Mark Foster, Jazz Chair
By the time you read this, I hope everyone is guiding their students as they prepare for the all-state jazz band auditions. The deadline for submissions is November 1st. All the audition requirements are posted on the ABA website. I will do my best to get the audition results to everyone before December 1st.
We have an excellent panel of clinicians this time. Dean Sorenson will be directing the Gold Band; Dr. Mike Pendowski will be directing the Silver Band; and Kim Bain will be directing the middle school band. These clinicians are going to provide an excellent experience for our students. Their bios are located in the conference section of this issue, but I would like to give you a little more information about them.
I started noticing Dean Sorenson from the Kjos demo CDs that came out in the 1990s. He wrote a great chart called “Rain Delay” that is an excellent minor blues for advanced big band that I purchased and played with my high school jazz band. I enjoyed this chart so much that I kept the demo CD and listened to it in my car. I have since used many of his Kjos charts with my junior high and high school jazz ensembles. He has a great way of writing jazz charts to provide a logical
framework for beginning
improvisers based on modes or a limited number of scales. I credit his charts with helping me become a better teacher of jazz; and many of my students have gone on to
In an effort for our bylaws to reflect the current trends and needs in our organization, the AMEA Governing Board has approved a few changes for the membership to vote on at the business meeting in January. The bylaw proposal will change the office of treasurer/registrar to an appointed position, instead of elected. The learning curve for the office of treasurer/registrar is extremely steep. Having an appointed person fulfill the duties of treasurer/registrar will allow for the greater job retention and performance.
• Currently, Article IV: Government, Section 2 reads as follows:
Officers. The officers of the AMEA shall be the President, the Past-President, the President-Elect, Recording Secretary, and the Treasurer/Registrar. The officers shall be elected in every even- numbered year.
ala breve
Kim Bain is the band director at Pizitz Middle School
in Vestavia. Kim is
successful in every aspect of our profession. Her bands are the bands by which other
Dr. Mark Foster ABA Jazz Chair
Proposed AMEA Bylaws Changes to be Voted on at the January Business Meeting Proposed change:
Officers. The officers of the AMEA shall be the President, the Past-President, the President-Elect, Recording Secretary, and the Treasurer/Registrar. The President-Elect and Recording Secretary shall be elected in every even-numbered year. The Treasurer/Registrar shall be appointed by the President.
• Currently, Article V: Elections reads as follows:
Nominating Committee. No later than 60 days prior to the annual AMEA convention, the President shall appoint a committee for the purpose of nominating two candidates for the office of President-Elect, two candidates for the office of Treasurer/Registrar, and two candidates for the office of Recording Secretary. The Committee shall consist of one member from each of the Divisions and one member-at-large who shall be chairperson, none of whom shall be members of the Governing Board. The
Proposed change:
Nominating Committee. No later than 60 days prior to the annual AMEA convention, the President shall appoint a committee for the purpose of nominating two candidates for the office of President-Elect and two candidates for the office of Recording Secretary. The Committee shall consist of one member from each of the Divisions and one member-at-large who shall be chairperson, none of whom shall be members of the Governing Board. The Nominating Committee shall present its slate at the next general business meeting of the membership, at which time additional nominations may be made from the floor.
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Nominating Committee shall present its slate at the next general business meeting of the membership, at which time additional nominations may be made from the floor.
develop their improvisation to a high-level because of the confidence they got from playing Dean Sorenson charts published by Kjos. Dean will be leading the Gold Band. He will also be presenting a clinic after lunch on Friday in the Gold Band rehearsal room addressing jazz rehearsal techniques- please plan to attend. I am honored that he will be at AMEA with us, and I am confident that your students are going to love working with him.
Dr. Michael Pendowski joined the Auburn faculty a few years ago, and has done a great job with the jazz ensemble there. You need to listen to his recordings of the Auburn University jazz band that are on his website. He has done some very impressive literature in the short time he has been here. The two recordings I was most impressed with were the “West Side Story” from the Buddy Rich Band, and the “Body and Soul” from the Stan Kenton Band. I have several former students at Auburn who all talk about the great job he has done with the jazz program there. He brings an impressive resume as a professional saxophonist and composer. I am glad he is in Alabama, and I look forward to seeing what he will be able to contribute to jazz education in the state. Mike will be leading the Silver Band.
middle school bands are judged in Alabama. The Pizitz band performance at AMEA a couple of years ago was one of the best performances I’ve heard at the conference by any ensemble. Kim is a strong advocate for jazz education for the young musician. She has a great middle school jazz program at Pizitz, and she really knows how to teach jazz to young students in a way that allows them to succeed and reach their full potential. In addition to teaching, Kim maintains a busy performance schedule as a professional saxophonist. I have had the privilege of performing alongside her for many years in the Superjazz big band in Birmingham. She is an outstanding jazz musician, and she will provide a quality experience to our students as the director of the Middle School All- State Jazz Band.
As you can see, we have a strong group of clinicians this year. Please take some time to visit a rehearsal and introduce yourself. Also, I hope you will stay for the all-state jazz band concert, which is held on Saturday morning at AMEA. The students work very hard, and they need a good audience.
Have a great fall---I look forward to seeing everyone at AMEA.
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