Tips That Click Phi Beta Mu
Quality Band Literature That Nurtures and Inspires
Directors are always searching for literature to perform at assessment festival that will provide multiple rewards for their programs. We all want quality music that will help students grow in musical proficiency, as well as inspire them and give them a sense of aesthetic fulfillment. I recently contacted several experienced Alabama directors to get their insights on the music they felt had these traits. Hint- all three chose music by the composer that is known as “the band director’s favorite reed”: Alfred Reed.
Jim Duren has been one of the most outstanding band directors in the state for over 30 years. Presently teaching at Oak Mountain High School, he also directed outstanding programs at Mountain Brook Junior High and High School and Pelham High School. His pick for a work that has inspired helped him develop the program at each of these schools is Russian Christmas Music (Sam Fox, 1969) by Alfred Reed. Jim says: “ This piece is chock full of opportunities to transfer daily fundamental skills into real music. Students have the chance to demonstrate achievement of long sustained tones and matching unisons and octaves.
The
woodwinds will develop outstanding technique through all the scale passages and flourishes throughout the piece. Russian Christmas Music requires patience by the students and careful study by the director, but it is a composition that has always benefitted my program each time we have performed it”.
Russian Christmas Music was also the pick of Betty Bates, a recent retiree who led the storied program at Scottsboro High School in northeast Alabama for many years. Her teaching situation at Scottsboro was at a high school of modest enrollment, but she feels that they also benefitted from
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preparing the Reed masterwork. “I think the great strength of Russian Christmas Music is that it provides significant and worthwhile parts for every section of the band! This piece truly develops musical independence while being very student- friendly. My kids always loved the challenge of preparing each segment ,and the musical growth of the band was obvious and rewarding to everyone!”. Both Duren and Bates pointed out that while Russian Christmas Music is scored for full instrumentation, it is liberally cross-cued to allow smaller ensembles to successfully perform the work. This why you hear it (and other Reed compositions) frequently performed by smaller military post bands and university wind ensembles as well as the larger symphonic bands.
Jon Bubbett has served as the band director at Thompson High School for over two decades and has built the program there into one that is among the best in the state. His pick for piece that is quality literature, yet fun for the students is Reed’s El Camino Real (Hal Leonard, 1985). He says: “ The melodies and rhythms are quite challenging, especially at the extreme ends of the tempo spectrum, but the students never tire of working on this music. Every individual part must be fastidiously prepared to insure a successful performance, so accountability and teamwork is at a premium.”
This “latin fantasy” is
structured around two contrasting dances: the jota and fandango, and familiar set of harmonic progressions. As in Russian Christmas Music, the music is liberally cross-cued.
Alfred Reed also has some outstanding compositions written for younger and advancing bands that are on the Alabama Selected Music list. Slavonic Folk Suite
(Alfred, 1953), Imperatrix (Hal Leonard, 1972), and Sumus Futuro (Barnhouse, 1999) are examples of works that were created for young ensembles, but contain all the distinctive elements that are part of the music Reed has written for more mature ensembles.
In the words of Alabama Bandmaster Hall Of Fame member Ken Williams: “playing Alfred Reed won’t always make your band sound good, but playing Alfred Reed WILL build you a good band!” Most experienced band directors will agree that truer words have never been spoken.
Rho Chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity is committed to improving quality instruction and advancement of bands in this state. Please email
pemin@mac.com with any comments on this column or suggestions for future columns.
Alfred Reed October/November 2011
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