Running over squirrels

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Though it sometimes makes students uneasy, I like to compare missing notes to running over squirrels.

It usually comes up after I hear a student performance spiral downward as they let one mistake spin the whole piece out of control. When they stop, I ask the student to imagine being in the car with their parents.

“As your mom or dad are driving, you see a squirrel race out into the street, directly in front of your car! Which would you prefer your parent do? Try to swerve out of the way of the squirrel and cause a collision, or run over the squirrel and preserve the lives of everyone in the car?”

While some students take a long time to think, the right choice is obvious—if you have to decide between running over a squirrel and and getting in a car accident, every sane person will choose preserving the lives of the people in the car.

I then tell the student to treat missed notes or any other mistakes like running over a squirrel. You can’t change the squirrel. If it runs in front of your car, all you can control is your own reaction. When a musician makes a mistake, there is no way to go back and change it. Instead, you have to keep on playing as if nothing has gone wrong. Otherwise, the original mistake may be compounded. Rather than simply running over a squirrel, you jump the curb and crash into a tree. Playing an F natural instead of a sharp is painful, but not as painful as playing out of time for the next 10 bars because you dwell on the mistake.

If you like the analogy, feel free to use it. And if you don’t, let me know a better one! :)

Listening Journal #3

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I actually started listening to new music for the coming fall before school was out for the summer. It started when I found a great set of albums on the Naxos Music Library--Distinguished Music for the Developing Band. Each album has a selection of music for beginning, middle, and high school band, and the works included are superb. In this post (and at least one more later), I'll share some of my favorite listening so far and what I am looking forward to programming next year.

Courtly Airs and Dances - Ron Nelson

I can't believe I didn't remember this piece until this summer. I'm sure I must have played it at some point during high school. The combination of old Renaissance dances and modern harmonies is fun to play and a pleasure to hear. How could anyone dislike the Saltarello?

Suite from Bohemia - Vaclav Nelhybel

Great melodies in some modal tonalities, plus this is a pretty substantial work (8-9 minutes) at a lower difficulty level. I think the second movement is my favorite.

Salvation is Created - Bruce Houseknecht

There are quite a few arrangements of Tschesnokoff's beautiful hymn. This is the one I am planning on getting and playing this year.

Afterburn - Randall Standridge

The pacing on this piece is great, and it has a catchy hook. Perhaps I'll get sick of it by performance time, but after listening through several times this summer I do still enjoy it.

Old Churches - Michael Colgrass

While I think it will be challenging to sell some students on Old Churches, it will be worth it. I'm considering teaching some about Gregorian Chant this year (more on that later if it happens), and the graphic notation used in this piece is also a great teaching opportunity.

Please, share your favorite pieces! I'm always on the lookout for great music.

Provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America Courtly Airs and Dances: IV. Saltarello · Rutgers Wind Ensemble Transformations ℗ 2011 Mark Records Released on: 2011-08-02 Conductor: William Berz Ensemble: Rutgers Wind Ensemble Composer: Ron Nelson Auto-generated by YouTube.

Band Awards

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This past spring, I had the opportunity to present the John Philip Sousa and Louis Armstrong awards for the first time. They have a long history and carry a lot of weight, but I think it is important to recognize other student achievements throughout the year. One other award I give to high school students is the "pen" award.

The award doesn't actually have a name, so the students and I refer to it by the prize each winner receives--a Pilot Varsity fountain pen. While they are advertised as being disposable, it's not too hard to refill them, and so I include a lifetime supply of ink (as long as the winners come back to me to get a refill). I make the award at the end of each quarter to one or two deserving students based on their contributions to the ensemble and department. I have awarded pens for

  • taking lessons and working really hard to get better
  • participating in and making significant contributions to the musical
  • giving up lunch time regularly to practice!
  • tutoring younger students
  • rehearsing and conducting a band

Students have appreciated receiving the pens, and quite a few have made comments about wanting to win one. It's not an expensive award (usually around $2/pen), but it is a great reward for the students who win one and a motivator for those who have not won yet.