I spend approximately a week each summer deciding on the musical selections for the five ensembles in my program. There are years where carving out this time has been difficult and I have played catch up throughout the year. When this happens I always regret my decisions. Taking the time to program appropriately for your ensembles is one of the most important things that directors must do for their students and their own success. Here are some things I like to consider when programming for my middle school bands.
1. Musicians
I am fortunate that after 9 years at my school I pre-audition students and place them into ability-based ensembles. I know each and every child who will be in the program, what they play, and what level they play. Therefore the most important consideration for me are the musicians I will be making music with. What are their strengths that I want to highlight? What are their weaknesses? This year for example in my Concert Band, the brass and saxes are going to be extremely strong sections. My flutes however are young and inexperienced. It was difficult to find music, especially for the beginning of the year that wouldn't feature that section until I know we have a chance to work together so they can gain some skills and confidence. Playing to your ensemble's strengths and finding ways to build or even mask your weaknesses will lead to greater feelings of success amongst your musicians.
Don't forget that it is okay to rewrite parts, especially for younger bands if it makes a piece more accessible to your ensemble. Most composers I have spoken with agree that you need to do what's best for your ensemble. If there's a trombone feature but you don't have the section for it, perhaps your euphoniums or tenor sax player can cover that part. I'm not always the best in remembering and deciding to do this, but it is okay to make this choice.
2. Level
This may seem simple but considering the ability level of the musicians is essential. What concepts do they know and are they already able to accomplish on the day you hand out the music? What do you want them to learn through the music? What will be easy for them? What will be challenging for them? Hopefully every piece of music our students play will help them grow into more mature musicians in some way. There is undoubtedly some concepts or skills we either want to teach or reinforce in the music we learn. Having a clear idea of what these are can help you focus your lessons and your programming. Perhaps even writing out the "Student Learning Objectives" you want to focus on in each piece of music you are teaching can help. We must keep in mind that the music we choose should reinforce the curriculum that is set by your district (if you have one).
A good rule in considering level is to try to have a piece that is technically easy but can challenge your students musically, a piece that is middle of the road in their level but might teach some new concepts/skills, and a piece that technically pushes their ability or musicality to the next level somehow. I try to have a piece that my students can feel immediate success on. Elliott del Borgo once said in a session (that I unfortunately couldn't get into because it was packed!) that your students should be able to sight read through a piece with no more than three crash and burns. I'm not sure I've necessarily stuck to that rule all of the time but it is always something in the back of my mind. While we want to stretch our students, over programming only creates frustrations for both you and your students. We should be striving to have meaningful musical moments and those can't happen when we are still fighting technical aspects during a concert.
3. Time
Something often overlooked, especially by young directors is how much time you have for the students to learn the music to an appropriate level of mastery. What testing dates might get in the way? What other events might take their focus off of learning and practicing this music? It is imperative to consider the whole picture in programming. I know that I always need to under program for our December Concert. We do a project during second quarter which takes approximately 8-10 rehearsals out of play. We have Area Festival 3rd quarter but that's also District Honor Band Auditions that students have to practice for. When we are preparing for State 4th quarter I might lose students to testing. Don't forget to look at the big picture. I map out the entire year of performances so I can make sure I am considering all the road blocks along the way to our performance dates.
 |
| Last year's programming map for Concert Band |
4. Quality
When speaking with other directors there seem to be several different philosophies on the kind of music we program. One school of thought is that we should be appealing to our audience and students' interests, focusing on fun and popular music in our ensembles. Another, and probably more widely accepted in the academics in our field is that we should be focusing on classic band literature, transcriptions and original works for band that appeal to and advance the "art" of what we do. I feel that both opinions hold validity. "Art" music certainly does not hold the popularity it once did when it was a main form of entertainment for society. Learning about it and to play it can help maintain its existence and grow its appreciation. However, when our programming is only focused on core, art music we risk becoming elitists in who we are attracting to our ensembles. With so much time and effort spent on advocating for the continuation and importance of our programs we can not afford to appeal only to a portion of our school's population.
The inclusion of music that appeals to student and audience interest can be a wonderful tool in keeping interest in our programs. However, this does not mean "pop or fun" music all the time. If you notice in my year-long program from above I do not have anything that falls in this category programmed for the band's concerts. I am fortunate that even at the junior high school we have a pep band that plays for the school. I make sure to program music the kids get excited about for this venue. Events for the school and community are a great way to appeal to this aspect of music making, which is why I believe that marching band stand tunes should be modern and recognizable by the current student population. For my younger students who are not quite ready for the pep band I do try to program something fun for them towards the end of the year. Anything they can get excited over works! Remember, if you're excited about it they will be too.
When looking for music to program one of my first stops is almost always the GIA Publications "Teaching Music Through Performance" series. There are 10 different volumes that cover quality grades 2-5 literature, two beginning band books, a middle school book, a book dedicated to marches, and several jazz books. Each book focuses on an incredibly detailed synopsis of several pieces of music and includes extremely helpful articles by some of the top professionals in the field. These books should be a staple in every band director's library! In addition to these I also frequent the Texas UIL and Florida Bandmaster's required music lists. They are a great starting point to finding what many directors over the years have coined as core literature.
Regardless of what qualifications you put on your programming each year we must remember what an important task selecting music is! Our goal must always be to make meaningful music with our students and we can't have that if we don't program appropriately. Playing great music creates experiences that our musicians will remember throughout their lives, it can speak to our emotions, and connect us. It's that powerful! So remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
Happy programming!!
No comments:
Post a Comment