How Do We R.E.H.E.A.R.S.E?
As a young clarinetist and bassoonist growing up in rural western Pennsylvania, I was deeply fortunate to have two outstanding band directors that mentored me from elementary band through high school. Both of them provided me with the inspiration, confidence, and drive to become a music educator thanks to the exceptional modeling that they provided […]
From the Bookshelf: Inspirational Reading to Fill the Tank
By the time this issue of PMEA News is in your hands, all of us will be in the midst of a well-deserved vacation from our labors during the school year. It is a time of relaxation, reconnecting with friends and family, and recharging our batteries. Like many of you, I rarely have time to […]
Checking The Score – Part II: Score Study Methods for the Busy Music Educator
Greetings from rainy Indiana, PA! If you are anything like me, you are putting holiday decorations away, going back to school, and there is this growing pile of scores on your desk just waiting to be studied. Let’s dig in! Before I begin part II of this article, I would be remiss if I did […]
Flexing Our Muscles – The Positive Impact of Flex Band Repertoire on Music Education
“Life handed him a lemon, As Life sometimes will do. His friends looked on in pity, Assuming he was through. They came upon him later, Reclining in the shade In calm contentment, drinking A glass of lemonade.” “The Optimist” – 1940 I’ll be honest, trying to begin this article was a difficult task. We are […]
“When You Get to a Fork in the Road, Take It” – Part Two
Replication vs Creation Over the past twenty-four years that I have been an educator, this might be the skinniest tightrope that my students currently cross on a daily basis, and it has required me change how I approach and instruct my students about the purpose of our art form. As a child growing up in […]
“When You Get to a Fork in the Road, Take It”
Choices. It seems like in this current pandemic we are being bombarded with choices. How will we choose to do our shopping, pay our bills, keep our children safe, do our jobs, visit with family, etc.? Even before this life changing public health emergency, all of us had to make choices ranging from the mundane, to the most […]
The ABC’s of Great Middle School Band Music
I have a confession to make: I absolutely love making lists! Not only because it reminds me what I have to do during the day, but I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction taking my pen and drawing that horizontal line through my completed tasks. Whether it be groceries, tasks around the house, or planning […]
The Legacy and Band Compositions of Clifton Williams
A little over a year from now we will be celebrating the 100th birthday of one of the most important voices in the development of the band repertoire – Clifton Williams. From his beginnings as a high school composer and arranger in Arkansas, to his academic and compositional career at the University of Texas and […]
How Do We C.O.N.D.U.C.T? – Part One
Greetings gentle readers! As I write this article in mid-August, I am excitedly anticipating the beginning of a new school year. I have a hot pot of coffee beside me, a pile of scores in front of me, some freshly sharpened colored pencils, and file of updated syllabi. Let’s go! I must confess that August […]
How do we C.O.N.D.U.C.T? – Part II
Style (D)oes Matter Perhaps the greatest challenge we have as conductors is taking musical notation, which gives us maybe 20% of the information we really need (at best), and turning it into a visual image that will hopefully elicit sound that is a combination of the intent of the composer and our informed interpretation based […]