VOLUME LXV, NO. 3 | SPRING 2025
Featuring
UNIFIED LEADERSHIP, pg. 14
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION
Iconic Legacy … Vision for the Future
Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much.
~ HELEN KELLER
2
NBA JOURNAL
VOLUME LXV, NO. 3 | SPRING 2025
Committees and Educational Purpose
4
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MESSAGES President’s Message
5
President Elect’s Message
7
ABOUT NBA About the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts
8
NBA Mission Statement
9
NBA Past Presidents
10
NBA Board of Directors 2024 – 2026
11
NBA Award Winners
13
PERSPECTIVE Unified Leadership ~Armon Raygani
14
Conductors as Interpreters: Moving Beyond Mechanics ~John I. Mange, Jr.
17
SPRING 2025
GRADUATE CORNER You've Been Accepted: Tips for a Successful First Year ~Emily Poll & Brittany Barry INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ~Richard Lawrence Johnson
21
24
LEND YOUR VOICE How to Submit Peer-Reviewed Research Articles to the NBA Journal ~Matt Talbert
32
The National Band Association acknowledges and embraces that our organization is strengthened by diversity. We welcome all peoples, inclusive of their culture, economic status, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, and abilities. The NBA is committed to including all voices in our organization and invites everyone to join us in the advancement of our mission and educational purposes.
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COMMITTEES & EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE
Educational Purposes OF THE NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Jason Fettig, President
To promote and empower band performances throughout the world.
Matt Temple, President-Elect Elva Kaye Lance, Vice-President Randall Coleman, Immediate Past President Scott Tobias, Executive Secretary-Treasurer
PROJECT & COMMITTEE CHAIRS Al & Gladys Wright Distinguished Legacy Award, Randall Coleman Alfred Young Band Composition Contest, Audrey Murphy
To encourage and promote the commissioning and performance of new wind band music.
To provide inclusive and authentic professional development opportunities and resources for everyone.
AWAPA Commission, David Gregory Citations & Awards, Heath Nails Constitution & By-Laws, Matt Temple Foster Project NBA Representative, Wolson Gustama Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors Board of Electors, Thomas Fraschillo
To acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of bands, educators, performers, and band support organizations.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Awareness, Tremon Kizer Marching Band Committee, Adam Dalton & Bobby Lambert Merrill Jones Composition Contest, Matt Smith National Programs of Excellence, Melinda Mackenzie-Hall NBA Foundation, Susan Creasap
To promote pride, commitment, and enthusiasm among band directors and performers.
Nominating Committee, Randoll Coleman Research Grants, Brian Silvey Selective Music List – Concert, Arris Golden Selective Music List - Jazz, Steve Shanley
To encourage lifelong involvement in music and to support interested students in pursuing musical careers.
Selective Music List – Marches, Col. Don Schofield William D. Revelli Composition Contest, Matthew McCutchen Young Composer Jazz Composition Contest, Richard Stichler Young Composer Mentor Project, Frank Ticheli Young Conductor Mentor Project, Linda R. Moorhouse
To promote an inclusive community among directors, performers, the music industry, and all other band support organizations.
NBA Journal Editor, Matthew D. Talbert NBA Journal Layout & Design, Nash P. McCutchen
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Articles presented in the NBA Journal represent views, opinions, ideas and research by the authors and are selected for their general interest to the NBA members. Authors’ views do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Band Association, nor does their publication constitute an endorsement by the National Band Association.
NBA JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear friends,
A
s the school year comes to a close and the joys of summer
await each of us, gratitude is in the air; gratitude for the opportunity to make music, to have relationships with so many people that positively impact our lives, and gratitude to take stock of how we have been— and can be—of service to others and to the communities that are important to us. I learned many lessons in my time in the United States Marine Corps, but none was more important that what I absorbed about service. We throw that word around a lot in both the military and in the teaching profession, and as we all know, it is a standard official professional requirement of many of us. However, when we are called to serve over and over, as each of us are in many ways in our own lives, there is a transformation that takes place over time. When I joined the Marine Band at 22 years old, I didn’t truly know what it was or how it would apply to my life. I thought I knew what it meant, but I was mostly excited to have a job playing music for a living, and I was focused on the opportunities to achieve and feel validated, rather than to specifically be of service. Over my years in the Marines, that changed rather dramatically for me. At the end of my time in leadership there, my personal SPRING 2025
feeling of validation largely came from my pride in my service. I became a person who was not only “willing” to do what was asked of me, but eager to do so; my sense of achievement was now inextricably linked to my desire to be helpful and useful to the advancement of the community and the organization. In the common parlance, it feels good to give. I share this to drive home the point that service need not always be about sacrifice. I think most of us have discovered that being of service can often fulfill us as much as it helps others. I have joyfully discovered that I derive
PROF. JASON K. FETTIG
more pride from being of service than any other accomplishment in my life, and I have found that I often extract more selfconfidence from that identity than anything else. When I see others embodying the same spirit, as I so often do in watching my amazing students work with each other and support one another, I know beyond any doubt this this is the essence of who we were meant to be as humans. We were put here together to enrich each other’s lives with our grace and generosity--and in that process, to also enrich our own. No one among us in this community must be a musician
... We were put here together to enrich each other’s lives with our grace and generosity--and in that process, to also enrich our own.
and teacher, and no one must be Continued on next page
5
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE President’s Message, Jason K. Fettig, cont. a member of our National Band
efforts to recognize and nurture
Association. I am grateful for all
pre-service teachers through
proud of what we have given of
of you and your service to your
forming student chapters and
ourselves, and let’s continue to be
community and to this community.
offering dedicated programs to
of service to each other and to our
Everyone who steps us to serve in
help them be inspired and to
collective. Let’s seek our validation
an organization like ours is giving
succeed. We are continuing to
and joy from making a difference
something that is both necessary
confidently develop initiatives
where we can and celebrate the
and lasting to the collective. What
to illuminate the work of
fact that everyone among us
I learned beyond measure in the
underrepresented communities
has something meaningful to
Marines is that one person serving
with new opportunities for
contribute to our essential work
in a place of need is a good thing,
composers and teachers to receive
together. GO BAND!
but when all join hands and serve
mentorship, support, and greater
together, truly amazing things
recognition for their work. We are
happen. We do the same here
launching new efforts to spread
in the NBA, and I hope that you
the word about our organization to
Jason Fettig
will continue to join hands with
build membership in underserved
President
those both in and outside of our
areas of the nation and provide
The National Band Association
organization to serve this special
more opportunities for colleagues
community of artists and teachers
to connect in person. I am excited
and wonderful human beings.
about the future of the NBA, both
So let’s launch into the summer
Yours in service,
in this biennium and well beyond, We are embarking on yet another new chapter for the NBA,
and I thank you for being a part of it.
where we are redoubling our
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NBA JOURNAL
PRESIDENT-ELECT'S MESSAGE
T
To highlight some of our strongest his past spring break, I
players, we programmed two duet
embarked on the music tour
pieces, each one featuring one
of a lifetime, performing
player from each school to create
in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria,
the paired soloists. We concluded
with the New Trier High School
our concerts with Sousa’s Stars
Symphonic Wind Ensemble. What
and Stripes Forever, as well as the
made the tour so unique, however,
Austrian classic, Radetzky March,
was that we combined with the
which is performed at every New
top band from our neighboring
Year’s Day concert in Vienna. As we
high school in Highland Park,
had hoped, the Austrian audiences
Illinois. The director there, Josh
loved the performances!
Chodoroff, and I taught together
One of the highlights of any tour
many years ago, so we were excited
is the opportunity to perform
to work together again. Due to the
the same music multiple times.
pandemic, both of us had small
In this case, not only did the
senior band classes this year. By
interpretation evolve but so did
combining into a single performing
the chemistry of the ensemble. By
ensemble, we were able to fill out
the end of the trip, the students
the instrumentation nicely as well
had truly united their sounds into
as drive down the individual cost
one cohesive ensemble. No matter
of the trip. Remarkably, both of
how long I teach, I am always
our schools eagerly supported the
astounded by the power of music to
partnership and did not get bogged
bring people together. Whether it’s
down in a myriad of red tape as one
abroad on an international tour or
might expect.
in your home concert hall, music
Matt Temple
will always be the magical elixir The combined tour group
that binds us.
rehearsed together once a week for a month and performed a
Happy Music-Making,
pre-tour concert at New Trier just prior to the trip. We programmed
Matt Temple
a combination of Austrian and
President-Elect
American music, plus the Holst
National Band Association
First Suite in Eb for good measure.
SPRING 2025
... No matter how long I teach, I am always astounded by the power of music to bring people together ...
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ABOUT NBA – AWAPA
NBA ACADEMY OF WIND & PERCUSSION ARTS NBA AT ITS BEST
T
he National Band Association was founded on September 11, 1960. This new organization was the dream and brain child of Traugott Rohner, the editor and founder of The Instrumentalist magazine. Rohner set up a meeting with two of the most capable leaders among America’s band directors, Dr. Al G. Wright, who was at that time Director of Bands at Purdue University, and John Paynter, Director of Bands at Northwestern University, and these two very able leaders established a new, inclusive band organization which grew into the largest band organization in the world.
Al Wright was the NBA’s first president, and he soon became aware of a need to establish a special, high level award program to recognize excellence and exceptional service to bands. The result of this was the establishment of The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts (AWAPA). This award was established for the purpose of recognizing those individuals who have made truly significant and outstanding contributions to furthering the excellence of bands and of band music, and it was not to be limited to band directors, but to anyone who’s contributions were determined to be so outstanding that they deserved and warranted honor and recognition. The nine-inch silver AWAPA figure is designed to be the “Oscar” of the band world. Elections to the academy are made from time to time by the Board of Directors acting upon nominations from the AWAPA Commission. Presentations of AWAPA awards are made at band performances or meetings of national significance. The new recipients of the award are announced at the annual National Band Association Membership Meeting at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago each December, and the honorees from the previous year are invited to attend that meeting for a formal presentation of the award. If the recipient is not able to be present at that meeting, the award is presented at another prestigious band event where the recipient is properly honored and recognized. The award consists of a silver statuette, a silver medallion, and an engraved certificate. The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts represents the highest honor which the National Band Association can confer on any individual. The NBA represents the best there is in a great, proud profession. When we honor our very best, we bring honor on our organization and on our profession. A list of the past recipients of the AWAPA Award is literally a “Who’s Who” list of some of the greatest leaders involved in the band movement during the past six decades. The list includes an international cross section of important individuals representing all aspects of the band world, who have rendered remarkable service to bands.
AWAPA RECIPIENTS LISTED BY DATE AND YEAR OF PRESENTATION William D. Revelli November 25, 1961
Sir Vivian Dunn March 2, 1973
Nilo Hovey December 16, 1980
Merle Evans December 20, 1986
Kenneth Bloomquist December 18, 1996
James T. Rohner December 15, 2005
Thomas V. Fraschillo December 21, 2017
Karl L. King November 10, 1962
Jan Molenaar July 11, 1974
Trevor Ford December 16, 1981
Hugh E. McMillen December 17, 1986
H. Robert Reynolds December 18, 1996
Frank Battisti December 21, 2006
John Whitwell December 20, 2018
Harold D. Bachman January 9, 1965
Frederick Fennell August 3, 1975
Vincent Persichetti December 16, 1981
Claude T. Smith December 16, 1987
Elizabeth Ludwig Fennell December 17, 1997
David Whitwell December 20, 2007
Richard Crain December 19, 2019
Glenn Cliffe Bainum February 21, 1965
Harry Mortimer August 3, 1975
Clare Grundman December 15, 1982
Warren Benson December 14, 1988
Arthur Gurwitz December 17, 1997
Frank B. Wickes December 18, 2008
Loras John Schissel December 15, 2020
Al G. Wright March 7, 1969
George S. Howard December 16, 1976
Morton Gould December 15, 1982
John Bourgeois December 14, 1988
Russell Hammond December 14, 1999
Ray Cramer December 17, 2009
Bruce Leek December 16, 2021
Harry Guggenheim August 18, 1969
Mark Hindsley March 2, 1978
Karel Husa December 15, 1982
Donald Hunsberger December 19, 1990
William F. Ludwig December 14, 1999
James Croft April 16, 2011
Julie Giroux December 20, 2022
Paul V. Yoder December 18, 1969
Howard Hanson December 13, 1978
Harry Begian December 14, 1983
Edgar Gangware December 19, 1991
John M. Long December 20, 2001
Paula Crider December 15, 2011
Frank Ticheli December 20, 2022
Toshio Akiyama December 13, 1970
James Neilson December 13, 1978
Francis McBeth December 12, 1984
W J Julian December 16, 1992
Raoul Camus December 19, 2002
Mark Kelly December 15, 2011
Gerald Guilbeaux December 21, 2023
Richard Franko Goldman July 23, 1971
Vaclav Nelhybel December 13, 1978
Normal Dello Joio December 12, 1984
Geoffrey Brand December 20, 1995
Paul Bierley June 14, 2003
Bobby Adams December 19, 2013
John Stoner December 21, 2023
John Paynter March 5, 1972
Leonard Falcone December 12, 1979
J. Clifton Williams December 18, 1984
Harvey Phillips December 21, 1995
William J. Moody December 18, 2003
Richard Floyd December 18, 2014
Tim Lautzenheiser December 19, 2024
Roger A. Nixon July 12, 1972
Alfred Reed December 12, 1979
Frank W. Erickson December 17, 1986
Richard Strange December 20, 1995
Earl Dunn December 16, 2004
Edward Lisk December 17, 2015
Traugott Rohner February 11, 1973
Arnald Gabriel December 16, 1980
Neil A. Kjos December 17, 1986
L. Howard Nicar, Jr. October 16, 1996
Victor Zajec December 16, 2004
Linda R. Moorhouse December 15, 2016
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NBA JOURNAL
ABOUT NBA – MISSION S TATEMENT
NBA MISSION STATEMENT FOR DIRECTORS OF SCHOOL BANDS
BY DR. WILLIAM MOODY | REVISED IN DECEMBER 2009 The mission for directors of school bands is understood inherently by those who think of themselves more often as instrumental music teachers rather than simply as band directors. The basic objective of instrumental music education is that students will learn performance skills in order to understand musical language and to experience the joys of recreating music in the expressive medium of their choice. Music education should prepare students also for a fuller understanding and appreciation of the music they will be hearing the rest of their lives regardless of its style or venue. Efforts to address the National Standards for Music Education in band class by including music theory, music history, improvisation, and composition will help the students be better listeners in adulthood and will make better musicians of those who wish to pursue musical careers or practice music as an avocation in adult life. The National Band Association would like school administrators, teachers, and parents to recognize that students elect to study instrumental music for a variety of reasons, including: as an outlet for creativity, a source of social interaction with like-minded peers, a possible career choice, gratification that comes from recognition by responsive audiences, discipline through study and practice, and service to school and community. The evaluation of instrumental music programs should be grounded in a review of the educationally and aesthetically justifiable objectives that are explicit in this mission statement. The long-respected model for learning to play a musical instrument based on the role of artist-teacher with a studio of private students applies as well to school bands. Band class must provide these same foundations: a correct concept of characteristic tone quality, development of technique based on a graded course of study, a formal system for counting rhythms, practice in developing good intonation, and the sure goal of playing expressively. An instrumental music program should offer a broad range of musical experiences: an extensive solo and chamber music repertory that provides subtle opportunities for nuance and other systems of expression; a school jazz ensemble that stresses rhythmic precision, understanding of harmonic progression, and creative improvisation; a concert band, the core of the program, where our musical heritage is transmitted through inspirational compositions by the most creative composers. Service activities such as marching band are often important to the school and community, and students who participate gain social, educational, and musical values. Because evaluative competition can raise standards and motivate progress, NBA strongly recommends that all bands participate in festivals or contests sponsored by district and state music education associations, especially when a rating rather than a ranking is the goal. However, the integrity of the instructional program can be threatened by a disproportionate emphasis on competitions and servicerelated performances. Marching band activities that require extra rehearsals and travel time should be scheduled with concern for the many responsibilities that students have in addition to their musical studies, and must never be the focus of the instrumental music program. Excessive demands on students, parents, and community––financial and otherwise––bring about consequences harmful to the essence of the instrumental music program. History demonstrates that those who cultivate a special intelligence in an area of personal interest make great contributions to the way we live. Efforts by legislators or educators to emphasize one area of study alone stifle the pluralism that has been one of this country's strengths. Rather, schools should provide a broad base of knowledge for students and also encourage development of the special abilities of those who demonstrate the capacity to excel. Instrumental music studies provide a laboratory of artistic and social opportunities for individual development that contributes to the collective good. The arts provide unique forms of knowledge, present a basic means of communication, and produce lasting works that are the hallmarks of a civilization. President Abraham Lincoln reminded us that education is not for the purpose of learning to earn a living, but for learning what to do with a living after it has been earned. Whether in the arts or other areas of interest, students who are encouraged to develop their talents and interests participate in the continuous regeneration of our democratic ideals.
SPRING 2025
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ABOUT NBA – PAST PRESIDENTS
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION
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Al G. Wright 1960 - 1962 Honorary Life President
James Croft 1986 - 1988
Finley Hamilton 2008- 2009
John Paynter 1962 - 1966 Honorary Life President
Frank B. Wickes 1988 - 1990
John Culvahouse 2009- 2012
Edward W. Volz 1966 - 1968
Edward S. Lisk 1990 - 1992
John M. Long 2010 Honorary President
William J. Moody 1968 - 1970
Robert E. Foster 1992 - 1994
Roy Holder 2012 - 2014
George S. Howard 1970 - 1974
John R. Bourgeois 1994 - 1996
Richard Good 2014 - 2016
F. Earl Dunn 1974 - 1976
James Keene 1996 - 1998
Scott Casagrande 2016 - 2018
William D. Revelli 1976 - 1978
Thomas Fraschillo 1998 - 2000
Scott Tobias 2018 - 2020
W J Julian 1978 - 1980
Paula Crider 2000 - 2002
Rebecca Phillips 2020 - 2022
Kenneth Bloomquist 1980 - 1982
David Gregory 2002- 2004
Randall Coleman 2022 - 2024
James Neilson 1982 - 1984
Linda Moorhouse 2004- 2006
James K. Copenhaver 1984 - 1986
Bobby Adams 2006- 2008 NBA JOURNAL
ABOUT NBA– BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION 2024 – 2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2024-2026 Board of Directors
Jason Fettig President
Matt Temple
President-Elect
Chip De Stefano
Elva Kaye Lance Vice-President
Tiffany Hitz
Randall Coleman Past President
Tracy Leslie
Scott Tobias
Executive Secretary
Audrey Murphy
Elem/MS Representative Elem/MS Representative Elem/MS Representative Elem/MS Representative
Brian Covey
HS Representative
Craig Aarhus
At-Large Representative
SPRING 2025
Melissa Gustafson-Hinds HS Representative
Linda Gammon
At-Large Representative
Jerell Horton
HS Representative
Mark Heidel
At-Large Representative
Bobby Lambert HS Representative
Mary Schneider
At-Large Representative
Arris Golden
Univ./College Rep.
Will Talley
At-Large Representative
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DO YOU HAVE Research relevant to the field that you would like to share? Professional advice or tips that might help other band directors? Something to say? The National Band Association welcomes and encourages members to submit articles for possible inclusion* in future editions of the NBA Journal. Peer-reviewed** and non-peer reviewed articles are accepted. The NBA Journal is published quarterly and deadlines/ instructions for submission are as follows:
JOURNAL EDITION
DEADLINE
Winter Edition (published in February)
January 1
Please submit your article in
Spring Edition (published in May)
April 1
Word document format to
Summer Edition (published in August)
July 1
NBA Journal Editor Matthew Talbert:
Fall Edition (published in November)
October 1
talbertm@ohio.edu.
*Articles are published at the discretion of the editor and may appear in a later journal edition or not at all. **For guidance on how to submit a peer-reviewed article, please see page 32.
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SUBMISSION
NBA JOURNAL
NBA NEWS & 2024 AWARDS
NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION
AWARD WINNERS
All winners of the following awards are listed at NationalBandAssociation.org/Awards-Recognition
Academy of Wind and Percussion Ar ts (AWAPA) Award Al & Gladys Wright Distinguished Legacy Award NBA Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors
Programs of Excellence Blue Ribbon Award The NBA/Alfred Music Young Band Composition Contest The NBA/Merrill Jones Memorial Band Composition Contest The NBA/ William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest The NBA Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest
FREE NBA AWARDS FOR MEMBERS TO USE Mentor Award Citation of Excellence Outstanding Jazz Educator Citation of Merit for Marching Excellence
SPRING 2025
Outstanding Musician Award Outstanding Jazz Musician Award Music Camper Award Band Booster Award
13
PERSPECTIVE
UNIFIED LEADERSHIP BY ARMON RAYGANI
W
14
hat would you be
This buy-in will hopefully then
able to accomplish
translate to ownership, and thus,
with less on your
create or enhance a student-led
Armon Raygani is the Director of Bands
plate? Would you be able to plan
culture within an ensemble.
at Camp Hill Middle & High School where
for better rehearsals? Would you
The main idea is simple: when
he directs all instrumental activities and
be able to go home sooner? These
leadership auditions roll around,
are the questions I hope to answer
award every student who is ready
by sparking this discussion on
with a leadership position. Instead
involving more leaders in your
of students competing against one-
program. In recent years, I’ve
another, they compete against your
re-structured my own program’s
personal standard of what a leader
leadership team to allow for a
should be. For example, if out of
larger pool of participants and
twenty auditionees fifteen are
as a result I’ve seen a big change
responsible enough to lead their
in program buy-in. Whatever
peers, all fifteen should be selected
your current leadership structure
in the eyes of this philosophy.
is, some of these ideas may
That does not mean that each one
complement what you are already
of those fifteen students must be
doing. While a lot of these thoughts
section leaders in the traditional
are brought to you via a marching
sense. Individual roles can be
band perspective, I encourage you
assigned based on each student’s
to apply these same principles
strengths and weaknesses. Some
to other ensembles or even your
strengths that my own students
general classroom management. I
have exhibited have been in
hope that by sharing some of our
clerical tasks, communication,
successes at Camp Hill, that you
management (field lining crew!),
could also be convinced to give this
and in running sectionals, both
system some consideration.
visual and musical.
Let’s unpack what I mean
I first learned about this
when I say “more leaders” in
philosophy from my friend Seth
your program. The root of this
Jones at Spring-Ford High School.
philosophy is to build as much
At the time, Seth was employing
buy-in from students as possible.
this strategy and seeing the buy-in
oversees the Fine Arts Department. He can be reached via email at: araygani@camphillsd.k12.pa.us
for his program increase. Students began to take on smaller tasks that we as directors, and sometimes our staff members, take on. Seth was able to focus his time and energy into tasks that only he as the director could handle. At first, this was a jarring concept to me. Why would you just give away a leadership position to almost everyone who applies? After giving it some thought, I realized that there is no pedagogical purpose to gatekeeping the experience of leading one’s own peers to an arbitrary quota based on band size. What I noticed was that my leadership teams were more ready to take on tasks without me asking and after some time we were able to easily fit each leader into their own niche. We are not only teaching students about music, but about how to exist in a society Continued on next page
NBA JOURNAL
PERSPECTIVE Unified Leadership, Armon Raygani, cont. where one day they will be tasked
students not to audition because
10-20 leaders. While that is a lot
with leading groups. We want to
they would like to provide the
for a small to mid-size band, we do
train effective and empathetic
space for older students to be
find a specialty for each leader.
communicators who are builders
awarded leadership roles in hopes
of trust. This is at the heart of
that when they are upperclassmen,
Specialization and training
everything we do and selecting
they will be selected. This mindset
happens during the spring and
more leaders who can handle the
was built out of students thinking
early summer months. Each year
responsibility can provide these
that they are in competition with
we host a retreat where students
experiences.
one-another for leadership roles.
not only receive leadership
Now, we have a large turn-out of
seminars but gain hands-on
students signing up for leadership
experience running sectionals
like at Camp Hill. In 2024, the
positions. Not all students are
and setting goals. During this
marching band was comprised of
ready, however, as students who
time, students start to figure out
about 64 students. In the winter
are selected must demonstrate
if they haven’t already what their
months we begin our leadership
good work ethic, accountability,
strengths and weaknesses are
auditions. Every student in grades
and responsibility throughout the
and how they synergize with the
9th through 11th is encouraged
season, not just during the audition
leaders around them. Ideally,
to audition. In past years there
window. Following auditions, we
each section would have its own
has been a tendency for younger
may end up with anywhere from
specialist who is comfortable
Let’s discuss what this looks
Continued on next page
SPRING 2025
15
PERSPECTIVE Unified Leadership, Armon Raygani, cont. running either music or visual
their schoolwork because of the
sectionals. If this does not happen,
heightened expectation on them.
two sections may be paired
This investment has spread to other
together. For example, our tenor
students in my program as well
saxophone section would pair off
beyond just the leadership team
with either the alto saxophones
and thus has taken so many items
or low brass (depending on part
off my plate. I am appreciative
rehearsed) since those two sections
of all my do for the program,
had dedicated specialists for
and I believe that we have all
sectionals. This avoids putting
become a better team through this
a leader who is uncomfortable
experience.
running sectionals in that type of a position and prevents putting
Do keep in mind that every
someone in a leadership position
program is different and what
just so a section can have someone
has worked for my students
to run sectionals. As students
may not work for your students.
enter our Mini and Band camps,
Additionally, it may take time
they get increasingly more time
to see results from this change
to hone their skills under staff
so stay consistent but don’t be
supervision with crystal clear
afraid to make small tweaks to
goals. Often in the early season,
better suit your needs! I sincerely
we task our sectional leaders with
hope, however, that you consider
aiding students in memorization
giving thought to using some of
while we pull students for playing
these thoughts in your leadership
tests. Other leaders may be
program. We have the opportunity
tasked with prepping the field
to provide more experiences for
for rehearsal, communication
kids to get them ready to take on
to section members, leading
the real world, so it only makes
memorization checks, sweeping
sense that we give everyone a
the field post-rehearsal, and other
chance to lead.
duties as assigned. The educational staff for the marching band also plays a role in demonstrating techniques for running sectionals to those students tasked with a more educational role. Much of this framework then transfers indoors to the band room. Students who are invested in the program keep the band room tidy, recruit new members, and are on top of 16
NBA JOURNAL
PERSPECTIVE
CONDUCTORS AS INTERPRETERS:
MOVING BEYOND MECHANICS BY JOHN I. MANGE, JR.
I
n the second section of
express the music in a way that
their recent book In Pursuit
brings everyone to the same
of Great Conducting (GIA
understanding.” Adam Unsworth
Publications, 2025), H. Robert
says a conductor should show “an
Reynolds and Doris Doyon solicited
understanding of the music that
the opinions of some of Reynolds’
goes above and beyond that of the
John Mange comes to the Michigan Bands from
preeminent former students on
musicians.” Roger Oyster offers,
Stoughton, MA, where he is the K-12 Director of
what separates a good conductor
“Knowing what compelling ‘story’
Fine Arts for the Stoughton Public Schools and
from a great one. The responses
is being told, and how to tell it with
cover a vast range of competencies
nuance and depth, is what inspires
and skills: some utilitarian (“hears
musicians and engages audiences.”
intonation problems and improves
Common to all these ideas is an
them quickly”), some focused on
expectation that the conductor
In the 12 years under his direction, bands in
effective gesture (“is primarily
will offer a meaningful vision.
Stoughton have been awarded numerous 5-star
a visual communicator”), many
And indeed, we neglect musical
ratings at state MICCA and MAJE festivals, and
personality-based (“is humble”).
meaning at the peril of our art.
the Marching Black Knights have also won state
A few of the responses touch on a
When audiences and musicians do
fourth category, which is the topic
not know why they should engage
of this article: the compelling,
with a work or what its expressive
unifying interpretation that the
purpose is, the museum-ification
conductor should bring to the
of that music becomes a serious
music.
possibility.
directs the Marching Black Knights, Symphonic Band, Middle School Honor Wind Band, and Wednesday Jazz Band. At Michigan, he will pursue a D.M.A. in wind conducting.
or regional championships in their division in NESBA and USBands. In March 2024 he conducted the Senior SEMSBA (Southeastern Massachusetts School Bandmasters Association) Festival Concert Band. Mr. Mange holds a B.Mus. in Trumpet Performance, Music Theory, and Music
Reynolds’ former students
Sometimes expressive
Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an M.M.Ed. with a Composition
describe this skill in a variety
purpose is self-evident because of
of ways. “A good conductor,”
our current cultural frame. Today,
according to Robert Sullivan,
works inspired by the yearning
“knows the score, has an
for social justice are self-evidently
Educators Journal, and he blogs semi-regularly
opinion about its meaning or
important; little explanation
about music and related topics at www.
expression, and is confident
is needed to communicate the
solamusica.net. He and his wife, Cassia, have
in their interpretation. They
expressive force in Of Our New
SPRING 2025
Minor from the University of Hartford’s The Hartt School. His scholarly research is published in the Journal of Band Research and MA Music
three children.
Continued on next page
17
PERSPECTIVE Conductors as Interpreters ..., John I. Manger, Jr., cont. Day Begun by Omar Thomas. The
content of the music. Musical
words). So why would Holst title the
same could have been said in 1964
quotations, allusions to other
movement “Song Without Words”
of Warren Benson’s The Leaves are
artistic disciplines, stylistic
when he knows otherwise?
Falling, a musical reflection on the
allusions to other composers or
assassination of President John
bodies of work.
F. Kennedy, or in 1888 of John
3. Structural tropes: non-
that the song would “have no
Philip Sousa’s Semper Fidelis, which
obvious signatures in the
words” when played by a band?
honored the U.S. Marine Corps at
musical structure that interact
This is a possible explanation, if a
a time when patriotism factored
discursively with other music,
little flippant and unconvincing.
enormously in the American
perhaps by way of commentary
Holst, by all accounts, was not a
zeitgeist. The expressive purpose of
or reinterpretation.
very flippant person. And if he
these works was palpable to their
We will examine only the first
truly did not want us to think of
original audiences.
two windows in this article.
the words to the song, why did he
Perhaps Holst merely meant
provide the subtitle “I’ll Love My But not all music worth
Kramer’s approach to
Love” directly in the score? Was the
playing lends itself to this sort of
interpretation (which is known
idea of a band playing a folksong
transparency. Usually, an effort
technically as musical hermeneutics)
so novel to Holst as to necessitate
must be made to help people
is not so much a methodology as it
this odd acknowledgment that no
understand music they are
is an “attitude” toward works and
words would be heard? (It wasn’t.)
unfamiliar with. We must assume a
their composers, characterized
An empathetic posture guides
posture of openness to experience,
by a few specific strategies for
us here: to arrive at a sincere
empathy toward the composer, and
open and empathetic attention to
interpretation, we try to imagine
careful attention to the what and
meaning. When applied to real
the composer’s thought process,
how of the music in order to begin
musical examples, it begins to
given what we know.
to conjecture why.
reveal its interpretive power. Perhaps Holst did not want
Lawrence Kramer, in the opening chapter of his 1990 book Music as Cultural Practice, explains
18
EXAMPLE 1 (TEXTS): HOLST’S
to capture the subject of the text
“SONG WITHOUT WORDS”
as much as its affect? If this is
In Movement II of Holst’s
the case, then the subject of the
that this sort of investigation begins
Second Suite in F, a clear textual
song would “prime” us to feel its
when we discover something
problem emerges almost as soon
characteristic tension of hysteria
musically “problematical;”
as we begin to study it: Holst’s
with hope, even as we are to hear
i.e. an element we do not fully
so-called “Song Without Words”
the song-in-time in a manner more
understand. He suggests three
indeed has words. The title of the
akin to the Rachmaninov Op. 34
possible “windows” that the
folksong is “I’ll Love My Love.” Its
“Vocalise” (on a “neutral syllable,”
interpreter may use to reveal
topic is a woman committed to
so to speak). This answer seems to
meaning (paraphrased here):
an insane asylum while she waits
do the movement justice, at least,
1. Texts: Lyrics, titles,
fretfully and faithfully for her lover
to take it seriously as Holst would.
program notes, composer’s
sent to sea, and indeed this was
But there is another possibility.
correspondence, etc.
very well-known to Holst (he even
2. Citations: the referential
arranged the song for choir - with
Perhaps, by setting up this NBA JOURNAL
PERSPECTIVE Conductors as Interpreters ..., John I. Manger, Jr., cont. odd paradox, Holst was asking,
as seriously as Taylor Swift.
“What does it mean for a song to
bread and wine with the body and blood of the sacrificed Christ.
have words?” Maybe, for a song to
Conductors need not lay out
There are two curiosities in the
truly “have words,” the text must
their entire interpretive process
way Maslanka chooses to set this
be inextricably married with the
publicly. Rather, they can settle
chorale: first, his harmonization
melody. That is to say, Holst may
on a defensible interpretation, set
is distinctly un-Bach-like and
have been offering a critique:
the tone of a rehearsal with a brief
feels more of a kind with the
either the text did not serve the
meditation on it, and offer a few
16th-century stylistic origins of
music, or the music did not serve
sentences of consideration in the
the chorale than the Baroque
the text (perhaps the injustice
program note or during on-stage
harmonization found in the 371
against the girl in the song is too
remarks. This would be preferable
Chorales (which Maslanka does
terrible to be underwritten by a
to avoiding the topic altogether,
mention in his program note).
pretty melody, even a haunting
leaving musicians (and audiences)
Second, he chooses to repeat
one). Thus the song “has no words”
wondering about the meaning of
the first phrase of the melody, a
in the sense of not having words
texts printed in their parts (and
decision which aligns it more with
that match.
programs).
standard chorale bar form (AAB) since the original chorale does not
The function of all this rumination is that it gets us to think more deeply about the
EXAMPLE 2 (CITATIONS): Heart
have this repetition.
Songs BY DAVID MASLANKA Heart Songs is well-known to
Movement III, “Heart Song,”
musical object and the composer’s
many school band directors, yet
quotes Die Sonn hat sich mit ihrem
process. Not everyone in the
its quotations of Bach chorales
Glanz gewendet (“The sun has
audience will engage on this
are often treated with little
turned with its brilliance”), a
level, but some will; and, as
detail. In fact, Maslanka’s rather
hymn filled with imagery of dusk
Reynolds’ former students told
cursory program note fails to
and the lordship of God over day
us, our deepened understanding
report exactly which chorales he
and night. Concluding Heart Songs
of the music could yield a more
quotes. This omission leads us to
with music associated with the
compelling artistic experience
ask: what is Maslanka’s artistic
close of the day is logical, and
for the musicians. Skeptics who
purpose in leaving out the sources
probably intentional. Knowing
question whether this sort of
of his “heart songs?” And more
that Maslanka has selected a hymn
exercise could actually cultivate
importantly, what exactly is a
about the coming of evening for
musical engagement ought to
“heart song?” Using the chorale
his third “heart song” might even
consider that textual depth is
quotations as our “window,” let us
remind us of another hymn in our
precisely what draws Taylor Swift’s
make a few salient observations
repertoire: the second movement
most devoted fans to her music;
about them.
of Persichetti’s Symphony No. 6,
subtexts and personal narratives that cut across her albums are wellattested and endlessly examined on the internet. We must find the same level of depth in the wind repertoire, or risk not being taken SPRING 2025
which sets the hymn “Round Me Movement II, “Song with Variations,” is based on the Luther
Falls the Night” from his Hymns and Responses for the Church Year.
chorale Jesus Christ, unser Heiland (“Jesus Christ, our Redeemer”), a hymn connecting the eucharistic
These brief observations about the chorale quotations in Heart 19
PERSPECTIVE Conductors as Interpreters ..., John I. Manger, Jr., cont. Songs reveal much that can be thought over as the conductor
CONCLUSION Regardless of which “window”
makes interpretive decisions.
best fits the interpretational
They could, for example, impact
problem at hand, it should be
programming significantly
understood, above all, that musical
(perhaps the Persichetti Symphony
meaning is a key component of a
would be a meaningful pairing? Or,
conductor’s conceptualization and
channeling the second movement,
preparation of a work. Kramer’s
maybe Jodie Blackshaw’s
approach is really neither new nor
Terpsichorean Dances?). We might
cutting-edge; great musicians have
also come away with a clearer
been doing this kind of thinking
notion of what Maslanka means
all along. What is relatively new is
by “heart song:” it seems that this
its explicit articulation as a way of
category is defined by music that
understanding music.
ponders and treasures the divine. The second movement’s heart is
In Casals and the Art of
found in sacrificial love; the third
Interpretation, David Blum recounts
movement’s heart is found in
many anecdotal quips from
divine providence. Knowing this,
Pablo Casals that reveal his open,
and probing it even more deeply,
empathetic, attentive thinking
could have a major impact on the
about interpretation. In Chapter I
expressivity of both conductor and
we learn how Saint-Saëns’ A minor
musicians.
Cello Concerto should be informed by its programmatic connections
And what of Maslanka’s
to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony.
citational omission? Although
In Chapter II his interpretation
much of his music is grounded
of the trio of Beethoven’s
in Lutheran hymnody, Maslanka
Eighth Symphony leads to his
also draws freely on Buddhist
controversial decision to conduct
tradition and philosophy. Perhaps
it in a swaying one, since it is
he was deliberately avoiding the
“a wonderful barcarolle!” His
dogmas of his Christian source
exhortation closing that chapter
materials, allowing space for the
sums up what should be the core
listener (or performer) to discover
concern of every conductor: “Don’t
the meaning in their own way.
give notes - give the meaning of the
In that case, the project of open
notes!”
interpretation becomes even more essential to our discernment of Heart Songs’ meaning.
20
NBA JOURNAL
GRADUATE CORNER
YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED: TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR
BY EMILY POLL & BRITTANY BARRY EMILY POLL
with other TAs, it is important
Master’s Conducting Student at
you establish a good relationship
Temple University (PA)
because you will be spending A LOT of time together. The better
Hello! My name is Emily Poll and I am currently in my second year of my master’s degree in Instrumental Wind Band Conducting at Temple University. Prior to attending Temple, I was a teacher for three years including being a high school band director. From my experience teaching and just having finished
you can be at establishing both
Emily Poll
of your expectations and goals, the better you can help run the program better. Do the best you can to help each other out – you are both students and will be busy at various times. The more you can do to boost each other up will truly make a happy studio.
my first year of my master’s, I will be giving you some tips and tricks to surviving your first year!
ORGANIZATION TIPS Organization is KEY during your master’s. You will be asked
WORKING WITH TAS Working with other TAs or college staff at first can be very overwhelming. My first year of my master’s, I was one of two TAs, but I was the only instrumental conducting student. My counterpart was a master’s performance student studying trumpet. While we had two different degrees, I think our different perspectives allowed for us to bring a broader perspective to our positions. When working SPRING 2025
to attend many different events, run many different sectionals/ rehearsals, etc. Having a planner with reminders for what I was being asked to do helped me focus on my to-do lists. Give yourself reasonable goals every day and remember you are human and can’t do everything in one day. Keep an organized calendar and be prepared to adapt when you need. Getting scores well ahead of when you conduct also helps give you the time to really dive into them before
Brittany Barry you start rehearsing. The more time you give yourself, the better you will feel by the time you get on the podium. Make sure to have all your gear ready to go each time you conduct too – including having multiple SD cards (because we’ve all been there when they don’t Continued on next page
21
GRADUATE CORNER You've Been Accepted ..., Emily Poll & Brittany Barry, cont. work or go missing) and recording
at your university. You are only at
or research funding? How to
EVERYTHING. This is your best
your school for a short period of
run a band clinic? How to apply
tool at growing in the first years of
time and college is a great way to
for conference performances or
conducting degrees.
get to know people from all over.
presentations? How to interview
Use this opportunity to get outside
for university-level positions? How
NAVIGATING BEING BOTH A
of your comfort zone and make
to navigate difficult conversations
STUDENT AND A TEACHER
lifelong connections because you
with your colleagues? This is your
never know when these same
time to ask!
While we are technically teachers, we are also students.
people might pop up later in your
This is a very interesting position
life.
with your advisor and healthy
to be in because we navigate both worlds. Regardless of your role, it
BRITTANY BARRY
communication is also necessary
is important to be friendly to your
Doctoral Conducting Student at
for setting boundaries and
students and ensemble members.
McGill University (Montreal, CAN)
expectations, both your
These are the people who will be playing for us for two years or so – during this time, treat them with respect. If you do not establish some sort of relationship with these players, you will have a hard time getting them to want to work with you. There are times to be professional and serious and times to be friendly. Finding the balance is key.
Greetings! My name is Brittany Barry and I am currently completing the first year of my doctoral degree at McGill University after graduating last spring with my Master’s in conducting and clarinet performance from the University of Delaware. So you’re pursuing a terminal degree in conducting – congrats! Here are some tips to get
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
you through the first year.
Speaking of relationships, it is important you make time for yourself during your master’s. The degree can be taxing mentally so it is good to have people to go to and things other than band to give you some time off. I have found success in making friends with other master’s students at Temple. They have really helped build me up and give me a space to feel welcome. The earlier you can get yourself out there and make connections, the more you will enjoy your time 22
Fostering a positive relationship
BUILDING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR ADVISOR(S) It is likely your conducting professor is your primary advisor. Beside offering you feedback on your craft, they are there to answer any last questions you may have before going out into the world with “Dr.” in front of your name! Leave no questions unasked. Need to know how to write a conducting syllabus? How to apply for grant
expectations of your advisor and their expectations of you. It is inevitable there will come times where you have far too much on your plate. If you have a healthy relationship with your advisor, they may be able to offer support or deadline flexibility if you are transparent about your workload. Likewise, it allows you to set boundaries for communication (e.g. no text communication after 9p.m.). Your advisor will be the key to your success, so nurture that relationship the way you would any other! MAKING THE MOST OF UNIVERSITY RESOURCES There are few things in this world that are free, so take advantage of the things that are! More than likely, your institution has a writing center or some equivalent that offers resources, sessions, and workshops to help Continued on next page
NBA JOURNAL
GRADUATE CORNER You've Been Accepted ..., Emily Poll & Brittany Barry, cont. you improve your writing, from
as through your school of music.
by inputting everything into my
articles to research grants to your
Diligently check the deadlines,
phone calendar, including when I
thesis. Consider how frequently
especially if they require letters of
plan to go to the gym, do groceries,
you have perused or cited a
recommendation!
and work on grant writing. While
doctoral thesis in your past projects
the to-do list seems never ending,
or writing – that could be your
WORK-LIFE BALANCE PT. 2:
it is imperative to make time for
document! If your writing is going
ENRICHING YOURSELF
yourself and things that inspire
to be available for the world to
Earning your doctorate often
you. We are better musicians,
see, you may as well put your best
feels like running a rigorous,
teachers, and people when we
foot forward. In writing a grant
academic and professional
are inspired. Perhaps this means
proposal, good argumentative and
marathon and it can be challenging
making time to read for pleasure,
analytical writing is key, especially
to balance it all when it feels
go to art museums or concerts, or
when it comes to presenting
like we are not in a position to
meet a friend for coffee or a hike,
yourself and your work in the best
turn down an opportunity that
but whatever it is, make sure it
possible light. The same goes for
can benefit us musically or
makes it on the priority list.
cover letters and letters of interest.
professionally. It may be beneficial
The experts in the writing center
to write out a list of priorities in
are enthusiastic to help you.
order of their importance to you
Also be sure to take advantage of
as this can aid in budgeting your
any and all funding opportunities!
time and energy in an efficient and healthy way. Between
Do your research as most
coursework, research/academic
institutions offer a variety of funds
writing, practicing, professional
for travel, research, professional
development, and “other duties
development, etc. Often, there are
as assigned,” it can feel nearly
funds through the university or
impossible to fit it all into a 24-
campus graduate studies as well
hour day. For years I have stood
SPRING 2025
23
INTERVIEW
A CONVERSATION WITH DR. HARRY BEGIAN BY RICHARD LAWRENCE JOHNSON QUESTION: Other than yourself,
instrumentation, except that
who served as the principal
I used more clarinets and a
conductors to the Wind Ensemble
saxophone section since I felt that
at Michigan State University?
in the twentieth century, the wind ensemble should be premised on
of music at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC. Since 2006, he has served in higher administration, taught conducting, theory, music history and
BEGIAN: Kenneth Bloomquist, Stan
the clarinet. That’s why I used
performance. He also served as interim
DeRusha and Eugene Corporon.
six B-Flat clarinets: two, two and
director of bands during 2015-2017 and
two. I also used an alto clarinet
chair/director of instrumental music
and the saxophones that Fennell
at Salisbury University, 1988-2006. He
tenure?
did not. That came out to a total
earned a BS and MS in music education
of thirty-five or thirty-six players
from the University of Illinois and a DMA
BEGIAN: Leonard Falcone for
without the percussion and without
QUESTION: And prior to your
forty years. There was no wind ensemble during his tenure. When I was hired (1967) at Michigan State University (MSU) the department head, James Niblock, asked me if I would be agreeable to starting a wind ensemble. I said I would since that was about the time that wind ensembles were coming into the picture in universities. QUESTION: What factors were
accessory instruments such as a
in performance from Michigan State University.
harp or piano. that kind of combination of given In the Symphonic Band, I used
players. That’s how it differs, and
about eighty-six players. The
that is how its role should differ
wind ensemble at MSU was made
from that of the symphonic. In
up strictly of graduate students.
other words, I agree with what
The Symphonic Band, of eighty
(Mark) Hindsley said when he was
or more was comprised of both
asked to include the wind ensemble
undergraduates and graduate
into the band department at the
students.
University of Illinois. He said he didn’t want to go in that direction.
QUESTION: In your opinion,
The director of the School of Music
how does the role (of the wind
told him (Hindsley) that they were
ensemble) differ from that of the
going to start one in the School of
symphonic band/concert at MSU?
symphonic or concert band?
Music. Hindsley got an agreement
BEGIAN: For the wind ensemble
BEGIAN: It’s a small band, and
considered in determining instrumentation and the number of players for the wind ensemble and
I went pretty much with Fennell’s 24
Richard Lawrence Johnson is professor
that since the wind ensemble it should play music written for
was some kind of band, then it should (only) play music that was NBA JOURNAL
INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ..., Richard Lawrence Johnson, cont. music. 2) I choose music that is worthy of the time spent in Dr. Harry Begian
rehearsal; the hours that you have to spend preparing it. 3) The music that I choose must be enjoyable and challenging to the players and it has to be something attractive for the listening audience, because that’s where it eventually ends up. Those are the bases, those four bases on which I pick music for the wind ensemble and the symphonic/ concert band. QUESTION: What is your opinion as to the success of various commissioning projects (i.e., CBDNA, university-sponsored, the American Wind Orchestra, etc.) and their influence on the development of the wind ensemble medium?
expressly written for that kind and
want to perform “the mountains”
size of organization and not the
with a large band nor the
music of the concert or symphonic
Hindemith symphony with a wind
band. I agree with that totally.
ensemble.
QUESTION: Would you cite
QUESTION: What factors did you
examples?
consider in determining literature appropriate for the wind ensemble
BEGIAN: The most notable
at MSU?
examples that I can bring to mind, are the Symphony in B-Flat by Paul
BEGIAN: The prime factor is the
Hindemith which was written for
thing that I have always looked
the concert/symphonic band; and
at for in any music that I have
one of the best works that I know
chosen for any group: 1) Good,
to date that’s been written for wind
sincere music, of musical quality.
ensemble, the (Joseph) Schwantner
Of course, that’s a subjective
piece, …. and the mountains rising
judgement that I employ here. It’s
nowhere. I just don’t think I would
what I think is good and sincere
SPRING 2025
BEGIAN: I think it has been just as successful or unsuccessful as the commissioning projects for any other types of bands. I don’t think that the commissioning projects for the ABA, NBA, or all the other band associations have been all that good. The commissions haven’t brought forth very many substantial works of music for either concert/symphonic band or the wind ensemble. With all the music that has been published, I can’t tell you anything that has been especially attractive except the (Krzysztof) Penderecki piece ( the Pittsburg Overture), and Continued on next page
25
INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ..., Richard Lawrence Johnson, cont. as I said, the Schwantner. The
which I played once. I have every
fine job in this area and a scholarly
Schwantner piece I think is one of
reason to want to play anything
job in locating the wind music
the best pieces written for the wind
by Hovhaness, strictly out of
of earlier periods. I think that’s
ensemble. So, I don’t think that
the nationality background (
worthy scholarly research that he
the commissioning projects for
Armenian). But the work has no
and people like him have made.
the wind ensemble have been any
appeal, it didn’t appeal to the
more successful than that for the
players, and it didn’t make a “dent”
QUESTION: What conditions
symphonic band although there
on the audience, and it has no
do you perceive necessary for
has been a lot of “hoopla” about it.
lasting effect on me, musically. So,
the continued development and
Can you name five pieces that have
I just performed the symphony one
growth of the wind ensemble at the
come out of the commissioning
time. In my judgments, it’s a dull
university level?
projects that musically are the
work (the Hovhaness Symphony for
quality of the Hindemith symphony
Band).
or the Schoenberg, Theme and Variations, Op. 43a?
When you talk about outstanding composers, do you have someone in mind that you would like to
QUESTION: Is this rhetorical?
mention? I would like to add Leslie Bassett, Gunther Schuller, Warren
BEGIAN: Well, can you? I can’t,
Benson and Alfred Reed to the list
all right!! By the way, on this
of outstanding composers for the
item…..what about ‘outstanding
wind ensemble.
composers?’ QUESTION: Like question 7B? BEGIAN: Yes, like 7b,….”acquiring new composition from outstanding
BEGIAN: 1) Better music has to be written for the medium, good music – music of quality. 2) the conductors just get away from the view of only playing what THEY want to play while ignoring their players and audiences. That’s no way for musicians to ever conceive
QUESTION: What is your opinion
programming. We must keep
as to the value of historical
the audience in mind. What
research in the discovery of
some conductors are trying
appropriate literature for the wind
to do is change the audience’s
ensemble?
listening habits by fostering only one type of music on them.
composers.” What outstanding composers? Schwantner, Husa,
BEGIAN: I think that is a good
This is intolerable and chases
Schuller and Benson? Yes! The
thing that wind ensembles HAVE
audiences away. We shouldn’t
things I hear from others, I don’t
achieved. I go back to David
do that with a musical audience
regard as works by outstanding
Whitwell on that. He has done a
Continued on next page
composers. I mean, for instance, anyone of the stature of a Hindemith or a Stravinsky? There just haven’t been any like that. And that’s not the fault of the wind ensemble. I’m just saying that composers like that just aren’t out there in the field. Even the Hovhaness symphony, 26
NBA JOURNAL
INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ..., Richard Lawrence Johnson, cont. – that’s bad programming, as
new conductors, Conductors: a
Secondly, I have not heard a wind
well as a bad philosophy. The
New Generation, they might learn
ensemble with a truly balanced
other thing that I have always
something about programming.
ensemble sound with the exception
believed is that the audiences
There is something that comes out
of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble.
are much more intelligent that
very clearly, and is very significant
I don’t especially care for the lean
most conductors (particularly
for wind ensemble conductors and
sonority. I did appreciate the fine
‘wind ensemble’ conductors)
band conductors – all conductors.
quality of the individual players
give them credit for being.
The prominent orchestra
in the Eastman Wind ensemble.
Audiences can recognize
conductors of this generation all
That is the most impressive
quality in music, and recognize
play standard repertoire! You see,
thing about the Eastman Wind
sincere music without having
they HAVE to play to audiences
Ensemble recordings. Other
had it explained to them. They
and have to get those people in
than that, those recordings were
can recognize poorly crafted
the door to hear the concert.
unimpressive to me because
music or a poorly prepared
Otherwise, they don’t have any
of their lack of sonority, poor
performance as well. I think
work and the there is no need for
balances and tempos. It seems
a musical audience is there to
symphony orchestra concerts or
that wind ensemble conductors, by
listen to good music performed
operatic performances. Anyway,
and large, have never considered
well. They are there to be
wind ensembles have to play better
BALANCE for that kind of
entertained with a capital
music, they have got to regard
instrumentation. To me, the wind
“E.” They are not there to be
their audience, and they have got
ensemble instrumentation, if I put
educated or to have something
to program with the audience and
it into simple terms, is no more
forced upon them because the
players in mind!
than a regimental band; almost
conductor says “this is good for
the same instrumentation as a
you; this is really good music
QUESTION: Do you have anything
regimental band that is capable of
because I say so.” I don’t think
else you would like to add?
good technical quality and a high
we should treat a musical audience that way!!
level of musical accuracy. The BEGIAN: I was very curious about the wind ensemble when
What is showing up, is the kind
the idea was first introduced by
of concerts we’re hearing more
Frederick Fennell. Like most
and more of – (that) concerts (are)
band conductors, I was curious
returning back to an earlier time
about any “new” trends in the
in this century when bands had
band medium. Now here was a
standing room only audiences
new trend which I had to try. The
when you have a replication of
longer I tried working with a wind
a Sousa-type band concert. That
ensemble, the less I liked it. For
should tell the wind ensemble
these reasons: First, that kind of
conductors something. The
instrumentation cannot produce
message just doesn’t (seem to) get
the sonority and quality of tone
through. If band conductor should
that one can get from larger group
read the Philip Hart book on the
such as a concert/symphonic band.
SPRING 2025
one thing that is absent from most wind ensembles that I’ve heard (except the Netherlands’) is the seeming lack of expression. This may be attributed to the music played since very little of it seems to make expressive demands on players. The main interest seems to be how high, how low, how fast, how technically rapid and facile, but I haven’t heard very much played that calls for expressivity. If we can’t teach players and music students something about the expressive qualities of music, we’ve 27
INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ..., Richard Lawrence Johnson, cont. taught them nothing! We’ve taught
ensemble now won’t last. They
been interesting, ( YOU know what
them technique, we’ve taught
will get a flurry of performances
I think of that word, “interesting”)
them facility, how to read, but
for one year, and they will be gone.
I haven’t heard anything that would
we haven’t taught them anything
The Schwantner piece you’ll hear,
be in the league with the “Grand
about the most important thing
because the Schwantner is a fine
Partita” (Serenade in B-Flat, K
that the music has,…the thing that
work. It’s a sincere piece. Too
370a), which is probably the first
makes music unique, its ability to
much of the music that’s written
“wind ensemble” piece,..(pause).
express through musical sound.
for wind ensemble is a contrived
So, I regard the “Grand Partita” by
It’s that unique ability to convey
music which expresses little or
Mozart as the first band piece. I
expressivity through musical
no musical beauty or listening
don’t object to the word “band,” as
sound.
pleasure. Also!! If it’s got any kind
you know; there is nothing wrong
a melody that suggests the early
with it. The English still use it
twentieth century, wind ensemble
to describe an orchestra as “the
thirty-five or forty years of hearing
conductors shy away from it. I
band.” Whatever you call it, it’s still
and conducting wind ensembles.
speak with a passion about all
a group of wind instruments plus
The only wind ensemble that
this, because for a long time I
percussion.
has afforded me real listening
thought I must be ‘out of it,’ since
pleasure is the Netherlands Wind
I didn’t buy the wind ensemble
In comparing the
ensemble. I listen often to their
notion after testing it at Michigan
instrumentation, you don’t ask
recordings. I wouldn’t walk across
State University. I thought I must
enough about that! (referring to the
the street to hear a program of
be terribly wrong, since most
dissertation questionnaire) These
“just contemporary music” or “just
conductors were hopping on the
band conductors who are so fond of
wind ensemble music” played
“wind ensemble wagon.” I’m not
the wind ensemble, would also be
by the finest wind ensemble that
the only right guy and all these
fond of just the chamber orchestra
you could name. But I would,
guys – who are good musicians –
of the time of Haydn of roughly
any chance I got, to go and hear
they can’t all be wrong? But as time
thirty-five players! You’ve studied
the Netherland Wind Ensemble,
went by, I came out of that and felt
music history now! The symphony
because they play with musical
that I wasn’t just rationalizing. It
orchestra developed over three
sensitivity and they play music
was in what I heard (musically).
hundred and fifty years and its
of master composers. They don’t
After all, music is sound. If the
literature along with it. Up to the
have the attitude that because
sounds you hear are not good
time of Mahler, the orchestra grew
the piece written by a certain
sounds, why do we have to hear
larger and larger, incorporating
professor at a certain university
the ugly or displeasing sounds
more players, more instruments
deserves to be played, performed,
that can be produced on a musical
and developing more diverse
or presented to an audience. Most
instrument? Why do we have
sounds through such growth. In
composers of the past – (so called
to hear ugly sounds? Why the
looking at the instrumentation
“great” composers) – wrote some
dwelling on just what is highest,
of the symphonic band, which is
things that we never hear anymore
what is lowest on instruments, or
modeled after the instrumentation
because they (the music) have not
that which is fastest, and with just
of the twentieth-century symphony
stood the test of time. Many of the
a chance that maybe something
orchestra, one can see similarities
pieces that we are hearing for wind
musical will come out of it? It’s
I’m not convinced after some
28
Continued on next page
NBA JOURNAL
INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ..., Richard Lawrence Johnson, cont. in balanced instrumentation. Now
The various divertimenti,
whether the composer exploited
cassations and serenades of Mozart
all of those capabilities of the
hint at the development of the
these days ( good music stations)
symphonic band, that’s another
wind instruments and the players
of recorded performances of
story. The ones who are closest
of his time shows that he took
classical music, one can’t help
to it in our time is Percy Granger
them seriously. At the same time,
but notice that there are so many
and Alfred Reed. I think Alfred
I think the “Grand Partita” is a
transcriptions played. Band
Reed is probably the best “band”
landmark!! It’s Fred Fennell, that
conductors, and especially
composer operating now. Alfred
in a conversation at Illinois, when I
wind ensemble directors have
Reed has a craft. Alfred Reed has a
was just in my first or second year
not arrived at the conclusion
background and is knowledgeable
there,….second year, when we had
that all transcriptions are not
enough in styles and types of
the Wind Ensemble Conference at
bad; that there are many good
music. He is studied, he is very
Illinois. We were sitting together
transcriptions. Transcriptions
capable, and he has a command
at a lecture, being given by one of
should be evaluated critically
of his craft and can write in many
the wind ensemble conductors.
and can be good and worthy of
different genres. He doesn’t have
The lecturer had just finished
performance if they are suitable
to “soup” his music up to have it
denouncing all transcriptions as
works for performance by a wind
played. I know,…(pause), your
bad, declaring that they should
band; are faithful to the composer’s
generation of band conductors
not be played by wind ensembles.
original work and transcribed
say it has too much of the same
Frederick Fennell turned to me and
artistically by a highly competent
stuff, so it’s not good. It’s got too
said, “ God, Harry, I don’t know
arranger who knows his craft!! A
much melody in it. What the hell
what these guys are doing! I don’t
transcription for band can be most
is wrong with melody? That’s what
understand the direction that they
unsuitable if the original work is
I’d like to ask most of these guys
are taking the wind ensemble!” He
too pianistic or ‘violinistic’ to be
that shy away from any piece of
said, “You know that I’ve always
adaptable for winds. For instance,
music that employs a recognizable
played transcriptions – this (the
the Pat Gilmore arrangement,
melody in it. Audiences will never
lecture) wasn’t what I had in
in the old Carl Fischer library
turn out for concerts to which
mind when I created the Eastman
of “Moonlight Sonata” (the slow
they cannot relate! They will turn
Wind Ensemble.” He finally said,
movement) for band. Another Carl
out for a replication of the Sousa
“I created the Eastman Wind
Fischer publication that I consider
Band concert. They’ll jam the
Ensemble for two reasons: to get
to be very bad is the octavo-sized
hall!! If band conductors who
bands accepted at the Eastman
“Liebestod” of Richard Wagner. I
favor the wind ensemble would
School of Music, and acceptance in
shall not mention the arranger for
take a hint from that, and take a
the music world.” He felt he could
he was considered one of the better
hint from the Hart book on the
achieve both goals by reducing
American arrangers for band.
“new generation of conductors,”
the size of the instrumentation of
To my mind, the opening of the
they’d get audiences!! (Hart, Philip.
his band - by using only the finest
transcription employs low clarinets
Conductors: A New Generation
players and by performing all the
playing ‘tremolo-staccato,’ - as the
Encore Editions. New York (1983)
music in a highest professional
strings are scored in the orchestra.
ISBN-13: (978-0684163895)
manner. The direction in which
It is an ugly effect when transferred
the other conductors carried that SPRING 2025
idea is entirely a different matter. In listening to public radio
Continued on next page
29
INTERVIEW A Conversation with Dr. Harry Begian ..., Richard Lawrence Johnson, cont. to alto and bass clarinets.
be played by the harp if Leonard
conductor!!
Transcription isn’t a dirty
Bernstein didn’t say it was all right
Just as the basic sound of
word on P.B.S. It shouldn’t be a
to have his music transcribed for
the symphony orchestra is the
dirty word for band directors. It
harp. Do band directors think
violin (string) sound, the basic
never was a dirty word for me. It
they know better than Bernstein
sound of a wind band, for me, is
was never a dirty word for the great
when they put down such a
the clarinet (woodwind) sound.
Harding (Albert Austin Harding)!!
transcription? A transcription
The one-on-a-part concept of the
I don’t see anything wrong with
that preserves the form of the
wind ensemble can’t possibly
a transcription if the piece is
piece; that preserves the melodic
reproduce the warm and sonority
adaptable to band performance,
procedures in a piece; that
of multiple clarinets. The other
and scored by someone who knows
preserves its harmonic procedures
thing that wind ensembles find
what he is doing. For instance, the
plus the balances makes it viable.
extremely hard to do is create a
“Four Scottish Dances” by Malcolm
Balance! That’s the key word that
suitable balance and blend in the
Arnold that John Paynter did. It’s
wind ensemble directors have not
smaller instrumentation that they
beautifully scored!! That’s artistic
come to grip with yet! Go listening
use. This again may be in the ears
scoring. I do, however, object to
to the Eastman Wind Ensemble
of their conductors, but most wind
transcriptions that are less than
recordings again. Everything that
ensembles sound out of balance
artistic, where some hack did
the first trumpet player plays (who
to me – far different than the
the kind of thing I just described
is a fine player);…..everything
Netherlands Wind Ensemble.
earlier. I think that wind ensemble
he plays you hear. He’s right out
conductors must come to the
front with it! They were excellent
realization that there are two types
players, but I don’t agree with that
of transcriptions – good ones and
kind of a balance. I never did; I
bad ones. How can band directors
never will.
reject all transcriptions as bad after hearing great instrumentalists and
30
The larger band (symphony/
symphony orchestras perform
concert) has in its makeup all
transcriptions beautifully? When
the capabilities to perform the
you hear the works of Bach being
music and to sound lean and clean
played, and being played well by
texturally as a thirty-five piece
guitarists, who are great, very
wind ensemble. In addition, it has
technically proficient,….when
the varied instrumentation and
you hear things like that. When
basic clarinet sectional sound to
you hear the music of Leonard
sound much richer in sonority and
Bernstein being played on a
texture than the wind ensemble
harp, and it comes off very well.
– NOT thicker, as some wind
I again repeat – music is sound!
ensemble conductors would have
Everything is there except it is
us believe. The transparency of the
not being played by the original
wind ensemble can be produced
medium for which it was written.
in the concert/symphony band
You know very well that it wouldn’t
as well. It’s all in the ear of the NBA JOURNAL
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SUBMITTING PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH
HOW TO SUBMIT PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH ARTICLES TO THE NBA JOURNAL
T
BY MATTHEW TALBERT
he difference between a peer-
articles are of extraordinary
reviewed research
value, as they often present a
article and the
number of ideas that have been
articles traditionally
effective for the author and may
published in the NBA Journal is
also be effective for the reader.
best described as a difference in
A research article is most often
the vetting process and source
written as a continuation of ideas
material. To have an article
presented in previous articles,
appear as “peer-reviewed” in the
with the motivation drawn
NBA Journal means recognized
from combining the findings
researchers and scholars in the
of those previous articles and
field of music/music education
the author’s own experiences,
will read, evaluate, and then
experiments, or observations. In
recommend whether or not an
building the article in this way,
article should be published,
the validity of the information is
revised or rejected. This process
heightened beyond the traditional
is widely recognized as an
article. These articles are also of
indicator of quality scholarship
extraordinary value as they may
in a particular discipline or field.
also impact the way the reader
Other names for these types
approaches the subject material in
of articles are “scholarly” or
a potentially more generalizable
“refereed.”
way. When incorporating the
A traditional NBA Journal article is most often written from the perspective of the author’s unique experiences in life, music, and/or the profession. These
peer-review process, the an author’s article now has a final layer of review (for accuracy) utilizing other experts within the same subject matter.
Matthew Talbert, Associate Professor of Music Education and Director of the School of Music, joined Ohio University in the fall of 2016. Talbert earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of South Carolina (2012), a Master of Music in Music Education from Appalachian State University (2005), and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Appalachian State University (2004).
TRADITIONAL RESEARCH LAYOUT AND VALUE OF THE RESEARCH ARTICLE Dr. Russell Gavin, former chair of NBA’s Research (and Editorial) committees, shares his thoughts on the layout and value of these types of articles: A number of peer-reviewed research articles may read like other articles found in the NBA Journal, with the author outlining their thoughts on a subject while using citations to support the premise of the issue being discussed. Other research Continued on next page
SPRING 2025
32
SUBMITTING PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH How to Submit Peer-Reviewed Research to the NBA Journal, Matthew Talbert, cont. articles will take on a bit more of a scientific approach. These articles begin with a review of literature summarizing the research on the topic that already exists, while simultaneously presenting the reader with the rationale driving the current article. A method section follows, describing what actually happened in the research, then a results and analysis section(s) describing what the researcher found, if anything. The article closes with a discussion of the findings and how they may relate to the world. The article concludes with a list of references from which the author drew information and ideas. If you are inexperienced at reading research articles, you may want to read the discussion section first. This part of the article will explain how the information found in the rest of the article may impact you and others in the article subject community. Oftentimes this is the place where practical ideas will be most clearly expressed; however, taking in the entire article will always give a much clearer view of what the author was attempting to express. As mentioned above, an ideal research article is adding to the research that came before it. This continuation and growth of Continued on next page
33
NBA JOURNAL
SUBMITTING PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH How to Submit Peer-Reviewed Research to the NBA Journal, Matthew Talbert, cont. knowledge is one of the defining characteristics of this kind of inquiry. At the end of the article, the reader is left with information that is not only new to them, but simultaneously new to the world. This level of investigation is of paramount importance in all areas of music and education, and the NBA is proud to present this new avenue for such exploration and thought. GUIDELINES for Submission of Peer-Review Research Articles A. Submission Method: Manuscripts should be submitted as Microsoft Word attachments via email to the Editorial Committee Chair: silveyba@missouri.edu B. Length: The manuscript should not exceed 25 pages and should include an abstract of 100-150 words in length on a separate page. We encourage the submission of short form articles (4-10 pages) as well as full-length articles. C. Cover Page: To ensure anonymity in the review process, the manuscript should contain no clues as to the author’s institutional affiliation or identity. Author’s name(s), address, institution affiliations, and pertinent information should be listed on a separate cover page at the beginning of SPRING 2025
34
SUBMITTING PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH How to Submit Peer-Reviewed Research to the NBA Journal, Matthew Talbert, cont. the submission. The cover page
of Chicago Press Editorial Staff,
F. Ethical Requirements: It
should also include up to five
2018). Note: Authors may not
is the author’s responsibility
keywords/phrases that describe
combine and/or mix styles within
to ensure that no copyright
the contents of the manuscript.
a single manuscript
issues have been violated by the submission, including images,
D. Style Guide: Manuscripts
E. Tables and Figures: Tables
charts, etc. Manuscripts already
should conform to one of the
and figures may be included
published in other journals can
following style manuals:
with the manuscript, however,
be submitted for consideration
(1) Publication Manual of
these must be publishable
in the NBA Journal providing the
the American Psychological
in black and white. It is the
author has permission to do so.
Association (7 edition, 2019),
author’s responsibility to make
(2) The Chicago Manual of
sure any tables/figures are
Questions about submitting
Style(17 edition, 2017), or
checked for accuracy before
a peer- reviewed article? Email
submission. Additionally, if
Research Chair Brian Silvey at
(3) A Manual for Writers of
any copyrighted materials are
Term Papers, Theses, and
submitted, it is the author’s
silveyba@missouri.edu
Dissertations (K. L. Turabian,
responsibility to provide
9 edition, revised by Wayne C.
documentation allowing the
Booth, Gregory Colomb, Joseph
reproduction of these materials.
th
th
th
M. Williams, and the University
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