program to include students, as well as parents, teachers, administrators, and board members. Include all those who are making the educational decisions in your community.
This plan of action must be consistent. A vision of the music program must be well articulated and communicated to all stakeholders in the educational community. Currently, we have many “voices” that believe they have the answer. Everyone is going in his or her own direction without any unified effort to elevate the basic importance of music learning.
Developing a New Identity
Once we expand our role as a conductor and educator for our entire community, we move into teaching and understanding music's worth by adding a new dimension to our everyday teaching responsibilities. We can change the perceptions of music as an activity by designing a program specifically to clarify all misconceptions, myths, and mysteries that adults, administrators, parents, civic leaders, board members, and all 'people specialties’ have been experiencing. Such a special program immediately elevates opinions, value, and support by developing an awareness of how we, as music educators, perceive the values and importance of music education. Simply stated, getting everyone on the same page with our music staff can reap tremendous benefits.
Such an outreach program for parents, administrators, and adults, develops their sense of values to our discipline, and we guide them to recognize and appreciate the uniqueness of musical expression as an academic discipline! The program is based upon two simple questions, do administrators, and parents recognize the complexity and demands of playing an instrument or singing, and secondly, do they understand why our curriculum is based upon significant works in wind and vocal literature?
Such a special program is not a concert but a lecture/demonstration of a school music performing ensemble. It is not a concert, as you will be using literature excerpts for demonstration purposes. It is best to present this program early during the first semester of school. I share with you below a few topics that I presented to my administrators, parents and community leaders. They are:
Band/Orchestra/Chorus:Academic & Why ! Investing In Artistic Opportunities Through Band/Orchestra/Chorus
The Language of Music, Emotion & Expression Musical Performance: Integrated Thought and Action Elem. Band/Orchestra/Chorus: The Beginning of Artistic Thought Elem. Band/Orchestra/Chorus... The Musical Sounds of Reading, Math and Science
MS or HS Band/Orchestra/Chorus: Expressing Standards of Excellence Imagining and Creating Through Musical Sounds
To Be or Not To Be... Musical Skills, Knowledge & Understanding Is Music Performance Important?
The World of Music: Life-long Learning Music Spans the Entire Universe of Learning!
Artistic Thought & Expression: Sensitive to Detail! Music Performance: Beyond “Numbers & Scores” Music Literature and Curriculum
The topics will require special time to research and prepare as a 28
“class” and not a concert for invited administrators, board members, parents, and community leaders. The purpose for such a presentation is to enlighten your audience to the complexities of musical performance beyond entertainment. I encourage you to continue this special presentation for several years as you shape your audience respect and appreciation for the importance of music study.
We are an important part of the student’s total educational process and nothing less. The musical performing organizations provide opportunities for each child to expand their aesthetic awareness, and sensitivity, to artistic expression, through historically significant literature. The literature for such organizations is not determined by its entertainment value or influenced by any source, other than those recognized for academic/artistic worth, and professional teaching standards. Any imposition upon such literature criteria, or standards, detracts from program integrity and leads to student exploitation.
YOU can make a difference! The leader of any music program, whether it is an elementary-middle or high school band/orchestra or choral program, must have a "vision" of the ideal… The ideal enrollment, the ideal schedules, the ideal performance levels, the ideal facilities, the ideal staffing, and the ideal budget. Without such a "vision of musical ideals," the program that you currently are responsible for is as good as it can be. It will be the same next year as it is today. This "vision of musical ideals" is the guidance system that assures music students the opportunities to learn the beautiful language of musical performance and expression. The elementary and middle school staff must be active participants, working cooperatively with those at the upper levels. We too often fall back to the old formulas and prescriptions we've been so accustomed too, but they won't work, because the "wheels of change" are moving too fast. Graham Down, an accomplished keyboard artist, scholar, and author states: "persuading the public that music and art are not peripheral, demands a monumental show of unity and innovative leadership among music and arts educators."
Notable Chicago Symphony bassoonist, David McGill, had this to say, ”Teachers are placed in the lofty position of judges of what is and what is not worthy in musical performance. Because of this, they should forever strive to educate themselves thoroughly…never remaining complacent or self-satisfied…in order to assure that their idolized position in the lives of their students is not a misplaced trust.”
Edward S. Lisk is an internationally recognized clinician, conductor, and author. He is a graduate of Syracuse University School of Music with graduate studies at Ithaca School of Music, Syracuse University, and Oswego State University. Mr. Lisk is an elected member (48th) of the prestigious National Band Hall of Fame for Distinguished Conductors. Mr. Lisk is a member of the Midwest Clinic Board of Directors, serves the John Philip Sousa Foundation as Vice
President for Administration, and is a past-president of the National Band Association (1990-92).
August/September 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44