unyielding perseverance on behalf of C M EA and music education in California, I hereby present you with the C M EA President’s Award.
Congratulations
Russ Sperling:
Our final award tonight is a new award, an award that the board may not choose to give every year, or very often for that matter. It’s called the CM EA Lifetime Achievement Award, and it will serve to honor those individuals who leave a profound and unforgett able mark on music education in California, and this case, nationally as well
The first ever C M EA Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Mr. John Larrieu.
The musical career of John Larrieu began in the United St ates Air Force B and program, where he played tuba for four years in bands in South Carolina, Tokyo, Japan and Tex as. John graduated from S an José St ate University with a degree in music education and received his Master’s Degree from Southern Oregon University.
He t aught music in high schools in California for 35 years and upon retiring worked for 14 years in the position of executive director of C M EA He served as Chair of the National St ate Managers of NAf M E for two years.
John has already received several of the highest honors in our profession, including the C M EA Hall of Fame award, the C B DA Don Schmeer Friends of Music Award, and he is a Lowell Mason Fellow of NAf M E
Always committed to serving others, John has served his community as mayor for several years and as a city councilman for the past 15 years Now fully retired, John plays string bass with the Reno Pops Orchestra and is currently the President of the B oard of Directors of the orchestra – if you can call that “fully retired ”
While executive director of our organization, John was tot ally committed to C M EA He led the organization through tough financial times, and even used his own personal funds to cover expenses when cash flow was tight John is respected throughout our profession as a leader with integrity, grace and good humor, and we are all indebted to the subst antial work that he gave to all of us that still impacts us today
It’s for this profound and extraordinary career and commitment to music education that C M EA hereby bestows this Lifetime achievement award to John Larrieu.
Congratulations John
The CM EA Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring those individuals who leave a profound and unforgett able mark on music educ ation in California, and in this c ase, nationally as well, goes to John Larrieu. CM EA President-Elect Michael Stone, CM EA Secret ary Diana Hollinger, John Larrieu, CM EA President Russ Sperling, and CM EA Vice President Scott Hedgecook
What’s New In Music Technology 2014
by Mike Klinger
Lots of new things were introduced at NAM M 2014 in January relating to music technology It amazes me how music technology keeps moving forward to some exciting new levels not before seen It is the purpose of this article to introduce you to the new things coming out just around the corner and how they can affect you as a music educator
Not ation
The two major players in the music not ation field introduced upgrades Finale 2014™ was introduced and includes some cool new things like: enhancements in linked parts, a new mixer, E P U B support for publishing e-B ooks, a new audio engine, improved O SX support, new and improved sounds, better percussion not ation and much more.
Sibelius™ introduced a Sibelius 7 5 upgrade Sibelius is not going out of business. Please stop this terrible rumor In fact, the company has a new team of developers, moved their seasoned Pro Tools expert (B obby Lombardi) over to the Sibelius team, and is now moving forward in leaps and bounds. Expect some great new things coming your way in 2014
education field What I like about this company is they actually have a music teacher as head of their educational division.
John Mlynczak is introducing several new educator bundles. The new Audio B ox Music Creation Suite $3 9 9 includes: AudioB ox interface, P S4 9 controller keyboard, Studio One Artist recording software, Notion composing software, M7 condenser mic with cable, H D3 stereo headphones and a U S B 2 0 H U B Presonus also introduced their 32, 24,and 16 channel AI digit al mixing con-
soles ($3 9 9 9, $29 9 9, $19 9 9) Amazing mixers and they come with recording software ready to go.
Not ateMe™ is a new not ation app for port able devices Write your music with your finger, or better yet a Stylus and it re-writes your music into published not ation The cool thing is that it learns your handwriting style so the more your write the fewer mist akes are made You can then e-mail the file, s ave as X M L to bring it into Finale or Sibelius, or play it back right on your port able device. Promises for the future include: import music X M L, sing or play and have it not ate your performance, t ake a photo of your music and have it play back to you on your mobile device
Digit al Audio
Presonus™ is a company that is on the rise in the music
M-Audio introduced the new Mtrack Eight audio interface $3 9 9. Up until now 8 inputs would have cost you $9 9 9 Features include: High headroom inputs with Oct ane Preamp Technology, Up to 24/9 6 kHz resolution, 8 X LR + 1/4" combo inputs with individual metering, Dual headphone outs with select able source (1/2 or 3/4), Select able phantom power for Channels 1-4 and 5-8 and much more A great value for the money
We all know that our kids love to turn knobs and dabble with musical sounds and effects Syntorial $78 educational pricing, allows the student to program his/her own
Cool Stuff
AudioBox Creation Suite
sounds into a synthesizer using the training software included. It comes with over 19 9 lessons. The student learns about a single parameter of sound (i.e. oscillator), and is then played a s ample of the sound Using just their ears and the knowledge learned, they begin to program the sound they just heard If correct, it rewards the student and allows them to move onto more parameters The kids that I have shown this to absolutely love it. Site licensing is also available at $62 5 0 a seat
Need a small, port able, powerful speaker for you classroom or port able device? Introducing the new iLO U D
$29 9. 4 0 watts of power, 5 0hz-20khz, bluetooth compatible, up to 10 hours in normal use without charging, 1/4” input for connecting guit ars to iO S devices The sound of this thing is incredible. I love the port ability of it as well.
not ates a chosen pattern and plays it back Your drummer can isolate each hand and foot to hear just that part. It also has a video of a real drummer performing whose speed you can adjust as well. ForScore is an app for putting all of your P D F music into your port able device Perfect for gigging musicians in that you can organize your music into sets if you wish A must have for the gigging musician With the BT-105 bluetooth air turn pedal, you can get hands free operation as well You can also mark up your P D Fs as needed.
Mike Klinger is the owner of The Synthesis Midi Workshop (www midiworkshop com), which specializes in educational s ales and training in music technology He offers a wide variety of music technology courses both online and at his Retreat Center in Carson, WA and only sells to music educators and students.
Be on the lookout for Aerodrums
$16 0. This thing is incredible technology Best thing to do is to Google Aerodrums and watch the videos In a nutshell Aerodrums uses light or photo technology to watch a drummer perform “air” drums, complete with drums sticks and sensors on his/her feet The motions then trigger various drum sounds on a computer. No drum kit needed It is currently available for purchase on Amazon for $16 0 and then you will also need the Photo camera for $20 Right now available for Windows, but Mac is being developed
Favorite iPad Apps
SoundCloud Express allows you to sing or play into your port able device and have it not ated You can then transfer it over to your favorite not ation software iReal Pro is like having B and in a B ox on a port able device Just type in your chord progression, pick a tempo and style and you get drums, bass and piano accompaniment
Drum School is a great tool for your drummers It
MIKE KLINGER MUSIC TECHNOLOGY SUMMER WORKSHOPS
iPADS IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM
• ESD101 Spokane, WA - June 17-20
• NCESD Wenatchee, WA- June 23-26
• Retreat Center Carson, WA - August 12-15
TEACHING MUSIC USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
• Retreat Center Carson, WA - July 8-11
DIGITAL AUDIO RECORDING/EDITING USING PRO TOOLS
• Retreat Center Carson, WA - July 15-18
SIBELIUS 7
• Retreat Center Carson, WA - July 29-August 1
DIGITAL SONGWRITING PRODUCTION STUDENT WORKSHOP
• Retreat Center Carson, WA - August 5-8
To register call (800) 248-9699 or www.midiworkshop.com Can’t make
June 23.
AudioBox Creation Suite
iLoud
AudioBox Creation Suite
