May 2013 | Southwestern Musician

MAY 2013

20013 2013 Summer Organ Institute June 9-15

Baylor Flute Seminar June 9-15

High School Band and Orchestra Camp Band Grades 9-12/Orchestra Grades 10-12 June 16-22

Middle School Band and Orchestra Camp Grades 7-9 June 23-29

Summer Piano Institute June 23-29

All-State Choral Music Camp July 9-13

30 FEATURES

MAY 2013 VOLUME 81 — ISSUE 9 On the cover: Barrett Wooldridge and David Zwern perform with the Valley Ridge Elementary Fifth Grade (Lewisville ISD) at the 2013 TMEA Clinic/Convention. Photo by Paul Denman.

COLUMNS

9

Promoting Collaboration & Creativity with Technology Without compromising the core of your music programs, music technology can be a way to reach those students not involved in traditional music ensembles.

BY RUSS CALLAHAN

30

Teachers in the Spotlight

39

The New Normal

Learn how this district TFME chapter has increased funds for private lesson scholarships, inspired students, and promoted faculty unity through their annual faculty recital.

Music educators across Texas are experiencing the effects of growing levels of poverty in their communities and must consider KRZ WKLV VKRXOG LQÁXHQFH WKHLU DSSURDFK WR WHDFKLQJ

BY ANN BURBRIDGE AND DEBRA FLOURNOY-BUFORD

52

Music in Space Over a live webcast, as part of NASA’s Digital Learning Network, students from Texas and Canada recently shared music and more with astronauts living on the International Space Station.

President’s Notes .............................................. 4

by Joe Weir

UPDATES

Executive Director’s Notes..................15

by Robert Floyd

Attend Your Spring Region Meeting..............................................................2 Membership Renewal: Important Notice .................................................. 18

Band Notes .............................................................21

by Ronnie Rios

Congratulations Four-Year All-State Musicians ........................................ 18 Attend the CEDFA Fine Arts Summit XIV ................................................... 25

Orchestra Notes ...............................................26

by Craig Needham Vocal Notes ............................................................36

by Dinah Menger Elementary Notes ...........................................46

by Colleen Riddle College Notes ......................................................57

by Keith Dye

Be a TMEA Clinician!

Many successful clinics are offered by TMEA members like you. Submit a proposal now to share your expertise February 12–15 at the 2014 TMEA Clinic/Convention.

www.tmea.org/clinicproposals Deadline: June 1 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

1

Editor-in-Chief: Robert Floyd

UĂ R\G@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 101 Fax: 512-451-9213

Attend Your Spring Region Meeting

Managing Editor: Karen Kneten Cross

kkneten@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 107 Fax: 512-451-9213

TMEA Executive Board President: Joe Weir joseph.weir@humble.k12.tx.us 19627 Firesign Drive, Humble, 77346 281-641-7606 – Atascocita HS

President-Elect: Janwin Overstreet-Goode MRYHUVWUHHW JRRGH#ÀVGN QHW 1406 Frontier Lane, Friendswood, 77546 281-482-3413 x 150/Fax: 281-996-2523 – Friendswood HS

Past-President: John Gillian john.gillian@ectorcountyisd.org 3624 Loma Drive, Odessa, 79762 432-413-2266 – Ector County ISD

Band Vice-President: Ronnie Rios ronnierios@yahoo.com 3DORPD %ODQFD &RXUW +DUOLQJHQ 956-427-3600 x 1080 – Harlingen HS

Orchestra Vice-President: Craig Needham Craig.Needham@richardson.k12.tx.us 1600 E Spring Valley Rd, Richardson, 75081-5351 ² %HUNQHU +6

Vocal Vice-President: Dinah Menger dmenger@aisd.net 1305 Westcrest, Arlington, 76013 817-459-2128 – Arlington HS

Elementary Vice-President: Colleen Riddle VDOO\KREL]DO#NDW\LVG RUJ 319 E. North Hill Dr., Spring, 77373 281-985-6107 – M.O. Campbell Ed Center

College Vice-President: Keith Dye keith.dye@ttu.edu 6607 Norwood Avenue, Lubbock, 79413 806-742-2270 x 231 – Texas Tech University

TMEA Staff Executive Director: Robert Floyd | UĂ R\G@tmea.org Deputy Director: Frank Coachman | fcoachman@tmea.org Administrative Director: Kay Vanlandingham | kvanlandingham@tmea.org Advertising/Exhibits Manager: Tesa Harding | tesa@tmea.org Membership Manager: Susan Daugherty | susand@tmea.org Membership Assistant: Rita Ellinger | rellinger@tmea.org Communications Manager: Karen Kneten Cross | kkneten@tmea.org Financial Manager: Laura Kocian | lkocian@tmea.org Information Technologist: Andrew Denman | adenman@tmea.org

70($ 2IÀFH Mailing Address: 3 2 %R[ $XVWLQ Physical Address: 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, 78754 Phone: 512-452-0710 | Toll-Free: 888-318-TMEA | Fax: 512-451-9213 Website: www.tmea.org 2IÀFH +RXUV Monday–Friday, 8:30 A.M.–4:30 P.M.

Get involved and stay informed by attending your Region meetings.

Region Date

Time

Location

1

May 18

10 a.m.

Amarillo HS Cafeteria

2

May 18

10 a.m.

Decatur HS

9:30 a.m. food

3

May 18

10 a.m.

Sachse HS

4

May 10

5 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant HS

5

April 23

5:30 p.m.

Juan Seguin HS

6

April 27

10 a.m.

Wagner-Noel PAC, Midland

7

April 27

1 p.m.

Stephenville HS

8

May 4

10 a.m.

Midway HS

9:30 a.m. food

9

April 27

9 a.m.

Dekaney HS

10

May 6

6:30 p.m.

Lamar Univ.

11

May 18

12 p.m.

John Marshall HS

12

May 5

2:30 p.m.

Alamo Heights HS

13

May 5

2 p.m.

George Ranch HS, LCISD

14

May 11

10 a.m.

Del Mar College

15

April 28

2 p.m.

Edinburg HS PAC

16

May 6

5 p.m.

Post HS

4 p.m. Str. Cmt.

17

May 7

6:30 p.m.

Clear Brook HS

18

April 27

10 a.m.

Anderson HS PAC

19

May 4

10 a.m.

San Jacinto College North

20

May 11

9 a.m.

Greiner MS, Dallas

9:30 a.m. food

21

May 11

10 a.m.

Lindale HS

22

May 18

12 p.m.

UTEP

23

May 11

9 a.m.

Elsik HS

24

May 18

10 a.m.

Newman Smith HS

25

May 10

10 a.m.

Plano East HS

11:00 a.m. UIL mtg 8:30 a.m., food

26

April 23

6 p.m.

Stony Point HS

27

May 18

9 a.m.

Northbrook HS

28

May 18

10 a.m.

Harlingen HS

8:30 a.m. food

Southwestern Musician (ISSN 0162-380X) (USPS 508-340) is published monthly except March, June, and July by Texas Music Educators Association, 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, TX 78754.

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Southwestern Musician | May 2013

PRESIDENT’S NOTES IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals for the 2014 TMEA convention.

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

May 1—Texas Music Scholar application materials postmark deadline.

June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

July 21–24—TBA/TCDA/TODA Conventions in San Antonio.

February 12–15, 2014—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

4

Southwestern Musician | May 2013

The face of our future % < - 2 ( : ( , 5

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t’s May, and that means there are only three more weeks until the school-wide calendar meeting for 2013–2014!

I realize that the planning aspect of our jobs never ends; however, as we begin to wind down the 2013 school year, it’s always beneficial to find some time to reflect. Selfevaluation can be a very healthy process as we conclude the current year and begin planning for 2014. Give yourself a score on advocacy and teamwork. As you think back on this year, consider the following: 1) Teaching Style: Are you meeting the needs of all students or just cranking out performances? Are you moving beyond the music and nurturing qualities that cannot be learned from a technological device?

Within the past decade, our role as educators has expanded immensely; going far beyond teaching music. Our current students have grown up in the world of reality TV, Facebook, and texting. They have witnessed a world where it is acceptable to dehumanize others on national television, a world where a surfacelevel list of “friends” over the Internet determines their worth, a world where texting has replaced face-to-face conversation or talking on the phone, a world where saying please and thank you are not the norm, and a world where hard work is often frowned upon and instant gratification is expected. As a result, we find ourselves working with students who are often self-absorbed, lacking in conversational skills, with no sense of appropriateness and, therefore, who

Whether or not they become music teachers, each class that we graduate will make future decisions on participating in or supporting music programs based on their experiences in our programs.

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struggle with the concepts of respect and teamwork. In this day and age, it is imperative that we move beyond the music to foster the socialization skills not developed through their technological devices.

Without even trying, many of you have become parent figures in the lives of your students simply by having defined expectations and setting a daily example in the classroom. Considering the history of this generation, we must continually incorporate and promote qualities of discipline, respect, teamwork, citizenship, and empathy within our rehearsals. Whether or not they become music teachers, each class that we graduate will make future decisions on participating in or supporting music programs based on their experiences in our programs.

2) Creative Programming and Collaboration: Did you try something new this year? Did you program a collaborative community event with your band, choir, or orchestra?

For many of us, it is time to get out of the box. As music educators we tend to live in a scheduling rut. As the end of May approaches, we pull out last year’s calen-

dar, find the corresponding dates, insert 2013 or 2014 and start all over in August.

Be creative with your programming.

Because of the frustrations involved with the 2013 spring testing schedule, I moved my traditional May show to an earlier date on the calendar. As a result, I was able to schedule an additional themed concert, and offering that introduced an entire genre of music to my students and parents that I would normally not have time to cover. On top of that, it was enjoyable simply because it was something different. This one change in scheduling also afforded my chamber choir the time to prepare a collaborative concert of the Haydn Little Organ Mass with our incredible chamber orchestra. The collaboration with our orchestra resulted in a performance at the state capitol during the legislative session and a home concert at a local church. The capitol performance turned out to be the perfect opportunity to discuss our civic duty and brush up on our Texas history, and the home off-campus concert promoted further community awareness of what goes on in the fine arts hallway at the high school.

In many areas of the state, you and your music program may be the sole source of some students’ cultural and social enrichment. Depending on the size of the school district and proximity to a large city, your fine arts department may even be the sole source of cultural enrichment for the entire community. Plan a year’s worth of literature and programs that not only will entertain but also will educate students, parents, and administrators. Crosscurricular and cross-cultural programs (e.g., Veterans Day, Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo) offer unique opportunities to educate and involve the entire campus and community. Creative and collaborative programs that promote community awareness also support the important role that music plays in educating the whole child. Treat the advocacy part of your job like sightreading—something you must do on a daily basis.

3) Relationships: Have you enjoyed getting to know your students? Have you encouraged your future music majors by involving them in the business of running your program?

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Southwestern Musician | May 2013

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was the best advice that I acquired from Woody Christman when I student taught.

Developing healthy relationships with your students is a key factor in grooming a successful program and a healthy rehearsal environment. Celebrate their successes in other organizations they participate in on campus. Know that your students have lives outside the music classroom!

Promote and encourage attendance at the upcoming programs of all fine arts disciplines—every music group at all levels, theater, art, and dance departments.

Announce and post senior celebrations such as college acceptance and scholarship notifications. One of my middle school feeder directors starts every rehearsal with what he calls “Good Things.” This is a timed part of his warm up when students can announce to the class good things that have happened in their lives.

Although we maintain an ensemble focus, remember to support those in your group who are potential or professed future music educators. Involve them in the business of running your program in the form of section leaders, officers, and accompanists. Consider forming a Texas

Future Music Educators (TFME) chapter on your campus. Some school districts form districtwide chapters that rotate meetings from campus to campus (such as the Round Rock ISD chapter featured in an article on page 30).

TFME chapters are supported by TMEA and provide your serious students with more opportunities to explore the possibility of becoming a teacher.

Meetings can easily be focused around speakers on music careers, working with elementary teachers within the district, helping host music events at the high school or the middle schools, researching music schools online, college campus visits, and attending the TMEA convention in February. Chapter activities and attending a TMEA convention will also encourage students who might not be AllState musicians but who will make amazing music educators to continue with music as a career choice. There are currently 37 chapters statewide. Let’s try to increase the number in the coming year!

More information on starting your own chapter can be found on the TMEA website at www.tmea.org/tfme.

All of this is simply food for thought as you close up shop and begin planning for next year. The mission of TMEA is to provide quality music experiences to the students of Texas. Our current students are, after all, the face of our future and we, their educators, must serve as one huge vertical team from elementary to college focused on providing a quality music education to each one of them. Thank you for being a part of that mission!

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Promoting Collaboration & Creativity with Technology

by Russ Callahan

F

or the past three years, Morgan has played flute in our band. We know she comes from a very musical family and we also know a lot about her school music experiences. Carson is not in band, choir, or orchestra, so what we know about his musical experiences in school is very limited.

We do know he has an affinity for music since he is often found wearing headphones and music-related apparel.

Take a moment to consider what we know about Morgan’s and Carson’s musical lives outside of school. If we knew what was on Morgan’s playlists, could we reach her on another level? What if we knew what was on Carson’s? Could we reach him and teach him? Could we enhance the quality of these students’ musical experiences and learning?

Music Technology Groups To answer these and other similar questions, music teachers have been exploring the addition of music technology classes to secondary school curricula. In these courses, students engage in music-making, production, and performance by using technology. Profiles of high schools and middle schools implementing these types of courses can be found at musiccreativity.org.

As an ensemble director, I can understand the fear of losing current or future students when additional music electives become available. This is why I believe it is crucial for the music education profession to grow into music technology curricula by establishing these groups as a partnership with traditional ensembles. Reaching the other 80% of students who do not choose band, orchestra, or choir and creating an environment where nontraditional music students can be part of school music has been the primary goal and purpose of music technology classes.

Additionally, there should be no factors that lead to dichotomizing the traditional Morgans and nontraditional Carsons as there may be a number of students who associate with both groups.

It is my goal not only to bring music technology courses into the secondary curriculum, but to do it in a way that modernizes our traditional programs, thereby enhancing the quality and relevance of all students’ musical learning experiences.

If established as a partnership with the traditional school music offerings, there is no reason why music technology should threaten the health and vitality of our traditional ensemble programs. In fact, a carefully crafted partnership between music technology groups and traditional ensembles may strengthen our traditional programs and carry us further into the 21st century in ways we envisioned decades ago (e.g., Visions 2020, Tanglewood I & II, Comprehensive Musicianship, Manhattanville Music Curriculum Project).

Create a Club or Crew As a precursor to full-fledged music technology courses, music teachers can establish student organizations (clubs) that meet outside the school day. In fact, creating an afterschool music technology group may be advantageous even when music technology courses are offered. The existence of a club can alleviate many scheduling conflicts and permit students of all musical backgrounds to collaborate. If classes and clubs are not an option for your current situation, consider creating a music technology crew within your ensemble (similar to your leadership group).

This may be the best option for teachers who do not feel comfortable with the technology. Offer this idea to your students, and you will be surprised how many of them are already capable of contributing.

Using Web-based applications with free account options, I have established a middle school music technology club that meets once a week in an open computer lab for 90 minutes. In addition to the nontraditional music students who had never considered a music class, a number of students in this club are also in band, orchestra, or choir.

Everything I know about Dubstep, I learned from twelve-year-olds who participate in music technology.

Southwestern Musician | May 2013

9

creative

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Summer Seminar Flute Pedagogy With Texas Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University faculty Dr. Pamela Youngblood and special guest

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June 24 -25, 2013 7KLV WZR GD\ VHPLQDU LQFOXGHV PDVWHUFODVVHV and pedagogy sessions with Peter Sheridan, an accomplished and remarkably versatile Ă XWLVW %DVHG LQ $XVWUDOLD 6KHULGDQ LV NQRZQ to audiences around the world for interactive workshops which explore the unique sounds, VLJKWV DQG SRVVLELOLWLHV RI PRGHUQ GD\ ORZ Ă XWHV This seminar concludes with Peter Sheridan LQ VROR UHFLWDO DQG ZLWK WKH VHPLQDU Ă XWH FKRLU in a gala concert Tuesday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ YLVLW ZZZ WZX HGX PXVLF RU FDOO

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It is possible that a few of the nontraditional students will join a traditional music program because when they focus on music through technology and collaboration, their interest in making music with others increases. This is exactly what renowned positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi referred to when he wrote: If you are interested in something, you will focus on it, and if you focus attention on anything, it is likely that you will become interested in it. Many of the things we find interesting are not so by nature, but because we took the trouble of paying attention to them.

Benefits of a Music Technology Partnership There are many direct and indirect benefits to offering music technology clubs and classes in your school.

Autonomy and Insight: In a traditional music class, the how, what, and why of musical interaction is often dictated by the music teacher. In a music technology program, these aspects of musical interaction are largely determined by the students while the teacher serves as a guide.

This gives teachers the opportunity to learn about the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; musical interest by watching how they interact with and experience music that is relevant to them. This is especially true when the teacher offers students autonomy within the appropriate boundaries of specific projects.

Exposure to New Music: We have the opportunity to broaden our studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; listenership by exposing them to music they may not investigate on their own. Even with sites like YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify, students can benefit from someone guiding them toward music with which they are less familiar. Conversely, we should allow them the opportunity to do the same for us. Everything I know about Dubstep, I learned from twelve-year-olds who participate in music technology.

Learning Resources: With an established club that meets outside the school day, you can think of this as an open lab for all music students. Enthusiastic music technology students are usually very happy to help the neophytes find their way through new music applications. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a good idea to have the music technology groups attempt new technology-based Southwestern Musician | May 2013 11

composition projects before you consider having your traditional ensemble students do them. Consider allowing the music technology students to create screencast tutorials for the band, orchestra, and choir students.

Recording Performances: Music technology students can participate alongside band, choir, and orchestra students by serving as concert and recital recording engineers. There are many applications and devices available on the market that enable you to create high-quality recordings. For more information about specific equipment and recording techniques, I recommend reading Barbara Freedman’s article in the November 2012 issue of SOUTHWESTERN MUSICIAN. Projects The following are brief descriptions of some projects I use to provide students a learning structure that allows for autonomy, creativity, and collaboration.

Inspiring Creativity: Students write a leitmotif (theme song) for someone they admire. Students can be expected to describe the characteristics of the person they have chosen, and then they can

Do you have students interested in music business?

Since 1990, the Texas Music Office in the Governor’s Office has provided Texans of all ages with accurate, unbiased information about our state’s music industry.

The TMO’s website, EnjoyTexasMusic.com, lists more than 18,000 Texas music business contacts, as well as many helpful teaching aids and a complete descirption of the 145 Texas colleges offering music and music business degrees.

The TMO: Your resource for teaching the business behind the notes.

Texas Music Office, Office of the Governor P.O. Box 13246, Austin, TX 78711 (512) 463-6666 music@governor.state.tx.us EnjoyTexasMusic.com 12 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

represent these characteristics in a brief composition. This is a great way to get students to experience this concept, and a lot of students enjoy doing this for one of their favorite coaches or teachers.

Music technology students can become involved in traditional ensembles by rearranging a small melodic segment in a piece of music the band, orchestra, or choir is performing. This exposes the technology students to different styles of music, and gives the ensemble students a different way to be creative and expressive with their music.

These composition projects can be simplified for students by presenting them like Mad Libs, where certain measures of the song are written, and their job is to fill in the blanks, create augmentation and diminution, or simply add to it some way.

The Mad Lib approach serves as a learning scaffolding that can be reduced when students become more advanced with the technology and structures in music.

All of this can be accomplished without music notation by using MIDI files in Soundation or with music notation using Noteflight. (Websites used: noteflight.com, soundation.com) Sharing Student Work: With student art projects posted around the school, why not post students’ musical projects? Whether it’s a video of the student performing their solo, or a link to their compositions, create posters with scannable QR codes that link to that work. Music technology students

also enjoy hearing their music played for their peers during the lunch period. This promotes the group and often results in increased membership at the following meeting. (Websites used: soundation.com, noteflight.com, audiotool.com, soundcloud.com, and qrcode.kaywa.com) Music Tech-A-Thon: In the past few years, there have been a number of “hackathons” or “hack days” held around the world. These typically consist of some kind of 24-hour (or more) contest of innovation surrounding a single goal or theme. Since 2009, Music Hack Days have become an incredible impetus for music software development. Inspired by these music hackathons, the music tech-athon can be a semester-long composition/ arranging contest that allows students to pull all of the other projects together.

Creativity and collaboration is encouraged, and students who want to get their music recognized learn to work with a deadline.

Music technology has certainly arrived, and our students have taken notice. With music technology, we can capitalize on the opportunity to personalize and modernize our students’ music education while enhancing the quality of experience in school music participation.

Russ Callahan is Assistant Band Director at Crownover MS in Denton ISD. Callahan presented a clinic on this topic at the 2013 TMEA Clinic/Convention.

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^ƚƵĚĞŶƚ Θ zŽƵƚŚ dƌĂǀĞů ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ;^zd Ϳ ŝƐ Ă ŶŽŶͲƉƌŽĮƚ͕ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƉƌŽŵŽƟŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƟŶŐ ŝŶƚĞŐƌŝƚLJ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůŝƐŵ ĂŵŽŶŐ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵƚŚ ƚƌĂǀĞů ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌƐ͘ KƵƌ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƉƌŽŵŽƚĞ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ ƉĂĐŬĂŐĞĚ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵƚŚ ƚƌĂǀĞů ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĞŶŚĂŶĐĞ ƐŽĐŝĂů͕ ĐƵůƚƵƌĂů ĂŶĚ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů ŐƌŽǁƚŚ͘

Travel for young people is an exciting, memorable and enlightening experience.

Main Purposes & Goals ϭ͘ ƌĞĂƚĞ Ă ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ŽĨ ĂŶĚ ĚĞƐŝƌĞ ĨŽƌ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵƚŚ ƚƌĂǀĞů͘ Ϯ͘ &ŽƐƚĞƌ ĂŶ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ůĞǀĞů ŽĨ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ŝŶƚĞŐƌŝƚLJ ĂŶĚ ĐƌĞĚŝďŝůŝƚLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵƚŚ ƚƌĂǀĞů ŵĂƌŬĞƚƉůĂĐĞ͘ ϯ͘ WƌŽŵŽƚĞ Ă ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ĐŽĚĞ ŽĨ ĞƚŚŝĐƐ ĨŽƌ ĐŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵƚŚ ƚƌĂǀĞů ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ͘

dŚĞ ĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵ ĐƵƌƌŝĐƵůƵŵ ĐŽŵĞƐ ƚŽ ůŝĨĞ͕ ŝŶƐƉŝƌŝŶŐ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ƚŽ ůĞĂƌŶ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ĮƌƐƚͲŚĂŶĚ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌĂĐƟǀĞ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞƐ͘ ,ŝƐƚŽƌLJ ĐŽŵĞƐ ĂůŝǀĞ ǁŚĞŶ ǀŝƐŝƟŶŐ ĂŶ ŚŝƐƚŽƌŝĐ ƐŝƚĞ͘ >ĂŶŐƵĂŐĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞ ďLJ ďĞĐŽŵŝŶŐ ŝŵŵĞƌƐĞĚ ŝŶ Ă ĨŽƌĞŝŐŶ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ͘ ƌƚ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ĂďƐŽƌďĞĚ ŝŶ Ă ŵƵĐŚ ŵŽƌĞ ŵĞĂŶŝŶŐĨƵů ǁĂLJ ǁŚĞŶ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ĐůŽƐĞ ƵƉ͘ ŶĚ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵŶŐ ŵƵƐŝĐŝĂŶƐ͕ ŶŽƚŚŝŶŐ ĐŽŵƉĂƌĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ƉĞĞƌƐ ŝŶ ĂŶ ĞdžĐŝƟŶŐ ŶĞǁ ǀĞŶƵĞ͘ dƌĂǀĞů ĐĂŶ ĐŚĂŶŐĞ Ă LJŽƵŶŐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů Žƌ ĞdžƚƌĂĐƵƌƌŝĐƵůĂƌ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ͘

Travel teaches understanding of other people and cultures in the global community.

DĞĞƟŶŐ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂŶĚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐŝŶŐ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƉůĂĐĞƐ ĐĂŶ ƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚůLJ ĞŶŚĂŶĐĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ͛ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ ƚŚĞLJ ůŝǀĞ ŝŶ͘

SYTA’s Code Of Ethics HONESTY AND INTEGRITY: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŝŶ Ă ŵĂŶŶĞƌ ƌĞŇĞĐƟŶŐ ŚŽŶĞƐƚLJ͕ ŚŽŶŽƌ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞŐƌŝƚLJ͘ TRUTH IN ADVERTISING: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ďĞ ĂĐĐƵƌĂƚĞ ĂŶĚ ƚƌƵƚŚĨƵů ŝŶ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƟŶŐ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ŝŶ Ăůů ŽīĞƌŝŶŐƐ͕ ĂĚǀĞƌƟƐĞŵĞŶƚƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽŵŽƟŽŶƐ͘ DISCLOSURE: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ĚŝƐĐůŽƐĞ ŝŶ ǁƌŝƟŶŐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚĞĚ ƉĂƌƚLJ Ăůů ƚĞƌŵƐ͕ ĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶƐ͕ ŝŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉŽůŝĐŝĞƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĂŐƌĞĞĚͲƚŽ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͘

Young people are more likely to retain information when absorbed during an interactive travel experience. tŚĞƚŚĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƚƌŝƉ ŝƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ĚĂLJ͕ Ă ǁĞĞŬ Žƌ Ă ƐĞŵĞƐƚĞƌ͕ Žƌ ƚĂŬĞƐ ƉůĂĐĞ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŽǁŶ ĐŝƚLJ͕ ƐƚĂƚĞ͕ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ Žƌ ĂďƌŽĂĚ͕ ŝƚ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĂŶ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ƚŚĞLJ ǁŝůů ĂůǁĂLJƐ ƌĞŵĞŵďĞƌ͘ /ƚ ĐĂŶ ĐŚĂŶŐĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĂLJ LJŽƵŶŐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƚŚŝŶŬ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƐƚƵĚŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ĞdžƚƌĂĐƵƌƌŝĐƵůĂƌ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ͘

COMMITMENT TO SATISFACTION: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ƐƚƌŝǀĞ ƚŽ ƌĞƐŽůǀĞ Ăůů ĚŝƐƉƵƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶĐĞƌŶƐ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ŝƚƐ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ĂŶĚ ŝƚƐ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ͘ PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT: ^dz ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ Ă ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ŵĂŶŶĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ŐĞŶĞƌĂů ƉƵďůŝĐ ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶŝŶŐ ĞƚŚŝĐĂů ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞƐ͘ DIVERSITY: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝnjĞ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ĂŶĚ ǁŝůů ƐƚƌŝǀĞ ƚŽ ŝŶĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ͕ ƉƌŽŵŽƚĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ĞŵďƌĂĐĞ ĞĂĐŚ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ǀĂůƵĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ͕ ƌĞĐƌƵŝƚŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐĞŶƐŝƟǀŝƚLJ͘ COMPLIANCE WITH LAW: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŝŶ ĐŽŵƉůŝĂŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ Ăůů ĂƉƉůŝĐĂďůĞ ƐƚĂƚĞͬƉƌŽǀŝŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ ůĂǁƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŽŶƐ͘ PLEDGE OF LOYALTY: ^zd ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƐŚĂůů ƉůĞĚŐĞ ůŽLJĂůƚLJ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂŐƌĞĞ ƚŽ ƉƵƌƐƵĞ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ŝƚƐ ŽďũĞĐƟǀĞƐ͘

ϴϰϬϬ tĞƐƚƉĂƌŬ ƌŝǀĞ ͻ ϮŶĚ &ůŽŽƌ ͻ DĐ>ĞĂŶ͕ s ϮϮϭϬϮͲϱϭϭϲ WŚŽŶĞ͗ ϳϬϯͲϲϭϬͲϭϮϲϯ ͻ &Ădž͗ ϳϬϯͲϲϭϬͲϬϮϳϬ ͻ ǁǁǁ͘ƐLJƚĂ͘ŽƌŐ ͻ ǁǁǁ͘ƐLJƚĂLJŽƵƚŚĨŽƵŶĚĂƟŽŶ͘ŽƌŐ

UT ARLINGTON

Summer

Music

2013

Camps Band Camps Concert Band Camp For Grades 7-12

June 16 – 20

Marching Band Camp Drum Major, Colorguard, and Leadership

June 23 – 27

String and Choir Camps All-State Choir Camp July 28 – 31

Summer Strings July 14 – 19

Texas Cello Academy July 28 – August 2

For more information, visit

www.uta.edu/music/camps or call 817-272-3471

The times, they are a-changin’ % < 5 2 % ( 5 7 ) / 2 < '

E

ducational reform priorities this session have revolved around several topics—vouchers and school choice, a raised charter school cap, reduced reliance on standardized testing, CTE emphasis and workforce preparation, meaningful and understandable school accountability, and finally, student flexibility. More specifically, the epicenter of educational reform has been anchored in meeting individual student needs and recognizing that all students in this state do not fit into the one-size-fits-all box of the Recommended Graduation Program, often referred to as the 4×4. According to HB 5, the goal of a graduation program should be to allow students to develop their talents and pursue their interests, and I concur.

It has become abundantly clear that all students do not necessarily need four years of math and four years of science to prepare them for college or the workforce. In fact, the argument is being made at the capitol, based on university input, that success in Algebra II is no longer even considered a critical indicator predicting college success. Further, for students who choose a pathway (i.e., endorsement) that requires a fourth year of math and science, more courses will be defined that will meet that fourth-year requirement. The State Board of Education is being charged in law with identifying what those CTE, and other courses, might be.

Thus, with five different endorsement choices to meet students’ interests and needs, flexibility is the prevailing buzzword in our newly proposed education

When meeting a student’s individual needs is driving so many policy decisions at the state level, we should strive within our own programs WR UHÁHFW WKDW ÁH[LELOLW\

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTES IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals for the 2014 TMEA convention.

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

May 1—Texas Music Scholar application materials postmark deadline.

June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

July 21–24—TBA/TCDA/TODA Conventions in San Antonio.

February 12–15, 2014—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 15

program. Not only will students have the flexibility to select an endorsement of interest, within that endorsement will be even more options to meet that particular pathway’s requirements. The good news is that no matter the endorsement, hopefully our serious fine arts students will have more elective options and still remain on track to graduate on their selected pathway.

You may recall that this past year the State Board of Education considered a rule that would allow a student to combine two half-credits of two different fine arts courses to meet the one-credit fine arts graduation requirement. We successfully argued that allowing a student to bounce from one course to another by semester should be the exception and not the rule for all the obvious reasons you as a music educator understand. Also, as

16 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

mentioned in the legislative update last month, we were successful in amending HB 5 on the floor of the House to more clearly define how an afterschool program might meet the one-credit fine arts graduation requirement, requiring rigor and a standards-based curriculum for such courses. Clearly, we will continue to fight for high standards for our discipline at the state level.

I am not proposing that we should diffuse the emphasis on commitment, responsibility, and student engagement that our programs so effectively teach.

And certainly I am not proposing that we allow students to choose which of our rules and policies to follow, all in the name of choice and flexibility.

What I am proposing, however, is that at a time when meeting a student’s individual needs is driving so many policy

decisions at the state level, we should strive within our own programs to reflect that flexibility by working with students who have varied interests and other school-related commitments as well as family responsibilities. Specifically, strive to not place unreasonable time demands and weekend commitments on students in your program as this can create a volatile scenario that triggers potential conflict. And certainly digging in one’s heels with a my-way-or-the-highway approach usually ends with no opportunity for an amicable resolution.

Let me emphasize that I am not promoting a sellout of your program and the policies that have made it successful simply to appease parents and students.

Again, such action undercuts one of the primary benefits that students take from our classrooms. As a head 5A band director for 21 years, I get that. I am simply encouraging you to recognize that these are different times, and just as we support the prevailing philosophy at the capitol of providing greater student flexibility, that we also take a similar approach down to the local program level.

Our small school band and choir directors could write the book on this topic of sharing students without compromising the integrity of their programs and working within the total campus and family environment. Sharing ensemble members and working with student conflicts is a matter of program survival for them, and we all should approach it in that manner.

Unfortunately, there is evidence that in many 4A and 5A high school communities there is a growing attitude that if you plan to be in music in high school— especially band—there will be no time for you to experience a sampling of activities such as athletics or other academic subjects.

The extent, then, to which we embrace this flexibility mindset and are realistic in our commitment to extracurricular, competitive ventures could well determine our future relevance in the ever-changing educational landscape. Being insensitive in this regard could result in students and parents, and ultimately policymakers, turning to and supporting programs that provide more flexibility and opportunities for broad-based educational, community, and family experiences.

TMEA Membership: Renew by Mail/Fax Now or Online Starting July 1 ,Q DQ HIIRUW WR ORZHU FRVWV DQG LQFUHDVH HIÃ&#x20AC;FLHQF\ 70($ VWDII DUH PDNLQJ FKDQJHV WR RXU FXUUHQW PHPEHUVKLS PDQDJHPHQW V\VWHP :KLOH ZH DUH PDNLQJ WKLV WUDQVLWLRQ QR RQOLQH PHPEHUVKLS WUDQVDFWLRQ ZLOO EH DYDLODEOH H J MRLQLQJ UHQHZLQJ XSGDWLQJ SHUVRQDO LQIRUPDWLRQ :H ZLOO VHQG DQ HPDLO ZKHQ WKH WUDQVLWLRQ LV FRPSOHWH DQG PHPEHUVKLS LV EDFN RQOLQH ZKLFK ZH H[SHFW WR EH E\ -XO\

How Can I Renew My Membership Now?

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How Will This Change Affect Me?

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Congratulations Four-Year All-State Musicians The following musicians qualified for membership in Texas All-State ensembles four consecutive years. Our congratulations go to these incredible students, their families, and teachers for this most impressive accomplishment!

Lucas Alvarado, Tascosa HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tenor

Evany Jackson, Harlingen HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Alto

Joshua Barnhill, HSPVAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Trumpet

Andrew Jefferies, North Crowley HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tenor

Eric Bowser, Hill Country YOâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

Thomas Kang, Cypress Falls HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tenor

Carli Bynum, Pineywoods Academyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Soprano

Joshua King, Lorena HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Percussion

David Catalano, Clements HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bass

Keum Yong (Andrew) Lee, Plano SHâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;B-flat Clarinet

Zack Crosby, Prosper HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Alto Saxophone

Nathan Lo, Kinkaid Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Cello

Morgan Daniels, Sachse HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Alto

Jose Montalvo, Palmview HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tuba

Joseph Duque, Health Careers HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

Eugene Ng, McNeil HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Cello

Ruvinda Gunawardena, Clear Brook HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tenor

Alyssa Reeves, Whitewright HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;B-flat Clarinet

Samantha Guu, Creekview HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

Megan Sitzman, Greenwood HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bassoon

Paul Hainey, Plano SHâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bass

Allie Stewart, Washington HSPVAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

Ross Han, Kingwood HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

Megan Wei, LBJ HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Viola

Alyx Henderson, The Woodlands HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;F Horn

Megan Wright, Plano West SHâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Viola

William Henry, Clear Creek HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bass Trombone

Tiffany Wu, A&M Consolidated HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

Jordan Howe, Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;String Bass

Travis Yeh, Austin HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin Jonathan Yeung, Austin HSâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Violin

18 6RXWKZHVWHUQ 0XVLFLDQ | 0D\

Receipt and membership card will be emailed within 10 business days of TMEA’s receipt of this form and payment. You can print your membership card from www.tmea.org.

TMEA Membership Year: July 1, 2013–June 30, 2014 TMEA Member ID

Prefix

First Name

Last Name

Suffix Jr/Sr

Mail form with payment before Dec. 31 to: Texas Music Educators Assn ATTN: Membership P.O. Box 140465 Austin, TX 78714-0465 Or fax to: (512) 451-9213

Preferred Mailing Address (all print materials will be sent here)

Apt. No.

Primary TMEA Division (Select only one)

City

State School Phone

Home Phone

Zip

Band Vocal College

Ext

Other Applicable Divisions

Preferred email address

(Select all that apply)

School Name

Band Orchestra Vocal Elementary College/Univ Faculty Administration Private/Studio

ISD

yes

no

I wish to be included in the online TMEA directory (only TMEA members can view personal contact information).

yes

no

I wish to receive useful and timely industry-related correspondence from TMEA affiliated vendors and/or screened outside organizations.

UIL Classification (if applicable)

Check if applicable:

First year teacher

New to Texas

5A 4A 3A 2A

Would like to receive information on mentoring

Member Dues Active - $50 Retired - $20 College Student - $20*

Note: CPE credit is available to Active members only. * If student teaching 20 hours or more/week, you must apply as an Active member.

$ Dues

(must submit copy of student ID)

Liability Insurance - $30

(provided by the John A. Barclay Agency, Inc.)

Policy: 08/21/13–08/20/2014

Convention Fees

Preregistration:

(Dec. 31, 2013 mail/fax deadline) TMEA Clinic/Convention: February 12–15, 2014 Convention fees postmarked after Dec. 31 will be returned and not credited for preregistration.

$ Liability policy

Primary Level

$ Additional fees

$

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Scholarships awarded to Texas students pursuing degrees in music or music education.

$

Master Card

Total:

$

AMEX

Credit Card Number

MS/JH

High School

Degrees Earned Undergraduate

Graduate Institution

Scholarship donation

Payment Purchase Order (signed/authorized P.O. must accompany this form)

High School

Institution

TI:ME Registration

TMEA Scholarship Donation

MS/JH College

(Select all that apply)

Registration

TI:ME Preconference Registration $50

Check Number

3C 2C 1C

Other Applicable Levels

$

Active - $50 Retired - $15 College Student - $0 (included in dues) Family Badge - $10 ea. no.

Audio Files - $10 (conv. registration required)

Visa

3B 2B 1B 1A

(Select only one)

Liability Insurance

Check

Orchestra Elementary

Doctorate Institution

Mail form with payment before Dec. 31 to: Texas Music Educators Assn ATTN: Membership P.O. Box 140465 Austin, TX 78714-0465

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BAND NOTES How are you motivating?

B Y

R O N N I E

IN MEMORIAM Wayne Dyess November 27, 1947–February 27, 2013

R I O S

I

f you’re eager to get to your next rehearsal, that’s good news. If your rehearsals are stressful—that’s not such good news. If each time we step onto the podium, we find ourselves facing the same challenges, we can’t keep doing the same thing and hoping for a different result—that’s what many would call insanity.

So it is time to check our motivation temperature—it must always be high! Through our actions on the podium, through our tone of voice, through our daily routines, and even aesthetic expressions, our motivation must be high.

We have to be motivating on the podium to create a desire, a willingness among performers to give it all they have every day. We can’t just rely on the band program or reputation of past years’ accomplishments or even the music on the stand. It has to come from a source—a director, a leader, an inspirational conductor. Motivation has to be at the heart of every rehearsal. Motivation is even what brings music teachers to the podium. We are motivated to excellence, so there we are. So true are these resonating words, “The kingdom will mirror the characteristics of its king.” As the leader of our band program, we need to remember that when we are motivating, it can spread like wildfire through the ensemble.

But what if the music on the stand is too difficult? What if we get wrapped up majoring on the minors? What if we become so focused on one part that we’re giving a private lesson during a group session? What if we are stuck on two measures of an eight-minute tone poem, on four bars of a four-movement symphony, on one chord of a three-minute arrangement? In these cases, we need

Motivation has to be at the heart of every rehearsal. Motivation is even what brings music teachers to the podium.

IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals online for the 2014 TMEA convention.

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

May 1—Texas Music Scholar application materials postmark deadline.

May 15—Invited HS Jazz Ensemble application postmark deadline.

May 31—Pat McNallen scholarship application deadline (application available at www.tmea.org/mcnallen).

June 15—Deadline for Region Honor Band winners to be postmarked to Area Audition Chair.

June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

June 30—Deadline for Area Honor Band winners to be postmarked to State Band Chair.

July 21–24—TBA Convention in San Antonio.

Aug 1—Deadline for waivers to the audition process to be received at TMEA headquarters.

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 21

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to admit that our music may be too hard.

The music we select may not allow us to motivate our students—to motivate them to play with the best possible sounds ever, to play with beauty and style, with elegance, with precision, with emotion and resonance, and with the best listening skills ever, working to match across the room. If the activity is too hard, we won’t be able to motivate because we will be forcing something on our students, and that will rarely result in something positive.

This is when we should vary the activity or piece of music so that motivating students comes easily. We have to motivate well so that every day in rehearsal offers a beautiful, positive experience and the possibility of life-changing, emotional moments. Maybe even along the way, life skills can be taught through our music.

The reality is if you’re not having fun in rehearsal, neither are your students.

Share Your Experience—Submit a Clinic Proposal Please consider submitting a proposal for a TMEA clinic for the 2014 convention. Some of our best clinics are offered

by Texas band directors, and the greater variety of proposals we have to select from, the better the 2014 convention can be for everyone! Take a moment to consider the experience and expertise you can offer fellow band directors to help them continue successfully in this profession. To submit a proposal online, go to www.tmea.org/clinicproposals.

All-State Jazz Etudes All-State Jazz Etudes are available May 15 at local music dealers for purchase.

Invited HS Jazz Ensemble Application May 15 is the postmark deadline for applications and CDs to perform at the 2014 TMEA Clinic/Convention as the invited high school jazz ensemble. Go to www.tmea.org/jazzapplication to read the rules and download the application.

TBA Convention/Clinic Remember to put the TBA Convention/ Clinic on your summer schedule, July 21–24. This year’s event will be combined with the TODA and TCDA conventions. Not only will TBA offer you a full slate of professional development and networking opportunities, but TMEA also hosts sessions on All-State music during this convention.

Don’t miss your chance to learn more and help your students next fall!

TMAA Summer Judging Workshops • Learn the UIL C&SR and Marching Band Contest curriculum studied by the judges.

• Learn what the judges listen for and observe during marching and concert contests.

Workshops Offered During TBA, TCDA, and TODA Conventions This Summer in San Antonio A $20 workshop fee will be collected at the door and no pre-registration is necessary.

Orchestra Sunday, July 21, 3:00–5:00 p.m., CC 210

Marching Band Sunday, July 21, 4:00–6:00 p.m., CC 207

Vocal Sunday, July 21, 4:30–6:30 p.m., CC 212

Concert Band Wednesday, July 24, 8:30–10:30 a.m., CC 205

Satellite Workshops Two satellite judging workshops have been scheduled this year. If you are interested in other workshops in other locations and judging specialties, please check the TMAA website periodically at www.txmaa.org . $25 fee for satellite workshops.

Vocal Tuesday, May 14, 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Plano West SHS (Building C) Pre-register by emailing Kathy L. Hackett (kathy.hackett@pisd.edu)

Marching Band Monday, June 10, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Clements HS, Sugar Land Pre-register by emailing Daniel Galloway (danielgalloway@sbcglobal.net)

www.txmaa.org Southwestern Musician | May 2013 23

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CEDFA Summit XIV: TEKS Revision Debut

by Thomas H. Waggoner

T

he Texas Fine Arts Summit XIV, hosted by the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts (CEDFA), will be held Thursday–Friday, June 13–14, at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Austin. This year’s Fine Arts Summit professional development sessions will pertain to the revised Fine Arts Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Music, Art, Dance, and Theatre, grades K–12, which will be implemented in Texas schools during the 2015–2016 school year.

The presenters for the Fine Arts Summit music sessions were appointed by TMEA and served on the Fine Arts TEKS review/ revision committees to create the new standards. They are: • Michele Hobizal, TMEA Past Elementary Vice-President and Music Instructor, WoodCreek Elementary School, Katy ISD • John May, Executive Director of Fine Arts, San Antonio ISD • Patricia Moreno, Instructional Coordinator of Fine Arts for Elementary/Choral Music, Austin ISD

• Jim Van Zandt, Director of Fine Arts, Round Rock ISD • Peter Warshaw, Director of Fine Arts, Leander ISD • JD Janda, Director of Fine Arts, Georgetown ISD As in past years, CEDFA will also host pre-Summit sessions on Thursday morning, June 13, and post-Summit sessions on Friday afternoon, June 14, at the Airport Hilton Hotel to provide participants with in-depth knowledge on specific topics of interest.

I look forward to your joining us at the Fine Arts Summit to enhance music, art, dance, and theatre education in Texas schools as related to the newly revised Fine Arts TEKS! Individual and group registration discounts are available prior to May 20, and the Austin Airport Hilton Hotel will honor state room rates, Wednesday–Friday nights. Please do not hesitate to contact me (twaggoner@austin.utexas.edu) or Kris Andrews, Executive Director of CEDFA (krisandrews@cedfa.org), for additional information about the Texas Fine Arts Summit XIV.

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 25

ORCHESTRA NOTES IN MEMORIAM JIMMY R AY JONES Aug. 28, 1942 – March 23, 2013 GEORGE WILLIAM ROBINSON November 7, 1924–March 27, 2013

IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals online for the 2014 TMEA convention.

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

May 1—HS Full, JH/MS Full, and JH/MS String Honor Orchestra Part A online submission deadline.

May 1—Texas Music Scholar application materials postmark deadline.

June 22—First round of Honor Orchestra judging (HS and MS/JH Full, MS/JH String).

June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

July 21–24—TODA Convention in San Antonio.

Aug 1—Deadline for waivers to the audition process to be received at TMEA headquarters.

September 15—HS String Honor Orchestra online entries due.

Making the most of May B Y

C R A I G

N E E D H A M

M

ay can be an odd month for music teachers.

The finality of the year and the anticipation of summer often results in strange behavior.

The hectic pace that makes the school year fly by suddenly grinds to a crawl. Daily and nightly events are numerous and stressful, and no one seems to have as much motivation to work. Students who have been engaged all year suddenly become apathetic. Emotions run high as we say goodbye to seniors, fret over next year’s numbers, and worry about audition results and student placement. We find out who is signed up and who is moving away or moving on. Surprises lurk around every corner—we can be on a high note one day and devastated the next. Closing out the year and planning for the next one takes place at an equal pace. Does this sound familiar? Does it stress you out to think about? It does me! We need a strategy to deal with this awesome, yet sometimes cruel time of the year.

I find a direct correlation between the amount of my planning for May events and the level of my enjoyment and ability to handle its trials. There are so many moving parts to finishing the year that it seems there is never enough time once the calendar flips. On-the-fly planning is a sure guarantee for problems. The more advanced planning we can do, the more prepared we will be to handle the end of the year in a positive and enjoyable way.

In our efforts to find a memorable and poetic way to end the year while eagerly anticipating the new and big things that lie ahead, we often build expectations that can’t match any possible reality. If you expect too much from your

By being prepared, keeping your expectations realistic, and having a calm perspective, May can be a prelude to a relaxing and rejuvenating June!

26 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

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events or your students, disappointment is inevitable. Work for simple yet meaningful events that celebrate the successes of the year. You don’t have to try to change anyone’s life with a banquet or spring concert!

It’s inevitable—the end of school will bring disappointments. Some students or other teachers who you thought were going to return may have other plans. In these times, thoughts of the demise of our programs and our careers can creep into our minds, and we might even start looking for an escape route. The truth is, however, that change is inevitable in every situation, and the result of that change will ultimately never be quite as devastating as it may seem in the moment. It’s important to keep an even perspective and not overreact to highs or lows. Let the dust settle calmly and maintain your determination to teach those students who sign up for your program to the best of your ability. By developing a teach-who-youhave mentality, you will spend your time positively looking forward instead of negatively looking backward. Any job or situation can be good or bad depending on your perspective and attitude, so always

work to seek a positive one!

Having a strategy for ending the year can dramatically increase its enjoyment.

By being prepared, keeping your expectations realistic, and having a calm perspective, May can be a prelude to a relaxing a rejuvenating June!

TODA Convention Please plan to attend the annual TODA Convention on July 21–24. This is the first year of our combined convention with TBA and TCDA, and it is going to be bigger and more exciting than ever—for a summer music conference, it has no equal!

TODA president David DeVoto and the TODA Board are working diligently to make this convention unique. The clinics, reading sessions, and social functions will be like those you have experienced at previous conventions. The expanded exhibit hall will be tremendous! As part of the TODA convention, we will be listening to Round 2 of TMEA Honor Orchestra CDs for HS Full, MS/JH Full, and MS/ JH String Honor Orchestras. This will happen right before the Fiesta Welcome event. The TODA convention is also the time when the All-State Orchestra audi-

tion materials are made available online.

Honor Orchestra CDs This summer, Michael Stringer will be hosting Round 1 of TMEA MS/JH and HS Full and MS/JH String Honor Orchestra competition. Please be aware of all of the deadlines and read all of the rules carefully. Part A (the Competition Intent, Director’s Clinician Report, and Application) must be completed online

by May 1. All materials for this audition need to be mailed to Martin HS, Michael Stringer, 4501 W. Pleasant Ridge Road, Arlington, TX 76016-3410. CDs must be postmarked by June 1. Please keep your receipt with the postmark date in case there are any problems with the mail.

Spring Region Meeting Please attend your spring Region meeting to stay current on TMEA business. As you finish out this school year, think about how you can better serve the Orchestra Division as a volunteer. There are so many volunteer jobs from which to choose. Be thinking now about being an All-State organizer or presider, working in the TMEA Orchestra Division Office, hosting an Honor Orchestra audition, being on a panel for Honor Orchestra, helping at registration, and more. The list is endless! You can volunteer online by going to the Orchestra Division menu and selecting Volunteer to Help.

Variance Letters Letters to request a variance of the state policy for any Region audition must be submitted to TMEA state headquarters

by August 1. Examples include: 1. Middle or junior high schools that need to use three-member audition judging panels.

2. Regions that need to set a limitation for audition instrumentation from one school.

3. High school Regions that need to make any changes in dates of wind auditions or audition procedures.

Keep in mind that even if you have already submitted a variance request from a previous year, a new letter must be submitted by August 1.

Have a great end of school year, an awesome summer, and we will see you at the TODA convention!

28 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

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Teachers in the Spotlight S

ince 2010, Round Rock ISD music teachers have stepped down from the podium and into the spotlight for an annual faculty recital hosted by their Texas Future Music Educators chapter, led by sponsor Sandra Vandertulip. This recital offers students a unique and inspiring learning opportunity, and it also helps support the district’s private lesson scholarship fund through donations accepted at this free performance. We asked faculty members and the TFME chapter president to offer their perspectives on what has made this event a success.

Jim Van Zandt, Fine Arts Administrator, and Lisa Roebuck, Fine Arts Lead Curriculum Specialist, explained how this event is structured: What gave you the idea for a faculty recital? In one of the chapter meetings where some of the members had performed for their peers, the students were joking around and said they would love to hear their teachers perform. Our first response was, “Yeah, right.” But then we thought about it some more, and the event was born! The students were genuinely interested in hearing their teachers perform. It seems from the very first recital to present they can never get enough of coming to the recital to hear and watch their teachers as performers.

In what ways has the program evolved? Since our first year when it was very informal, we have lengthened the program a bit and moved to our performing arts center, where we could have more space and flexibility. We were able to include larger ensembles and even combined vocal/orchestral selections. Moving to the RRISD PAC has made it a much more formal event. The students are eager to serve as ushers and announcers and help collect donations.

What is the basic process for organizing the recital? In the fall, we invite elementary through high school staff and the response is always immediate and positive! Through December and very early January, we begin compiling the information for the printed program and tweak it as performers finalize their repertoire. Then we coordinate with our PAC staff. Some of our faculty members

30 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

volunteer to organize ensembles and coordinate rehearsals. The rehearsing usually all happens in January. It can be very hectic to get the teachers together for the ensembles but in the end it’s all certainly worth it.

Are faculty members offered any guidance on their performance?

As far as types of repertoire, we leave it open-ended. Although we mostly perform serious vocal or instrumental solos and ensembles, we have had everything from guitar/harmonica folk vocals to bagpipe to big band jazz. One thing we may have to do in the future is limit the length of the pieces so that we can fit in more performances.

How is the recital marketed to the community? We send out a press release in advance of the event and send personal written invitations to the board of trustees, executive administrators, and community leaders. We also print posters and distribute them through Texas our campus music programs. Our local newspaper has attended Future in some years to report on Music the event, and one year Educators we were featured in the Austin The Texas Future Music Educators proAmericangram was established to promote music eduStatesman.

cation as a profession. Students in grades 9–12 who are viable members of their school’s musical organization and are interested in becoming music educators may participate. Chapters meet, provide service to their school’s musical organizations, and participate in learning experiences that will help prepare them for college music programs as well as for their role as music educators. TFME members who preregister may attend the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention on Friday and Saturday.

SUMMER 2013 Graduate Studies in Music Education TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC June 3 - 14 Learning & Music (L/V) Styles in Wind Literature (L/V) Band Strategies & Techniques (L) Music in Special Education (L/V)

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June 3 - August 7 Intro to Tech. Applications in Music Ed.

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June 17 - 28 Voice Building in the Choral Rehearsal (L) Orchestra Director’s Workshop (L) Tests & Measurements (L/V) Harmony & Voice Leading w/ AP Primer (L)

Dr. Carolyn Cruse Dr. Bruce Wood Dr. Janice Killian Dr. Peter Fischer

July 8 - 13 Band Workshop: Curriculum & PLanning

Dr. Keith Dye

(L)

(in conjunction with Band & Orchestra Camp, on campus housing available)

July 9 - August 9 Graduate History Review Symphonic Literature (O)

Dr. Stacey Jocoy Dr. Thomas Cimarusti

(O)

July 16 - August 1 Intro to Graduate Studies (L/V) Current Issues in Music Ed. (L/V)

Dr. Keith Dye Dr. Janice Killian

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Summer Orchestral Conducting Workshop June 21-23, 2013

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A faculty vocal ensemble performs at the 2013 recital.

How has the request for donations to the private lesson fund been received? It varies, but we have collected as much as $1,000 at these recitals. Every little bit helps!

What have you learned about hosting this kind of event? Timing is crucial. We have to be proactive in making arrangements early with ample notice. To move the recital along without dead time, we have some performances on stage, and others in the alcoves at the side of the stage, so the next performance can be on deck quickly. It works well by planning the lighting and any requirements for chairs, stands, and microphones in advance. Someone needs to coordinate with the technicians backstage to ensure they know exactly how it should flow.

32 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

Student Perspective Tyler Hardee, Round Rock ISD TFME Chapter President, provided his feedback about this event: What do you think is most beneficial about the faculty recital? I believe it is beneficial to have the opportunity for our faculty to demonstrate musicality through their performances, and it provides students something to strive for in a music career.

What did you enjoy the most? I enjoyed seeing members of my own schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faculty perform because I could hear their emotions and interpretations through their music.

How do you think the recital affects studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view of their teachers? I think that in a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view, the recital really shows the musicality of the teachers. Instead of just hearing teachers talk about musicality, students are able to witness the capabilities of their teachers. This provides students with a figure to look up to.

What do you value about being a part of TFME? I value simply being around people with a common interest of being a music educator. Having an organization like TFME has provided me with opportunities to bond with other future music educators.

This has been very rewarding as it allows me to communicate with others with the same intentions that I have. It has also given me a chance to speak with the faculty from music schools at different colleges which was very insightful toward my future.

What advice would you give to other TFME chapters about hosting a similar event? I would greatly recommend an event like the faculty recital. Not only does it provide the entertainment of seeing the faculty perform, but it also creates an opportunity to ask for donations that can be directed toward funding for private lessons and instruments.

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A faculty jazz band performs at the 2013 recital.

What practical lessons have you learned that might help another chapter? We have learned that promoting the event is very important. To make the event a success, there needs to be a large audience. The more people to offer donations, the more beneficial the event is for the music department.

What are some other TFME events in which your chapter has participated? Besides the faculty recital, TFME members have participated in the TMEA convention, fundraisers, and meetings that allowed us to speak with ambassadors of music schools from colleges and learn what to expect in our futures. Professors from several nearby universities have come to a meeting and served on a panel discussion about the process of auditions, writing resumes, scholarship opportunities, establishing connections to universities in the process of admissions, and more.

Faculty Performers Daniel Gee, Chisholm Trail MS Orchestra Director, and Randy Preston, Hopewell MS Choir Director, were faculty performers at the 2013 recital and offered their thoughts: What motivated you to participate in the faculty recital?

Randy Preston: Being new to RRISD, I was excited to have an opportunity to perform with other musicians within the

34 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

district. Participation in the faculty recital was a great way to lead by example and show students and families that music teachers still use the knowledge and skills acquired through our own music education. Performing with like-minded colleagues provided a great way to get to know each other and express beautiful artistry through music.

Does an event like this have an effect on faculty participants beyond the performance itself?

Daniel Gee: I think it brings the district together. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our individual programs and feel isolated on our campuses since we might be the only person doing that job at a school. Even more than working together it is important to hang out and interact with people who do what we do. This cannot be done enough.

What did you gain personally through performing in this recital?

DG: Through performing we are able to do what got us involved in this profession to begin withâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the love of and passion for music. It is a wonderful reason to â&#x20AC;&#x153;haveâ&#x20AC;? to work with your talented colleagues and be musicians again. It is like being back in music school.

RP: By performing in this recital, I gained additional respect for my music colleagues. It afforded me the opportunity to work with band, orchestra, and elementary music teachers in addition to other choir directors. I felt a sense of unity among the music staff because we all collaborated to create an exceptional and professional musical performance.

What do you think the faculty recital offers students in your district?

DG: It offers them an outlet to experience live music to which they can relate. Knowing the performers personally is like breaking down the third wall in a musical performance. How wonderful it is to have students who know you personally get to see you engage in your art form!

RP: I hope students and their families are able to see that their music teachers not only teach music but that we continue to make music through our own performance opportunities. I hope they also recognize the hours of preparation that go into a performance, especially one that brings together musicians from various disciplines.

What advice would you offer a campus or district that might consider this kind of event?

DG: Be creative and do what you enjoy doing. Select music that excites you. When students and the community see how the arts are valued in your life, they will begin to see how the arts fit into their own.

RP: I would also advise districts to promote the event not only within their own community but also to surrounding communities and to nearby districts. Smaller districts might consider collaborating together to create a regional faculty recital.

Above all, I would encourage districts to embrace the concept of a faculty recital and have fun creating meaningful, expressive music together.

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VOCAL NOTES IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals online for the 2014 TMEA convention.

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

May 1—Texas Music Scholar nomination materials postmark deadline.

May 1—Postmark deadline for 2014 TMEA Convention Performing Choir application and CD. June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

July 21–24—TCDA Convention in San Antonio.

Aug 1—Deadline for waivers to the audition process to be received at TMEA headquarters.

February 12–15, 2014—TMEA Clinic/ Convention.

36 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

That’s a wrap B Y

D I N A H

M E N G E R

M

ay brings final concerts, final exams, final recitals, and final choir lists. May also brings that great finality to the finish of another school year. I do not know of a single teacher who actually observes the Gregorian calendar. They instead mark the passage of time based on the start and end of each school year. I seem to suffer from memory loss, and unless I wrap up and analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly of the current year, I will forget about it with a good night’s sleep. So, if you’re at all like me, before closing down the choir room for a bit of summer, consider the following that could help ensure a smoother beginning when you return.

1) Go ahead and map out your calendar for the next school year based on what worked and what didn’t this year. Include all concerts, competitions, musicals, recitals, audition dates, UIL Concert & Sightreading, TMEA Clinic/Convention, choir social events, banquets, and more.

2) Clean out your sightreading files. Put all SR octavos in big envelopes, label them by title and by SSA, SATB, TTB, TBB, etc. Keep one copy of each and compile browser notebooks by voicing. In each notebook, create tabs for key signatures and put the single file copies behind their respective key tab. Refile your SR by voicing and then alphabetically by title. This helps so much. When I pull one to read, I date the envelope and note which choir sightread the piece. This helps me keep track of who has sung what. Based on your browser notebooks, you’ll see what you are missing and you can order accordingly.

May usually involves traditional events you created or inherited. These are so important and create such a sense of history and meaning. Don’t discount their importance to your choristers.

3) Clean out your school filing cabinet drawers and your school desk drawers. It feels so great to leave knowing that you have an idea of what you have and what you will need. Throw out papers that you have not looked at in years. Fight the urge to be featured on Hoarders: Choir Directors Buried Alive!

4) Have volunteers help restore your music library after the “ravages of war” from the school year. Refile, straighten, and then recycle music you know you will never perform.

5) Give your office a new coat of paint and think about some redecorating.

You spend more time in your choir office than you do at home. You might as well find comfort there. I love lamps. While my office is the size of some closets, I still have four lamps. When I turn off the harsh overhead fluorescents, turn on my lamps, light a candle, and get an ice cold Dr Pepper out of my fridge, I can conquer anything!

Another part of May usually involves traditional events you created or inherited.

These are so important and create such a sense of history and meaning. Don’t discount their importance to your choristers.

Just try to stop one and see what happens.

It’s not pretty!

Traditions are a large part of our choir history at Arlington High. These longstanding ceremonies are the tie that binds several generations of choristers together.

I would like to humbly share some wonderful traditions that enrich our program.

Choristers have been singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at graduations since 1951. (That’s 62 consecutive graduations!)

Now, whenever our alumni association meets each summer, choir members from the 1950s to newly graduated seniors gather together and sing this gorgeous musical theater song from “Carousel.” It is amazing to watch singers from earlier days transform into the teenagers they once were as they lustily sing next to the newbies. They are instantly connected through music and memories.

Another wonderful tradition is called “Tap Day.” This culminates in a very serious and moving ceremony involving the new candidates chosen for our top varsity choir, Colt Chorale. The outgoing senior members of the group meet secretly

and learn an old song called “The Halls of Ivy” by Henry Russell and Vick Knight.

After determining the date and time (also a secret) for “Tap Day,” we make a list of the classrooms in which each new member will be when we begin the ceremony and alert teachers to what will be happening (who keep this a secret). We also contact all new parents so that they can be present for the ceremony (they keep this a secret).

On the determined day, all outgoing seniors are excused from class, we meet in the choir room, and then go through each school hallway with candles singing our song. As we sing, outgoing seniors enter classrooms and tap each new member on the shoulder. The new members gather their things and follow—always elated and often crying. By the time we get to the choir room we have all of our new members with us.

They enter the choir room to a gathering of their parents, a huge cake and punch. The outgoing seniors surround the new members and sing “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” and extinguish their candles. The new members are then seated and the outgoing seniors begin their talks. They give advice, tell funny stories, cry, give more advice, talk about their friendships, and cry some more.

It is incredibly moving for everyone and the parents are there to witness the true passion and the bond of choir. This tradition

is so beloved that our classroom teachers now contact me for the date of “Tap Day” and plan around it so that tests or offcampus events won’t get in the way. It is wonderful to go through the hallways and have teachers and students gather at their doors to watch this ceremony. Everyone knows what it means and understands the honor of getting chosen for Colt Chorale!

Membership and Summer Conventions In planning ahead, don’t forget that your TMEA membership expires on June 30.

Take care of the membership fee so that you are current when the new school year starts, especially if you will be entering All-State singers in early September! (See page 18 for more details.)

As you plan your summer months, remember that the TCDA Convention is such fun and a motivational shot in the arm right when we need it. Plan to attend, meet friends, and get some great ideas for the next school year. The dates are Sunday, July 21–Wednesday, July 24.

If you are a member of TMAA or working toward becoming one, this is a great time to make sure that you are current on membership, general business meeting attendance, workshop requirements, etc.

Friends and colleagues—may your summer be filled with rest and relaxation.

Remember that you can’t be an amazing teacher if you have no energy reserves!

Do it!

Mid-Summer All-State Choir Camp July 22 – 24, 2013 Location: The Oakridge School Arlington, TX Sopranos-Altos 8:00 am – noon Basses-Tenors1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Learn all selections for Texas All-State Choir auditions Camp cost: $100.00

Enroll at www.allstatechoircamp.com Southwestern Musician | May 2013 37

THE NEW NORMAL Music educators across Texas are experiencing the effects of growing levels of poverty in their communities and must consider how this should influence their approach.

BY A N N B U R B R I D G E & D EB R A FLO U R N OY- B U FO R D

Editor’s Note: While these articles focus on choral programs in Title I schools, the content and suggestions certainly also apply in any Title I school band or orchestra classroom.

A

choral director found herself in charge of middle school and high school programs where students had not participated in UIL contest for ten years. It was a program from a student body where many were academically below their grade level. Working in this Title I school, the director faced issues that extended well beyond music preparation, and this reality quickly put her in a state of distress. How could she build up these failing programs in this challenging environment? Her inquiry led us to offer research data and our experience in responding to the new normal of Texas public school student populations and how it affects choral programs (and for that matter any music program).

This director’s plea for help is not uncommon for new teachers facing the “new majority” of low socioeconomic driven Texas public schools. The Texas Education Agency reports that the number of students receiving free/reduced lunches has grown steadily over the past several years. In 2011–2012, 60.3% of Texas students were on free/reduced lunches (as compared to 55.4% in 2006–2007).

The increased low income and poverty levels of Texas public school students continues to climb, creating a new normal in student populations. Given this new normal, educators must understand the mindset of students in poverty and the effects of a low socioeconomic status on their daily learning.

STUDENTS LIVING IN POVERTY Statistical data and important research information about understanding the mindset of students in poverty is outlined in Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty (1996; 2005).

Payne has established a series of books and professional development presentations that are used throughout the United States to help train educators on how to teach effectively within this spiraling dilemma of economically disadvantaged students (Sharron, 2004; Payne, 2002; 2006).

Studies indicate that “children born in poverty miss an opportunity to increase their brain power right from birth” (Feinstein, 2007, p. 105). Such students have fewer experiences than those from the middle class and usually enter kindergarten with a “deficiency in vocabulary that haunts into the teen years” (Feinstein, 2007, p. 105).

Students in economically disadvantaged situations are often overwhelmed with life issues such as medical care, safety, dysfunctional families, substance abuse, and violence (Feinstein, 2007; National Institute of Mental Health, 2006).

Students in poverty tend to follow a pattern in daily living and response that is often referred to as “survivor mode.” This occurs when the human mind is confronted with conflict and the brain shifts into a “very primitive and highly reactive way of thinking” (Center for Development of Teaching and Learning, 2005a). Feinstein (2007) describes this by saying, “When under stress, the brain goes into survival mode, and reading, writing and arithmetic are lost in the chaos. Paying attention, learning the content, and taking a test take a backseat to ensuring safety and basic necessities” (Feinstein, 2007, p. 105).

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 39

The brain limits access to full intelligence as it reverts to skills of fighting and fleeing or rage and terror. Reason and intuition are depleted and those faced with a severe conflict may even lose the ability to verbalize (Center for Development of Teaching and Learning, 2005b). Research indicates that “survivor mode” cannot be simply turned off or on. Humans remaining in conflict for weeks at a time tend to access only a fraction of their intelligence potential (National Institute of Mental Health, 2006). Given this reality, educators must realize that just because all students are in the safety of their classroom doesn’t mean they will be able to function the same.

To ensure the continued success of choral programs across Texas, the future choir teacher workforce needs guidance on teaching in Title I schools through

their student teaching experiences and preservice preparation. Seasoned directors need more opportunities to share their personal experiences and successes in Title I settings. Directors should know that they are not alone and the new normal for Texas schools requires all of us to develop new strategies for meeting the challenges of today’s Texas classroom.

TITLE I CONSIDERATIONS If you are embarking to restore a choral program in a Title I setting or continue in success, consider reframing your expectations to be based on the student population and any previous training they may have had—or that they have had none.

It takes a few years to restore a bankrupt program, especially in a Title I school.

Your main objective needs to be on reaching the hearts and minds of the students.

This does not mean lowering standards; it is raising the level of trust and enabling students to discover choir as a great place to be.

You must also establish consistency.

While true for most students, those in Title I schools especially want to feel assured that you will come back next year and continue the program. This building of trust is something that happens in years, not weeks.

Another challenge to prepare for is the revolving-door syndrome. Many Title I students move frequently, and this makes developing a four-year choir more challenging. Our district choir directors (we are 100% Title I), realize that we are dealing with young people looking for a place to be and have a meaningful experience.

It is not uncommon to have a majority of a choir be new students arriving in the

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middle of the year. Title I teachers learn to make students the first priority and choir second.

Be encouraged as a choral director in a Title I school to continue on your quest with reasonable goals. Title I programs do get to the top level, but only after a few years of carefully moving step by step with the hearts and minds of the students at the center of your approach.

SUCCEEDING IN THE NEW NORMAL

BY DEBRA FLOURNOY-BUFORD The new normal in public schools, as discussed above, leads to many challenges for the choral director in a school with 40% or more of the student population living in a low socioeconomic status. New teachers in this setting may ask themselves how they can do it, how they can motivate these students, how they can succeed, and how they can compete on the same level as others.

As you think of ways to answer those questions, I offer the following reflections based on my experiences as a choral director in a Title I school: FLEXIBILITY The process is slow. You must accept the mindset that every year is like starting over. The constant shift of student population requires you to be flexible and willing to reteach on a consistent basis.

Teachers cannot grow weary of this process but accept this as the new norm to ensure students can be taught the elements needed to proceed as a competitive choir. This means that each year you are willing to reteach the basics of music literacy and work to take returning students to a higher level of learning by pushing through the basics at the beginning of the year. Bringing students up to a competitive level requires this quick reteaching of elementary basics for older students.

BRINGING ATTENTION TO WHAT IS DONE RIGHT IS MUCH BETTER THAN GIVING ALL THE ATTENTION TO THE STUDENT WHO CONTINUES TO DO IT WRONG. My strictest rule stated that there was zero tolerance for anyone who talked, laughed, or disrespected another student who was singing or learning a song.

Students violating this rule were immediately written up and sent to the office.

Know that someone will test you. My principal supported my philosophy and knew I never sent students to the office at the beginning of school unless this infraction occurred. With this rule in place, students knew they were safe to sing, learn, and perform in our choir room.

When students are under duress, give them the option to tell you before class that it’s not a good day. Give them the option not to be so actively engaged in singing with the understanding that they listen quietly and continue trying to learn. In my experience, I found students usually became involved with the choir rehearsal even after being given the option not to be an active participant. The simple fact that they knew that I realized they were hurting seemed to give them comfort. In that comfort, they found their voice and participated willingly.

Conversations with such students outside of class include comments like “I can’t change your circumstance, but I can offer you safety in this hour, in this room, at this moment where you can be yourself. Just come in and rehearse with us for a time of feeling safe and feeling good about you.”

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Remember to focus on and reward positive behavior. There’s always a time that

inappropriate behavior must be addressed, but in my 21 years of teaching, it has consistently been proven that bringing attention to what is done right is much better than giving all the attention to the student who continues to do it wrong. Those with inappropriate disruptions will not be part of the happy energy of a successful choir and should be immediately removed from the risers. The trick is to remove the student quickly, placing them in an isolated area to continue their music work on paper (music theory and music history). You proceed in a great mood, and the choir has fun while learning their music through performance! There’s always an exception when such a process doesn’t work, but it sure makes for a better day for you and the other students if managing a classroom issue doesn’t ruin the whole rehearsal.

OFFERING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT One of my most successful positive reinforcement methods was Fun Friday. I realize this might sound like an elementary classroom concept—and it did in fact originate from my elementary music teaching days—but it worked just as well in our over 88% Title I high school choral setting. Every other Friday we spent 10–15 minutes doing something the students loved to do. This included movement and singing to some of their favorite songs.

I used a collection of fun motion songs liked by all ages that serve as reminders of why we love music and why we work so hard to prepare for UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest.

BUILDING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT The choir room must be a safe environment. It needs to be user-friendly, positive, and encouraging. Building selfconfidence must be supported on a daily basis. Creating a family friendly environment includes class rules that promote this attitude. One of my rules was “Smile at least once during a class period.”

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 41

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SETTING THE FRAMEWORK FOR RATINGS If you are a new teacher starting a program in an old school, choose a festival the first year where students can be successful. I recommend including sightreading in your preparation and training toward a festival competition. Some festivals allow you to choose whether you participate in the sightreading portion while others are based solely on a performance venue. As a director, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid of participation in sightreading, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set your students up for failure either. You are building their trust in you and in themselves that they can compete on an equal playing field with others. Your goal is to teach students that they can do this just like other schools.

The next step is preparing your choir for the UIL Choral and Sightreading Contest. Be informative about the outcome possibilities. Teach your students what the division levels mean. A rating of one is superior, a two is excellent, and a three is good! Prepare to celebrate the contest if your group gets a two or a three. A second division or a third division is considered a successful rating for struggling choral programs. Teach your students to walk away with pride of accomplishment and make a big deal of it when you return to the school.

As motivation to keep moving forward,

GETTING PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT Parent volunteers within a predominantly Title I school are difficult to maintain. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe that these parents donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to help. I believe that many of them work shifts that do not allow the opportunity to participate in the evenings, and some do not have transportation for outside meetings. Others may also feel intimidated by educators because of their own low education status. Technology can be a wonderful tool to bring parents together as cell phones and computers have become

be prepared for a fun activity shortly after UIL contest such as progressing directly into preparation of a variety show or upbeat spring program. Even going to a fun place to eat out on contest day can add energy and enthusiasm to the moment.

Make sure students are recognized at your school through announcements and posters celebrating those who were selected to represent your school in the UIL chorus.

Give that final pump of self-esteem just for the fact that as a student, they were selected to represent their schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;no matter the outcome!

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Allowing students to teach you a song or dance also helps build more of that relationship and trust as a director. All ages of students enjoy this little escape from reality. It energizes students and sets them up for success on the more difficult literature.

One of my special Fun Friday moments was when after my high school choir had fallen in love with a Palestrina piece entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adoramus Te.â&#x20AC;? On that Friday, the students wanted to spread out around the room, with the light dimmed and sing it without a conductor. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moments like theseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;when you realize youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve brought students to a higher level of musical understandingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that you never forget.

Sound elementary? Not at all! For all students, especially those who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had the opportunity to experience the joy of a playful childhood, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a moment of relief and a reflection of childhood. It may be just 10 minutes sharing a moment of silliness, but it can remind us that life is going to be okay!

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Southwestern Musician | May 2013 43

essentials, not luxuries. Meetings can be conducted via technology to include more parents. You might be surprised at how many parents are willing to help do something if you tap into an area in which they are comfortable participating.

For example, I discovered a great fundraiser in making corsages for homecoming. We had a couple of moms who knew how to make them and taught the choir students. We were able to connect with a local business and got discounted supplies. We kept the cost low but we still made 50% commission, and it became an annual fundraiser with lots of parent and community involvement. Family members who helped felt they were giving back. It was a win-win project!

REWARDING PUBLICLY The climax of every year ended with an awards banquet and dance. Students and parents decorated the school cafeteria and created a beautiful environment.

Students love to look at themselves in pictures, so we set up a computer and digital camera and took photographs for free. Students received awards based on just being participants in contest choirs

44 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

to special honors received for success in other contests. We also gave away our fun awards based on special student moments.

This not only motivated students to want to continue with choir but also served as a recruiting tool for others who wanted to be a participant in a successful and highenergy program.

Choral directors across the state are facing a new normal with more and more low socioeconomic family struggles. We must meet the daily challenge of stepping out of our comfort zones and go the extra mile. Can directors in this new normal expect to participate on a level playing field with struggling students who are often emotionally and socially delayed?

Is it worth the time and energy to bring these students to a place in the curriculum through out-of-the-norm teaching strategies? Absolutely. It simply takes a few more steps to get there!

REFERENCES Center for Development of Teaching & Learning. (2005a). Who is an educated person? Ingredients of educatedness. Retrieved from http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg /

publications/educated/who.htm Center for Development of Teaching & Learning. (2005b). Education, training, and human intelligence. Retrieved from http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg / publications/educated/edthi.htm Feinstein, S. (2007). Teaching the at-risk teenage brain. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

National Institute of Mental Health.

(2006). Research on mind, brain and behavior: helping children and adolescents cope with violence and disasters. Retrieved from www.survivingbipolar.com/booklets/ NIMHviolence.pdf Payne, R. K. (4th Ed.) (1996; 2005). A framework for understanding poverty.

Highlands, Tx: Aha! Process, Inc. Sharron, H. and Coulter, M. (2004).

Changing childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minds. Highland, TX: Aha! Process, Inc. Ann Burbridge is San Antonio ISD KodĂĄly Training Director and past Coordinator of Fine Arts. Debra Flournoy-Buford is Associate Professor at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview.

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V i s i t u s at o n e o f o u r n e i g h bo r h o o d lo cat i o n s :

Make every teachable minute count B Y

ELEMENTARY NOTES IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals online for the 2014 TMEA convention.

June 15—Postmark deadline for 2014 TMEA Convention Performing Group application and CD or DVD. June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

July 21–24—TCDA Convention in San Antonio.

February 12–15, 2014—TMEA Clinic/ Convention.

C O L L E E N

R I D D L E

A

s we enter this final month of our school year and you look back on what you and your students have accomplished, assess how well you have utilized every second of valuable instructional time. I hear teachers from across Texas remark about the shortage of minutes they have to teach their music students. Until the magical year arrives when students have daily musical instruction, using proven time-saving strategies will increase the results of your instruction time by leaps and bounds. Start collecting ideas now and continue throughout the summer, and your teaching time next school year will be more rewarding than ever! Here are some ideas to consider: 1. Create a digital seating chart (download a sample chart at www.tmea.org/ seatingchart). Student names should be entered at least one day before class. Above each name are 18 small boxes for marking modifications, assessments, absences, tardies, pull-outs, discipline issues, game turns, etc.

Thanks go to David Dalton for creating this useful tool. These seating charts can be viewed from a tablet, computer, or printout. Dalton suggests updating the seating charts once or twice a semester.

2. Create a playlist of the songs used in each of your lessons. This will prevent the issue of lost or broken CDs at the worst possible moment, and no time will be wasted looking for correct track numbers. Your eyes will remain focused on your students as your lesson flows and as students increase their learning time. When your lesson is over, cleanup is a breeze!

3. Have routines in place on the first day of class. When students know the procedures and how to care for the equipment and instruments in class, they can take care of these tasks as you continue to teach. Save these special responsibilities for students who are following the rules and may need that extra boost of confidence. Use your digital seating chart above to keep track of rotating responsibilities. Thanks go to Wes Arvin who contributed this time saving advice.

4. Taking attendance is a time when Mary Stevens assesses singing skills and learns names. She begins each class with a song where students sing each other’s name in place of the name in the song such as “No One’s in the

Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand. —Carl Orff 46 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

Healthy Voices, Dynamic Choirs: Vital Techniques for Classroom and Studio

June 13 - 14, 2013 F E AT U R I N G

Dr. Brenda Jo Smith DMA, Guest Clinician Join us for a vocal pedagogy workshop for conductors and voice teachers of students from elementary level to senior citizens. Topics include: pedagogical aspects of choral singing, speaking and singing with the same voice, practical applications in rehearsal, identifying problems in the repertoire, and vocal hygiene and disorders.

Registration information is available at www.twu.edu/music.

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House but Maci” (replacing Dinah) or “Jose Get Your Haircut” (replacing Johnny). While they sing, they are patting the beat or two-finger tapping an ostinato. What a fun way to accomplish numerous TEKS at once!

5. Go paperless! Borrow a SMART Board and place your lessons here so you can efficiently use every precious minute. Your school doesn’t have a SMART Board? Attach your computer to a projector and create PowerPoint presentations for your

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An extensive collection of 30 developmentally sequenced lessons for learning about music by making music. This collection incorporates strategies from Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Kodály and Orff Schulwerk. Flexible design makes this resource helpful to all teachers, first-year to seasoned educators!

BR1 Purposeful Pathways, Book 1 $79.95 BR1-CD Purposeful Pathways, Book 1, CD-ROM Companion $20.00 THE VARIETY OF MUSICAL PATHWAYS PRESENTED becomes a road to rhythmic and melodic literacy, with clearly mapped goals and objectives. The journey is enriched by the variety of musical elements and behaviors included, providing many choices for exploring each of the 30 examples in the collection. The expert guidance of two experienced author/teachers is evident on every page, and is highlighted in special inserts called Teacher Talk. Icons, charts, and drawings add to the playful presentation of the material – many of which are available in an optional CD-ROM. The carefully selected collection of songs and rhymes provides artful early encounters with music, establishing a solid foundation for future musical experiences.

Jane Frazee, Founding Director, Graduation Programs in Music Education, University of St. Thomas.

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48 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

lessons. Share these with teachers in your district and region and soon you will have an enormous collection.

Your students will memorize their songs almost instantly. This encourages correct reading skills, good posture practices, and keeps the students looking up and staying focused during the lesson. Vicki Dalton reminded me of this useful tool.

6. Recent TMEA clinicians DeLelles and Kriske gave us a multitude of examples for combining Orff and Kodály objectives in the same lesson.

Students who are waiting for their instrument turns can pat the beat while correctly singing in their beautiful voices. (Be sure to point out to your administrator how many TEKS you accomplish by following this strategy.) Advanced students may be able to play the Orff borduns while they sing. Thanks go to Erik Jones for sharing this time saver.

7. Transitions are the key to keeping your lesson flowing seamlessly while keeping it relevant. Create a story with the songs and activities in your lesson, and tell a part of the story

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between each musical piece. A transition could also be a rhythm pattern, a melodic pattern, or a spoken rhyme.

Using this strategy, students get in place for their new activity quickly and remain engaged in learning. (You can learn more about musical transitions in an article by Kristina Caffey and Loren Tarnow on page 55 of the February 2013 issue of this magazine.)

I am positive that every teacher reading this article has ideas about how to increase time efficiency in their classroom. Take a moment and share your ideas on the Edmodo website at www.edmodo.com.

Just get your school district’s Edmodo code from your district technology specialist and become a member. Michele Hobizal does a superb job of keeping the TMEA Elementary Music Teacher site on Edmodo current. Join Edmodo and post your ideas or ask questions from other elementary music teachers.

Elementary Sessions for the 2014 Convention Do you have some great ideas for elementary sessions for the 2014 TMEA Clinic/Convention? Have you developed

a successful early childhood curriculum that you would like to share? What Orff or recorder concepts have worked for you?

Send me your recommendations of what you would like to attend at an elementary session at TMEA. If you are an expert in your field of music education, please submit a session proprosal on the TMEA website at www.tmea.org/clinicproposals.

Submissions are accepted until June 1. We want our 2014 TMEA Clinic/Convention to be relevant and meaningful for our amazing Texas teachers—you can help ensure that happens by sharing your expertise!

Apply to Perform at the 2014 TMEA Clinic/Convention Were your performing groups outstanding this year? Have you ever thought about bringing your choir or Orff ensemble to perform at TMEA? Please consider applying to perform at the 2014 TMEA Clinic/Convention. We will continue to have categories for auditioned and nonauditioned school choirs, district or city honor choirs, as well as instrumental and Orff ensembles.

The selection committee will be lis-

tening for choirs that perform with lovely head voices, proper diction, and excellent pitch matching. Instrumental ensembles should have outstanding technique, appropriate tempos, and accurate rhythms.

The deadline to apply is June 15. For an application, go to www.tmea.org/ elementaryapplication. Submit your best CD/DVD from a concert or performance.

You’ve worked diligently to develop your performing groups. Enter your choir or ensemble this year!

Region Workshops For details about the following workshops, go to www.tmea.org/workshops: May 3—Region 4 hosts Bradley Bonner presenting Playing Instruments and Developing Critical Thinking Skills in the Cross-Curricular Music Classroom on Friday, May 3, at Sulphur Springs Elementary School in Sulphur Springs.

May 4—Region 19 hosts Rhona Brink presenting May Songs and Games for the Elementary Music Classroom on Saturday, May 4, from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. at the San Jacinto North Campus in the Fine Arts Building.

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MUSIC IN SPACE

52 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

O

n March 27, Texas elementary music students participated in the first ever Music in Space live webcast, sharing music with astronauts on the International Space Station and with other schoolchildren in Canada. This live event was an installment of NASA’s Digital Learning Network (DLN). NASA began this educational program 10 years ago to offer students and teachers science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content featuring NASA missions and research. Given this STEM focus, it is particularly significant that NASA chose to feature music content via this program.

Astronauts have been living on the ISS since November of 2000, and Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield took command on March 13. Hadfield has been a long-time champion of Pearl Hall Elementary’s Building Cultural Bridges (BCB) program, supporting the school’s science and arts programs. He also is an accomplished guitarist and singer who plays in two astronaut bands and has appeared in several concerts on stage with the Houston Symphony and the Pearl Hall choirs performing at two world premier events.

The Webcast A vocal ensemble of Pearl Hall Elementary third graders joined American astronauts Dan Burbank and Cady Coleman (also accomplished musicians) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the Digital Learning Network studio. Like Hadfield, Burbank and Coleman have been to Pearl Hall (in Pasadena ISD) to inspire students in their educational endeavors. Burbank was commander of the ISS last year and also performed with students eight years ago at the NASA Educators Conference.

During the webcast, astronauts Burbank and Coleman and Pearl Hall Music Specialist Jami Lupold accompanied the students as they performed folk songs contributed to their BCB program by astronauts, engineers, and musicians from the countries of the ISS partners. The languages shared during this event represented the five major space agencies building, living, and working on the International Space Station. Music Specialist Pat Surface conducted the Pearl Hall student ensemble in performing songs in Russian representing ROSCOSMOS, in Japanese for JAXA, in Swedish representing the European Space Agency (ESA), and in English representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA. Music and Tech Specialist Seth Fewell led students at Pearl Hall Elementary in South Houston and at the Chris Hadfield Public School in Milton, Ontario, Canada (Hadfield’s hometown), as they interacted Pat Surface directly with Commander Hadfield orbiting at 17,500 mph around our planet. They took turns asking a variety of questions via HD live video downlink through the DLN studio.

Students Inspired After the event, students explained what it meant to them: • I loved learning songs from different countries and in different languages. I think it was cool that I was singing in a

different language that I didn’t know, and I had learned it in only a few days! — Meghan (Canada) • It was shocking when I was selected. I was kind of shy but I have gained great confidence after participating in this choir with astronauts. — John (Texas) • I learned about rockets NASA is building for future space flights to the moon and to Mars that I might get to go on someday. If I get to go to the moon, I will sing songs to tell the story of my adventure. That’s exciting! — Janeth (Texas) • If you are in a special choir, you have to do your best every day to sing well and get better. Everyone has to do their part or we won’t be the very best we can. I felt so proud when the show ended because astronauts Cady Coleman and Dan Burbank told us we were really great! — Aaliyah (Texas) • I could tell that all of my friends and peers were very excited for this event. It was really interesting when Chris told us some things he does in space. — Abdullah (Canada) • I wasn’t sure I could learn songs in Japanese, Russian, and Swedish. But when the day of the event came, I felt so happy that we had achieved our goal, and I was very proud of all the hard work we put into it. — Samuel (Texas) Building Bridges With NASA’s Digital Learning programs, Pearl Hall teachers were able to create a virtual classroom, bringing together students 1,300 miles apart with Hadfield orbiting 240 miles above Earth.

This extraordinary event is just the most recent opportunity Pearl Hall Elementary students have benefited from through their school’s 13-year Building Cultural Bridges program. This program was featured in the February 2007 and February 2011 issues of SOUTHWESTERN MUSICIAN. Go to www.tmea.org/magazine to find these articles in the archives and learn more about this incredible program. Through BCB, Pearl Hall students have explored international music, culture, science, and literature, especially by meeting with international guests from the Houston Symphony, NASA, CSA, and others.

Help Your Students Connect Even if a NASA center or large performing arts organization isn’t in your backyard, you can still launch a program like Building Cultural Bridges to benefit your students. In 2000, Pearl Hall music educators founded BCB on the basic idea that for music education to survive, music educators need to tap into community resources to establish a connection between education and the students’ place in the community. So wherever you are, look at your community. Learn about business and community leaders and their backgrounds. Think about what they can share with your students. Furthermore, consider what defines your community. With the Internet and live video chat technologies available, your community can extend anywhere around the world. And with that, the educational possibilities become limitless.

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 53

Out-of-This World Performances

T

Chris Hadfield

Cady Coleman All photos courtesy of NASA.

54 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

his May, ISS Commander Hadfield will again collaborate with students hundreds of miles below his position from the space station. On May 6 (just days before his return to Earth), Hadfield and students from across Canada will perform an original song Hadfield cowrote with Ed Robertson.

“I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)” is the official song for Music Monday, an annual event hosted by Canada’s Coalition for Music Education. Go to www.tmea.org/ smlink/musicinspace1 to watch a video of Hadfield performing from the ISS with Ed Robertson and a school glee club.

An Earth-to-space musical duet isn’t a new thing, however. In 2011, Cady Coleman (who hosted the DLN webcast discussed here) collaborated with Ian Anderson for the first ever Earthspace duet. Go to www.tmea.org/smlink/ musicinspace2 to watch video of this performance. Coleman gained notoriety as an astronaut when she brought several flutes to the ISS, including a 150-year-old

E-f lat Irish f lute belonging to Matt Molloy of the Chieftains.

Astronauts Coleman and Burbank play with Hadfield as “Bandella” when they are all present on our planet. Their group also recently performed from Earth and space when Hadfield, playing from the ISS, joined Coleman and Burbank who were with the Chieftains performing “Moondance” at the Houston Symphony. Go to www.tmea.org/smlink/ musicinspace3 to see this collaboration.

While serving as ISS Commander, Burbank also enjoyed the honor of performing with his musical inspiration, James Taylor, in a private link up between the ISS and the western Massachusetts barn where Taylor’s band records. After discussing how human physiology adapts to microgravity and how the various systems of the ISS work to provide a habitable environment for humans to live and work in space, Burbank joined Taylor in an Earth-space duet of “Secret O’ Life.”

UNT College of Music Summer Workshops 2013 9th Annual Pirastro Strings Elite Soloists Program Jeff Bradetich May 28-June 1

13th Annual Beginner and Intermediate Double Bass Camp Jeff Bradetich June 12-14

Flute! High School Masterclass Mary Karen Clardy June 5-9

Marimba Workshop Mark Ford June 17-21

ClarEssentials High School Clarinet Workshop Kimberly Cole Luevano, Daryl Coad, Deborah Fabian, John Scott June 13-15 Marching Percussion Camp Mark Ford June 10-13 26th Annual Bradetich Double Bass Masterclass Jeff Bradetich June 10-14 Flute! Fundamentals for Teachers Mary Karen Clardy June 10-14 Lynn Seaton Jazz Double Bass Workshop Lynn Seaton June 10-14 Conductors Collegium Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Dennis Fisher, H. Robert Reynolds June 10-21

String Orchestra Day Camp (Grades 5-12) Karrell Johnson June 16-21 Drum Major and Student Leadership Camp Nick Williams June 20-23 Vocal Pedagogy Workshop Stephen Austin June 20-22 Flute! Repertoire and Performance Masterclass Mary Karen Clardy June 21-23 Vocal Jazz Workshop Jennifer Barnes, Rosana Eckert, Gary Eckert, Greg Jasperce, Michael Palma June 23-28

Jazz Winds Workshop (Sx, Trpt and Trb) Brad Leali, Mike Steinel, Jay Saunders, Rodney Booth, Tony Baker & Steve Wiest July 8-13 Texas High School All-State Choir Camp Alan McClung July 10-13 Jazz Combo Workshop Mike Steinel, Brad Leali, Rodney Booth, Stefan Karlsson, Lynn Seaton, Fred Hamilton, Steve Wiest, Ed Soph and more.

July 14-19 Middle School/Jr. High Honor Choir Camp Alan McClung July 17-20 Piano & Organ Wellness Sheila Paige July 25-Aug. 2 Mariachi Summer Camp Donna Emmanuel July 24-27

Alexander Technique Phyllis Richmond July 12-13

For additional information contact David Pierce: 940-565-4092, david.pierce@unt.edu

Discover the power of music at: www.music.unt.edu

Perspectives on competition and music B Y

K E I T H

D Y E

A

s you read this, more of you than not will have probably concluded your most intensely competitive time of the year. Whether you actually went to UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest and festivals, heard final juries and auditions, led those cumulative group performances, or even administered finals or standardized academic testing, you’ve probably served a central role in a highly competitive learning environment.

As I sought inspiration for this piece I was engaged in two divergent tasks. One had me sharing the task of adjudicating UIL Concert performances of Region 12 non-varsity middle school bands. The other found me in the process of reading an intriguing new book by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, a researchbased analysis of how competition affects our motivation and subsequent performance in life.

I should begin by setting some framework for this discussion. Broadly, one can argue that competition is inherent in any act that involves comparison.

More specifically, competing is defined as “striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others trying to do the same.”

Obviously this is an expansive subject. For these purposes I’m going to focus on the acts that we, either by choice or obligation, engage in as music educators.

At this recent UIL event I witnessed the efforts of 40 bands over a two-day period. These 40 groups comprised over 2,000 young adolescents and their directors conducting them on stage during their individual performances. A special circumstance was having the pleasure of listening to the band directing work of two individuals whom I had started in instrumental music some 20 years ago and another three students I had the privilege of instructing as a college music educator.

COLLEGE NOTES IMPORTANT DATES May—Attend your spring Region meeting (see page 2).

May–June 1—Submit clinic proposals for the 2014 TMEA convention.

May—TMEA membership renewal available (see page 18 for important details).

June 30—All TMEA memberships expire.

October 11—College Division Fall Conference in Austin.

February 12–15, 2014—TMEA Clinic/ Convention.

It is our responsibility to frame the aspects of the competition not only for our students but also for their parents, our communities, and especially ourselves.

Southwestern Musician | May 2013 57

As I read Top Dog, I couldn’t help but start contemplating some important questions. What role does competition have in whether certain students go on to be music educators? What inherent pressures do my former students sense knowing I am publicly analyzing their tireless work in a competitive setting? How does this competitive process impact the lives of all these students, especially those in non-varsity groups—typically the youngest or least accomplished in their musical efforts? What impact does this seemingly simple act of assigning a qualitative rating and written feedback have on students, teachers, and parents? When and why does competition enhance or hinder our music education processes?

Undoubtedly all of us have weighed the perceived pros and cons competition has had on our musical efforts. If you’re like me, you’ve probably even held varying opinions depending on circumstances and outcomes. If I peer back to my early years of teaching (1979–1989), I vividly, and still somewhat embarrassingly, remember being the young band director who looked for competition to bolster my ego and self-worth as a music educator. In retrospect I readily acknowledge my selfcentered view, and I often wonder how many opportunities I missed to provide those students with an even better music education. I find some solace in thinking that perhaps my intense personal drive motivated some students by example, but I also acknowledge that there were certainly other students who were repelled by the focus I naturally chose. These students may have reacted more positively to a different approach.

Approximately 10 years later (1990– 1997), and being in the additional role of young parent, I clearly remember experiencing a gradual change in my point of view. I now was much more immediately aware of and concerned with the effect, both positive and negative, that competi-

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tion had on the lives of my students. I empathized more quickly with the disappointment they experienced when they sensed failure, and I also came to notice that for many of them, success didn’t appear to have a lasting impact.

Flash forward again (1998–2005). I was now in my role as a college professor, privy to observe and discuss what seemed to motivate young adults’ choices and behaviors in pursuing their career choices and paths. I discovered what I guess I always knew: some of them were driven in the manner I once was, but others seemed to have quite different reasons for pursuing a career in music education.

In more recent retrospect (2006– today), again from the vantage point of a parent (to one young music educator and another child also choosing that path and beginning her career as a band director this year), I unexpectedly found yet another unique perspective: looking at children following in my footsteps.

Additionally, I now find myself blessed to be part of a music education faculty seeking to shape and mold approximately 50 soon-to-be Texas certified music educators as they make their first decisions in the same role I found myself in during the fall of 1979. I share these thoughts with them, as I do you, hoping to decrease the learning curve in discovering how to best interact with their students and to raise our awareness of our personal motivation.

So, I’ve clearly traveled down my unique road of experience, and just like you I can look back at a multitude of divergent examples of human interaction in musically competitive circumstances.

What does Top Dog add to the discussion?

We all know the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Dan Pink makes the case that we are at our peak creative performance levels when we are provided autonomy in our tasks, achieve mastery through our efforts, and find purpose in our pursuits. He details these three ingre-

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dients: autonomy, mastery, and purpose as each being crucial to intrinsic motivation.

He tends to define most of what we refer to as competition, with its inherent award/ reward systems, as extrinsic motivators.

But are we often too simplistic in our interpretations? Nothing in life really is that black and white. In Top Dog, Bronson and Merryman make the case that competition—both how it is presented and how we react to it—is key for most of us to do our best and most creative work.

He argues that without competition most of us would fall short of the heights we commonly reach in a competitive environment—even when we do not “win.”

I’d like to share key points that the authors make and brief ly summarize some of the details used in support of these ideas. I’d encourage you to read the book for far more detail and insight into this fascinating subject.

“Competition makes the world go round. It is the engine of evolution and the foundation of democracy.” Bronson and Merryman divide and define two categories of competitiveness: adaptive and maladaptive. I’d like to advance that it is our responsibility to always be aware of both of these and to cultivate the appropriate form of competitiveness.

“Adaptive competitiveness is characterized by perseverance and determination . . . it’s bounded by an abiding respect for the rules. It’s the ability to feel satisfaction at having put in a worthy effort, even if you lose.” Adaptive competitors don’t have to be the best at everything—they strive to be the best at what they train for.

They are able to defer gratification and constantly strive for excellence without disparate concerns. Adaptive competitors inspire.

Maladaptive competitiveness is what gives competition a bad name.

Distinguished by psychological insecurities and displaced urges it moves the individual who can’t accept losing and competes even when no one else is competing.

“He drags others into (forms) of competition they don’t want to be in . . . (and) will resort to cheating when he can’t win.”

There are compelling indications that competition enhances most of us in our efforts to excel. Here are just a few, which the authors support with research: • Competition can improve task performance of approximately 50%

of subjects versus their performance when not competing. Competition doesn’t appear to impact an additional 25%, and the remaining 25% are, to varying degrees, negatively impacted.

• Overall, competitors do better when they believe they have a chance to succeed. Whether this is because they are competing in a smaller group or because they believe the abilities of those they perceive as top achievers are within their obtainable goals, they perform better when there is a realistic chance for success and worse when the outcomes appear dim.

• Rivalry enhances competitive results.

• Our competitive results are improved when we are in our own environment or territory.

• Being observed enhances competitors’ performance of mastered skills but hinders their performance of skills still being developed.

• Intermittent supervision of participants works better than constant supervision.

• To compete successfully we must comfortably embrace uncertainty. We must feel comfortable taking risks, accepting change and be ready for the unexpected.

insights. I don’t recall in those early years having conversations with peers or mentors regarding competition.

May I suggest we make prominent an open discussion of this subject? Think about how much of our time is spent preparing for the administration of our various competitive events. Is it possible we are not spending enough comparative time and energy in sharing the true and important nature of these tasks? Should we share our goals and feelings more often? Are we spending enough time educating our students and communities about the true nature of competition and how it affects so many facets of our world and their lives?

In summation, key to answering all of these questions and addressing concerns regarding competition is perspective—the perspectives we draw from our own lives and experiences and the perspectives we create as we frame the nature of competition for our students through our day-today behaviors. We owe it to our profession to more thoroughly analyze competition—the benefits it offers as well as the pitfalls it can create.

• It is fairness above all else that determines how we react to competition.

• The psychological responses we have to winning and losing are universal.

Research implies approximately 75% of any population will react to winning with joy or losing with sadness, and a very small percentage will respond to winning with self-enhancing narcissism or to losing with envy and anger. Also, how we react to winning and losing are correlated.

The above are only a minute sampling of the ideas shared, all presented and documented with an impressive amount of support in both research and practice.

Ultimately, it is our responsibility to frame the aspects of the competition not only for our students but also for their parents, our communities, and especially ourselves. As I divulged earlier, I do not believe I was consciously very adept at doing this early in my teaching career and came to understand the nature of my obligations as circumstances matured my 60 Southwestern Musician | May 2013

References Bronson, P, Merryman, A, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing. NY: Twelve; 2013.

Pink, D. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. NY: Riverhead Books; 2009.

Division Reminders Renew your TMEA membership early.

Every Texas college music faculty member should feel obligated to be a member of TMEA! (See page 18 for details.)

The College Division Fall Conference will be held at the TMEA offices in Austin on Friday, October 11. Mark your calendars and plan now to attend.

College Division Region Chairs, please continue to pursue completion of email requests with regard to your new responsibilities with the TMEA Mentoring Network.

Both new and current teachers should consider requesting a mentor through TMEA. Now is the time to begin your preparations for next year, and TMEA Mentors are a great resource.

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