Higher Education
“Old Chestnuts and “New Favorites” Kimberly Walls, President, Higher Ed Division
All of the Higher Education Division AMEAIn-Service Conference sessions were successful thanks to facil- itators Jeanette Fresne, Diane Orlofsky, and Carl Hancock and the session presenters. Carl Hancock reviewed research regarding music teacher short- ages. James Zingara discussed teaching problem solving to applied brass students. Members were able to visit and catch up at the Mixer. At the busi- ness meeting, Mark Walker was elected as President
of the division. HED also sponsored concerts for the first time. Applied faculty from across the state per- formed and discussed teaching applications of com- positions for study by college music majors. Each concert was well attended, the performances were excellent, and audience members gave many com- pliments. Discussion at the business meeting sup- ported continuing the concert series. Following are the concert notes provided by the performers.
Sonata in F Major by Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739) Though there is an ever-growing wealth of quality literature written for the euphonium, we must often "beg, borrow, and steal" from the repertory of other instruments to learn Baroque style. Baroque cello and bassoon music often translates beautifully to the euphonium due to the similar tessitura, lyrical style, and technical capabilities of both instruments. When beginning to teach Baroque style, I often turn to Marcello's Sonata in F Major. The Sonata is the first of six sonatas that Marcello wrote for cello. The first two movements are contrasting in nature, offering a perfect introduction to Baroque lyrical and technical styles. These movements also give me an opportunity to work with the student on some of the fundamental problems of brass performance including dotted rhythms, dynamic contrasts within a short phrase, breath control, tongue and finger coordination, and musical interpretation. These movements are also well-suited to the trombone and tuba (transposed down an octave), and are within the technique and range abilities of advanced high school students. Martin Cochran (euphonium) and Pamela Gordon (piano), The University of Montevallo
"The Trees on the Mountains" from Susannah by Carlisle Floyd
This is an excellent piece for teaching collegiate-level studio because it requires a mature singer for a mature selection. I am referring to the poetic nature of the piece in the line "my heart wants warming, my baby a name." The piece also tests the singer's stamina because of the continuous movement from one phrase to the next, not allowing much room to breathe. I believe that a younger, less experienced singer, would have more difficulty in trying to maintain the continuity of these sections of the music. The piece is not sung with typical phrasing; I refer to breathing or pausing where commas occur. Rather, the singer is encour- aged to sing a line such as "the summer jes vanished and left them there, like a false-hearted lover, jes like my own" on one breath. The collegiate-level studio singer is challenged to incorporate as much variety in using the dynamic level as possible to totally engross the audience with the performance of this piece. By using such extremes in dynamics, also, when the singer is heard, it is rather impressive to hear such remarkable control exhibited. For example, the singer can sing "come back, oh lover, if jes fer a day" at a fortissimo level at one point, then sing it just the opposite at a pianissimo level and astound the audience. In teaching this piece to prepare a singer for a recital, for instance, she should exaggerate the lips as to make the performance appear effortless. Bessie Hunter-Shelton (soprano), Lawson State Community College and John Jinright (piano), Troy University
A Pocket Full of Wry by Lowell Shaw
Lowell Shaw studied with Max Pottag at Northwestern University where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees. He was the second horn and pops arranger of the Buffalo Philharmonic from 1956-1994. He is best known to horn players as the composer of jazz and popular styled horn quartets called Fripperies. In 1990 he received the Punto Award from the International Horn Society for making major contributions at the regional or national level to the art of horn playing. "A Pocket Full of Wry" is a brass trio in a light jazz style. The technique and style make it appropriate at both the high school and college level. Published in 1974 this is a good example of the practice, common at the time, of using standard articulations to approximate jazz styles. It is an excellent teaching piece for students not yet familiar with those styles. The parts require rhythmic independence, with lines that pass off between instruments as often as they are shared. Laura Parsons (trumpet), Stillman College; Bill Schaffer (horn),, Auburn University and Jesse Provo
40 ala breve February 2007
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