Rhythmic Interpretation

Rhythm is defined as "a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound". In music, rhythm is typically very uniform and set and there is not much lenience. The rhythms are divided up perfectly and mathematically with the tempo so they are extremely precise and always accurate. However, we as humans are not robots, so it is impossible to make everything we play mechanical and perfect with math. We can get pretty darn close, but in actuality our rhythms and what we play will never be absolutely in time and flawless. It is simply impossible. This is part of how we get rhythmic interpretation.

It becomes harder to play perfectly in time the more complicated the rhythms become. Half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, or basically any multiple of four not rhythms are typically easier to play in time. More difficulty comes with groupings of three or five or some other odd number. Since the rhythms are more complicated, it is easier to interpret them in more different ways. Although not everything is perfectly in time, there are multiple ways that can be correct.

Oftentimes musicians stretch or emphasize rhythms during solos. It is their time to shine, and it shows musicality if you do it correctly. Certain notes in a phrase are more important than others, so it makes sense to hold on to those a little longer than written. Doing such makes the piece more musical and that shows great skill and understanding of music.

In music, there is no right or wrong way to be musical or interpretive. The ability to improvise or slightly change things is what makes music interesting and beautiful.

Diction

The definition of diction is "the choice and use of words and phrases in speaking or writing". We have learned about this term a lot over the past semester in my AP Language and Composition class. However, this term has a slightly different meaning in music. In music, diction can be defined as "the pronunciation and enunciation of words in singing". Oftentimes, when singers are singing their lines they are told to use their diction to enunciate the words they are singing. This is especially stressed in show choir. During the concert choir season, the directors often tell their students to use 'show choir diction'.

When young students sing, they do not always think about how their words sound to their audience. The students know the lyrics and the words they are singing, so they do not think about if their audience can understand them and what they are saying. Sometimes singers do not concentrate on pronunciation and it just sounds like they are singing mush. The words are not distinct or clear and it is impossible to decipher the lyrics. To avoid this the singers must be sure to always make sure they pronounce both the beginnings and the ends of their words. Perhaps the hardest words to do this with are words that end with the letter 't'. It is easy to simply run the middle of these words into the beginning of the next word without fully pronouncing the 't' sound. However, if you actually take the time to think about it, it is easy to make your words sound clear and crisp to the audience.

Life as an Instrument Repair Technician

Instrument repair technicians are very valuable in the area of music. Instruments can break or get damaged very easily, so it is important to know someone in the area who can repair it for you. Studying to be a repair technician is hard work, but it pays off once you achieve a certain level of mastery.

Many instrument repair technicians do not repair every single instrument known to man. Usually technicians specialize in a certain section or area of instruments. For example, a technician may specialize in just repairing woodwind instruments, or just brass instruments. They do this because repair technicians have to be able to play all the instruments they repair. In order to assess the problem, you often have to play the instrument to see what is wrong. Similarly, when the technician thinks he or she is done repairing, he or she must play the instrument again to make sure it is all fixed. Learning to play every single instrument at a high level is extremely hard work, so the technicians usually stick to the category that their primary instrument is in. If I were a customer looking for someone to repair my instrument, I would trust a woodwind repair technician more than I would trust someone who repairs all kinds of instruments because I would think that the woodwind specialist is better at dealing with my instrument.

Instrument repair technicians generally make a decent salary and a good living. Instruments are not cheap, and neither is repairing them. Technicians can charge more money for their services because it really is hard work that is expected to be done with top notch quality. Technicians typically make much more money than professional musicians or private lesson teachers. Another perk of being an instrument repair technician is that you often get to run your own business. Some technicians work out of a music shop or go into business with a store, but most run their own studios. Being your own boss is very nice, but it is also sometimes hard keeping up with running your own business. However, overall, I think the benefits outweigh the negative aspects.

When I go to college, I know for sure I would like to major in some type of music. I do not know what I want to do with music yet, but I have certainly considered studying to become an instrument repair technician. Taking thins apart and seeing how they work fascinates me, so I believe it is something I would enjoy doing for a living. Other types of music careers I have considered include a professional musician, a private lesson teacher, or a band director. I love playing my instrument, but I know it is not likely that I will have a very easy life doing that as my profession. I do not like the idea of teaching lessons privately as much because my mom was a private lesson teacher for flute, so I have first hand knowledge of what it is like. It is a hard job, but it is also very rewarding seeing how much you can impact a student's life. Seeing them achieve success brought my mother great joy often. I have considered being a band director for a long time now. My band director is also my private lesson teacher, so we are much closer than she is with most students. She has advised me to not become a band director, as have others in the area. It is an extremely stressful job trying to teach students sometimes, but like private lessons, I believe it can also be extremely rewarding. I do not know what I wish to do yet, but I am sure that as long as it is in the area of music I am making the right decision.

Arranging Music

In music, an arrangement is a musical reconceptualization of a previously composed work. It may differ from the original work by means of reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or development of the formal structure. Arranging differs from orchestration in that the latter process is limited to the assignment of notes to instruments for performance by an orchestra, concert band, or other musical ensemble. Arranging "involves adding compositional techniques, such as new thematic material for introductions, transitions, or modulations, and endings...Arranging is the art of giving an existing melody musical variety."

When arranging music, it is important to consider many elements such as instrumentation, balance, style, and much more. Oftentimes arrangements are of pieces that were written as solos for a single instrument and piano. When arranging such solos, the arranger must not only come up with other lines and melodies and harmonies, but he or she must also consider the instrumentation. If you write a part for too many instruments, the balance will be thrown off and the piece will not sound very sophisticated or good. Another important thing to consider when arranging a piece is style. Unless the arranger intends to change the style of the song drastically, he or she must pay very close attention to the articulations and styles the original composer used in the original piece. Keeping consistent articulations and tempos helps aid this process.

Overall, arranging is very hard work and it takes a lot of skill and time to master it. I hope to be able to learn how to compose and arrange music proficiently some day, but I still have a lot left to learn. :)

Honor Bands

Honor bands are a large part of the concert band season. These select bands range from informal to very prestigious. Many students apply and only the very best from each school are chosen to participate. Students from many different high schools are selected as a part of these honor bands. In order to participate in an honor band, you have to fill out an application and compete for a certain number of spots in the ensemble. If selected, a set of music is sent to the director and he or she will pass it out to the students. This usually happens around a month to a month and a half before the actual honor band takes place. The students are to practice and prepare the music ahead of time before they come to the honor band. Once at the actual honor band, auditions are held for each instrument to determine their chair placement. For younger students, such as sixth and maybe seventh grade, they usually just sit the students alphabetically. However, once you get older you are required to participate in the auditions. During the auditions, you are usually asked to play a short section of each piece you received in your folder. If there are solos, the judges typically ask you to play the solo section of the piece. The judge then determines the order of chair placement, seating the best players at the top of the section. Then, the day commences.

Honor bands are extremely taxing on all players. You will be playing your instrument upwards of around eight hours a day. Most students are not accustomed to playing their instruments this long and they will fatigue very easily. It is important to take frequent breaks and not over-do it. It is not the end of the world if you lay out on a few sections throughout the day to save your chops for the concert.

At single day honor bands, the students simply come in the morning, have their auditions, and rehearse all day to perform a concert that night. There is often a lunch provided, but dinner mostly happens after the concert. Some of the more prestigious honor bands last multiple days over the weekend. Students usually leave school around half way through the day on Thursday and arrive that night. They then rehearse all of Friday and Saturday and have a concert Saturday afternoon or evening. These honor bands are especially fun because you get to stay overnight at a hotel with all the other students attending the honor band from your school.

Many students are afraid to try out for honor bands because they are worried about getting in or they do not think it will be fun. I love honor bands and I suggest that everyone try some out some time!

DCI Drum Corps Auditions

With the 2015 Drum Corps International in the history books, drum corps throughout the country are already preparing for a wave of new recruits, which means one thing-auditions. Every fall and winter thousands of marching musicians vie for a limited number of positions in Drum Corps International ensembles across the United States. Traveling to new locations, navigating crowds of unfamiliar faces, learning new techniques and overcoming nervousness; the audition process can sometimes be a daunting task! For those wishing to join a drum corps, preparation is essential. Fortunately, most corps offer materials online detailing all of their technical requirements and explaining their respective audition processes.

Many corps start their audition processes very early, usually beginning around this time of the year. The season takes place during the summer, so the groups begin auditions very early so they can start having weekend camps throughout the year to prepare for the summer season. Oftentimes the first two or three camps are just introductory camps so students can come and experience what the audition camps will be like and if they are really cut out for drum corps. These camps are typically overnight and last two to three days during the weekend. Then, there are a few real audition camps. Staff members watch the recruits all weekend long, not just during their individual auditions. Along with playing and marching ability, the staff also watches things like how well the prospect marchers interact with instructors and other students auditioning. You can be the best player and marcher at the camp, but you will not get a contract if you do not act like you want to be there. After the first one or two audition camps, some recruits will be cut from the auditions, while others will receive a callback and will be asked to return for the next round of auditions. There are usually a series of these and then finally the final members are set and contracts are sent out.

It is important to always stay relaxed when you are auditioning for a drum corps. Be confident and act like you are excited to be there, because it truly is a good opportunity and experience even if you do not get selected to participate with the corps that summer. It is always a great idea to listen to the instructors and take their advice because they are not criticizing you, they are only trying to help you improve. Auditioning is typically very nerve-racking for everyone, but you should always approach that nervousness with a good attitude and be open to stepping outside your shell.

Good luck to everyone who is auditioning these season, I hope you do well!

The Band Hall

The band hall is a very special place for many high school students involved in band. It is not just a hall to the musicians, it is like a second home. Countless hours have been spent in that hall during lunch, before and after competitions, with friends, and many other times. Memories are made in this place every day. Band is considered to be your second family, so it is only fitting that the family needs a home.

Other performing arts and sports activities also have hallways in the school that are considered their own. For example, the hallway that leads to the main and west gyms is often referred to as the sports hallway. In this hallway, there are the gyms of course, but there are also meeting rooms for the teams' debriefs. It also leads to the weight room and multiple other small, miscillaneous rooms that are used for sports teams. Students involved in sports use these rooms and hallways quite often during the season, but they do not hang out there much any other time. It is not as special to them as the band hallway is to band students. Similarly, there is a small hallway near the cafeteria that leads to the orchestra and choir rooms. It is most commonly referred to as the choir hallway. More students hang out here throughout the day, but there are still not many because it does not have a lot of space. Most choir and orchestra students prefer to sit in the choir room or somewhere else throughout the school.

Clearly, the students involved in other activities do not care for their hallways as much as the band students do. The band hallway is much more important to band students because it is not just a hallway, it truly is like a second home.

Clarinet/Saxophone Reeds

In my previous post, I explained the workings and mechanics of an oboe reed. This time around I will be discussing saxophone and clarinet reeds. Unlike oboes and bassoons, saxophone and clarinet reeds are single-reed instruments. The reeds for these two instruments are much more similar to each other than to any other reeds. The way they are designed makes it easier to change between the two instruments since they are fairly similar. Many saxophone players can also play clarinet very well and many clarinet players are able to play saxophone.

Instead of just relying on the reed alone to produce vibrations, the single reed is placed in a mouthpiece that holds it in tightly. This is done by placing the reed against the mouthpiece and then sliding a piece of metal called a ligature around both the reed and the mouthpiece. The ligature is then tightened and it holds the two pieces together. Sound is created when the player blows air into the mouthpiece and the reed rubs against it, producing vibrations that make sound. Much less air pressure is required to play clarinet and saxophone than oboe or bassoon. It is easier to get the reed to vibrate against a mouthpiece, so you do not need to blow as hard to make a sound.

Unlike oboe reeds, you do not adjust saxophone or clarinet reeds at all with your own tools. The reeds are bought in a store in packages and you can simply pull a reed out and start playing without any adjustment. Due to this, these reeds also last much longer than oboe reeds. Students have claimed to have used the same reed for the entire marching season in past years. In my opinion, this is an absolutely gross habit and I do not recommend doing the same. When buying packages of reeds, there are many different strengths you can choose from. The strengths range from one to five in half increments. The lower the strength, the softer the reed will be. The higher the strength, the harder the reed will be. Generally younger students start out on softer reeds and build their way up to harder ones as they mature as a player.

The top section of saxophone and clarinet reeds are similar to oboe reeds. The top section contains a tip, a heart, a set of rails, and a shoulder. The shoulder is equivalent to the back on oboe reeds. This is the entirety of an oboe reed. However, this is only the top section of a saxophone/clarinet reed and it has a whole second part below that. The majority of the bottom section is plain bark that has been untouched and left on the reed. This is called the stock. At the very bottom of the reed, there is a short edge called the heel of the reed.

While many reeds are fairly unalike, saxophone and clarinet reeds are extremely similar in mechanism. They are also complex and interesting to analyze.

Oboe Reeds

Many woodwind instruments require the use of a reed, such as oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone. However, oboe reeds are far different than any of these other types. It is most similar to a bassoon reed because they are both classified as double reeds, but they are still not that much alike.

Oboe is a double reed instrument. This means that instead of just having one sliver of wood vibrating against a mouthpiece to make sound, there are two slivers of wood that are pressed up against each other. These two pieces of wood are made out of cane. Sound is produced when air pressure is applied to make these two pieces of wood vibrate against each other. The two pieces of can are held together by wrapping them with string around a tube that is connected to a piece of cork. The two pieces of cane are held together around the tube very carefully while they are wrapped and tied off with the string. The piece of cork on the end is then inserted into the top of the oboe and it is ready to be played.

There are three main parts of an oboe reed: the tip, the heart, and the back. The tip controls the vibration and response of the reed. The heart provides stability and control for the sound. Finally, the back controls the tone and sound the oboe produces. These three parts are very distinguished and the place to go when something is not working right. There are also more, less known parts that you can go to work on when something is not right, also. The rails are the parts on the very end of the sides of the reed that provide support and hold the two pieces of cane together. In the middle of the reed on both sides there is a thin layer of bark that is thicker than the rest. This is the spine. The spine also provides support and stability for the reed.

The reed is one of, if not the most, important parts of the oboe. Without it, there is no way to produce a sound. It controls the pitch, tone, volume, and many other things. The reed is very complex and difficult to understand, but I hope I made it a bit easier!

Gold Instruments

Wood may never be replaced as the material of choice for violins, and there may never be a more appropriate material than brass for constructing trumpets and horns. Still, instrument makers use materials as a way to differentiate their products from others, and even traditional craftspeople have been known to tinker with advanced materials for better sound quality—if only in the details of an instrument.

While materials selection plays a role in all instrument production, the extent of a material’s effect on the sound varies from one instrument to the next. “In some instances, the material is directly involved in sound generation, while in other instruments, this is not the case,” said Gregor Widholm of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. “For the violin, the material is extremely important, because the body generates the sound that we hear. The other extreme is the clarinet, where the air column inside generates the sound and the material is only needed to form the shape of the air column. In this case, you can take any material.”

From wind instruments to violins, scientists and musical instrument makers continue to test the use of traditional materials, while looking for ways to integrate new ones.

University of Iowa Double Reed Day

Every year, the University of Iowa Music School hosts an event for middle and high school age students who play double reed instruments. At this event, the professors for oboe and bassoon organize many fun events for the students to participate in. Along with the professors, both undergraduate and graduate students studying oboe or bassoon also help out throughout the day and play along with the younger students. I attended this event both last year and this year, and it was a very exciting and educational experience both times.

At the beginning of the day there is always a short introduction activity that gets everyone acquainted with each other and a few brief speeches are made. Then the playing starts. The first playing activity involves every one attending the event. This year, there were many students who signed up and came down to Iowa City. There were about twenty students for both oboe and bassoon, so the entire group consisted of about forty students. In addition, there were around twenty University of Iowa students. This combination of students made for a very large double reed choir. It was not the prettiest thing I have ever heard. After an hour of reading through some oboe and bassoon pieces, we split up into small sectionals which were led by graduate students. My group consisted of four oboe players total. We also sight read through some oboe duets and trios for an hour and a half. At the end of the day there was going to be a concert and during this small group time we were supposed to choose two or three short selections that our group would play at that performance. 

During this time, a few oboe and bassoon students did not participate in the small groups. Some students signed up to audition for the solo artist competition. Each of these students prepared a solo prior to coming to the event and they performed it for a panel of judges. One oboist and one bassoonist were selected as winners and they were to perform their solos at the concert that night. After the sectionals, there were a few master classes conducted by the professors. There was a playing master class before lunch and a reed making class after. I enjoyed listening to both master classes because it gave me an opportunity to get to know the new oboe professor better. After listening to her teach, I have decided that I like her. :)

Unfortunately, I had to depart after the second master class. Overall, it was a very educational experience and I am glad I had the opportunity to attend. I highly recommend the Double Reed Day and I suggest that everyone should go to it.

Show Choir Premiere Concert

The Kennedy High School Show Choir Premiere Concert took place this week, and it was a very big event. Show Choir is a very popular activity in my school and in schools around the area, so it is quite competitive. At the premiere concert the show choirs do exactly what the name suggests; they perform their full shows for the first time for an audience.

There are three show choirs at my school: Chaunteurs, Protege, and Happiness. Chaunteurs is the freshmen-only show choir, so no older participants are members of that choir. In preparation for the year, middle schools hold auditions for this show choir as a chance for current eighth graders to seize a spot and begin rehearsing over the summer. Directors from Kennedy go to each of the feeder middle schools and have auditions. The auditions generally have two parts: a singing portion and a dancing portion. If the prospect eighth grader demonstrates the required skill level, he or she is awarded a spot in Chaunteurs. Many students audition, but not everyone makes the cut. The directors have to choose their choir using students from multiple middle schools, so the chances are slimmer. 

Protege is the second show choir at my school. This group mainly consists of sophomores, but there are a few juniors sprinkled in the mix as well. I have never heard of a senior being in Protege, but that does not mean it is not impossible. Again, freshmen in Chaunteurs have to audition for the following year in order to secure a spot in Protege. Just because you made it into Chaunteurs does not guarantee you a spot in Protege for next year. In addition to the sophomores, the directors have to account for some juniors in the group as well. The auditions run basically the same as they did the previous year and students are selected for the middle show choir group. 

Happiness is the top show choir at Kennedy. Every incoming freshmen dreams of becoming a member of this group some day. This choir consists of juniors and seniors. Very rarely, there is an outstanding sophomore who is placed in this group as well. Happiness has been ranked the number one show choir in the nation multiple times and consistently achieves great success. Members of this show choir are easily recognizable by their famous yellow jackets. Happiness members wear their gaudy bright jackets whenever they have a performance later that night or a competition on the weekend.

All three show choirs began rehearsing in the summer and they have been learning and perfecting their show for many months now. The premiere concert was the first time all three groups performed their whole show for an audience. Competition season is right around the corner, so that will be the next set of performances the groups will be gearing up for!

Christmas Music

Perhaps the most famous holiday of the year, Christmas, is only a little over a month and a half away. You know what that means; it is time for Christmas music. Many people absolutely despise Christmas music and they find it extremely annoying. I do not share this opinion, but I do not love it with all my heart, either. I think Christmas music is very happy and it is intended to put people into the holiday spirit, but I do agree that it gets a little boring after listening to it for almost two months.

Every year it seems like the malls and grocery stores and the radio stations start playing the Christmas music earlier and earlier. This year, the biggest complaint I have heard is when people say, "It is not even Thanksgiving yet!". It is a bit outrageous when you think about it, but this has been going on for years now. Some holidays are so close together that stores feel the need to start advertising for a later one before the earlier even finishes. For example, Valentine's Day is only two months after New Years' Eve. This may seem like a long time, but in past years I remember stores have started to set out Valentine's Day decorations and chocolate before Christmas even came! I understand that occurrences like this do not please many people, but they have become social norms. In situations like this where it is impossible to change everything, it is easiest to simply rest your case and try to accept what is going on around you.

Christmas music is often very popular and easily recognizable by almost everyone. The songs are catchy and often end up driving people crazy when they get stuck in their heads. The music associated with this holiday might be one of the reasons Christmas is one of, if not the most, popular holidays in the United States. Other holidays have some music associated with them, but none to the extent that Christmas does. Music is a way of bringing people together, so it makes sense that everyone is very family oriented around Christmas time. Studies have also shown that using songs and music helps you remember things better. This is why teachers often use songs in order to teach young children topics in school. Perhaps the presence of so much music around Christmas time helps make the holiday that much more memorable in people's minds.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fun-filled Christmas this year! :)

Music Therapy

Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.

The idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato. The 20th century profession formally began after World War I and World War II when community musicians of all types, both amateur and professional, went to Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients' notable physical and emotional responses to music led the doctors and nurses to request the hiring of musicians by the hospitals. It was soon evident that the hospital musicians needed some prior training before entering the facility and so the demand grew for a college curriculum. Many colleges today offer music therapy programs that show students how to assess the needs of patients and how to design a program of music therapy that meets those needs. 

Pep Band

Pep band is something that almost every high school musician will have to go through, even if they do not want to. While some people enjoy playing the popular tunes to pump up the student section and the sports teams, most students find pep band extremely boring and do not like it at all.

During marching season, the band is usually required to perform their halftime show at all the home football games. In addition to playing at halftime, the band is also required to sit in a designated area that is blocked off. Here, they perform short tunes that are intended to energize the student section and the football players. The songs range from around thirty seconds to a little over one minute. The referees do not allow the bands to play while the game is going on, so usually these songs are only played during timeouts, in between quarters, or if a touchdown is scored. At my school, we play the school fight song every time our football team scores a touchdown.

Pep band can be fun for those who enjoy watching the game and hanging out with their friends in band. However, this is usually not the case. Many students do not like watching football or do not care about it. Even if they did not mind it, most people would prefer to sit with the student section because it is more entertaining. I personally do not mind playing in pep band because I like sitting and hanging out with my band friends, but I certainly understand why others would not be pleased. Some nights it is very cold or very hot and it is simply miserable sitting outside for a long period of time. It is also difficult to watch the game if your team is losing and getting pounded pretty badly. The pep band tunes are meant to help encourage them to keep on playing hard and give them spirit, but sometimes this just does not work.

Overall, it does not matter if you like pep band or not. You will have to participate in it either way in order to receive a good grade for band. In these cases all you can do is try to make the best of the situation and have as much fun as you can. :)

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" Music Review

Halloween was this past weekend, so I thought it would be fitting to discuss some music commonly associated with the holiday. Perhaps one of the most popular Halloween movies is "The Nightmare Before Christmas" produced by Tim Burton. It follows the story of Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloween Town, known as 'The Pumpkin King'. After accidentally discovering a door leading to Christmas Town, Jack formulates a plan to kidnap Santa Claus and take over his job as the leader of Christmas Town.

The music in this soundtrack was written by Danny Elfman, a famous composer who also provided the singing voice for Jack. The score was extremely well written. For our Christmas concert this year, my band will be performing selections from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" soundtrack. I am very excited because this is one of my all time favorite movies and I enjoy the music very much. The selections we will be performing in our arrangement are "Overture", "What's This?", "Christmas Eve Montage",  "Sally's Song", and "This Is Halloween".

What's This?
In this upbeat, exciting tune, Jack enters Christmas Town by accident after discovering doors deep in the forest leading to many different holiday towns. During this song, Jack discovers many odd and new things he has never seen before, such as Christmas trees and lights, stockings, and Santa Claus (who he believes to be Sandy Claws). Each phrase starts out with the intense melody and slows down and becomes more sincere towards the end as Jack reflects upon how nice all of these Christmas time things are. Then, the melody comes back once he discovers something new and exciting again and his attention is drawn elsewhere. This song is where Jack's fascination with Christmas Town begins. Later on, this fascination becomes an obsession, which is the beginning stage of the rising action of the plot line.

Sally's Song
This song illustrates Sally's conflict with herself regarding Jack. She is in love with him and she cares about him very much, but she worries he does not feel the same way about her. Sally had a vision that Jack's plan to kidnap Christmas will go disastrously wrong and she is scared for him. In this song she is concerned about what she should do because she wants to stay by Jack's side and support him, but she does not want anything to happen to him so she does not want him to follow through with his plans. The more she thinks about it the more she fears Jack does not feel the same way about her and that makes her very sad. This soft tune is very beautiful but also heart-wrenching at the same time. The music is slow and expressive as Sally describes her love for Jack, and it is also filled with dissonance and tension as she expresses her fears that he is not in love with her and that he will get hurt. By the end of the song, Sally is convinced that she is not the right girl for Jack and she will let him move on to find someone else.

This Is Halloween
This song is perhaps the most well known song from "The Nightmare Before Christmas". It takes place at the very beginning of the movie and serves as the introduction to Halloween Town. Throughout the piece, many ghosts and ghouls take turns singing about Halloween Town and what it is all about. During the song many the viewers catch a first glimpse of some of the main characters, such as Sally, the Mayor, and eventually Jack Skellington at the end. Jack is introduced at the end as 'The Pumpkin King' because he is the leader of Halloween Town and all the monsters adore him. This song is very dark and mysterious, yet it is fast-paced. This is not a common pairing of musical elements. Usually dark, mysterious music is slow and eerie, and fast-paced music is often bright and happy. Using this combination helps depict Halloween Town as spooky and creepy yet intense and crazy at the same time. This tune is a perfect introduction to the movie because it grabs the audiences' attention right away and keeps them wanting to find out more about Jack and Halloween Town.

The music in this movie is phenomenal and adds lots of substance to the plot. I highly recommend both this film and the music in it to everyone. If you have not seen "The Nightmare Before Christmas", you should watch it sometime very soon!

"Hello" by Adele

"Hello" is Adele's latest hit single and it is everywhere. You can not go any place without turning on the radio and hearing this song somewhere along the way on your trip. It is a good song with gorgeous music and deep, meaningful lyrics. However, this tune is wayyyy too overplayed. I do not know about everyone else, but I am certainly burned out with this song for a while. Keep in mind, it has only been out on YouTube and the radio for a few weeks! I understand that it is very popular and people like it, but radio stations need to start controlling how much "Hello" is played because I think it is getting a bit outrageous. That is all. Thanks for reading this mini-rant blog. :p

Rehearsal Behavior

Recently, a very highly-respected and professional conductor from around the area came to work with my band because our director had to be absent. All the underclassmen were terrified because the older students told them frightening tales about this director and how cruel he can be. For privacy purposes I will just reference to him by his first name, Steve. Steve is an extremely talented musician and an even better conductor, but sometimes he can be a little intimidating. Sometimes he can even be a little mean. He has never been overly mean to my band any time he has come to work with us, but everyone still knows the stories in which he is quite snippy with other bands. Thanks to the upperclassmen, all the younger students were terrified out of their minds. However, the rehearsal went very smoothly and Steve was very nice and calm. The next day when our director returned, he was very pleased with us. He said Steve was impressed with the rehearsal etiquette we displayed while he was working with us. This may not seem like much, but it is a big compliment. Many high school bands are untrained and disrespectful during rehearsal. This surprises guest conductors when they come in to work with bands because they expected better behavior out of the students. Thanks to our director, my band has been trained well and we know how to behave when it is time to get serious and work.

The first and probably most noticeable thing a band can do is look interested in what they are doing. Before we started the rehearsal with Steve, everyone was reminding each other to make sure they do not yawn, check the clock or a phone, or look bored any time during the rehearsal. Any of these things suggest a lack of interest, which creates a poor environment for learning and improving. If the students do not care about the rehearsal, why should the director? On the other hand, looking interested and being focused sends positive messages to the director and also causes a ripple effect. Students rub off on each other, so if a few people are presenting a great attitude then it will spread to others. It is important that the group as a whole in actively engaged so they are prepared to give the rehearsal their best effort.

Another thing to do is to always give your very best effort no matter where you are or what you are doing. You can not simply decide when you are going to play well, you have to always play well. You should always put the same effort forth for warming up, tuning, to playing actual songs and everything in between. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. Similarly, practice makes permanent. If you always practice with little effort, you will perform exactly like that. This is why you should always put your best effort into any rehearsal.

Major Scales

Music revolves around scales. They make up everything and it is impossible to not use them. There are many types of scales such as major, minor, melodic, harmonic, and more. In this blog, I will be discussing the importance of the 12 major scales.

The 12 major scales include C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, G, D, A, E, B, and F#. Each scale contains a different series of notes starting with the name of the scale. There are five flat scales, six sharp scales, and C, which contains all natural notes. Every piece of music is written in a certain key, which is the same thing as a scale. This determines what notes everyone will play. Each key sounds slightly different, giving each piece of music a unique sound.

It is very important to memorize all 12 major scales if you want to become a serious musician. Music is created by simply developing relationships between notes. Once you reach the point where you can look at a piece of music and analyze the relationships between notes, everything immediately becomes much easier. Instead of seeing random notes, you can see how the notes fit together and are the role they play in the relationships. This is why the major scales are so important to music.

Dancing

I recently viewed a video that illustrated cartoon birds dancing to a classical overture and I was highly amused by it. Typically I associate dancing with more modern, hip-hop music. However, this video opened my eyes and made me remember that dancing is not exclusive and it can be done using any kind of music.

Dictionary.com defines dancing as "to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music". I think this is an excellent definition. Dancing can be done with or without music, but I personally find it more effective with music. Dancing, just like music, is an art. It can be used to express actions or emotions that are difficult to express using other forms of communication. While it can be used to express, dancing can also be more informal and it can be performed simply for the pleasure or enjoyment of oneself or others.

As in the video of the birds dancing to the classical overture, dancing can be used to help illustrate music. Music stimulates the auditory senses and systems of the brain. Dancing adds another element to this and stimulates the visual senses and system of the brain as well. Engaging multiple areas of the brain is much more exciting and beneficial than just stimulating one or two. I believe this is why many people enjoy going to see ballets or other types of dancing shows or performances. I enjoy going to see performances like those as well because they are very entertaining and they do indeed stimulate many areas of my brain.

I would like to recommend that everyone consider going to a dancing performance or show sometime soon. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it!

High School vs. College Marching Band

Marching band is very different in college than it is in high school. There are many who say college marching band is much harder, but there are also some who disagree and say high school marching is far more difficult. I am only a junior in high school, so I have not experienced college marching band yet and I do not know what it is like from personal experience. However, I would say that both are difficult in different ways.

Learning music is much easier in high school marching band in my opinion. Generally, there is one show throughout the season that the band will perform at games and competitions. The students only have to learn one set of music and they will continue to perfect it throughout the season. The music is often passed out sometime during August during band camp and it is pretty well learned by the first competition. College marching bands, however, have a large variety of shows they perform throughout the season. Each week, new music is passed out and a different show is performed at the football games. This is not as difficult though because the college students have the ability to perform using music. There are little contraptions called lyres designed specifically for each instrument that you can put music into and attach to your instrument. Almost all the members of the band use lyres and can read the music as they perform. Not being required to memorize new music every week takes lots of pressure off of the players. They still have to work very hard and practice the music, though. Overall, despite having the ability to perform using music, I think learning a new set of music each week is harder than learning one set for the entire season.

The drill in high school has different difficulty levels depending on the skill level of the band. Some high schools marching bands have very simple, easy drill whereas others have complicated, complex drill that is very impressive when executed well. Like the music, high school bands only learn one set of drill throughout the whole season. Since they have many different shows throughout the season, college marching bands also have many different sets of drill to fit the show. Unlike the music, however, the students cannot read drill as they are marching. This means they have to memorize the new drill each week. The drill in college marching band is much easier because of this. The band often moves very little and stands in one place while playing. This lightens the load on the players. I think the drill is  about equally as difficult at the high school and college levels. This depends on the high school, but generally they have more complicated drill. College bands have easier drill, but they also have to learn new drill every week. Therefore, it is hard to tell which level of band has a higher difficulty level regarding drill.

The time commitment for college marching band is far greater than that of high school. Most college bands rehearse around three hours a day throughout the season. Keep in mind, the marching season for college is much longer than that of high school. They typically do not participate in competitions, but the bands have to play for all the football games, both home and away. The games take a large amount of time out of each day. The time spent rehearsing outside of the school day for high school marching band varies, but it typically is not as demanding as the time commitment for college. My band only rehearsed for two nights a week during marching season, each being three hours. High school bands in my region generally only send the band to home football games, which are much shorter than college games. We simply have to play our show during halftime and sit for the rest of the time playing pep band tunes. However, high school bands participate in competitions. Most competitions run for half a day, usually on a Saturday. This is still less than college football games. Therefore, the time commitment is far greater for marching band at the college level.

I enjoy watching both high school and college marching bands and I like assessing the differences between them. It is fun to watch both types and learn from them.

Judging Marching Band Competitions

Many marching bands go to competitions to perform their show and be judged and ranked against other bands. The rules and scoring guidelines vary from competition to competition, but they are similar across the country. Similarly, the judges are all different, so all the rules are interpreted differently. Despite these variations, there are some basic guidelines that all judges generally follow when judging marching band shows.

The number of judges depends on the individual competition, but there are usually at least five. These include judges for colorguard, percussion, marching and maneuvering (M&M), music execution, and general effect (GE). Each category has an individual score that contributes to the total, which is added up to rank and place the bands. Each score is important and contributes to the total score, so it is not a good idea to neglect a certain category and focus too much on another. 

The first two categories are pretty self explanatory. There is a judge who watches and analyzes the colorguard only. This judge is typically on the field with the guard. He or she watches many things such as the complexity of the work, the quality at which it is performed, the basics of colorguard technique, and much more. This judge can comment on other aspects of the performance, but they are supposed to mainly focus on the colorguard. There is also an individual judge who judges the percussion sections, which include the drumline and front ensemble, or pit. This judge is also on the field and has to run back and forth between the front sideline to listen to the pit and the back of the field, which is typically where the drumline is written into the drill. The judge analyzes things such as how well the pit and drumline are lining up, how well they are lining up with the band, how the percussion music complements the music the winds are playing, the complexity of the music, and more. These two categories are specialized, but they still contribute to the overall score and are important.

The next two categories being judged are labeled marching and maneuvering and music execution. These judges are also on the field with the band. The M&M judge focuses on the marching of the band. He or she watches both the group as a whole and specific individuals. This judge comments on marching style, whether individuals are marching in time, upper body orientation, intervals and spacing, and more. Like the colorguard and percussion judges, this judge is free to comment on other aspects of the performance but they usually stick to their assigned area, which would be marching. The music execution judge can also focus on individuals or the sound the group is producing as a whole. This judge walks around and listens to everyone, so they can point out people who are not playing and dock points because of that. He or she also listens to the sound the group is putting out from the field. This does not sound as good as it does in the stands, but the judge can still determine whether it is quality music or not.

The final judge that most competitions have is the general effect judge. This judge sits up in the press box so he or she can observe the performance from above. He or she is free to comment on every aspect of the show. This judge analyzes how the show comes across to the audience, how effective the music and drill are, and how everything works together. All of these judges are very important and play a crucial role in the placement of the bands.

The Radio

I have never used the old, clunky, beat up radio that sits in my basement before. I'm sure once upon a time it was used quite frequently, but I do not even know how to turn it on. Nowadays everyone simply uses their phone or MP3 player for music. Old fashioned radios are very rare and not likely to be seen in homes. However, many people still use radios every day, just in different forms.

Many people listen to the radio in their car every day on the way to work or school or wherever they are going. In most car radios, there are two settings: AM radio and FM radio. AM radio typically refers to talk show radio stations that you can listen to in the car. FM, on the other hand, consists of music stations, though they may have some talking as well. Of course, there are commercials on both settings, so that adds extra talking no one usually wants to listen to. Listening to the radio while driving is relaxing or entertaining for most people, which is why they turn it on in the first place. Personally, I do not mind driving in silence. However, sometimes I turn on the radio to listen to music as background noise while I am driving places. I generally turn the radio off if there are other people in the car, though.

Similarly, many people listen to music on their phones to provide entertainment for themselves. Some simply buy music from the iTunes store to listen to at their leisure. I think that most people simply use an app to listen to music, though. Common music apps include Pandora, Spotify, and SoundCloud. It may seem obvious, but when using these apps they are pulling different songs from different radio stations. This means that you are indeed using a radio when you use these apps to listen to music, even though it is on your phone.

There are hundreds of different stations and genres on the radio, such as pop, jazz, hip-hop, rap, classical, blues, and so much more. There is a type of music for everyone to listen to thanks to the many radio stations that exist. If you have not found a type of music you enjoy listening to, you simply have not been looking hard enough. Next time you pull out your phone, try going through some of the different music apps so you can browse through the vast amount of stations. I hope you find a type of music you enjoy!

Performance at Valley

Every year, my high school marching band wraps up the competitive season at the Valley MarchMasters Competition. This is the competition we aim to do our absolute best at. We hope that our performance at Valley is the peak of our season. This year, it certainly was. We finished at fourth place out of fourteen, the highest Kennedy has placed in at least a decade. The performance was absolutely spectacular and it is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

Earlier that morning, our band participated in the State Marching Band Contest. This is not a competition, but rather we are judged against ourselves. Band can earn one of three scores: Division I, II, or III. Division I is the highest and Division III is the lowest. As usual, we secured a Division I rating with ease. Then we loaded the buses and departed on the two hour trip to West Des Moines Valley High School.

It has been freezing every year that I can remember at Valley, but this year it was not too bad. This was the first good sign. We warmed up the band and had an inspiring pep talk from the directors. I could tell the band was going to play very well the moment we stepped on the track. The music sounded excellent and all the things we pounded on the entire season was fixed. The drill was clean and crisp. I couldn't help but smile as the band played the show.

When we lined up for awards, the other drum major and I patiently waited to hear our name being announced. We waited and waited, while many other bands were placed below ours. Finally, our biggest rival, Washington, placed fifth. We were in shock. We had never placed higher than Wash before. Our school name was announced next in fourth place. It was and extremely emotional experience.

I am so proud of how far the band has come this season and I absolutely cannot wait for what is in store for us next year!

What is Music?

Music is an art form, social activity or cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence. The common elements of music are pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes referred to as the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and with vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping, and there are solely instrumental pieces and solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. In its most general form the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music, the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music. 

Taking Care of Your Instrument

Taking care of your instrument is extremely important. Failing to treat it properly can result in many consequences. The instrument could be damaged severely or it could fail to play with the same quality it once did. These problems waste both time and money spent to repair the instrument. Instead, it is easier to simply treat the instrument well and make sure it is always in the best condition possible.

One of the worst possible things you can do is drop your instrument. Sometimes, nothing happens and you can get away with it. However, sometimes dropping the instrument causes permanent damage unless fixed. Dents are very common in younger musicians' instruments because they are more likely to drop them or bang them against a chair or stand. The dents are not only ugly, but they can also affect the quality of the sound the instrument produces. They decrease the value of the instrument as well, which is not good if you are looking to sell it later on. Simply keeping a good, strong hold on your instrument and not dropping it saves you much stress and hassle.

Being sensitive to the weather is also vital in taking care of your instrument. This applies more to woodwind instruments than brass. Many woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes, and bassoons are made out of wood, hence the name woodwind. Wood does not do well in extreme temperatures. Leaving a woodwind instrument outside or in a car when it is too hot or too cold can result in major damage. This is because the temperatures cause the wood to expand and contract, leading to the risk of the wood cracking. Rain is also very harmful to wood instruments. It is necessary to keep the instrument dry at all costs. It is important to always take your instrument inside with you and never leave outside unattended.

Another thing you can do to keep your instrument in tip-top condition is to swab it or clean it out after every playing session. Again, this is more important to woodwind players. Brass players can simply open a little button where all the spit collects and empty it out that way. For the same reason rain is bad for wood instruments, it is not good to let water or spit sit in the instrument. The water drains the moisture from the wood and dries it out, which can also lead to cracking. Many people only swab their instrument about once every three to four times they play, but I prefer to be safe so I swab my oboe every single time I play.

When I was in seventh grade, my private lesson teacher and I decided it was time for me to purchase a professional wood oboe. I took care of it the best I knew how, but it still cracked within the first few months of its purchase. I never left my oboe in the car or walked outside with it not in its case. I swabbed it every single time I played and never dropped it. This crack was not my fault though. My new oboe arrived during winter, which is a horrible time to break in a new instrument. Breaking in a new oboe is already very risky, so the weather did not help any. Both of these elements helped factor the crack in my oboe. Despite taking such good care of my instrument, it still cracked. It is important to know that accidents can still happen even if you treat your instrument properly. However, you should still always make your best effort to care for your instrument.

Disney World "You're Instrumental" Workshop

Last March my high school band took a Spring Break trip to Walt Disney World. While most of the days were spent riding rollercoasters or lounging on beaches, we also performed in Florida. Disney offers many classes and workshops for performing arts. The workshop my band participated in is called the "You're Instrumental" Workshop. We were given the chance to experience what it is like recording music for a movie or TV show.

Only the best of the best are hired to play in studio recording bands for movies. These musicians must be very trained at sight-reading. Sight-reading is when you are playing a piece of music for the first time and you have never seen it before. It is a hard skill to practice, so many musicians either have it or they don't. Bands that record music for movies do not get together and practice often. In fact, they do not get together to practice at all before the day of the recording. The musicians come in and rehearse the music once or twice and then they record it. This is why sight-reading is such an important skill. The music is not given to the performers before the day of the recording, so they do not have a chance to practice it at all before coming together with the rest of the band.

Through Disney's "You're Instrumental" Workshop, my band experienced what it was like working under these conditions. When we walked into the room many chairs were set up with signs indicating where each instrument section should sit. The director running our workshop introduced himself and gave a brief talk once we were settled. For the first hour and a half, we ran through five or six well-known tunes from popular Disney movies. We only played each song three times at most, so things moved along fairly quickly. In between reps of each song, the director pointed out four or five things that we should focus on and try to improve for the next run through. After the first half of the workshop we took a short break. Upon returning, the director announced the selection we would be recording to sync up with a clip from a Disney movie. We would be playing a scene from "The Lion King" in which Simba ventures down into the gorge and the buffalo start to stream in. We rehearsed the piece around four times and it improved each time. Finally, once the director was pleased with a recording, the professionals played the clip up on a projector with our music in the background. The recording sounded great and it was very fun to make. To my pleasure, every participant was sent home with a copy of the clip. The workshop was extremely entertaining and helped many students understand what it was like being a professional recording musician.

If you are interested in taking your band to a Disney's "You're Instrumental" Workshop, check out this page: http://www.disneyyouth.com/our-programs/performing-arts/sp/workshops/program/dpa-workshops-youre-instrumental-wdw/#categories-workshops.

Performing in a Pit Orchestra

Playing in a pit orchestra in a musical is far different from any other type of performance I have been a part of. While it might seem tough at first, it is very fun and rewarding.

My first experience performing in a pit orchestra was performing the musical Jekyll and Hyde. I absolutely loved the music and I had a great time playing. It also helped that the cast and crew were fantastic and did an amazing job making the show come to life. I think Jekyll and Hyde will always be my favorite musical. It was such a great exposure to the world of pit orchestras.

Music in a musical pit is quite different from regular band music. It is typically the same for brass instruments, but there are not certain books for specific woodwind instruments. Instead, the books are simply labeled Reed 1, Reed 2, Reed 3, and so on. Rather than playing one instrument, the musicians playing the different Reed books are usually asked to play multiple instruments. For example, on the first song the Reed 2 book may be marked as clarinet music, but on the third song it may be marked as oboe music. This means the players will have to switch instruments between tunes. Woodwind musicians hoping to be hired to play in a professional musical have a higher chance of being selected if they are capable of playing more than one instrument.

Playing in a musical pit is also much more exposed than playing in a regular concert band. There are typically only one to two players for each instrument with one player on a part if there is more than one part. In order to sound good everyone must play with lots of confidence and no hesitation. There is no place to hide in a pit orchestra. I find it easiest to think of everything I play as a solo. Playing in a pit orchestra is vastly different from other types of performances, but it is equally fun.

Iowa All-State Auditions

For most high school students involved in music, all-state is a huge deal. The All-State Band and Orchestras are composed of the best of the best players in the state. The competition is cutthroat. With all-state auditions right around the corner in less than a month, I think it is a good time to explain exactly what it takes to be a part of one of these outstanding ensembles.

There are three parts to the all-state audition: a solo, two etudes, and scales. Each year students are asked to choose a minute to minute and a half excerpt from a solo to perform for the judge. The solo is always performed first, so it is extremely important that it be very solid. It needs to be especially good because it is the first thing you will play when you walk into the room, so it serves as a first impression for the judge. No matter how good anything else sounds, if you walk in and play your solo poorly, the chances of getting selected are very low.

The next portion of the audition is the etudes. Each year two etudes are selected from a specific book for the all-state auditions. Typically there will be one fast and one slow etude chosen to give players a chance to show off both aspects of their playing. It is important for musicians to have the ability to play both technically and beautifully at different tempos.

The final section of the auditions is arguably the most important: scales. Scales are said to be the things that either make or break your audition. There are twelve major scales total that must be memorized and played at a certain tempo. However, you only play three scales in the audition. Each student walks in and picks up a card that has two scales written on it. These are the two scales that are performed in the audition. The third is the player's choice scale. Everyone is given the opportunity to play their favorite scale that they feel most comfortable with for the judge. If your choice scale is written on the card you select, however, you cannot play that scale again as your choice scale. This is why it is important to have a number two choice scale. Some instructors even say to have a third just in case both of your choice scales are written on the card you choose. The last scale performed in the audition is the chromatic scale. The chromatic scale consists of every note you are capable of playing on your instrument; from the lowest to the absolute highest and back down. In order to make it into all-state, your scales must be near perfect.

This is my third year auditioning for all-state and I feel more prepared than I ever have. I hope all my hard work pays off and I am given the opportunity to play in one of these outstanding all-state ensembles.

Life as a Professional Musician

Many young children dream of becoming professional sports players, firefighters, or astronauts when they grow up. But how often do you hear them saying they dream of becoming a professional musician? The answer is not very often. It is extremely hard to strive in the area of music. The truly gifted soar to fame and are asked to perform at every high class event, while the rest fight viciously for a lowly spot at the local bar. Despite the constant stress and struggles, somehow there are many people who are willing to accept the difficult lifestyle of becoming a musician.

There is no doubt money is a major issue. It is sometimes hard to get by as a musician because often times there is not a stable source of income. Landing a seat in a band or orchestra is ideal, but that does not always happen as planned. Players may jump around from gig to gig taking whatever they can get their hands on. Many college students aspiring to perform as an occupation are faced with a shocking realization somewhere along the way: it is going to be really, really hard to succeed. However, a simple solution to this problem can be found. Many professional musicians decide to also take up another job related to music. These could include becoming a band instructor, teaching private lessons, or working in an instrument repair business. By taking up another job, musicians are able to feel more secure regarding money. Unfortunately, having another job does not allow for as much freedom as some would like. Musicians are no longer able to completely devote themselves to performing and finding opportunities to play. Despite this, happiness can still be found through these other occupations. The truly dedicated also find time to perform no matter how busy they are.

Music has the capacity to bring joy to everyone, whether it be through performing or teaching. Performing for others creates a special and unique feeling of connection amongst the performer and the audience. They may have never met before and may not ever meet again, but there is still a connection between them because of the music. Similarly, a special bond is created between a teacher and student. Giving someone the tools and instruction to succeed is one of the most amazing feelings in the world. Knowing that you helped someone and shaped his or her life in some way feels great. Life as a professional musician can be very difficult, but it can also be pretty wonderful, if you choose to make it that way.

The Appeal of Music

Music is a part of almost everyone's life almost every single day. There are so many different types of music it is nearly impossible for someone to not find something they like. Hundreds of genres exist with more and more being created every generation. Music relaxes, inspires, and entices humans all the time, sometimes without their knowledge. If there is one thing that can be common amongst all people, my first guess would be music. Music is beautiful in itself, but its ability to unite so many is also extremely beautiful.

Corps Style Marching Band Ft. The JFK Marching Band

There are three different styles of marching band: military, show, and corps. My school performs using the corps style marching show. There are, of course, some variations in this style depending on where you are along with other factors, but the fundamentals remain basically the same for the most part.

My marching band has had an average of around 150 members for the past few years. This number has been slowly increasing for the past five years or so though. We typically consider marching season to begin in early August and go through the end of October. Our competition season usually starts around mid to late September. Prior to competitions, we still do many performances. Our band performs our half-time show at every home football game. The environment is not as pleasant, but it is still good practice for the real deal. Unlike most college bands, we learn and rehearse one show the entire season with the same music and drill throughout. College bands typically learn one show per week and perform using flip-folders to read the music. Once all the music and drill has been put on the field, we clean it and rehearse it over and over to make it better every time we perform. We also add in visuals to make our show more entertaining. Now that you have a basic overview of my band and high school corps style marching, it is time to discuss what distinguishes this style from the others.

As I previously mentioned, corps style marching bands typically march on football fields using drill. Drill is the movements or pictures that are created while the band is playing. The music is sent to drill writers and they create moving pictures that align perfectly with the music to produce an entrancing and effective performance. Each member of the band is assigned a number or letter that they keep the entire season. This is how each person knows how to move and where to go. They look at two different sheets of drill and see where they need to go next in order to fit the picture. Because each set of drill is different, each move will also be different. The number of counts, direction, step size, and step style are different for each picture. This is drastically different from military style marching, in which the members form straight lines and simply march forward the entire time down a street during a parade, for example.

Corps style marching bands also incorporate the use of a color guard. Members of this section use different styles to spin flags, rifles, sabres, and/or dance during the show. Color guards add an extra level of entertaining visuals and flare to the performance. The guard routine is choreographed to fit the music as well as the drill. During competitions, there is a specific color guard judge who watches just them and gives them a score that contributes to the overall score of the performance. Oftentimes an award for best color guard is also awarded to the band with the most outstanding guard.

Another addition to corps style bands is the use of a front ensemble, commonly referred to as the pit. Since the band performs on a football field, it is acceptable to have stationary instruments at the front that do not move throughout the show. Pit instruments consist of percussion instruments that cannot be strapped onto the body and carried around. These would include: all keyboard instruments, a concert bass drum, auxiliary percussion, timpani, and sometimes a drum set. Electronic instruments such as synthesizers, guitars, and basses are also sometimes placed in the pit. The front ensemble adds the icing on the cake to the band.

The corps style of marching is constantly evolving due to contributions from high schools and colleges all across the nation. I love the way my band is run and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Contrasting Band and Orchestra

While band and orchestra are somewhat similar, there are many key differences between them. As the top oboist in the top band at my school, I am given the opportunity to play in orchestra as well as band. Wind players are much more exposed when playing in a symphonic orchestra. Usually, there are multiple players on a part in a concert band. In orchestra, there is typically one person per part, while some instruments do not even have multiple parts. This forces wind players to create a louder, more confident sound than they are used to playing with. While it might seem nerve-racking, this ultimately increases the player's skill level. They will more than likely begin to transfer this improved, confident sound to concert band. As a result, this increases the overall level of quality sound the band produces.

One of the largest differences between band and orchestra instruments is the way you produce sound. Wind players use their air to make sound vibrations, whereas string players run their bows across the strings to make them vibrate, also creating sound waves. Breathing and controlling your air stream is extremely important in making a wind instrument sound. Musicians must be able to find the correct balance of air pressure and intensity in order to produce notes. Sting players, however, concentrate solely on the technique used to drag the bow across the strings. There are many ways to make the strings vibrate, the most common being plucking, bowing, and striking. This results in an advantage for string players. While wind players have to practice very conservatively in order to not wear out their lips too much, string players can play for hours on end before reaching even the slightest fatigue.

There are many different types of instruments in band. These can be broken down into three sections: woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Woodwind instruments include flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and saxophones. The brass category, on the other hand, consists of trumpets, french horns, trombones, baritones, and tubas. The percussion section can include many different types of odd, uncommon instruments only needed for a few specific songs. However, almost all percussion sections include a snare drum, bass drum, suspended or crash cymbals, timpani, marimbas, vibraphones, xylophones, and bells. The range of instruments is much smaller for orchestra. A string orchestra includes violins, violas, cellos, and basses. A symphonic orchestra incorporates all the band instruments except saxophones into the orchestra. The reason they are excluded is because their sound is too similar to those of string instruments to be needed in a full orchestra.

The types of music played by an orchestra and band may be the same or it may differ dramatically. Some music is arranged just for string orchestras, like famous symphonic work by Mozart, or just for marching bands, like the marches of Sousa. Other compositions are made for orchestra and band alike, with the individual conductor deciding which musicians will perform which parts.

The Benefits of Private Lessons

Private lessons are highly encouraged in the musical world. When starting kids on an instrument, middle school band directors try to do as much as possible to promote private lessons. Often times students who participate in private lessons do not have to attend school lessons, which is a big perk. School lessons are annoying and not very helpful. They are often very short, around 15-20 minutes long, and are held with multiple students. If there are three students having a lesson at a time, each student only gets 5 to 6 minutes of attention before they are sent back to class. These sessions are not very helpful at all.

Private lessons are between one student and one instructor. This is beneficial because the teacher can focus on the student's individual issues and fix them. Students learn many important things in band, such as listening to others and making your sound blend in with the ensemble. However, it is also very important to address individual problems and eliminate them. This is why one on one help is good. Students do not usually receive much attention during band, but they are given lots during their lessons. It is vital that students feel valued and appreciated. Working with a student individually reinforces appreciation and makes him/her feel like a vital part of the band.

Private lesson teachers can also offer useful tips for practicing. Many students do not know how to practice very wisely. Instructors can explain how and what to practice to yield the best results. These teachers are often specialists for a certain instrument as well. This means they can help with problems or questions regarding something specific to the instrument. All band directors are trained to play every instrument, but it is better to have someone whose main instrument is the same as yours.

As you can see, private lessons are very important to many band programs. By increasing the individual levels of students, the overall level of the band also increases. I hope everyone takes the time to consider signing up for private lessons!

Efficient and Effective Practicing

Practicing your instrument is a necessary action in order to improve your skill level. This applies to almost everything, not just music. Failure to practice results in no forward progress. If you never practice, how can you expect to ever get any better? If anything, you will probably get worse.

However, it is very hard to force yourself to practice sometimes. It is very tedious work. Playing the same passage over and over again is not very appealing to most people. Practicing can also be very frustrating. Some days, everything seems to go wrong. You can't concentrate, your fingers absolutely will not cooperate, and you just sound terrible. Days like these are very tough and test you both mentally and physically.

Despite having these days sometimes, practicing can be very fun and rewarding. The feeling of accomplishment after nailing a particularly hard section is outstanding. It feels great knowing you have made improvement. The problem is, most people do not improve as much as they would like due to ineffective practicing.

The first step of improving the way you practice is to understand the difference between practicing and playing. Many people like to go and sit in a practice room to play their instrument. They may pull out a song and play through it a few times and call it good. This is not the same as practicing. Practicing involves breaking tunes up into smaller sections and working through them until they are rock solid. Once you have mastered a small section, you may move on to the next section. Once that is finished, it is time to put the two sections together and work out the transitions between them. This is often challenging and may force you to break the pieces down into even smaller sections to drill those into your memory. It is an extremely boring and annoying process. However, this is how you truly master a piece of music. Playing through a song over and over and repeating the same mistakes is not going to get you anywhere. Breaking a passage down and finding out where it is weak is what really helps.

Another way to improve your practicing is to change things up. Sometimes a passage has been broken up into the smallest possible sections and you still cannot get it right. When this happens, it is a good idea to play something other than what is written on the page. It helps to change articulations and rhythms while keeping the notes the same. For example, if there are four slurred notes that you are struggling with, it would benefit to instead play the first two notes slurred and the second two tongued. You might do it that way once or twice and then switch it and play the first two notes tongued and the second two slurred. Similarly, you can change the rhythms while keeping the notes and articulations the same. It is very important to always do the opposite of something you change. With my previous example, I would not change the articulation to slurring the first two notes and tonguing the second two notes without following it with the opposite. Once you have changed a passage and played it and its opposite, try going back and playing the original passage as written. By modifying the section, it makes it stronger when you return to the original.

Dr. Christine Carter, a clarinet professor at the Manhattan School of Music, also suggests changing your practice schedule. An article titled Why the Progress You Make in the Practice Room Seems to Disappear Overnight features her in The Bulletproof Musician. I have not tested this method out yet, but I plan to and I expect to see good results!

By incorporating these changes into your practice routine, you will improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of your practicing.

An Intoduction to Music

The human body is one of the most complex and wonderful creations in the world. A cubic inch of bone can support 19,000 pounds. New studies have shown it is possible for a human to run up to 40 miles per hour. Eyes have the capacity to collect, focus, and adjust light to form a breathtaking image of incredible clarity. Ears are able to detect and process millions of vibrations and translate them into messages that have meaning. This is what gives us the ability to listen to music.

Music is an enormous part of the lives of billions of people. It follows you wherever you go. Many times, you may not even realize music is even being played because it is so common in everyday life. Music can create a certain mood or be used to describe how one is feeling; it can identify a certain culture or way of life; it can ease pain or be used as therapy; and it can provide pleasure or comfort to those seeking its beauty. The possibilities are endless.

Music plays such a large role in my life. Almost everyone in my family is or once was involved in music of some sort. Everything I do revolves around my love and passion for music. I am extremely excited to explore the depths of this spectacular topic and share my knowledge with others. Thank you for visiting my page and I hope you enjoy!