August 2015 Southwestern Musician

SOUTHWESTERN MUSICIAN

AUGUST 2015

AUGUST 2015

AUGUST2015 8 4

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I S S U E

contents

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features

V O L U M E

columns

Superintendents Speak Up for Music Education . . . 13 Four Texas superintendents offer their perspectives on the importance of music education and some advice to music educators.

TMEA Collaborates with Music Prodigy to Deliver Music Classroom Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Employing the latest technology from Music Prodigy, the TMEA/TMAC music assessment project continues to progress.

Supporting a Successful Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 by john benzer

As students advance from one ensemble to the next, it’s important to continue our focus on the foundations that support that progress.

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Advocacy Starts With You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 by norm sands

Every music educator has an implied job to do—be an effective advocate for your program. Learn how to excel in this role!

Achieving Choral Excellence in Culturally Diverse Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

President’s Notes.............................................. 5

by Keith Dye

by dianne brumley

Executive Director’s Notes.................. 10

Cultural diversity, a hallmark of our great state, can often create challenges in the choral music classroom, but the challenges are not insurmountable when we choose excellence as the outcome.

by Robert Floyd

Band Notes............................................................. 19

by Andy Sealy

Orchestra Notes............................................... 27

by Penny Meitz

Vocal Notes............................................................ 36 Elementary Notes........................................... 46

by Juli Salzman

College Notes...................................................... 50

by Michele Henry

updates

by Robert Horton

Attend Your Fall Region Meeting.............................................................. 2 TMEA Code of Ethics and Standard Practices........................................ 4 2016 TMEA Clinic/Convention................................................................. 9 Invest in the Future: Start a TFME Chapter..........................................33 Your TMEA Membership Has Expired....................................................35

On the cover: Jayden Goldberg, a sophomore at Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, rehearses with the 2015 All-State Small School Mixed Choir.

Photo by Paul Denman.

Southwestern Musician | August 2015

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Editor-in-Chief: Robert Floyd rfloyd@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 101 Fax: 512-451-9213

Attend Your Fall Region Meeting

Managing Editor: Karen Cross

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

TMEA Executive Board President: Keith Dye

keith.dye@ttu.edu 6607 Norwood Avenue, Lubbock, 79413 806-742-2270 x 231 – Texas Tech University

Get involved and stay informed by attending your Region meetings.

Region Date

Time

Location

1

Aug. 15

10 a.m., 9:30 a.m. food

Amarillo HS

2

Aug. 15

10 a.m.

Argyle HS

3

Aug. 15

10 a.m.

Lake Highlands HS

4

Aug. 21

5 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant HS

Past-President: Janwin Overstreet-Goode

5

Aug. 16

2 p.m.

Lamar HS

joverstreet-goode@fisdk12.net 1406 Frontier Lane, Friendswood, 77546 281-482-3413 x 150/Fax: 281-996-2523 – Friendswood HS

6

Aug. 8

10 a.m.

Lee HS

7

Aug. 22

1 p.m.

Aledo HS

Band Vice-President: Andy Sealy

8

Aug. 8

10 a.m., 9:30 a.m. food

Belton HS

President-Elect: Dinah Menger

d.menger@sbcglobal.net 1305 Westcrest Drive, Arlington, 76013 817-891-1095 – Fort Worth ISD

sealya@lisd.net 4207 Plano Parkway, Carrollton, 75010 469-948-3011 – Hebron HS

Orchestra Vice-President: Penny Meitz

9

Aug. 15

9 a.m.

Klein Oak HS

10

Aug. 10

6:30 p.m.

Lamar Univ

pjmeitz@mac.com 5407 Coral Gables Drive, Houston, 77069 281-468-2593 – St. John’s School

11

Aug. 8

12 p.m.

Stevens HS

12

Aug. 8

10 a.m.

Madison HS

Vocal Vice-President: Robert Horton

13

Aug. 15

10 a.m.

George Ranch HS

14

Aug. 8

10 a.m., 9:30 a.m. coffee

Del Mar College

15

Aug. 15

10 a.m.

UT/Rio Grande Valley

16

Aug. 8

10 a.m.

Post HS

17

Aug. 15

9:30 a.m.

Angleton HS

rhorton@conroeisd.net 3205 West Davis Street, Conroe, 77304-2039 936-709-1200 – The Woodlands HS

Elementary Vice-President: Juli Salzman

julis@angletonisd.net 625 Milton Street, Angleton, 77515 (281) 660-4776 – Northside Elementary

18

Aug. 15

10 a.m., 9:30 a.m. food

Anderson HS

michele_henry@baylor.edu 1 Bear Place Unit 97408, Waco, 76798 254-644-0150 – Baylor University

19

Aug. 8

10 a.m.

San Jacinto College North

TMEA Staff

20

Aug. 15

9 a.m.

Duncanville HS

21

Aug. 8

10 a.m.

Nichols IS

22

Aug. 22

11 a.m.

10 a.m. UIL mtg

Eastwood HS Band Hall

23

Aug. 15

9 a.m.

8:00 a.m., food

Morton Ranch HS

24

Aug. 15

10 a.m.

Newman Smith HS

College Vice-President: Michele Henry

Executive Director: Robert Floyd | rfloyd@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 Communications Manager: Karen Cross | kcross@tmea.org Financial Manager: Laura Kocian | lkocian@tmea.org Information Technologist: Andrew Denman | adenman@tmea.org Administrative Assistant: Rita Ellinger | rellinger@tmea.org

TMEA Office

25

Aug. 22

10 a.m.

Plano East SH

26

Aug. 15

10 a.m.

McNeil HS

27

Aug. 15

9 a.m.

Cypress Creek HS

28

Aug. 8

10 a.m.

Harlingen HS

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 140465, Austin, 78714-0465 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 Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.

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.

Subscription rates: One Year – $20; Single copies $3.00. Periodical postage paid at Austin, TX, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Southwestern Musician, P.O. Box 140465, Austin, TX 78714-0465. Southwestern Musician was founded in 1915 by A.L. Harper. Renamed in 1934 and published by Dr. Clyde Jay Garrett. Published 1941–47 by Dr. Stella Owsley. Incorporated in 1948 as National by Harlan-Bell ­Publishers, Inc. Published 1947–54 by Dr. H. Grady Harlan. Purchased in 1954 by D.O. Wiley. Texas Music Educator was founded in 1936 by Richard J. Dunn and given to the Texas Music Educators Association, whose official publication it has been since 1938. In 1954, the two magazines were merged using the name Southwestern Musician combined with the Texas Music Educator under the editorship of D.O. Wiley, who continued to serve as editor until his retirement in 1963. At that time ownership of both magazines was assumed by TMEA. In August 2004 the TMEA Executive Board changed the name of the publication to Southwestern Musician.

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Southwestern Musician | August 2015

Code of Ethics and Standard Pr actices for Members of the Texas Music Educators Association The Texas Music Educators Association firmly believes music is an essential component in the education of Texas school children.

Therefore the conduct of music educators in the practice of the profession shall be above reproach. The purpose of this document is to define the ethical standards of Texas music educators. Texas music educators must clearly understand their duties and obligations to perpetuate the dignity and honor of the profession. This code is not intended to supersede, but rather enhance, any other codes to which the TMEA member might be subject.

SECTION 1 RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PROFESSION An Ethical Teacher: 1.10 Shall recognize that the profession demands integrity, high ideals, and dedication to music education.

1.11 Shall recognize that maintaining the integrity of the profession is the responsibility of each member.

1.12 Shall build a professional reputation based upon ability and integrity.

1.13 Shall endeavor to promote positive professional relations with colleagues in education.

1.14 Shall neither accept nor offer any gratuity, favor, service, or gift that would appear to result in special concession or diminished capacity of impartial professional judgment.

1.15 Shall respect the confidentiality of information that is privileged or that, if disclosed, may needlessly injure individuals or the school.

1.16 Shall at all times make a distinction between official policies of the school district or educational organization and personal opinion.

1.17 Shall not intentionally violate or misrepresent official policies of the school district or other educational organization.

1.18 Shall not falsify documents or compel others to do so.

1.19 Shall be aware of and abide by ­existing copyright laws and guard against any infringement thereof.

1.20 Shall maintain records accounting for all monies and conduct financial affairs with integrity.

1.21 Shall enter into a contract 4

Southwestern Musician | August 2015

or agreement only if it will allow the maintenance of professional integrity.

1.22 Shall respect and support colleagues and other school personnel in the proper performance of their duties.

1.23 Shall report to the appropriate entity any conduct by a colleague which is considered detrimental to the profession.

ships with students for private advantage.

2.17 Shall design and employ methods of instruction that provide the highest educational and musical experiences and instill a lifelong appreciation of music and the arts.

2.18 Shall continually engage in ­activities fostering professional growth.

SECTION 2 RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE STUDENT An Ethical Teacher: 2.10 Shall not grant any advantage, deny benefits, or unfairly exclude any student from participation in any program on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, disability, national origin, marital status, political or religious beliefs, family, social or cultural background, or sexual orientation.

2.11 Shall not take physical, emotional or financial advantage of any student.

2.12 Shall make every effort to protect the physical and mental health and safety of all students.

2.13 Shall not solicit or engage in sexual conduct or in a romantic relationship with any student.

2.14 Shall not furnish alcohol or illegal/unauthorized drugs to any student or knowingly allow any student to consume alcohol or illegal/unauthorized drugs in the presence of the educator.

2.15 Shall consider the individuality of each student when resolving problems (including discipline) and such resolutions shall be accomplished according to laws and school board policy.

2.16 Shall not use professional relation-

SECTION 3 RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMUNITY An Ethical Teacher: 3.10 Shall model conduct at all times in such a manner as to merit the respect of the public for members of the music education profession.

3.11 Shall maintain an active role in developing positive school and community relations.

3.12 Shall remain cognizant of the impact of the students’ home environment on their education and shall attempt to understand and work within existing community cultures.

3.13 Shall make every effort to communicate with parents when the interests of students would be best served by such communication.

3.14 Shall strive to improve the musical culture of the community and instill an appreciation for the arts.

3.15 Shall accept the professional ­responsibility to serve as an advocate in the community for matters relating to music education.

3.16 Shall remain aware of current legislation affecting education in general 0 and the arts in particular.

B Y

K E I T H

D Y E

PRESIDENT’S NOTES

Discord as necessity

A

August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

s you receive this issue of Southwestern Musician, you have also probably recently been made aware of the proposals regarding impending realignment. This process began with formal discussions in the spring of 2014, and as more ideas and concepts were explored it seemed to amplify the intensity and speed of each expected reaction. My purpose here is not to provide a narrative of the realignment process, but rather to share some lessons I’ve learned by being involved in the process, a process of change. (For details of the project status, go to www.tmea.org/realignment2016.)

It should come as a surprise to no one that change usually comes with a cost. Many far more eloquent than I have chimed in regarding the necessity of change. Frederick Douglass declared, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” George Bernard Shaw believed, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

Winston Churchill went so far as to state, “To improve is change; to be perfect is to change often!” This is all well and good, but most of us, as leaders of instructional programs, also know that bearing the burden of change is often thankless and taxing. Change is the key ingredient in the formula for discord, disagreement, conflict, dispute, and division.

Our individual lives, both professional and personal, are organic exemplars of change. One could even wonder if the examination of change and our reaction to it might be one of the very strongest indicators of the quality of our existence. I would argue that our perspective on change is a defining personal characteristic that often enables or handicaps our efforts in every facet of our lives.

In our personal lives the greatest changes—age and time—are inevitable.

Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony. —Heraclitus Southwestern Musician | August 2015

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We move in and out of relationships to varying degrees. We experience success and failure, joy and sorrow. Many of us move from the role of child to adult to parent while also morphing from dependent to colleague to mentor. All the while we maintain our frame of reference from earlier roles. This experience can be either the foundation of our success as we manage our ever-increasing responsibilities in our ever-maturing roles or the wall that blocks progress as we dwell on past negative episodes. Every component of this journey is highly personal and unique,

while still often being parallel and empathetic of the odyssey of others.

Music educators experience somewhat similar adventures and paths that refine our lives and help our perspectives evolve.

We grew up as students in schools that often offered comparable experiences. We were musicians in middle and high school looking up to our teachers and trying to envision what it would be like to be in their shoes. We went through higher education and encountered countless challenges to our personal status quos, not only musically and academically, but also

socially. As we began our professional careers we endured what for many of us was perhaps one of the most significant transformations of our psyche—our initial time as a teacher. Not only were we adjusting to the new autonomy, independence, and responsibility of our own lives, but we were also a most significant agent of change and powerful sphere of influence in the lives of each of our students, their families, and our communities.

Through all of this perspective is the key factor in appropriately managing the ups and downs of this constant evolution.

How often was our reaction to imminent change simply impulsive? Were there times when we anticipated the change and used our influence appropriately to help mold the results? Have we matured to the level where we can stand above the furor and turmoil of the conflicts and contrasts, carefully and thoughtfully deliberating on the best courses of action and on how each will impact our lives and of those affected by the choices we make?

Realignment Reactions Initial reactions by some TMEA members to potential changes in realignment quickly reminded me of many of my impressions of our current governing bodies. Much like with the nation’s current opposing major political forces, preliminary backlash came across as lacking common ground or purpose. I couldn’t help but wonder if we were, as a society, perhaps at a point where our only model for resolution was to become fully entrenched in diametrically opposed beliefs and to unwaveringly stand our ground to the bitter end. What happened to the notion of finding commonality and compromise? Are we losing our abilities to empathize? Is our connection to “the way it’s always been” so permanent that no other options could be discussed rationally?

To my relief and pleasure, other voices emerged as well. These efforts confirmed to me the resiliency and thoughtfulness of our membership. I witnessed people maturely and rationally expressing their ideas and viewpoints. Some responses indicated that, to some extent, they had lost touch with TMEA as a body of representative officers, starting at their local level, and had rediscovered the importance of being informed, aware, and involved in TMEA processes. They admitted they

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Southwestern Musician | August 2015

THIS IS THE HOUSE INNOVATION BUILT. The University of Houston is shaping the cultural landscape.

Welcome to the Powerhouse.

MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC Audition Information: uh.edu/music

were lax in keeping up with information in SouthweStern MuSician, had failed to fully participate in the process of elections, and were sometimes less than attentive with information relayed from state TMEA Board and at Division meetings.

I offer this not to assign blame, but to point out that conceivably the dispassionate attitudes we have in our democratic process—where often barely 20% of the electorate weighs in on a decision (votes)—have likely carried over to our organizational activities. For this reason I believe our realignment process very well could be the healthiest endeavor our organization has experienced in some time.

Renewed Commitment The unintended outcome of this process could be the much-needed improvement in formal membership involvement in TMEA processes. One such healthy outcome is the function of collaboration between TMEA and ATSSB. It has been approximately 10 years since ATSSB and TMEA formally joined forces. In that time there have been few significant

issues that have demanded these two formerly separate entities work together for a common solution. This is now happening through the highly respectful dialogue between TMEA and ATSSB leadership.

In terms of involvement in the election process, consider the following. In 2012, the Vice-President of the Band Division (our largest division) was elected with less than 10% of that division’s membership casting ballots. In 2014, I was elected President-Elect with approximately 15% of the total membership voting. And even after the President-Elect voting opportunity was extended to all TMEA active members this year via electronic ballots, participation increased only to approximately 20%.

These statistics and more are evidence that there is significant room for improvement in awareness and participation by our membership. All members’ interest and concern in the realignment process is healthy and welcomed, but the interest should not stop there. It is right and timely that it should awaken our collective thoughts and opinions and revive the

opportunities for constructive conversation, resulting in mature and positive compromise, not only for our profession, but also primarily for the opportunities and activities of the students we lead. I have high hopes that this process will refuel our involvement in our organization as it pertains to having individual voices represented in all discussions.

I do wish for every active TMEA member to thoughtfully consider all aspects of the realignment proposal that was distributed during the summer conventions and subsequently on the TMEA website (go to www.tmea.org/realignment2016). I wish for each of us to avoid myopic behaviors and attitudes and to be considerate in a most global manner.

To conclude, I’d like to share the words of one of the greatest motivators of the past 100 years, UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” I know we all have the potential to live up to this idea; join me in trying to put Coach Wooden’s words into appropriate action.

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FEB 10–13, 2016 SAN ANTONIO, TX

W W W.T M E A . O R G /C O N V E N T I O N Southwestern Musician | August 2015

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTES

B Y

R O B E R T

F L O Y D

Legislative action and music education

D

espite the 84th legislative session having ended almost two months ago, those involved in public education are still trying to determine the impact of bills that were either signed into law

by Governor Abbott or that automatically became law as of June 21 because they weren’t vetoed. I will share with you in this column any changes that may have an impact on arts education. The good news is that no bills made it through the process that would have a negative impact on our students in the classroom, but there is one bill that warrants attention at the local level.

House Bill 18 requires that districts must provide college and career instruction for seventh and eighth graders beginning in the 2015–2016 school year. This instruction must be provided at least once during seventh or eighth grade. The instruction must cover five areas: the creation of a high school personal graduation plan, the distinguished level of achievement, the five endorsements, college readiness standards, and education requirements to enter potential career areas.

We all know the struggles our students experience to schedule electives in these grades, and with expanded local requirements, STAAR remediation, and state requirements such as this, that challenge could become even more significant. However, the reality is that leadership at the capitol recognized that for HB 5 (which restructured graduation programs) to be successful, students in middle school must be adequately informed on the above-mentioned

August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

An ethical teacher shall remain aware of current legislation affecting education in general and the arts in particular. —TMEA Code of Ethics & Standard Practices, 3.16 (see page 4)

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

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topics. Especially important is educating students who do not plan to attend college about the career opportunities available in their geographic area.

When House Bill 5 was being developed in 2013, part of the discussion was to require a middle school course to provide this information, but that did not make it into the final version of the bill. HB 18, then, is a follow-up to that priority but stops short of requiring a course, allowing districts to determine how best to meet this mandate. While TMEA had proposed language that allowed for instruction to be provided in a variety of arrangements and settings determined by the local school district, as with all legislation, final language represents a compromise.

The bill states that the above required instruction can be embedded in an existing course in the required curriculum or in an existing CTE course designated as appropriate for this purpose by the SBOE or be delivered in a new elective course.

The Center for Teaching and Learning at UT/Austin is developing an online program for districts to use to provide the required instruction within an existing course. These materials by law must be available by December 1.

It will be critical for you to monitor how your district plans to meet this requirement. At this late date, it is highly unlikely that a campus will create and schedule every seventh- or eighth-grade student into a new course, especially since there is no state funding supporting this new mandate. The most likely option is that your district will expand how they counsel students on HB 5 and will provide more information on career opportunities, perhaps provided by the new online materials.

The bill is silent on whether each student must receive this instruction in the same manner. Some may get it in a CTE career opportunities course, some through AVID, or some through an existing course by counselors visiting those classrooms.

To help students who already struggle with scheduling to remain in your program, you could offer to cover these areas as part of your instruction, using the new online materials. Meanwhile we will be communicating with TASA, TASB, and TASSP to devise methods that address the mandate with limited negative impact on electives for students.

Another bill to be aware of is HB 2804.

This bill broadens Texas’s public school accountability system such that schools are not judged solely on a standardized test. The fifth domain in this accountability system is of interest since districts and campuses will designate a selected subset of three categories of locally determined Community and Student Engagement (CaSE) ratings to be a part of their accountability process. Before the beginning of each school year, districts and campuses must identify, post on their websites, and report to TEA which three CaSE ratings are to be used for accountability ratings, along with the criteria that will be used to evaluate performance in the designated categories.

Since fine arts is one of the seven areas for consideration, each of us should campaign to have our program selected as an indicator. This is an opportunity for fine arts to be a contributor to its district or campus accountability rating, and this creates an opportunity to request support to strengthen fine arts programs even more to help elevate the rating.

Finally, HB 1474 changed the Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) from an annual allocation to a bien-

nial allocation and requires the Texas Education Agency to make the full amount available to districts the first year of the biennium. This is important to us because funds to purchase materials to support the new TEKS should now be available, not just for secondary math and all-level social studies but also for fine arts. The legislature appropriated the full amount to purchase all these materials, and it is incumbent on you to lobby for these appropriated dollars for materials for your program.

Our goal going into this session was to protect our success in the passage of HB 5 in 2013, relating to new graduation requirements and pull-out limitations. To that extent, we believe this was a successful session. While school funding continues to be a critical concern for those of us involved in public education, no further solution will be reached until the courts act on the constitutionality of the current process. While some districts gained dollars from the recent funding increases, others lost money. As always, if you have questions on law or state board policy as they relate to fine arts, please call me, and I will make every attempt to help you. 0

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 11

Texas Lutheran University School of Music

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS Scholarships are available for both music and non-music majors. These awards are intended to provide recognition for scholarship and talent in the study of music.

For specific qualifications for each award, visit www.tlu.edu/music-scholarships.

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION DATES: Saturday, January 23, 2016 Sunday, February 21, 2016 Saturday, March 5, 2016 Sunday, April 3, 2016

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC DEPARTMENT HEADS Douglas R. Boyer Director, School of Music and Director of Choral Activities dboyer@tlu.edu 830-372-6869 or 800-771-8521

Beth Bronk Director of Bands bbronk@tlu.edu

Shaaron Conoly Director of Vocal Studies sconoly@tlu.edu

Eric Daub Director of Piano Studies edaub@tlu.edu

Eliza Jeffords BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN ALL-LEVEL MUSIC EDUCATION BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN PERFORMANCE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC

Director of Strings ejeffords@tlu.edu

www.tlu.edu/music

superintendents speak up for music education

W

hether you’re a novice or veteran music educator, we hope this time of year is marked by the anticipation of a successful school year—one in which students are eager to learn, families are supportive, and your administrators champion your work.

As an association dedicated to excellence in music education, TMEA leaders are always encouraged to hear about school administrators who value music education in the development of every student.

This summer, we asked four school superintendents to offer their perspectives on music education and share what they have observed in their districts. We also asked them to provide advice that could help music educators in their work. We hope you enjoy reading their positive thoughts and insightfulness and further hope that it motivates you to rededicate yourself to this most important profession.

Thanks go to the following superintendents for taking their time to participate, but more importantly, for their devotion to their teachers and students and their support of music education: • Charles Dupre, Fort Bend ISD • Bruce Gearing, Dripping Springs ISD • Jim Cain, Klein ISD • Linda Henrie, Mesquite ISD (retired, 2015)

What have you observed in your district that has convinced you music education is an integral part of a well-rounded education?

Charles Dupre: Students involved in fine arts are more fully engaged in school and the learning process. In today’s rigorous learning environment, students must feel positive and confident about their ability to master complex academic subjects. A robust music education program enables students to enjoy success and to build their confidence—their self-efficacy as a person and as a learner. This success translates into high student achievement in the foundation content areas.

Bruce Gearing: Dripping Springs ISD has an outstanding music program that is growing over time. Our students spend countless hours practicing individually and collaboratively to produce these results. They learn discipline, perseverance, collaboration, creativity, and innovation, and they achieve incredible results in their other academic classrooms as well. These are 21st-century skills necessary for student success no matter the path they choose in life. Further, we are exploring ways to create even more opportunities for our students to connect to their passions through advanced and creative coursework and scheduling to enable students to complete classes in electronic music media all the way to AP Music Theory. One example is the ability for a student who is mastering an instrument not in one of our regular band classes to create a class in their schedule that allows them time in school to work on mastering their instrument.

Jim Cain: The correlations between music education and high Southwestern Musician | August 2015 13

Dr. Stan Renard

Bachelors Degrees Music Education

Music Marketing

Performance Composition Music Marketing

Violin Bachelor of Arts

Dr. Joseph Cooper Brass Trumpet

Prof. Dawn Loring Dance

Masters Degrees Music Education Conducting Performance Piano Pedagogy &

Our music faculty is actively involved in performing, creating, and nurturing the next generation of teachers, performers, scholars, and music industry professionals. Both graduate students and undergraduates have the opportunity to study with faculty members like these. Call or email to find out how you can be a part of the UTSA family.

Performance Vocal Pedagogy & Performance

facebook.com/UTSAMusic (210) 458-4354 http://music.utsa.edu

achievement in foundation subjects are overwhelmingly positive.

In Klein ISD, we take great pride in consistently making note of this to parents.

Linda Henrie: Many of our students have excelled in music— despite the test-driven environment. Our district has a very strong program beginning in elementary school, and this lays the foundation for success in high school. Music is a part of understanding our history and culture, and it is important that students have experiences in this area. Another observation has been the bond of friendships that form. Students never forget their times spent working together to achieve a goal.

What would you advise administrators of schools who consistently remove students from music class to receive remediation for STAAR-assessed subjects?

Charles Dupre: I would encourage them to identify other ways to creatively schedule interventions within the school day.

Many students attend school regularly because they enjoy the fun, engaging courses like music. Removing students from their music classes is generally punitive, which discourages students and causes them to lose interest in school—especially if they are struggling learners in the foundation content areas. There are many creative ways to provide needed student interventions without removing them from the engaging programs they enjoy.

Bruce Gearing: Not only stop doing it, but do the opposite.

Encourage your students to connect to their passions and learn at high levels in what they love to do. The results will come.

Jim Cain: Consistent removal is not a good idea. We try not to disrupt any class when we are doing STAAR remediation.

Linda Henrie: My advice would be to avoid if at all possible.

First, it sends a message that the music class is not as important as other academics; this becomes frustrating for students as well as teachers. Teachers from all areas need to feel supported and valued for what they do. Second, the students miss the opportunity of learning the content and becoming the best they can be when they are removed from class on a regular basis. There may be some urgent situations when it may be necessary in order to help the student; however, on a regular basis it would be a concern.

should be integrated wherever possible. This is particularly true in project-based learning environments. I expect our teachers to explore opportunities to collaborate whenever possible across all areas of the curriculum. Our fourth- and fifth-grade students participate in a program called ACE (academic challenge and enrichment) where curriculum is condensed into four days and the fifth day is devoted to project-based learning. This is an opportunity for students and teachers to integrate curriculum in creative and innovative ways which includes the arts and music in particular. We also encourage our students to participate in fine arts competitions such as UIL and PTA Reflections.

Jim Cain: Everyone on the campus is part of the same team— to the extent that collaboration is possible and appropriate, we encourage it.

Linda Henrie: Our expectation is for all teachers to teach the curriculum as it is written and to work together as teams. This allows alignment with other curricular areas and provides support to what is being taught in the classroom. This helps students make connections and also to learn about the music during the time period they are studying in social studies.

What is most beneficial to you when evaluating proposals that require additional funding or that have a scheduling impact?

Charles Dupre: I generally expect to see a relationship between the investment being made and the expected outcomes—return on investment or cost/benefit analysis. We must always consider the dollar cost of additional funding or scheduling changes, but we must also consider the political cost or “opportunity costs” to determine if the anticipated outcomes are worth the investment.

Ideally, this information should be presented in a clear, tabular format, with related explanation provided.

Bruce Gearing: I evaluate proposals based on several criteria, including (but not limited to) research and background information, data analysis of local and external data, financial impact (if any), staffing impact (if any), professional development needs,

In what ways do you expect your music teachers to collaborate with teachers of other subjects?

Charles Dupre: A music teacher is a teacher and responsible for integrating foundation content (math, English, science, social studies) into the music curriculum.

By integrating curriculum in this way, students are able to make connections between the various content areas and to better grasp the relevance of the many things they learn at school. Just as I expect music teachers to support other teachers by reinforcing content and concepts taught, I expect the classroom teachers to identify relationships to the content students learn in music class.

Building these bridges requires a vibrant collaborative school environment.

Bruce Gearing: I believe that curriculum Southwestern Musician | August 2015 15

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and anticipated outcomes on multiple measures including academics and whole child development. Ultimately I ask the question: How does this proposal maximize the potential of those involved?

Jim Cain: I like reports that are specific and to the point.

Information must be presented in a straightforward manner, and a long-range look at the impact of the funding or the scheduling is critical.

Linda Henrie: We consider factors such as how the proposal will affect the overall instructional program, research that supports the proposal, the cost, selected measures for evaluating impact, and feasibility of replication in other schools. A written proposal is preferred.

What do you view as the primary benefits for a student participating in a quality music program?

Charles Dupre: In my view, the primary benefits for students participating in a quality music program are discipline, time management skills, teamwork skills, focus, confidence, perseverance, and a well-developed work ethic. Students take away confidence and a healthy self-image that is based on earning success through their own efforts. Effective music educators are skilled at developing these skills in students through sound instruction, by setting high expectations, and by holding them accountable for practice and performance. Over time, I have found high performing music educators—those running successful programs and developing successful students—provide the greatest value as credible advocates for music education.

Bruce Gearing: I personally benefited from a musical upbring-

ing. My four children each play at least one musical instrument. I believe in high-quality instruction and the skills a child learns from mastering a musical instrument (including voice): discipline, perseverance, emotional connection, exploration of passion, mathematical abilities, practice technique, technical abilities, presentation of skills, expression of emotions, linguistic and literature connections, history, risk taking, coping with failure, how to conquer fear, performance skills, and more. I have seen lots of research on the benefits of a great music education. More importantly I have experienced it repeatedly in my own life, in my children’s lives, and in my students’ lives. I believe!

Jim Cain: Over the years I have seen numerous studies about the short-term and long-term benefits of a quality music program. Positive impacts on the social, emotional, and academic well-being of students are evident across the fine arts. I believe that the music teachers, coordinators, and directors in our state are among the finest in the U.S. Linda Henrie: Participating in a quality music program helps students appreciate and understand the various types of music.

Our students have the opportunity to attend a symphony and an opera while in elementary school, and the vast majority of them would never be able to attend either performance outside the school day. This opens opportunities for new experiences and helps promote literacy and understanding about the various cultural opportunities available. When districts experienced budget cuts several years ago, our district could have saved money by reducing some of our music programs—especially in elementary school. However, we did not take that step because of the value we place on educating the whole child.

0

Étude CliniC days Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center

All-Region Jazz

Saturday, September 26, 2015 · 1- 4 pm Performance by the tarleton Jazz 1 ensemble will follow the clinic.

All-Region Concert Band Sunday, November 15, 2015 · 1- 5 pm

Performance by the tarleton Wind ensemble with guest composer John Mackey will follow the clinic.

BOTH CLINICS ARE FREE OF CHARGE Register for these clinics at www.tarleton.edu/clinicday Southwestern Musician | August 2015 17

TMEA Collaborates with Music Prodigy to Deliver Music Classroom Assessment

T

exas Music Educators Association and Texas Music Administrators Conference (TMAC) are collaborating with Music Prodigy to deliver the TMEA/TMAC Music Assessment Project through Music Prodigy Quiz.

In 2008, TMEA and TMAC created and offered a pilot music assessment tool for statewide use through a cooperative process driven by music educators. At the time, we were limited by technologies that lacked the capability to assess all voices and instruments.

Earlier this year, Music Prodigy released Music Prodigy Quiz. This classroom tool delivers performance and music theory assessment in a single setting. It is powered by Music Prodigy’s patented polyphonic pitch recognition technology that listens to and evaluates music as it is performed by all voices, strings, percussion, and winds. Music Prodigy Quiz

18 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

works on iPhone, iPad, Android devices, Windows, and Mac platforms.

TMEA is pleased that with Music Prodigy Quiz, we can address the creative performance of each student along with basic knowledge of music and music notation. Music Prodigy was deployed in classrooms this spring for summative assessments using TMEA assessment items and is now ready for continued piloting for every music educator and student this fall.

“Music Prodigy is focused on working with music educators to help them save time and provide them with great teaching and learning tools. Music Prodigy is proud to collaborate with TMEA, a leading music educational organization. We are excited to deliver their assessment content in Music Prodigy Quiz,” said Harold Lee, Music Prodigy’s CEO. Music Prodigy Quiz is a feature of Music Prodigy Core that combines a

Cloud-based service with a powerful software application; the capability to listen to and instantaneously evaluate all voices, strings, percussion, and winds; a music content library with thousands of music titles; skill development exercises; and a rich reporting experience for teachers with a direct and training-free approach to document the progress of each student.

Music Prodigy Quiz can also be used separately for formative and summative, annual assessments.

Since 2008, Music Prodigy has been helping hundreds of thousands of musicians improve their performance. To learn more about Music Prodigy and the extensible capabilities to which students and teachers have access and to download Music Prodigy for your classroom, go to www.musicprodigy.com or email info@musicprodigy.com.

To participate in the assessment pilot, email fcoachman@tmea.org.

0

B Y

A N D Y

BAND NOTES

S E A L Y

In Memoriam R andy Storie February 10, 1949–May 11, 2015 Robert D. Jorgensen December 26, 1945–July 4, 2015

Motivation, structure, and accommodation August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

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

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

September 1—Deadline to submit All-State etude errata to the Band Division Chair.

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

October 23—Deadline to receive All-State Jazz audition CDs in the TMEA office.

November 6–7—All-State Jazz judging.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

January 9—Area Band and Vocal auditions.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

T

he stewardship of our band programs includes creating an atmosphere and expectation of excellence, but more importantly, an atmosphere and expectation of tolerance and encouragement. Statewide, student enrollment comprises an increasing variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Motivation for student enrollment continues to broaden as well.

Identifying the motivators can be challenging as they often evolve as students mature or experience success or setbacks.

Hopefully, many of us are fortunate to have some small percentage of students, regardless of age or experience, who are genuinely interested in learning music for its sake. These rare students are a joy to teach and sometimes require little more than some constructive criticism and the next day’s musical lesson to flourish and succeed. We teach students who are with us because their parents or older siblings had a terrific experience in our or some other band program. Those folks want their children or younger siblings to grow and benefit from similar experiences and opportunities. We have students whose parents make them enroll as a defense against negative outside influences or simply because they have an instrument in the attic and none of the other electives options seem attractive. And, of course, we have students enroll because it’s a socially appropriate place to be within their peer group. They’re in the band program simply because their friends are. Each of our programs embodies some elements of these groups plus endless variations and hybrids.

While our band memberships represent a greater cross-section of

We must seek out ways to promote compassion for all. A one-size-fits-all program is unrealistic in today’s music education landscape.

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 19

motivations than we realize, it remains vital that we provide some very basic structures to ensure our students’ security and success. Work to create a physically and emotionally safe environment for your band students. School safety continues to require increased monitoring and compliance. Emotional safety is just as important. Feedback should be designed not only to reward mastery or encourage further practice but also to respect effort and long-term improvement. We must find ways to teach our students how to handle and learn from both short-term successes and failures.

As adults, we know there is often much to learn from temporary setbacks.

Share this with your students and help them glean lessons that will make them stronger and more resilient in the face of adversity. Student accountability and assessment should be clear, measurable, and performance-based. Be consistent in your expectations with regard to rehearsal times, procedures, and makeup work.

Engage your students in your vision for the program and what you believe are its core values. Actively solicit their input, especially with goal-setting and evaluating what’s working and what needs revamping about the band program.

Pay special attention to the activities students truly enjoy or value. Remember, it’s ultimately their band, not yours. Try to include ample volunteer and service

opportunities, both within the program and, more importantly, in the wider school and community environment. And finally, remember and support why the students are in school in the first place: to get an academic education. Encourage their academic success in your class and in their other academic classes taught by your colleagues.

We must also accommodate our students individually on a variety of levels and adjust the offerings of our band programs as our communities evolve.

Translate handbooks, concert programs, portions of the website, and general information bulletins into different languages if needed. Also provide translators if possible for booster club parent meetings or recruiting events. Encourage students to bring and share cultural dishes at the band picnic. Look for ways to program music that will resonate in the general community or in conjunction with special group remembrances or holidays. Wherever possible, establish financial safety nets for students so that they may have equal access to basic supplies, private lessons, and travel opportunities. In a broader sense try to understand the cultural expectations for learning, homework, class participation, communications, and student/teacher interactions.

Despite the immediate pressures that confront us with the start of a new year we must seek out ways to promote com-

passion for all. A one-size-fits-all program is unrealistic in today’s music education landscape. We all are charged with adapting our programs to individual student needs and learning styles.

TMEA Membership Renewal and Convention Updates It’s time once again to renew your TMEA membership. To complete this online, go to www.tmea.org/renew. If you cannot pay via credit card, you can submit your renewal via mail or fax by downloading the membership form from www.tmea.org/renew. Remember that your 2014–2015 membership expired June 30, and if you purchased liability insurance through TMEA, it expires on August 20. You must be a current TMEA member to renew that liability insurance (which no teacher should be without).

You must also be active to enter students into the TMEA All-State audition process. Avoid the panic of waiting until the last minute by renewing well in advance of any deadline. When you renew, you can also preregister for the 2016 Clinic/ Convention held in San Antonio, February 10–13.

Important Region Meeting Notice Please make plans to attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for the schedule). In addition to important local business and UIL updates, each Region will be charged with nominating candidates for TMEA Band Division Vice-President and for TMEA President-Elect. Elections for these posts will be held in February in conjunction with the 2016 TMEA Clinic/ Convention. Further details highlighting the candidates will be published in this magazine and online. At this meeting, you will also receive an update on the realignment project and have the opportunity to offer your feedback to be communicated to the Executive Board.

2016 Clinic/Convention Update Conductors for the 2016 TMEA Clinic/Convention All-State Bands and Jazz Ensembles are: • Michael Haithcock, University of Michigan (All-State Symphonic Band) • Kevin Geraldi, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (All-State Concert Band)

20 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

• Don McKinney, University of Colorado Boulder (5A All-State Symphonic Band) • Jim Widner, University of Missouri–St. Louis (All-State Jazz Ensemble I) • Dan Gailey, University of Kansas (All-State Jazz Ensemble II) Our featured clinician will be Richard Floyd, UIL State Director of Music, Emeritus.

More detailed information about these outstanding musicians and educators will be forthcoming in future editions of this magazine.

All-State Audition Material The TMEA All-State audition etudes are posted on the website along with performance guides and errata. The website is the only official posting of these items, and September 1 is the deadline for errata submissions to the State Band Chair.

Please monitor the website frequently for updates. Thanks to this year’s etude selectors for their musical expertise and presentations at the TBA convention.

Give Back Please also consider serving TMEA in two important roles. First, please consider serving as a mentor in your area for young band directors or directors new to the state. You can provide valuable professional support for your colleagues and help ensure their continued development and longevity by enrolling online to serve as a part of the TMEA Mentoring Program. Second, please consider serving as a convention volunteer for 2016. It truly takes a cast of thousands to produce a successful convention experience for our membership. There are a wide variety of critical roles available for you give back to the organization at the convention. Please go to www.tmea.org/bandvolunteer to submit your information and availability.

In Gratitude Thanks go to the Board of Directors and staff of the Texas Bandmasters Association for preparing and presenting an exciting, educational, and rewarding lineup of clinics and events at the recent TBA Convention in San Antonio being held as this magazine was in production.

Finally, a sincere and heartfelt thanks to those many dedicated educators who served as judges, Area Chairs, contest hosts, and room monitors for the summerlong TMEA Honor Band process. We’ll recognize the finalists and highlight those ensembles presenting honor concerts at the 2016 TMEA convention in upcoming issues.

0

Your TMEA Membership Has Expired Don’t wait for a deadline to renew. Act now to receive benefits throughout the year. When you renew, be sure to purchase liability insurance as well.

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Supporting a Successful Transition b y

J o h n

A

s you think about starting a new school year and working with students who are moving from a beginner class to a middle school/junior high ensemble or ninth graders going into a high school ensemble, it is paramount that you provide visual, audible, and physical monitoring every day. It is through our vigilance with what might seem like basic concepts that we can establish a foundation on which students are afforded a more meaningful music-making experience.

Whether you are a first-year or veteran teacher, it’s always important to revisit an elemental checklist of ideas that can help you better lead your ensembles in their individual and collective development. As we grow our programs, we can easily allow other priorities to overshadow the basics, so while you work to set up your classes and establish a productive environment, think about how you can apply the following ideas that I have found to be of particular benefit to ensembles at any age:

Classroom Setup The physical setup of any teaching space can greatly influence the efficiency and effectiveness of instruction. Here are a few points to consider: • Provide a space for books and other resources.

• Keep a box of pencils in a designated place for students to borrow one if needed as they walk into the classroom.

• Designate a space for large cases. They should not be allowed within the ensemble setup.

• Create enough room between rows/risers to walk around and monitor posture, feet, hand position, embouchure, and

22 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

B e n z e r

more from different angles. Some critical issues cannot be seen from the podium.

• Students should be encouraged to walk from the sides into the setup, rather than from the front or back through it.

• Flute and horn students may need to move the angles of their chairs, depending on the setup of the previous class.

• Vent brass music stands for both visual and balance purposes.

• Seat individual flute, double-reed, and saxophone players who do not yet use vibrato in between two more experienced students who do.

• Do not place weaker double-reed players on the second or third rows. The farther back you place them, the less they project and develop their sounds. To give these students the information they need in their development, you must be near them.

• Seating brass players on risers (stands on or off) allows them to more easily project, and trombonists can more easily move their slides.

Student Responsibilities At every opportunity, we should remind students of their responsibilities as individual musicians and to the full ensemble.

While their responsibility to develop their musical skills is clear, some daily tasks should not be overlooked: • Regardless of age or level, at the start of each class, each student should be required to show they have a pencil.

• Students should not be allowed to share music, even if they share stands. This ensures each student can be held accountable for marking their individual copy and that they have a copy to take home for practice. All students should be expected to mark their music.

• Students must be held accountable for being punctual to all school and non-school activities of your program.

• Students must properly care for and maintain their instruments (therefore you must teach, monitor, and positively reinforce this behavior and consistently provide 3–5 minutes at the end of every class for students to develop these habits).

• Double-reed players should be required to have water containers for their performance and backup reeds. Single reed players should keep backup reeds out of their case, preferably in reed guards.

• Brass players should be required to have either valve oil or water bottles.

Ensemble Expectations As a group, the ensemble must be held accountable for its collective behavior and progress. Consider a few ideas as you prepare to lead ensembles in this new school year: • Students must understand that the most important aspect of a rehearsal is the information and performance feedback you give. This further applies to rests in between groups/capsules in warm-up exercises.

• Students need to understand that this feedback you offer is information to help improve their performance ability, not criticism concerning how they are performing at this given time.

• While you are talking, students should never finger their part. Otherwise, this shows they are following their agenda, not yours.

• Students must look at you while you are talking. Otherwise, it should be assumed they are not receiving your information.

• When asking or answering questions, teach your students to speak clearly and audibly enough for the entire ensemble to hear. Repeating a student’s question for the ensemble to hear means time taken away from rehearsal.

• If other directors help during rehearsals, students need to get used to their interaction with you and other students.

This will help them in any rehearsals in which you bring in a clinician.

Director Strategies We can hold students accountable only if we equip them and constantly support them in their development. Here are some more basic points to remember as we strive to create a successful learning environment: • Display the day’s drill exercises, all literature to be rehearsed, and pertinent announcements where they are clearly visible to students entering the room. Percussionists must know

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24 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

what equipment is needed for the rehearsal to prevent distractions and off-task behavior.

• Utilize technique books throughout the school year.

Sightreading procedures and rules can easily be integrated and reinforced during this continual process.

• When providing scale sheets—especially to younger, nonvarsity players—ensure they are large enough to allow for immediate recognition (e.g., All-Region scale sheets can be too overwhelming given their size and amount of notes and octaves).

• If you teach pop music, enlarge the half-size sheet music.

The compressed size can make a piece appear more demanding than it truly is. Once a piece is taught, you could redistribute the smaller, original parts if flip folders are used for a performance.

• Each performing ensemble, in theory, should have a tailored warm-up based on the students’ ability levels. Your daily drill exercises should be chosen wisely so as not to overwhelm or push students beyond their best sound or ability level.

• Foster an atmosphere that motivates students to volunteer to perform in front of the class—model warm-up exercises, scales, etudes, performance literature, etc.

• Conduct daily music and materials checks when necessary, and document when students forget their instruments, music, or other required items.

Warm-up Considerations Implement warm-up routines that will help students prepare for the day’s rehearsal and that allow you to evaluate their mastery of fundamentals: • During the initial weeks or months of the school year— especially with younger players—have them slur all intervallic exercises. Tonguing often adds interference, which causes gaps between notes due to students stopping their air.

• Watch for embouchures collapsing or resetting when breathing and during rests.

• Three-note intervallic exercises should not be attempted in varsity or non-varsity ensembles until students successfully move from the first to the second note without a bump or change in tone, volume, etc.

• When performing exercises where woodwinds play and brass answer on their mouthpieces or with their entire instrument, incorporate a rest in between the two families to allow you to hear the attack and release.

• If you use F-around-the-room, don’t be constrained by following a standard/expected order. Include the most consistently in-tune sections earlier in the order as this will allow others to focus on an in-tune sound for a longer period prior to entering.

• When performing articulation exercises with younger nonvarsity bands, be cautious of incorporating long-lifted and staccato notes too early in the school year.

• Select the easiest and shortest four-part chorale with basic

rhythms and in a sensible key you will likely be reading throughout the year.

• As new styles are learned throughout the year, use an around-the-room routine in the same way as a tuning note to help you assess how each section is mastering the new style. This can help you in your literature decisions.

• Major scales should be an integral part of the school year— not just during Region band audition time. Since most non-varsity middle school or junior high students do not participate in these auditions, scales must be performed on a regular basis.

Marking Music It is important to teach students how to mark their music properly and hold them accountable for this practice.

• Don’t allow students to keep music being rehearsed in plastic protectors—this immediately shows they are not marking their music.

• Teach your students how to correctly number their measures.

• When you instruct students to mark their music, also mark your score. In future rehearsals, you will know that students should have their parts marked because yours is. These markings will also help you evaluate students when playing off music individually or in groups for grades.

• After instructing students to mark something, walk around the setup with your score and monitor that students are making accurate markings. Discipline yourself to have students mark something every day—a breath mark, an accidental, etc. If you don’t, students will never buy into the importance of being required to have a pencil.

• Not having a pencil is not a legitimate reason for students not marking their parts (as mentioned in the setup section, having a box of available pencils could prevent this issue).

As this and each year begins, strive to be as organized and detailed as possible. Your students will remain successful as long as you have a structured, goal-oriented focus to every aspect of your daily rehearsals. This solid foundation will provide them the opportunity to enjoy the pure benefit of making music with others and succeeding as an ensemble. I wish you the best of luck as you begin another year of teaching in this unique and extraordinary profession.

0 John Benzer is a music education faculty member at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music.

Share Your Expertise Many of our best feature articles, like the ones in this issue, are written by TMEA members like you. Whatever your areas of success, Southwestern Musician provides a venue for sharing your ideas with your colleagues around the state. Learn more at:

www.tmea.org/magazine Southwestern Musician | August 2015 25

Outstanding Music Administrator 2015 Cody Meyers, Fine Arts Director, Amarillo ISD I am very appreciative to TMAC for this honor. To be included among so many former recipients I admire and respect is, indeed, humbling. I must acknowledge my colleagues in Amarillo ISD, administrators, school board members, and teachers alike, whose outstanding work in the fine arts on behalf of Amarillo children has resulted in this award. I am grateful to work in such a caring and responsive district and community.

Behind every truly successful person stands a mentor, many times in the shadows. So it has been in my case.

Upon entering the arena of music administration in 1997, I quickly realized that I needed help! David Lambert from Fort Bend ISD

repeatedly became my “go to guy” for counsel and advice. He was perhaps the single greatest influence as I developed an administrative philosophy. Mike Mamminga from Richardson is not only one of the wittiest folks I know, but he is a fearless leader I learned a great deal from as well. There are so many others who have assisted my work in Amarillo with sound advice.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of my position is working with and mentoring young teachers. The excitement of seeing these young professionals grow into outstanding educators and leaders in music education is awesome.

This is an exciting time to be a music educator. Every generation of

us face our challenges and respond to them with outstanding leadership and resolve. I feel confident that music education will retain a position of high importance in Texas through the efforts of the leaders of today and tomorrow. It has been a thrill to be a part of it these thirty-five years.

Past OMA Award Winners

We Help Music Programs

1999 – Woody Schober 2000 – Henry Schraub 2001 – Mike Mamminga 2002 – Jan Schronk 2003 – David Lambert 2004 – Craig Welle 2005 – Camille Bach 2006 – John Kline 2007 – Larry Tucker 2008 – Bob Bryant 2009 – Nellie Ponikvar 2010 – Jim McDaniel 2011 – Jim Van Zandt 2012 – George W. Jones 2013 – Mitzi Jones 2014 – Peter Warshaw

• Examine/explore newest teaching strategies • Examine/engage in developmental assessment • Examine/implement latest music technology • Build community advocacy and support • Provide resource information • Problem solve “pressing” issues • Improve communication at all levels • Provide expertise on facilities, resources • Secure legislative support for the arts/music

B Y

P E N N Y

ORCHESTRA NOTES

M E I T Z

In Memoriam Carold Nunez Nov. 29, 1929–June 7, 2015

Making the mark August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

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

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

September 1—Deadline to submit All-State etude errata to the Orchestra Division Chair.

September 15—HS String Honor Orchestra online entries due.

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

October 24–25—First and second round judging of HS String Honor Orchestra CDs. October 31—Protected date to record for All-State String auditions.

November 7–8—First and second round All-State CD judging.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

January 9—Area Band and Vocal auditions.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

T

hose who teach middle school orchestra are fortunate (at least part of the time!). In this case, they are fortunate to have a wealth of repertoire that has been carefully edited with fingerings and bowings.

However, whether you teach middle or high school, selections from the standard string orchestra repertoire, such as most Baroque concerti grossi and Mozart divertimenti, often lack basic bowings or fingerings.

As a younger teacher, I usually handed out the music and we put markings in as the orchestra and I worked through the piece. Some directors put that responsibility on their principal players. Experience has shown me the advantages of taking the time to mark the music before distributing it to the students.

Often, it does delay giving out parts by a couple of days, but ultimately, it saves much more time in rehearsal.

When the parts are fingered before the students begin learning the music, awkward or bad fingerings will not need to be unlearned. I believe that in many passages, a section that plays with the same fingering will play better in tune. Take for example a passage in the violins or violas that has a D-sharp.

Depending on context, that note may be better in tune played a whole step up from C-sharp, keeping the passage on the G string. If some of the section plays it as low 1 on the D, the pitch will often sound less centered. Keeping the section on the same string also affects tone color. A student marking their fingerings will not usually consider the subtlety of this approach.

Play through the parts you are capable of playing—this is a big part of my score preparation. As I learn the part, ideas about how to teach it to my students begin to form. The way the parts relate to the whole becomes more obvious. I mark in bowings and fingerings that will help students at various technical levels, so second violin parts typically have more basic fingerings than first violin parts. Some fingerings are motivated by a particular technique that needs strengthening and some are made in an attempt to stretch

Marking music is an essential part of learning it, but marking music neatly is just as essential.

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 27

the students musically. Since I’m an upper strings specialist, the cello and bass parts often get farmed out. Frequently, I mark in bowings before sending the low string parts to a low strings specialist, so those coordinate with the violin and viola parts.

The cello and bass specialists will mark in suggested fingerings, and often go through them with me, so I understand what is required from those sections.

As a selection is rehearsed, we almost always revisit some fingerings or bowings. Any changes present an opportunity to teach the students how to mark

a part clearly and neatly. How many of us have seen student-marked parts where the notes are almost unreadable because of all the markings that have been added?

Marking music is an essential part of learning it, but marking music neatly is just as essential.

The rare occasions when I ask orchestra students to come up with fingerings are usually when we are playing a piece that is fairly straightforward. The more complex the piece is, the less likely there is to be a student who has both the time and the knowledge to add fingerings.

When students do the editing work, it tends to get done during rehearsal. Then time must be taken for that fingering to be passed through the section, and there are many more chances for someone to write or copy it incorrectly. If a fingering or bowing needs to be coordinated between sections, it’s much more efficient for that to be done before the music is distributed. With the majority of fingerings and bowings marked in parts before the students receive them, rehearsals can be more disciplined and efficient. For me, this is a vital step in preparing students.

Honor Orchestra On June 20 and 21, Klein HS hosted the first round of Honor Orchestra auditions for Middle School/Junior High String, Middle School/Junior High Full, and High School Full Honor Orchestras.

Many thanks go to Creston Herron for hosting a well-run contest. The first round included entries from 24 middle school/ junior high string orchestras, 16 middle school full orchestras, and 11 high school full orchestras. State finalists and winners will be printed in the September issue and may be found at www.tmea.org under the Orchestra Division menu. Thanks also go to the first-round judges and others who worked hard to make this contest happen smoothly.

Clinic/Convention Update Our featured clinician for the 2016 convention will be Charles Laux from Kennesaw State University. Conductors for this year’s All-State Orchestras are: • Larry Livingston, University of Southern California (Symphony Orchestra)

Attend Your Fall Region Meeting See page 2 for details.

28 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

• Sey Ahn, Music for All, Idyllwild Arts Summer Program (Philharmonic Orchestra) • Sandra Dackow, Hershey Symphony Orchestra (String Orchestra) All-State etudes were posted online May 1, and errata are updated as reported (with September 1 being the submission deadline). The TMEA website is the only official location for these errata which are posted on the audition materials page.

Please check often for updates. They will be dated and listed in red. Orchestral excerpts were posted on the TMEA website during the TODA convention, July 23–26.

Congratulations and thanks go to Jason Thibodeaux and the wonderful TODA Board and staff for presenting what I’m sure was another outstanding TODA convention (underway as this magazine was in the mail). I hope you were able to attend this excellent event!

Renew Now and Get Covered Don’t wait until a contest entry deadline requires you to renew your TMEA membership! Renew now and avoid the panic that is almost guaranteed if you wait until the last minute to complete this transaction.

Region Meetings and More Please plan to attend your fall Region meeting (details on page 2). Region Chairs will ask you to complete the online volunteer form. Help your colleagues and our students by dedicating a little of your time—we need you! During this Region meeting, you will also receive an update about the TMEA Region realignment project. When realignment final decisions are made, they will go into effect next school year (2016–2017). Learn more and offer your feedback.

When you renew your membership, also purchase liability insurance coverage if you don’t otherwise have a policy—no educator (including private lesson teachers and student teachers) should ever be without it. And just like any other insurance, you won’t be covered if the reason you need it happens before you purchase. The $30 policy available to active TMEA members is effective August 21–August 20 (and does not automatically renew). Each time you renew your membership, renew your liability coverage as well. For more information, go to the following webpage: www.tmea.org/liability.

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EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY STARTS WITH YOU

by Norm Sands

L

ike many in the education profession, music educators wear many hats. Yes, we teach music, but our job requires much more. When you accepted your music position, one of the critical roles that was likely never discussed is that of Chief Music Education Advocate. While it would be wonderful if everyone we worked with or depended on took a stand as champions for music education, we can be assured that will rarely be the case.

We must be ready to take on this vital role in our work as music educators and be dedicated to its success.

I began teaching music after graduating from Penn State University in 1985. Thirty years later it’s amazing to realize both how much in this music education world has changed and how much has remained exactly the same. Each of my 30 years, I have gone to work with that nagging question in the back of my mind: Will I have a job next year? I realize this uncertainty isn’t unique to our profession, but in reflecting on my career, I hope to offer a few ideas that I have found to be most important in my effort to be a successful music education advocate.

What Are You Communicating?

While what we say and how well we say it to students, staff, and parents is definitely important, it isn’t my focus here. What I am referring to is something I believe is a much more important type of communication that results in how others perceive us. What do our actions communicate? It might be cliché, but it is true that actions do speak louder than words. Are we always on time for work or often late? When an assembly or other special event is being scheduled, do we ensure at all costs that our music classes are not interrupted, or are we relieved to have a break? Our reactions to these and other similar situations reflect the value we place on our music instruction. If

it doesn’t appear that what we do is critically important to us, how can we expect others to see its value?

At each school where I have worked, I have made it very clear that the music schedule is not to be compromised! I am certainly not implying that as music educators we can’t be team players— actually, I believe quite the opposite is true. However, we need to be advocates for our programs and for the precious time we have with our students. If we are not vocal about such things, we and our programs will always be viewed as expendable. In the event that an administrator needs to cancel a class, you don’t want them automatically considering yours.

Be an Educator First

There will always be mandatory meetings or training days, and, inevitably, music and other “special” areas will be overlooked. If you find yourself in one of these predicaments (and at times, they truly are predicaments), rather than finding excuses to duck out or check your cell phone, step up and actively participate. We need to consider that while what we teach is unique, how we teach it is not. Good teaching is good teaching, whether it’s band, AP calculus, or metal shop. Teaching is an art, and there are proven processes for doing it well. The subject matter, materials, and methods may change, but the process itself remains intact.

Show your fellow educators and administrators that you indeed are a teacher. Listen carefully to what is being presented and do your best to translate the topic or method into strategies that could be effective in your classroom.

When your colleagues see and hear you participate in this environment, believe me, they have a whole new perspective regarding what happens in the music room.

Also, take advantage of in-service and external training

We need to be advocates for our programs and for the precious time we have with our students.

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 31

opportunities that are available. Even if you are a Texas teacher grandfathered in with a lifetime certificate and not required to accumulate in-service credits to maintain certification, still pursue every opportunity for professional growth. When train-

ing is happening for the rest of the teachers on my campus or in my district, you will most likely see me there. Attending professional development helps you keep informed and also keeps your approach fresh for your students, but more impor-

tantly, it shows others that you are an educator first—your area of specialization just happens to be music.

Stay Vigilant

Always be on the lookout for quality research reports, videos, and articles relating to the value of music as an area of study. There are numerous articles about learning music and its effects on brain development (several of which are available from the TMEA website in the Resources section). Study these for your own knowledge, but just as importantly, share them with administrators. Take every opportunity to discuss the value of music education with parents and community members—whether they have children in your school or not.

Rather than performances, schedule as many “informances” as you can. Many elementary teachers are charged with preparing short performances for parent meetings and other events that happen at the school throughout the year. These don’t need to be a cause for panic. Simply show on stage what you’re doing in the classroom. Talk about why the students

Performance Tours Music Festivals/Workshops Educational Tours National Parades/Bowl Games Cruises

32 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

are performing a certain piece or dance.

Show the audience what students are learning in your class. This opportunity underscores the question we all should ask ourselves throughout our careers: Are our students learning or are they only preparing for performances? Yes, performance preparation has educational value, but we are capable of so much more than simply preparing for one performance after another.

What’s Your Camp?

Throughout my teaching years, I have noticed two camps of music educators: those who believe music, as an art form, is worthy of study on its own, and those who believe music education is necessary to enhance other academics such as reading or mathematics. While the study of music does indeed enhance students’ abilities in other subjects, I believe we need to exercise caution in using the latter as our justification for our music programs. If we truly believe that our music programs exist for the sake of other courses of study, we are making a strong case for those who would argue “Why have music then?” If

Each of us can subtly change the attitudes toward music and music education by working at the grassroots level.

Cultivate your own philosophy of music education and let it permeate your life. our justification for the study of music is the fact that it helps students excel in reading or math, we could be met with, “Then why not just have more reading or more math? Why music?” We must choose our words carefully.

By all means continue to develop cross-curricular lessons. Continue to use literature as part of the study of music.

Making connections is part of what we do! Thematic units of study are an awesome thing—when executed correctly. I say this because I have often seen thematic units of study developed that “use music.”

What this often means is the unit includes songs about the topic of the unit. There is rarely a connection of musical knowledge with the expected knowledge outcome of the unit. If you see this kind of connection being developed, speak up! Use

Invest

your knowledge as a music professional to assist others in developing a meaning ful use of music in a thematic unit. This helps further the cause of music as being worthy of study in its own right. Simply singing songs about a topic may be enjoyable, and there may be some degree of learning happening, but we can and should go deeper. Is there an aspect of the form of the song that can be related back to the topic? Why is the harmonic texture as it is? Does it relate to the people being studied in the unit and their available instruments or other people?

What’s Your Philosophy?

We often think about our teaching philosophy before a job interview when we expect to be asked about it. But after you have the job, it’s even more important to

in our future

Texas Future Music Educators offers students who have an interest in a music education career support and information to help them prepare for their future.

TFME members who preregister may attend the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention on Friday and Saturday.

1. Go to www.tmea.org/tfme to create a chapter—it’s easy!

2. Market TFME to all high school music students.

3. Submit your chapter charter and dues to TMEA.

www.tmea.org/tfme For more information, email kvanlandingham@tmea.org

4. Request a grant to help your chapter get started.

5. Support TFME members and enjoy the significant return on your investment!

S ta r t a er chapt ll! this fa

Convention Travel Reimbursement Chapters can request reimbursement of $50 per student for up to 10 chapter members for convention travel expenses. Take advantage of this new opportunity to reduce costs!

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 33

have a clear answer to that question. Your philosophy will help guide you in your work as a music educator and especially in your role as advocate. My philosophy is quite short—there is more to being a human being than reading and math. Humans think, but humans also feel. If we had spent all of our formative years solely developing the logical/analytical side of ourselves, we would end up lopsided human beings.

To achieve a better balance, we need to develop both sides of our brains, and this is best accomplished through study of the arts. This deeper knowledge of the arts is necessary for advancement of the human condition. Nurturing creativity in every child is essential if we are to have any hope of improving as a human culture.

You’re More Than Your Job Title

One fantastic way for others to see the value of what you do as a music educator is for them to get to know you in other capacities. Many music specialists and ensemble directors immerse themselves in their art—they teach music all day and then they direct church choirs, rehearse with community ensembles, perform in

local theater and cover bands, and more.

It’s wonderful to practice the professional side of your art; however, it is also important for others to see you outside of that realm. Get involved in your school in a wider sense, and get involved in your community.

In addition to serving as our campus music specialist, I have been the campus technologist. I am a qualified TESA (Teacher Expectations Student Achievement) trainer. I assist bilingual classroom teachers with end-of-year required testing, manage the writing collections for the annual TELPAS assessments, and administer the online reading test for TELPAS. I have served as Lead Teacher facilitating summer school twice.

In my community I am the bookkeeper for my homeowners’ association. I am also a member of the local Chamber of Commerce.

While it’s true that I take on additional responsibility because I enjoy being active, I also realize that through my participation in these other organizations, I am seen by others as more than just my title.

The music specialist who is a recluse, lit-

erally or figuratively, may very well be a gifted musician and teacher, but if no one ever sees them outside of that safe space, will they ever truly recognize what they are doing and their value? If a tree falls in the forest . . .

As you consider these ideas for how you can thrive in your implied role as music advocate, also realize that being an effective advocate for music and music education isn’t limited to calling or writing your legislator or marching with a protest sign.

Each of us can subtly change the attitudes toward music and music education by working at the grassroots level. Cultivate your own philosophy of music education and let it permeate your life. Be that pebble that starts the ripple of change.

0 Norm Sands is the Elementary Music Specialist at Tabasco Elementary School in La Joya ISD. He was this year’s Elementary Lifetime Achievement winner for the state in the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards and is a composer and writer for Plank Road Publishing and Hal Leonard.

Your TMEA Membership Has Expired!

All TMEA 2014–2015 memberships expired June 30. Also, if covered, liability insurance expires August 20.

Renew now to ensure you receive the benefits of your TMEA membership for the entire year.

Renew Online Today Just click Renew from www.tmea.org Membership • Join • Renew • Update Personal Info • Member Card/Receipt • Verify Membership & Registration • Member Directory Verify and update your email and mailing addresses. Your receipt and membership card are sent to your email address.

Plan to enter students to an audition?

Your membership must be active to do so.

Thank you for your membership in TMEA! Our association continues to be the largest state music educators association in the country, and for that we are justly proud. The strength of TMEA, however, is not only in its size but in the quality of its membership. The strength of music programs in our schools is rooted in the dedication of its teachers, all united in a mission to provide the best music education for all Texas schoolchildren.

Membership in an organization of over 11,000 music educators carries with it benefits inherent from this strength in numbers. TMEA is your voice to the Texas Legislature and the State Board

of Education. In addition to representation by TMEA leaders, members enjoy a myriad of benefits, including access to group health insurance, low-cost liability insurance, professional development opportunities, online and printed pedagogical and advocacy resources, and more.

TMEA strives to provide meaningful professional development for our members and wonderful opportunities for our high school students through the audition process and through Texas Future Music Educators.

Renew today to continue supporting the future of music education in Texas.

Renew now, and remind your colleagues to do the same!

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 35

VOCAL NOTES

H

B Y

H O R T O N

The journey

ave you ever taken a big trip? For our family, the big trip idea has changed over the years. When I was a boy, we lived in East Tennessee (so I can assure you that Texas accents are mild in comparison!). My father and my grandparents lived in Central Florida. I learned it was exactly 12 hours to get to their house from mine, and I eagerly awaited the opportunity to go there. Most visits centered around holidays, and some were summertime stays. No matter the reason for or the length of the visit, I was always excited for the journey. I didn’t always know what activities awaited us when we arrived or what stops we would make along the way, but the idea of going was so powerful.

Of course, after my mother described the reality of 12 hours in a car, my brother and I devised many ways to pass the time. We would read, play the license plate games, track our progress on the road atlas (for our younger members, that was our oversized, paper GPS), listen to the radio (no playlist, no earbuds), and much more. Although I was extremely excited about seeing my family, and the destination, I always enjoyed the journey.

About the age of 19, when I was in college, I drove my 1986 Nissan truck, with its vinyl seats and no AC, to Florida. I knew how to calculate the truck’s mpg, about how much gas would cost, and how long to plan for being on the road. I knew that I had enough money for gas and fast food, and I knew I was young and could drive it nonstop. I heard, but mostly ignored, my mother’s warnings about safety and not drinking too much coffee. I was too excited for the journey. While I visited my family, my aunt took my truck and had

To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom. —Ralph Waldo Emerson 36 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

R O B E R T

August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

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

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

January 9—Area Band and Vocal auditions.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

the oil changed. She reminded me that I needed to have some regular maintenance or I wouldn’t reach my ultimate destination. I was thankful she brought this to my attention, as it turns out my ultimate destination was to visit a really cute and sweet girl named Connie back in Texas.

Now as a dad, I have planned several family vacations. I usually begin the planning with the destination in mind. I make a budget, an itinerary, and consider all the travelers in our planned stops and activities as we move toward a destination.

However, I have to prevent myself from allowing the planning and organizing to become the focal point. The joy of the journey is not just the destination, it is so much more. Our traveling companions, the vehicle we choose for travel, and our outlook on the journey are critical factors that affect how much we enjoy the journey.

As we reflect and look forward to a new year, I believe that considering the journey from several viewpoints is critical to the success of our school year. I often think of the joy that students feel and the excitement of a new beginning. They certainly do not know how their journey will unfold, but as teachers, we can build on their excitement. Fundamentally, singers want to be challenged, feel valued, know that they belong to something special, and know that we care about them and we expect the best. Does the plan for your journey of this year meet their needs?

When many of us were in college, we learned about those dreaded lesson plans!

When I was a young teacher, I hated writing them. I just wanted to get into class and teach—not write about it! As I have progressed through my time as a teacher, I find that I value a plan much more. I now know that my most successful times with a choir occur when I have a clearly defined plan, based on the curriculum we are charged to teach, and anchored in a solid plan to teach and assess learning.

Similar to planning a trip, I find that knowing our pedagogical destination really affects the quality of our teaching journey. So many concepts that we teach involve ongoing processes, so I view concerts, contests, and individual competitions as destinations. This point of view has dramatically influenced my teaching.

Before the journey begins I often contemplate these questions: What do I want them to know? How will I help them

learn? What is my standard of success?

As we begin a new season and have the opportunity to share the privilege of making music with other singers, I challenge you to ask and seek answers for the following:

An octave...

Before you go: • Where are you going?

• Who is going with you?

• How long will it take to get there?

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• What resources do you need on the journey?

• How do you begin?

On the road: • How do you assess progress toward your destination?

• Is the pace of your journey allowing you and your singers to be successful?

• Are you enjoying the journey?

• Are your companions enjoying the journey?

• How do you know when you have arrived?

Reflection on the trip: • Was the trip worth it for everyone involved?

• What did you learn on the way?

• What would you do differently on your next journey?

I realize that some of you might not like so many questions. However, I have found that I constantly question myself about the journey I am taking. Asking critical questions has allowed me to grow,

change, and truly enjoy many of the aspects of my journey.

I recently read this anonymous quote that applies well here—Life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn, and most of all, experiences to enjoy.

If I can be of service to you on the journey that we are all taking, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Avoid the Panic—Renew Now Driving across a West Texas road with no towns in sight, realizing that you should have filled up the tank miles ago, can instill quite a sense of panic. A similar panic can set in if you wait to renew your membership until the day before a contest entry deadline (as that always seems to be the moment when your computer decides it needs a break). Avoid that anxiety by renewing now, well before any deadline.

Get Covered Every music educator—including private lesson instructors and student teachers—should carry liability insurance. Like other insurance we purchase,

we don’t get a liability policy because we believe we will need it. Hopefully we never will. However, as with auto coverage, if a wreck happens in your professional life, you can’t purchase liability insurance after the fact and expect to be covered. The policy available to active TMEA members is effective August 21–August 20 (and does not automatically renew). Each time you renew your membership, renew your liability coverage as well. For more information, go to www.tmea.org/liability.

Realignment Update For the latest information on the TMEA realignment project, go to www.tmea.org /realignment2016 and attend your fall Region Meeting, where an update will be communicated (see page 2). Final decisions have not yet been made, but know that any changes in our Region alignment will be in effect next school year (2016–2017). You are encouraged to provide feedback to your Region Chair or me.

0

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38 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

41 S T ANNUA L

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 (contest to be held at Brenham ISD Cub stadium, artificial turf)

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Achieving Choral Excellence in Culturally Diverse Settings

by Dianne Brumley

A

f t e r many years work ing w ith st udent s of a l l a g es a nd i n va r ied commu n it ies, I ’ve rea lized a ver y ba sic yet i n c r e d i bl y i mp o r t a nt t r ut h that should be at the center of our approach as music educat or s. Whether they were raised in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Amarillo, or Brownsville, and no matter their socioeconomic strata, choir kids are simply choir kids! (That could read equally well with band or orchestra kids.) With few exceptions, students want to learn, they want to belong, and they want to be successful when given the proper environment and motivation.

While it is true that cultural diversity, a hallmark of our great state, can often create challenges in the choral music classroom, the challenges are not insurmountable when we choose excellence as the outcome.

Growing Through Change The most recent census found Texas’s population is faster growing, younger, and more diverse than that of the entire nation. Our state’s leaders, as well as the TMEA leadership, have acknowledged that these rapid demographic changes can invoke challenges and far-reaching implications for education in general and music education specifically. So, the question is: How do we accept and meet the challenge? We could throw our hands up in dismay and accept defeat or we can choose to embrace our specific 40 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

students in our specific situation and make success our goal. Not only should success be the goal, we should expect success as the norm for all students. While I do believe this is what should happen, I also know it is often more easily said than done.

The problem, as I see it, is this: the template for choral music education many of us grew up in or were trained in is probably not the setting most choral music teachers are facing today. The diverse nature of our communities, dwindling funds, standardized testing, declining interest in classical music, and even the popular vocal models our students encounter present unique challenges for today’s choral music educators. Many directors, both inexperienced and experienced, are struggling to maintain viable choral programs while dealing with the changing face of education in our state and in their hometown schools. Why are some experiencing success when others are not?

What makes the difference?

Having a genuine connection with the students and their communities makes a difference. Employing creative, inventive, inspired approaches to recruitment, retention, and pedagogy makes a difference. I believe the days are past when we can simply do what we have always done and expect the same results.

We must be willing to embrace change and employ a situational approach to the manner in which we teach and run our programs.

It is essential we utilize innovative strategies effective with and

ry 5-6 Februa

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4-5 March

6 1 5 1 20 Auditions p i h s r a l o h Sc N: O I T I D U A AN ic

s LE u U m D / edu u HE C d S e . . u TO c k kcu o .o ions@ w w w audit

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relevant to today’s students. It is important to remember that many of the students you will encounter have never experienced excellence. How can we expect them to produce excellence until we pave the way?

My Aha Moment For several years I taught choral music successfully in a deep South Texas school district. I thought I had all, or at least most, of the answers. Then, I accepted the position of Director of Fine Arts in another South Texas school district. While this school district was making remarkable academic strides, there were many challenges. The district demographic was approximately 97% Hispanic and 3% white, and 100% of the students participated in the free breakfast and lunch program. As you might guess, the majority of the population in this community was among the lowest socioeconomic strata, with many holding less than a high school diploma.

During in-service week of every fall semester, the superintendent of schools required all new district employ-

42 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

ees, administrators and faculty members, to visit the neighborhoods from which the students came. So, on a 100+ degree August day, we boarded un-airconditioned school busses to take our tour. As we traveled through the povertystricken neighborhoods, I began to wonder how in the world the art form I loved—choral music—could begin to matter to students who struggled for the most basic of life’s necessities? Choir.

Really?

What could we possibly have to offer these children that could make a difference? Immediately, I realized we had to reevaluate how and why a choral music education should be offered to them. It became obvious that we would need to teach them far more than just music. While we would continue to have high expectations for our students and be unrelenting in our quest for musical success and distinction, we would also need to be a nurturing force to help enhance and produce change in their lives and communities.

Our middle school and high school music classrooms could and should become a home away from home for our students—

a safe and accessible place for them and their families.

As a wonderful postscript to my critical aha moment, know that today there are young choral directors working in Texas who were those children living in the neighborhoods we toured on that hot August day in South Texas.

Did we achieve choral excellence? Did we make a difference in their lives and communities? I believe those young directors would say a resounding yes!

Even more exciting and important, those young directors are now achieving excellence and making a difference in the lives of a new generation of choral music students.

Still, those directors and others like them represent only a small fraction of our profession. In general, the face of our profession does not represent the face of our student population or our state’s population. Hopefully, as we work to achieve choral excellence in culturally diverse schools throughout our state, an outgrowth will be to make strides toward achieving more diversity within our profession, as well.

The common theme for achieving excellence in culturally diverse settings is not unlike the theme for achieving excellence in any setting. The challenges may be different, the strategies used may be different, the children may look different, but the goal is the same.

Achieving Excellence How I wish there were a magic wand or an easy path for achieving choral excellence. There is not—but there does seem to be a common theme. In my travels around the state and beyond, I have had many opportunities to observe directors and choral music programs that have embraced the cultural diversity of their schools and, in doing so, are achieving excellence in their choral music classrooms. Many directors will tell you it is the diversity in their program that adds to its richness. While each director employs varied, innovative strategies unique to them and their particular situation, there is a common theme. You might refer to it as a theme and variations on respect, success, nurturing, and pedagogy.

Respect • Respect for self.

• Respect for each other: student to teacher, teacher to student, and student to student.

• Respect for facilities and equipment.

• Motivate every student, every day.

• Connect choir to real life; hard work = success.

• Model success daily.

Nurturing • Forge relationships with students and parents.

• Make the choir hall emotionally and physically safe and accessible.

• Value each student—let them know who they are and what they do matters.

• Make choir and choral music culturally relevant.

• Be willing to teach more than music—teach life skills.

• Instill pride.

• Work hard and play hard—love what you do.

• Be a role model for students every day.

Pedagogy • Employ consistent, effective teaching strategies every day, bell to bell.

• Address student learning where they are.

• Lay a strong foundation and then build, build, build.

• Use quality, accessible, and challenging materials.

• Choose worthy, appropriate repertoire.

• Be prepared and plan, plan, plan.

• Accept personal responsibility for student success.

The common theme for achieving excellence in culturally diverse settings is not unlike the theme for achieving excellence in any setting. The challenges may be different, the strategies used may be different, the children may look different, but the goal is the same. The great American poet Robert Frost penned, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” I encourage you to embrace the joys and challenges of your culturally diverse program and awaken your students to the beauty of the choral art. The rewards— theirs and yours—will be great and long lasting.

0 Dianne Brumley is Professor Emeritus and former Director of Choral Studies at UT/Rio Grande Valley.

• Respect for the music and the work to prepare the music.

• Respect for those in leadership positions.

• Model respect daily.

Success • Expect success.

• Set high expectations—students can and will achieve.

• Establish consistent expectations— day to day, week to week, month to month.

• Accept no excuses, just results: accountability.

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 43

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LUNA UKULELES

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ELEMENTARY NOTES

B Y

J U L I

S A L Z M A N

In Memoriam M arjorie McCown Lawrence March 27, 1921–May 9, 2015

STEM or STEAM?

M

y school district recently initiated a STEAM team to focus on integrating the arts into the STEM subjects. The perception of what we do in the arts is undoubtedly varied. To some teachers, integrating music simply means asking the music teacher to teach their students a song about a particular topic they’re studying. To others, integration is playing classical music in the background to keep students calm and focused. As music educators, we know music integration is so much more than that (for more on that idea, read the feature article by Elementary Division member Norm Sands on page 31).

Last spring, TMEA President Keith Dye sent the Executive Board information on a book by David A. Sousa and Tom Pilecki, called From STEM to STEAM: Using Brain-Compatible Strategies to Integrate the Arts. Let me go on record saying I am a proponent of music for music’s sake and believe there is justification for arts study separate from its ability to aid other subjects. In fact, so are the authors of the book. However, there are skills not easily accessible in STEM subjects that thrive in the arts. This book approaches the arts as the “missing link” for today’s educational pitfalls.

So, how do you, as a music educator, approach the subject of properly integrating the arts into STEM classrooms?

Transitioning to a STEAM campus involves three steps for the music teacher. First, know why music and the other arts should stand on their own in importance, equal to the STEM courses and the humanities. Second, realize that the arts learning process and the STEM subjects are different. Finally, in being able to communicate these differences, the benefits of incorporating the thinking process of the arts into STEM, teachers will understand and buy into adding the “A” making it STEAM.

August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

Learning to be a successful adult is not just figuring out which box to check on a standardized test. Expressing ideas and feelings is just as important, if not more.

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

46 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

Music is a universal, transcending language. Audiences have been known to pause in retrospective silence after experiencing a great performance. Does that ever happen after a math test? I think not.

Music “soothes the savage beast.” Most people turn to music as a comfort during emotional times, whether it’s singing a favorite song or playing an instrument. In my youth, it was either playing the piano or singing a Broadway song that matched my mood. While reading a good book can come close, doing a science experiment would not help in these times. Learning to be a successful adult is not just figuring out which box to check on a standardized test. Expressing ideas and feelings is just as important, if not more.

Sousa and Pilecki list a number of characteristics of the arts that could help in STEM areas. These include: • Draw on curiosity.

• Observe accurately.

• Perceive an object in a different form.

• Construct meaning and express one’s observations accurately.

• Work effectively with others.

• Think spatially.

• Perceive kinesthetically.

In the 2011 book by Veronica Roth and subsequent movie Divergent, the main character, Tris, has to choose from one of five factions of society. Her decision to become part of the Dauntless faction leads to a realization that she doesn’t fit into the mold of others in her group. Thus, she is eventually labeled as Divergent. This story reminds me of the comparison of STEM subjects with the arts. The goal of assessment on standardized tests is to arrive at a single correct answer to each question.

As Sousa points out, this is convergent thinking. On the other hand, in creating music and other art forms, we seek out all of the possibilities and experiment with many before settling on what we perceive to be the best interpretation. The possibility exists for more than one right answer.

This is divergent thinking. After creating our art, we then shift to convergent thinking to communicate the composition to others.

In my district’s recent STEAM team meeting, one of the first comments from a science teacher was, “I can put the experiment in front of the kids, but they can’t

figure out what to do with it.” That is because they need to be exposed to more divergent, creative thinking in science.

In order to be successful, adding the “A” to make STEAM does not necessarily mean that all of the STEM teachers need to have their students write chorales about sedimentary rocks or color pictures of a train. Rather, it means that the creativity experienced in our classrooms needs to be translated to the other subjects. Some examples would include letting students create their own questions for a class test, drawing a math problem without using numbers, creating dioramas or models, making a diagram of a recently completed experiment, creating a crossword puzzle with vocabulary words, even writing a rap. The possibilities are endless.

In essence, the goal is to flip the current expectation that music teachers simply need to teach the STEM subjects through music. Instead, we should teach the classroom teachers to use the creative processes of music and the other arts to turn their students into divergent thinkers who are then problem solvers who can solve the real issues in the world.

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Steve Nendza, IL MS Band “RhythmBee has created a "flipped classroom" in which the students are in charge of their rhythm skills. So they are more accurate when learning their band music. Five stars for RhythmBee!!!!”

Katie Codina, LA MS Band “I wouldn’t begin class without RhythmBee. We started using it 5 years ago and saw an immediate jump in ratings to I in SR and Sweepstakes. RB also helps me teach 4 bar phrasing, note lengths, and musicality.

RB is an invaluable part of every rehearsal.”

Brent Whitaker, GA HS Choir “RB is our bell-ringer. The bell rings, my student leaders click "Play," and off they go! After our work with RhythmBee, I am in utter amazement at my students’ ability to read. This has been a phenomenal investment. For the price, you cannot go wrong!”

Mickey Cox, AR HS Band “We find new ways that RhythmBee helps us every year. It is a staple of our curriculum. Our sight-reading skills, always good, have improved markedly. We use the Wind Studies as part of our warm-up nearly every day. (And thanks for the Bell Ringer!!!!!)”

Clay Johnson, TX HS Band “With RhythmBee, our students have improved in reading both basic and complex rhythms.

This allows them to approach UIL sight reading with much more confidence. RB is a great program, with a very helpful staff.”

Southwestern Musician | August 2015 47

TCDA Roundup Many of you recently attended the TCDA Convention being held when this magazine was in the mail. Please take the time to email Michele Hobizal and thank her for her hard work for the Elementary Division.

MATCH: #Lightafire Regions 3, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 27 will be hosting a very exciting Region Workshop on October 10 at Wolman Elementary in Katy ISD from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This workshop will be the first annual Music

and Technology Conference of Houston (MATCH). The day will be dedicated to integrating technology into elementary music classrooms. There are many sessions from which to choose, awesome exhibitors, great food, and of course, door prizes. The cost for TMEA members is $20 and is $35 for non-members. For more information, go to the MATCHMusic and Technology Conference Facebook page.

TMEA Clinic/Convention Update This year’s process for selection of ses-

sions for the Elementary Division was different from the past. Not only were members invited to rate the proposed sessions, but I also opened the decision process up to a committee. Thanks go to these members for dedicating their time in this evaluation. It is volunteers like these that make our convention so great.

If you would like to volunteer to help during the 2016 Clinic/Convention, please contact me at julis@angletonisd.net or go to the website and enter your information at www.tmea.org/elementaryvolunteer).

There are many opportunities to serve.

From introducing a clinician, guiding a performing group, helping in the office, to simply putting door prizes into bags, the possibilities are numerous. It is through the volunteer work at the convention that I have met some of my best teacher resources and friends.

Renew Now and Get Covered If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to renew your TMEA membership. As an active member, you get access to a myriad of benefits and you show your support for this organization that is your voice to state leaders as they make decisions affecting your work and your students’ opportunities to study music.

When you renew, also purchase liability insurance coverage if you don’t otherwise have a policy—no educator should ever be without it. And just like any other insurance, you won’t be covered if the reason you need it happens before you purchase.

The $30 policy available to active TMEA members is effective August 21–August 20 (and does not automatically renew). Each time you renew your membership, renew your liability coverage as well. For more eligibility and coverage information, go to www.tmea.org/liability.

0

Attend Your Fall Region Meeting See page 2 for details.

48 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

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COLLEGE NOTES

B Y

M I C H E L E

H E N R Y

Getting to the point

O

ver the past six months, I have had two opportunities to testify for governmental agencies, most recently for the State Board of Educator Certification concerning certification requirements for field supervisors. My testimony was limited to three minutes—I was on the clock! Knowing the parameters ahead of time, I wrote out my testimony, timed myself delivering it, and then edited the content to better reflect my intended meaning and to fit the time constraint. I repeated this process no fewer than 15 times before I was happy with both the content and the timing.

When my turn to testify at the hearing finally arrived (somewhere in the neighborhood of 5:15 p.m. on a Friday), it was clearly important that I be able to articulate my point clearly and quickly. It was not important for me to demonstrate my understanding of every facet of the issue. Neither was it necessary for me to spend excess time convincing them of the depth of my conviction about the issue. In this instance, my effectiveness was measured by being concise and brief.

After the fact, I commented to someone that this process reminded me that it is much more difficult to be concise and brief than it is to be comprehensive and thorough. The most challenging document I have ever written wasn’t my dissertation, a 203-page document establishing me as the authority on a very specific topic of study (in my case, individual vocal sightreading assessment). It was my philosophy of music education that was limited to no more

We won’t always be on the clock, but regardless of our audience, our time to be persuasive will always expire.

50 Southwestern Musician | August 2015

August 1—Renew your TMEA membership online and preregister for the convention.

August—Attend your fall Region meeting (see page 2 for details).

August 20—Liability insurance purchased through TMEA expires.

October 1, 6 am CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens.

October 9—College Division Fall Conference in Austin.

November 16—TMEA scholarship online application deadline.

December 1—College Division Essay and Composition Contest deadlines.

December 31—TMEA mail/fax convention preregistration deadline.

February 10–13, 2016—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.

than five pages. I struggled mightily with that—not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because I had too much to say.

I believe we struggle as a discipline with the idea of advocacy in much the same way. As music educators, we have too many weapons at our disposal, too many solid arguments to offer. We would likely be more effective if we were more selective.

As someone who prepares future music educators, I am convinced that it would be more of a service to ask up-and-coming music teachers to prepare a three-minute advocacy speech that could be delivered to a parent group or school board than to write a lengthy paper about all the merits of music in the schools. I suspect that our students would make their points more powerfully and effectively than if we allowed them to keep going until they ran out of things to say. In part, the potential improvement would be based not only on the quality of the content but also on the quality of the delivery.

We already have several instances in the educational field where brevity is required for effective communication.

Written learning objectives are typically 30 words or fewer and ideally contain a demonstrable action verb. Program notes for a concert typically do not exceed 150–200 words per piece and are made more interesting and memorable by the use of highly descriptive language.

Even in our teaching and rehearsing, the

Congratulations, New Teachers!

If you graduated in May and will begin work as a music educator this fall, be sure to do the following when you renew your TMEA membership: • Select “Active” as your TMEA member type.

Being Brief and Effective Consider Your Audience—What is meaningful to them (not you)?

Be Selective—Identify no more than three points to make.

Pack a Punch—Use highly descriptive, concise language to make it memorable.

Leave Them Wanting More—Conclude with an incontrovertible statement or vision for them to consider further. “seven-words-or-less” model helps make our instruction and feedback more powerful. Perhaps we should encourage our students (and ourselves) to use these same

principles when it comes to advocacy.

Beyond the conciseness of the content, the importance of the delivery cannot be overlooked. In much the same way that we

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APPLICATION AND SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION DAYS The OLLU Music Department holds application and scholarship audition days in the spring.

To apply for an audition: 1. Apply to Our Lady of the Lake University at www.ollusa.edu/Apply 2. Request a Music Program Application packet from Dr. Elizabeth Dyer, Music Department Head 3. Prepare your audition according to the provided guideline 4. Contact Dr. Dyer (email preferred) to request an audition time

• Purchase liability insurance—no teacher, including private instructors, should work with students without this important coverage!

• Once you renew as an Active Member, enroll in the TMEA Mentoring Network. Veteran teachers are here to help you succeed!

Dr. Elizabeth Dyer • 210-434-6711, ext. 2247 • edyer@ollusa.edu • 200B Fine Arts Building www.ollusa.edu/MusicDept Southwestern Musician | August 2015 51

practice for performance, we should practice for persuasion. We won’t always be on the clock, but regardless of our audience, our time to be persuasive will always expire.

I’m pleased to say that at the end of my testimony, prior to the three-minute bell going off, not only did I receive a few head nods in agreement with my points, but I also received the following compliment: “You musicians—you always get the timing just right.” Point made.

College Division Fall Conference Mark your calendar now for the

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LIZ LER M AN

Dance and Theatre Innovator

College Division Fall Conference on Friday, October 9, from 10 a.M. to 3 p.M. at the TMEA offices in Austin. At this year’s conference, we will be discussing best practices for our music education programs, including preparing teachers to meet the needs of special learners, TExES certification test preparation, field supervision, and community engagement. We will also address changes to the College Night and Graduate Fair event and receive a preview of the new facilities and format for the 2016 TMEA Clinic/Convention.

We hope all college faculty members will plan to attend. To help us plan, please email Michele_Henry@baylor.edu by October 1 to register your attendance for the conference.

Renew Now and Get Covered If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to renew your TMEA membership. As an active member, you get access to a myriad of benefits and you show your support for this organization that is your voice to state leaders as they make decisions affecting your work and your students’ opportunities to study music.

When you renew your membership, also purchase liability insurance coverage if you don’t otherwise have a policy—no educator (including college faculty and student teachers) should ever be without it. And just like any other insurance, you won’t be covered if the reason you need it happens before you purchase. The $30

policy available to active TMEA members is effective August 21–August 20 (and does not automatically renew). Each time you renew your membership, renew your liability coverage as well. For more information, go to www.tmea.org/liability.

Opportunities for College Students With the new school year comes a number of opportunities for college student members. TMEA scholarships for undergraduates, student teachers, and graduate students awarded $192,000 this past year. Encourage your students to apply for a scholarship before the November 15 deadline.

The SouthweStern MuSician Essay Contest for undergraduate and graduate students is again accepting submissions until December 1. Contest guidelines and writing prompts can be found at www.tmea.org/essaycontest. I encourage you to include the contest in your course syllabus when appropriate and recommend this opportunity to your students.

Following a highly successful initial trial this past year, the TMEA Composition Contest will again offer cash prizes for the best compositions written for beginning ensembles. Go to www.tmea.org/compositioncontest for more information. The deadline for this contest is also December 1 and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of TMEA. 0

& LARRY LIVI NG STO N

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