SPRAGUE, from pg. 13
an all-state large ensemble evaluation. I once heard a band play a popular rock song for All-State Contest. In a different setting the rock tune could have been extremely effective for both students and audience, but instead, everyone, judges included, had a bad experience that day.
4. Do you love the music you
choose for your students? Sometimes we choose music just for its educational value because it teaches a concept our group is struggling to learn and not because we really enjoy it. There are so many choices of good literature that if you look hard enough you can find pieces that teach the concepts you want as well as satisfying your own personal enjoyment of the music. Life is too short to teach music you don’t really
love. If you love the music, you will do a better job of teaching it and your students will respond. If you don’t love it they won’t either, and neither you nor they will be able to bring conviction and enthusiasm to the rehearsals or performances.
There are lots of resources online that can help with music selection. Internet searches are very effective as well as calling your music dealers. Tell them as much information about your group as you can and they can make great recommendations that will fit your ensemble. Veteran teachers are also more than happy to help you. Just be sure to ask people who are teaching the same level as you. For example, I would not ask the director of a wind ensemble from a 5A school to help select literature for a 7th
-grade band.
Finally, trust your student’s opinions. Many times when I’m having trouble choosing music, I narrow down my selections, and then I have my students evaluate those final choices. They can’t just say, “I like it” or “I hate it.” They have to tell me why. Sometimes they point out things about the music that I haven’t even considered. It also allows them to become invested in the music from the planning stages. If I’m lucky, I get back a response that says, “It gives me the feels.”
Make plans now to attend the Missouri Bandmasters summer convention at Tan-Tar-A, June18- 21. It is a great time to attend clinics and network with other directors. If I can be of service to you in any way please don’t hesitate to contact me at
bandvp@mmea.net. Best wishes for a restorative, relaxing summer.
18 MISSOURI SCHOOL MUSIC | Volume 71, Number 4
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