I have used this video multiple times in ensemble rehearsals. Really makes a strong point in the difference in expectation and excellence level in music. Please listen to all of it.
Why an ‘A’ is not enough in music Read More »
Perfect pitch means you can hear a tone or multiple tones and identify them. There was a girl in undergrad music theory class at UK who had perfect pitch. She described it as painful if a vocal ensemble was to lose pitch, i.e. go flat/sharp.
Another person I worked with professionally was a local band director wife. We could use her as a tuner, because she not only knew the pitch, but whether you were ever so slightly off. We would bring her in periodically to critique and the students always enjoyed trying to “trip her up”. But perfect means perfect and they never could.
In one rehearsal, without a score in front of her, she made a comment like, “The Bb7 chord at letter E is both wrong and out of tune. The altos have the ‘D’ (your ‘B’) and one of you is playing a Bb and another of you is playing the right note, but quite sharply.” We checked. She was perfect.
I do not have perfect pitch, but good “relative” pitch. It serves me well in two general ways. First, as a clarinetist, I can usually “hear” the pitch before I play it and so can come in on the right note/partial and on pitch. Especially when listening to a clarinet, I can usually tell you the note, but more because I know the different timbres of notes. An open ‘G’ sounds different than a ‘Bb’, for example.
It also serves me well in rehearsals as I have keen “hearing eyes”. I can tell if what I’m hearing is what I’m looking at in the music score. I established that when I would say, “Someone is missing [specific note]. If you don’t fix it, I will find you”, they knew I could, so sometimes, when I stop the music, look down at the score (to figure out what I heard and where it might be coming from) and focus my attention toward a section of the group I might find someone with his/her hand already raised to confess, “It was me”.
During a grad class, I had to stay after class one day because I was doing something the professor said I shouldn’t have been able to do and he wanted to find out how I was “cheating”.
His researched position was that you could only retain and re-sound about 8-11 random tones. To make his point, he emphasized why phone numbers are broken down; 260-786-6554 vs 2607866554 or that credit card numbers are “batched” in 4’s because we can’t remember 16.
Then for practical proof, he started playing series of tones. We were to sing them back and drop out when we missed. Not unlike a spelling bee, by the time he got to 12-13 tones, there were only two of us left. The other person dropped out and the professor, in a frustrated tone, asked me how I was “cheating”.
Working 1-1 after class, he noticed (I didn’t even know I was doing it) I was fingering my pencil. His conclusion, and I had none better to offer, was that I was “hearing tones in clarinet” and then “playing them back”.
What I did was not unique. I know of others who have trained their ears to hear specific pitches, such as an ‘open G’ on trumpet or a vocal “do” on ‘c’.
Relative Pitch is not Perfect Read More »
My dad was a 32-yr career firefighter, retiring as an Assistant Chief for a moderately sized, full-time department that had about 10 stations throughout the city. I recall a childhood time when my siblings and I were vising him at the firehouse. When the alarm sounded, he abruptly pointed to the wall, and said
“Stand right there ’til someone comes for you.”
Immediately, 10 doors (5 front, 5 rear) open, the intercom is announcing location and status, and people are hustling from every direction Twenty seconds later, the building is open, empty and quiet. One of the dispatchers invited us into his area while our mother scrambled to come pick us up.
As a small business owner, I believe some of my Dad’s Fire Department practices could help Small Business when it comes to putting out fires. Here are 11 things Small Business and Fire Departments should have in common.
Firefighters know who they work for and will sacrifice to serve. When someone calls 911, firefighters will do what firefighters did on 9/11.
————————————————–
One of the most effective practices I put into place was to bring in a salesperson to talk to our order fulfillment crew and explain to them what happens to his customer, his income and even their jobs when orders go out with too many errors.
Meticulously planning and preparing for, and then efficiently and effectively fighting “fires” is something both fire fighters and small business owners should be good at. Business should be ready, but not always “putting out fires”.
The purpose of THIS post is to encourage you to be READY and SET so that when the alarm rings, you are prepared to GO!
Thanks for reading,
JohnGardner@VirtualMusicOffice.com
I wrote a tribute to my Dad, the firefighter, and included description and picture from the worst fire he ever fought…. the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire of 1977 that took the lives of 165 people, including my high school clarinet teacher. I also talk about his Fire Chief experience with accusations and responses to sexism and racism. Read more….
11 Things Small Business and Fire Departments Should Have In Common Read More »
A lesson for American students from my Korean exchange student Read More »
Beginning instruments are designed for beginners. The bores on some of the brass instruments are smaller because of the lesser air capacity the 6th grader has. Keys on mass-produced woodwinds are designed to survive some falls and mistreatment.
Once a student gets to high school, they’ve been playing that beginning instrument for three or more years and, especially if they show potential, I start to encourage them to step up because at some point it will become the instrument itself holding them back.
My first two experiences involved siblings. I was out of college and teaching band when my youngest sister was in high school band. She needed a new trumpet and I was able to get one for her through the instrument dealer I worked with. My brother got to play my Selmer clarinet when I had moved to Buffet.
Not all my attempts were successful. When I approached one farmer-papa about a new clarinet, his question was,
“Isn’t that the clarinet you told us to buy?”
He had also challenged me when I said I wanted to spend 1-1 time with his daughter in individual instruction.
“Aren’t you the teacher?”, he asked. “Then why don’t you find a way to teach her without me paying extra money for you to do your job.”
He eventually became a very supportive father and band parent.
One high school clarinetist was really good. She was studying with me and was at the point where she needed better equipment. And, knowing her father’s job, I was confident finances were not a problem. I tried the “puppy dog close”.
I learned the “puppy dog close” in sales training. The idea is that you go to the pet store and the store owner offers to let you take a puppy home for the evening with the ability to bring it back the next day. The puppy never comes back.
This is before I was on staff at the high school, but I had a good relationship with the music store in Fort Wayne. I went and asked if I could borrow a Buffet R-13 (top-of-the-line) clarinet with the idea that I could bring it back in two days if I did not sell it for them. They reluctantly agreed.
The next day I was in the band room as students came in for rehearsal. I called that girl over, handed her the new clarinet and asked her to try it out during rehearsal. As expected, she was amazed at the difference. I asked her to take it home for the evening (along with the price tag) and bring it back the next day if she decided not to keep it. She walked in the next day with a check for payment in full. No commission for me.
I was with a student and her family at solo festival. She had worked hard, but struggled in the performance. The mechanics of the instrument were messing her over. Afterward, in the hallway, dad asked me how I thought she did.
“She should get a Gold (she did), but she was fighting that instrument most of the way.”
The next day she had a new clarinet at school. Turns out, papa went to the music store table and bought her a step-up instrument on the spot.
A high school student was taking private lessons and her teacher told me on multiple occasions that her instrument was “crap”. My understanding in talking with the student was that there were some family financial difficulties.
Partly because of her finances, I found a doner and worked out a deal with her instructor to give her lessons for a year. When I called her in to tell her about it, I told her I wanted her to make sure the doner got his money’s worth. There were tears and a promise.
The teacher reinforced with me how incredibly prepared she was for her lessons, but still lamented about the quality of her horn.
I asked for a parent/student/teacher conference and met with them one day after school. I told the parental,
“She is an excellent musician. For financial reasons, we set up lessons for her for a year. She is doing an incredible job with those and her teacher stresses how she is the most prepared student he has had. But [she] needs a better instrument. I don’t know the details of your finances and I can’t tell you how to make it happen, but this girl needs [this]. The music store will work with you, but this needs to happen.”
There were more tears — and a new horn.
That student is now a Band Director.
There were other situations over the years where I was able to help coordinate or provide private lessons or to help a student get better equipment to work with.
Helping students get private instruction and/or better instruments Read More »
The director had been out for a few days, so I ran the rehearsals….and organized this prank. I wish I had zeroed on facial expressions. NOTE: No harm was done. Students exited one door, walked around and came back in another. We lost about 2-3 minutes of rehearsal. I wonder what it looked like on the CCTV monitors in the admin offices.
Pranking the band director Read More »
You know you’re getting older when Read More »
I prepared this list for one of my woodwind students and modified it some to include other instruments. There are links within this article to other articles I’ve written about literature selection, accompanists and the judging scoresheet categories.
The basics. Music, instrument. People have forgotten both.
Solo Part – ORIGINAL for judge. Measures numbered.
Have you paid your accompanist? Customary, usually following performance. More about respect, preparation and appreciation for your accompanist, click here.
BRASS.
Valve oil
WOODWINDS.
Backup reed – in case something happens to yours that day.
Mouthpiece cap – Keep on when moving – protects and looks professional.
PERCUSSION.
Backup sticks/mallets.
Arrive at the school/venue about an hour before your performance time. Find your performance room and then you can go to warm-up. Don’t over-practice. Just review your challenging spots. Your ensemble should run through the piece. Note that these warm-up rooms can be noisy.
Arrive at performance room before your time. You can go in ahead of time (or anytime) and listen to other performers. Most in Group 2 will be h/s. If your accompanist is late because of accompanying someone else, just explain that to the door person or judge.
Have the book opened to your solo when you present it to the judge.
If judge asks questions, answer politely (as you always are).
Sit or stand. Your choice. I prefer standing. Judge may want to see your fingers, so don’t put the music stand directly between you and the judge. Be able to make eye contact with your accompanist.
Do not start until the judge tells you to. He/she may be completing notes on the previous performer. If permission received, play tuning note with piano – last chance to check your reed.
Be prepared to introduce yourself, your school, and your piece (title/composer).
When you finish, especially if there is any applause, a slight bow is appropriate to acknowledge. Applause is the audience saying thank you — a bow is your thanking them for the applause. Recognize your accompanist.
You will not get your music immediately – probably after the performer who follows you. You will not get your scoresheet. Those go to your band director at the end of the day.
The door monitor will write your rating on the wall schedule.
A separate post with addition scoresheet categories ===> HERE.
Intonation. Are you in tune with the piano? With each other (ensemble)? Do you have individual notes that are out of tune? Accuracy to printed pitches.
Tone. Resonance, clarity, control, focus, consistency, warmth.
Rhythm. Accuracy of note values, rest values, duration, pulse, steadiness, correctness of meter.
Technique. Facility, accuracy, articulation, fingerings.
Interpretation/Musicianship. Style, phrasing, tempo, dynamics, emotional involvement.
Performance factors. Choice of literature, appropriate appearance (related to performance), poise, posture, general conduct, mannerisms, facial expressions. Formal dress is not required, but jeans with holes and advertisement t-shirts will not only affect the appearance score, but also — judges can decide much about you before you play your first note. You are “on” from the time you take your performance position until you exit.
Did I forget anything? Let me know so I can improve this post for the next time. And note that rules per state are different… I tried to be generic in that regard.
Solo Contest Checklist Read More »
There were few times I ever got a ride to or from school other than band practices. Charlie C lived in the trailer park behind Rosedale pool and he had a car….or was allowed to drive his parents’ car. He would sometimes drive me. Mom would on rare occasions.
For regular school days, Mom would give me bus money. There were no school buses available. The #6 Rosedale bus would stop at 45th and Glenn, just over the walking bridge next to Rosedale Baptist Church. That was about a 5-minute walk. I usually rode the bus to school in the morning, mostly because time was critical.
Because she gave me bus money whether or not I rode, I would often walk home. What I did was possibly illegal, but I never got in trouble for it.
Holmes High School is between 25th & 26th streets, just across the street from a double pair of railroad tracks. Those same tracks passed about 8 houses up the street from my home. I didn’t get on the tracks at the school because they passed through a tunnel that I was told left no room on the sides, if there were trains on both tracks.
So I would walk down to an overpass, behind a roller skating rink, and up a short, but steep dirt path to the track. There wasn’t a numbered street there, but I’m guessing I was on the tracks for about 20 city blocks. With a B&O (Baltimore and Ohio) yard just a mile or so south of my house and an L&N (Louisville and Nashville) office building and turn off just north, these were very active tracks.
I was on railroad property but no one ever asked me to get off. I would often waive at the passing train engineer. When there were two trains, then I would walk on the heavy gravel areas alongside. Otherwise, I spent most of my time ON a rail. I would challenge myself to not lose balance from one street crossing to the next. I was very good at it, even when carrying a clarinet or saxophone case and some books. Backpacks were not a thing students used at that time.
Trains didn’t use their horns in the city (like they do now), but they had a dingy bell. The engines themselves were generally loud enough so I don’t think I was ever in danger of one sneaking up on me from behind. They didn’t move very quickly during this area either. The only surprise was an occasional train coming from a different direction and merging onto these tracks. There was one place where that could happen.
I would get off the tracks at either the 42nd or 44th Street train crossings and walk the last block on sidewalks.
This was the “DeCoursey Yard”, just out of sight from my house. It is where my Grandpa McCormack worked.
Between 8th and 12th grades at Homes, I probably walked those rails hundreds of times.
To and From School, Public Transportation and Walking the Rails Read More »
