overture. Unfortunately, particularly in younger groups, students often believe that forté means loud and piano means … well, not quite as loud! The 12 trumpets will have to realize that they cannot play that mezzo-forté if the clarinet has a solo; it must be reduced to pianissimo. The sec- ond most important element is to try to develop key listening abilities. Point out to the trumpets when they need to listen for the flute solo; show the oboe where they need to heard over the other wood- winds, and so on.
Lack of balance often shows up in
jazz bands, where the rhythm section dominates the winds. While I have on rare occasion felt a rhythm section could be louder, it’s usually just the opposite. This is no doubt due to electronic ampli- fication of the bass, guitar and often key- board. It also shows up when a soloist is trying to play, but the rhythm is still as loud as they were under the full band. Balance problems also show up fre- quently in string groups where the violas are significantly outnumbered by the violins and often cellos. Add in the standard way of setting up—where the violas are to the right of the group and hence tilting away from the audience—and good bal- ance quickly goes awry. If nec- essary, consider a change of position of some kind to help overcome these issues. I’ve also heard very successful groups putting the double basses in the middle of the group (where percussion would normally be) instead of all the way to the right. This allows violins to hear them more clearly.
3. Lack of swing. I have heard many jazz bands that
played the notes correctly, but sounded dull and uninteresting, mainly because they didn’t swing. A starting point to im- provement is to have the students over- emphasize the 16th note in dotted 8th- 16th note figures. This is also an area where the use of listening assignments is critical. Recordings abound of the great swing bands and should be listened to ex- tensively. Some years ago, a young band
OCTOBER 2014
4. Conducting a jazz band. This is my own personal gripe. The best jazz bands I have heard are those where the director kicks off the tune and then goes away, so to speak. Occasionally they may give a cue, or emphasize an ac- cent, but for the most part, they just let their groups play. The sight of a conduc- tor frantically waving their arms in front of a jazz band is just not in style with the music.
I’ve heard more performances by all
director asked me for feedback, and I mentioned how his jazz band sounded wooden and just didn’t swing. I asked him what recordings he had given his students for listening and he stared at me blankly. I then asked him how he expected his stu- dents to duplicate a sound they had never heard. For whatever reason, it had simply never occurred to him. To my pleasure, he took my feedback to heart and started his band on a solid listening program. The next time I heard them, there was a marked improvement.
many middle school jazz bands can play conductor-less just fine. If your group is accustomed to you conducting it, then start with small steps. After starting the tune, stop conducting for a few measures, then resume. Gradually extend the time you are not conducting until the students have accepted the fact that they can play on their own. I think you’ll find that your group will “swing” a lot better, too. And finally, perhaps the most impor- tant point I can make is this: adjudication events should be a tool for improvement of the ensemble, not just for a superior rating. Yet many ensembles and their di- rectors look at it strictly from the com- petitive viewpoint. Indeed, this may not even be their particular desire, but may be driven by their school administration. Competition is not bad; but when it be- comes the sole objective, then something is lost. Remember, and stress to your stu-
types of ensembles weakened by poor intona- tion than any other reason. Yet, it need not be.
Can a middle school ensemble play without a conductor? Absolutely. I re- member well a middle school jazz band that came on stage and set up with no adults in sight. They then tuned—still no adults. Then, to my amazement, the drummer kicked off the selection, the band played and at the end, the keyboard player gave the cut off. I then noticed the director sitting in the audience! When I spoke to him later, he simply said, “I’m training them to be professionals.” I’ve al- ways felt that he wasn’t just teaching them music, he was teaching them leadership, confidence, and people-skills as well. Of course, there are younger or less
experienced groups that need a conduc- tor. But for the most part, high school and
21
dents, the adjudicators are your allies. They are there to help your group per- form better and their comments are made seriously and objec- tively. Keep in mind that certain problems show up repeated in many bands and work to elimi- nate them. The adjudication ex- perience should be a tool; a tool for you and your students to use to improve your ensemble.
About The Author John Pursell appears nationwide
as a Trumpet Artist and Clinician for the Yamaha Music Corporation. He is retired from his position as the Senior Ceremonial Trumpeter with the United States Air Force Band in Washington, DC, and serves as the Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Gettysburg College. He has published numerous articles in national journals and has been an adjudicator at many events, primarily in the eastern United States. He welcomes comments at:
johnpursell@msn.com.
& TEMPO
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 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76