Musings of Master Music Teacher, Richard Wesp

We recently had the opportunity to interview Richard Wesp, an extremely popular choral director who spent 57 years teaching in the Forest Hills School District in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Wesp is a recipient of both the Ohio MEA Distinguished Service Award and the CCM Distinguished Alumni Award. Having taught well over 10,000 students in his career before retiring in June 2011, he has had many opportunities to share his passion for music education with students, student teachers, and now, with other educators.

What is the value of music and arts education in the schools today and has it changed since you started in the classroom?
In the current trend of budget cutting, the arts remain an integral part of any complete education. Years ago, it may have just been a general feeling regarding how important the arts are, but now we have a large body of research that shows exactly how arts education positively impacts other subject areas.

What steps did you take to build a successful choral program?
Selecting quality repertoire is the most important part of teaching choral music. You have to take the time to find material that will work with each new group, year after year. What is the potential of each group (and student), and how will your choice of repertoire lift them to the next level? In general, students can master anything the teacher can master, so don’t be afraid to push and dream some. If I had paid attention to all those who said “high school students can’t sing that piece,” neither the students nor I would have grown nearly as much. Even if something never makes it to a ‘performance-ready’ level, just rehearsing a piece can be valuable and enlightening.

As a director, do you have any favorite styles of choral music?
I always felt I should work to expose my choirs to many different styles. And I’ve found that my favorite music has almost always been the music I was teaching at any given time. It’s always fun to see how students’ opinions change during the rehearsal process, eventually falling in love with music that they may not have liked when sight-reading it at the first rehearsal.

I also feel that it is important to pay attention to the lyrics in your repertoire. How many times will your students hear those words during the rehearsal process? Is it a message worth repeating?

Do you have any advice for those currently working to lift up students through music?
You must be passionate about your work. Your enthusiasm for sharing good choral music must be contagious, as must your own desire to never stop learning. Even now that I’m retired from the classroom, I still want to attend workshops and conferences to find new repertoire and learn new rehearsal techniques for my church choir. I’ve shared this formula with many student teachers: master teaching skills + passion = success.

Have your former students shared any insight on how the study of music impacted them?
At my retirement celebration, hundreds of former students wrote notes to me, sharing with me that they were listening to what I was saying, whether it was about the music itself or life in general. Many shared that the lessons learned in the classroom became much more meaningful after they had graduated. One former choral student that went on to work with Procter & Gamble told me that he was successful in his career because he learned a strong definition of excellence while singing in choir. Notes from students included: “Years later, I still remember that when you stop being better, you stop being good” and “I never told you while I was in school, but thirty years later, you should know that singing in the choir was the highlight of my day.”

Perhaps this note from well-known performer Vicki Lewis sums it up:
“The safe and nurturing environment you created made it possible to shine, to feel special, to be seen and heard. You generously gave the highest compliment you can pay an artist—rapt attention. It was with such kindness and grace and patience—so much patience—that you guided us, that you allowed us to follow muses . . . I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

EDITOR’S NOTE:
As a special tribute of thanks, the Anderson High School choirs (Forest Hills district) will be premiering Andy Beck’s new choral publication “Lift Me Up!“, dedicated to Richard Wesp, at their final choral concert this year.

Singing Outside the Schools: Spotlight on the Durham Children’s Choir

By Scott Hill, Director

Like many music teachers, I have had a long and varied career. When I began teaching in the late 1960′s, I worked with college preparatory students. While my own children were young, I taught music part-time at a pre-school, in addition to taking several years to study for a Masters in Music. In the mid-70s, I was fortunate to find a job in the Durham Public Schools in Durham, North Carolina, teaching everything from elementary music for special education students to high school music. My final years of teaching music were spent at the Durham School of the Arts, a comprehensive 6-12 Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School.

Early in 2000, it became evident that I could not go on much longer teaching six classes each day, directing school musicals, and preparing students for honor choirs, not to mention all the grading and paper work that comes along with those teaching duties! I began exploring options for continuing my work with young singers, perhaps on a community-wide basis. After discussing various options with colleagues, local musicians, and parents of former students, it was recommended that I apply for an Emerging Artist grant from the Durham Arts Council. Fortunately, I received one of these grants, along with support from Duke University Chapel Music. With additional financial assistance from the parents of many former chorus students, the Durham Children’s Choir was founded in June 2004. Announcements were sent to every public, private, and church school in the area, as well as local churches and synagogues. Over 140 children came to auditions . . . and the Durham Children’s Choir began rehearsals in August 2004.

There are other excellent choirs in the Durham area, such as the North Carolina Boys Choir and the Capital City Girls Choir, but by their titles one can see that these groups are limited by gender. Many of the schools in Durham have highly-qualified music teachers, but their time is often severely limited. There are also wonderful sacred choirs open to children, but repertoire and performance opportunities are usually limited to sacred music intended for religious education or worship. The Durham Children’s Choir (DCC) offers an opportunity for all children in the Durham area to sing and experience the joy of choral music!

The mission of the choir is to learn a wide variety of high quality choral music and to share that music with the community through public performances. The choir studies and performs a wide variety of choral music, including sacred and secular music, world music, gospel, Broadway, and American popular song. The performance opportunities are wide reaching. Since its founding in 2004, the choir has sung regularly on the Duke University Performance series. They have also sung with Bobby McFerrin, the Welsh Men’s Choir, the Kronos Quartet, the Choral Society of Durham, and the Durham Symphony Orchestra. The DCC also regularly sings for community celebrations and at retirement centers in the area.

In recent years, several extraordinary opportunities have been afforded to the choir. In late June of 2008, 50 members of the choir took their first international tour, singing in south Wales and Durham, England. While in Wales, the choir visited and sang in several schools, including a primary school dedicated to preserving the Welsh language. Plans are currently being made for a tour to Toyama, Japan. The DCC has also had the good fortune of premiering several commissioned works, including Songs of Flight, a charming song cycle written by Andy Beck for the North Carolina chapter of the Music Teachers National Association.

The members of the Durham Children’s Choir are selected by auditions, which are open to all interested and motivated young singers in the area. As a result, the choir is comprised of children of all racial, cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds. Many of them are leaders in their own school music ensembles and have been recommended by their music teachers.

Take the opportunity to look for similar groups in your area! Participating in children’s choirs such as this can provide talented young singers with an opportunity to develop their singing abilities and performance skills, as well as to learn and perform high quality vocal literature while working in a cooperative atmosphere with a variety of students from across their community—a true example of the kind of musical activities we hope our students will grow to participate in and support as adults!

Preparing Practical Editions of Choral Masterworks

By Patrick M. Liebergen

Carefully preparing any choral manuscript before submitting it for possible publication is an important part of achieving success as a writer. When creating a manuscript for submission, great attention must be given to every detail on the score in order to completely and clearly represent the musical intention of the composer, editor, or arranger. Additionally, the manuscript must be artistically rendered with appropriate tempo and dynamic indications as well as other markings, such as titles and subtitles, slurs, breath marks, and fermatas.

If the submission is an edition and/or arrangement of a masterwork, the author must be prepared to supply a hard copy of the source with the date of its original publication, which will clarify what has been done to the original version and that the source is in the public domain. If indeed any part of the submission is not in the public domain, then it is the author’s responsibility to provide the publisher information about music or words under copyright.

For over 20 years, I have completed numerous editions and arrangements of choral masterworks for Alfred Music Publishing Company using original source materials. Since each of my editions is readily useable by today’s singers and contains a wealth of information for a modern day performance, this type of work can be considered a “practical edition.”  Based on an original source and staying true to the intention of the composer,  a “practical edition” is in a contemporary format. It may contain additional items for optimum performance, including modern clefs, traditional note values, tempo and metronomic indications, dynamic indications, an optional text in English if an original source is in a foreign language, fermatas at the end of the music, and a keyboard realization of the original basso continuo part. Occasionally optional notes that either fill in chords or provide lower or high-sounding notes as alternatives may also be included. Everything is clearly labeled as editorial either on the musical score with the use of brackets or in the “editor’s note,” enabling the conductor and singer to perceive what has been done to the original version.

In comparison to an edition of a masterwork which stays true to the intention of the composer, an arrangement is a deliberate alteration of either the composer’s original intent or the commonly known musical material, such as a folk song or hymn. For example, an arrangement may involve a total reworking of a particular piece of music for another performance medium (i.e., a solo revised for choral performance) and the basic musical elements (such as melody, harmony, and rhythm) may be changed and new musical material may be added. Additionally, the music may be reset with different words.

Once a piece is accepted for publication, I usually complete a page of editorial remarks for inclusion in the octavo. Depending on the amount of space available, that kind of information may include a listing of where I found the original source (such as in the published music of one composer or in an anthology) and what changes have been made to that source. Biographical information about the composer, the historical background of the selection, a literal translation and a pronunciation guide of a non-English text, usually incorporating a transliteration, are all quite valuable for educating the performer and achieving an authentic performance.

For a complete listing of Patrick Liebergen’s choral publications available from Alfred, click here.

From Video Games to the GRAMMYs

By Christopher Tin, Composer

Back in 2005, I was asked by a former college roommate to write the theme song for a video game called Civilization IV. Six years later that song won me two GRAMMY awards. It’s been a long and unusual journey, but one that ultimately led me to the joy of holding a GRAMMY statue . . . and the joy of sharing that experience with high school students as well.

“Baba Yetu” is a setting of The Lord’s Prayer in Swahili, scored for soloists, mixed chorus, percussion, and an explosive orchestral accompaniment. And even though it was written for a video game, the song gradually took on a life of its own outside of the gaming community. Video Games Live, a touring concert of video game music performed by live orchestra, added the song to its repertoire and premiered it at the Hollywood Bowl. Shortly thereafter, Alfred Music Publishing released a choral octavo of the song, which quickly became one of their most popular publications. Soon I was getting fan mail from around the world, and watching my song appear in places as far off as the Dubai Fountain and the opening ceremonies of the World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

But perhaps the most fun experience of all has been seeing the hundreds of YouTube videos of amateur performances and covers of my song. Ranging from the brilliant to the downright bizarre (but always well-intended), I’m always touched to see people so engaged with my music.

Even better than watching people’s performances on YouTube, however, is the experience of meeting the performers face-to-face. I’ve had the good fortune to be able to attend a few concerts given by schools that were performing my music. And ever since the GRAMMYs, I’ve brought one of my statues along with me to share with the students.

I can only hope that the opportunity to hold a GRAMMY statue might change their lives in some small way. Who knows—maybe some will be inspired to pursue their own musical dreams, and someday win their own GRAMMY. When they do, I hope that they bring it with them whenever they visit a school, too.

Note from the Editor:
Alfred is now proud to publish two different choral editions of “Baba Yetu” as follows:
1. 00-27827 – for SSATBB voices and piano (SoundTrax CD w/orchestra 00-27828)
Orchestration to accompany the SSATBB choral #00-27827 is now available by rental. Click HERE for more information.

2. 00-35768 – for SATB divisi voices, a cappella (SoundPax percussion parts 00-35770, SoundTrax CD w/percussion 00-35769)

A vocal solo/piano edition is also available (00-37765).

Visit christophertin.com for more information and additional photos.

Choreography—To Go!

By Sally K. Albrecht
Director of School Choral & Classroom Publications

How about adding a touch of “showbiz” to your next concert? Alfred’s new Showbiz! choral movement DVD is packed full of complete choreography designed by Sally K. Albrecht and Andy Beck. Tons of movement ideas for choirs of all ages are included. Here’s a quick look at the 12 smashing numbers that are featured on this year’s DVD.

In case you’ve never experienced one of our choral movement DVDs (now there are 13 of them!), let me explain our format. Each song is presented in three different ways:
1. Complete performance with Sally/Andy facing the camera, mirroring your movements.
2. Instruction time, with explanations, descriptions, and options given as needed.
3. Our exclusive “Double Shot” performance filmed from behind, with Sally /Andy facing a mirror—you see the movements from both behind and in the mirror!

FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Santa Mash-Up
This holiday novelty number actually combines two powerhouse favorites by Lois Brownsey and Marti Lunn Lantz into one Glee style mash-up! Funky and fun! But best of all, each vocal line has its own choreography to match. Part I has “Santa Fever” while Part II does a stomp-stomp-clap routine. Perfect when combining two classrooms or two choirs for a special knockout number. 2-Part.

Showbiz Snowman!
By now, you know you can count on Andy Beck and Brian Fisher to deliver a “bring-down-the house” holiday number! This one has a “New York, New York” style intro and interludes with an easy-to-learn partner-song format. Andy has staged it on our DVD using top hats—either real or mimed. Sure to be a show-stopper! 2-Part.

Sing Noel, Noel!
Jay and I enjoyed experiencing the premier of this original gospel-style piece in nearby Wilson, NC. Features two short solos and a soulful descant group. Add handclaps at the key change and the audience will probably join in! Simple, yet effective staging, using gospel step touches and heavenly arm reaches. Works well as a closer. SATB, SAB, 2-Part.

‘Zat You, Santa Claus?
A jazzy Kirby Shaw treatment with zingin’ rhythms and rhymes! And just wait until you teach your performers Andy’s clever choreography for this one, with singers swingin’ their Santa hats on the scat section! You can feature a special dance group or have your entire choir join in. SATB, SAB, SSA, 2-Part.

FOR GENERAL USE
Con la Música
How about a bit of Spanish flair? Jay Althouse is great at writing stylish tunes just perfect for movement. This one is staged using lots of easy upper torso “S-curves” and “tummy-walks,” plus handclaps that accent the accompaniment figures. SATB, SAB, SSA, 2-Part.

Get Happy
Hot, jazzy, and definitely made for choreography. Just ask Judy Garland, who made this one of her signature songs. Philip Kern’s arrangement offers lots of exciting twists and turns, great for staging ideas. Hallelujah! SATB, SSAB, SSA.

I Have a Voice
Every year, we present at least one touching, inspirational ballad with the addition of American Sign Language. This choral, written by Jay Althouse, is set up in such a way that one voice echoes another—making the sign language especially effective. If you’ve never added any movement to a larger performing group, give this one a try. SATB, SAB, SSA, 2-Part.

If I Only Had a Brain
This easy swing favorite from The Wizard of Oz is a natural for choral movement. I had a blast both arranging and staging this one. Features some soft-shoe style thigh hits and very simple riser choreography. 2-Part.

Let Me Entertain You
If you’ve seen a production of Gypsy, then you know how many ways this song is presented during the course of the show. Larry Shackley’s arrangement gives us all those wonderful styles, from 2-beat to swing to waltz to a raucous kick line! Andy’s choreography introduces simple ways to go from one style to the next. Great opener! SATB, SAB, SSA, 2-Part.

Singing A-Round
I work with many choirs that are: A. just starting to do some simple staging, and B. just starting to sing in 3-parts. One of the greatest ways to develop part-singing is to perform a round, so that’s what this choral is all about! Easy to teach (and to learn) riser choreography. 3-Part, any combination of voices.

Tama Tu (A Maori Proverb)
If you’re looking for a change of pace within a concert (who isn’t?!), here’s the tune for you! A Maori (New Zealand) proverb is set both in chant and song. I wrote this one with lots of echo sections, then staged it so students could do the movement standing, kneeling, or sitting. 3-Part Mixed, 2-Part/SSA.

The Time Warp
Andy Beck’s arrangement is almost as hot as his choreography for this popular song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This one is a blast, and nonstop from beginning to end. Lots of fun tricks in the staging that you’ll use for years. SATB, 3-Part Mixed, 2-Part/SSA.

Click here to see a trailer from the DVD Showbiz!
Showbiz!  (00-35858)………..$39.99

Arranging Today’s Pop Chorals

By Michael Spresser,
Alfred Pop & Lawson-Gould Editor

In the history of choral music, the arranging of popular music is still a relatively new phenomenon. Some of the earliest arrangements of popular songs of the day were developed in the 1930s, when Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians became one of the first ensembles known for singing ‘pop’ music. As you know, many of today’s current top pop songs are lyrically inappropriate, lack a strong melody, or the melody simply isn’t conducive to choral harmony.

What does Alfred look for in a current pop choral arrangement? Many of the same things that are found in any successful choral composition:

- Does the melody stay within an appropriate range and tessitura for developing voices?

- Does the arranger use the best voice-leading possible? In other words, do the parts move in a way that help a singer experience success?

- Does the arrangement allow for proper and healthy vocal technique?

- Does the arrangement replicate the sound of the original while allowing for solid choral harmony?

- Does the arrangement encourage the building of listening skills and the teaching of basic musical concepts?

- Does the accompaniment enhance, while still supporting, the choral parts?

- Is the arrangement rhythmically accurate (true to the original), without being difficult to read?

- Does the arrangement allow solo opportunities where appropriate?

All of these questions, and more, are considered when we select our current pop arrangements. Arrangements that maintain choral integrity while also maintaining the style of the original are the hallmark of our Alfred publications.

Teaching an Idol

An interview with Meredith Clayton, Garner Magnet High School, NC
Music teacher of Scotty McCreery, winner of American Idol, Season 10

We imagine that teaching Scotty McCreery at Garner Magnet High School was great fun for you, Meredith. Tell us about his musical background.
Scotty has grown up participating in choirs at each of his schools and at his church. When Scotty entered Garner Magnet High School as a freshman, he started off as a member of my Beginning Mixed Ensemble, which is mostly 9th graders. He was a great music student and had a lovely vocal tone. He jokes with me now, because I actually made him sing tenor back then. He could have sung bass, but every freshman boy wanted to sing bass. He was one of the only ones that understood his head voice at that time, and I needed him to sing tenor to model to other young singers. We knew he was special the day he sang a solo for us with his guitar for the final exam.

His sophomore year, he was a member of my Intermediate Chorale, which is a mixed ensemble with mostly 10th graders. I finally had enough balance in my choir and could switch him to bass, where he belonged. His mom said that was one of his happiest days that year! Of course, the low notes you hear now are even more developed than they were back then! That year, Scotty traveled with us to Busch Gardens and performed the lead role of Conrad in our spring musical production of Bye Bye Birdie. He also sang a solo at our Spring Choral Concert and during the Choral Awards Banquet. I programmed his solo last, knowing he would bring the house down!

Scotty was also one of the main pitchers on the baseball team. In many schools, students must chose between sports and music. How does this work at your school?
I am very fortunate not to have had many conflicts with the athletic department. Over the years, when students have had scheduling conflicts with sports, the coaches and I work together to share the student. We make sure that the student feels rewarded for being well-rounded, and not made to feel guilty or punished. If I have a rehearsal during a game, the student will miss my rehearsal and go to the game. If I have a concert during a sports practice, the student may miss the practice to participate in the concert. If a concert and a game fall on the same night, we let the student decide in which event they will participate. If the student misses the concert, I’ll give an alternate make up assignment. We work together very well.

Can you give us any insight into Scotty’s audition for American Idol? Did you work with him on his country-style audition songs?
I didn’t even know Scotty was going to audition for American Idol—never in a million years did it cross my mind. He was kind of quiet in class, and wasn’t the type to try to stand out. His mother called me that summer after the audition and said, “Guess what we just did?!” I think it was spur of the moment for them!
And no, I did not ever work with him on any country songs or vocal coaching. That is out of my league! I don’t think he needed my help on that, anyway. I mentored Scotty on other things, like confidence, work ethic, humility, staying grounded, being flexible with instructors, etc. But the country music thing—he did that all on his own!

Tell us about the reaction of the other singers and faculty at Garner Magnet High School.
The reaction around Garner Magnet High School, after his audition aired, was pure excitement! Throughout the rest of the school year, there was a positive buzz of energy around the school, the students, and the faculty. It was all great! It never distracted from our learning environment, and we went along . . . business as usual, but it gave us all something happy to talk about. Nothing but blessings came our way after Scotty went on American Idol, and for that, we are all very grateful.

Has being involved with Scotty in the American Idol experience changed you in any way? Your choral program?
YES! The many, many blessings that have come my way this past year as a result of Scotty, his family, and American Idol, have definitely changed me. I was reminded in a huge way that teaching can really impact someone else’s life, and we may never know where that influences ends. Most times, teachers don’t know if we’ve touched someone, and we certainly don’t always get rewarded . . . so for me this past spring was amazing. I also realized that we may never know when a student may do something really big and change our life. How often do we overlook some students more than others? It’s easy to get busy, only building
relationships with the students that are highly involved in our activities, while others might get “lost in the crowd.” But you never know what kind of talent is sitting quietly in that chair . . . something big could happen to one of them, and they may remember you in their journey. It could happen to any one of you, at any time.

This experience has made me realize the importance of taking time to care for individual students and their families, and build that rapport—as well as the importance of making connections in the community. It has certainly reminded me to stay humble and grateful for all that I am blessed with on a daily basis. I am also feeling supercharged and motivated to be the best teacher I can be this school year. I feel like a lot of eyes might be watching now, and so I’d better measure up! I have 20 more freshmen signed up in my beginning choir this year than normal, so I’m sure this has all played a role in recruitment for me as well. In that first ensemble, I have 34 BOYS on my roster! Can you believe it? In ONE class . . .34 boys!! Thank you Scotty! I hope that this year continues the upward climb . . . and thanks to all of you for your support!

Scotty’s first big single “I Love You This Big” was recently arranged by Jay Althouse for Alfred. Tell us how you’re planning to surprise your students and Scotty with the premier performance of this arrangement.
I haven’t told any of the students (or Scotty) yet about this choral arrangement. I’m excited to tell them face to face during the first weeks of school! I plan for us to learn the song, and then surprise Scotty by singing it to him one day this fall. I know he is going to just love it! And of course, I’m sure we’ll have to perform it for parents at our Winter Concert!

Scotty was only a junior when he won Season 10 of American Idol this past spring. Do you know anything about his future plans?
Believe it or not, Scotty plans to return to school to finish his senior year as soon as he is done with the American Idols’ Live tour. He will be back around mid-October. He will be very busy during certain months, but his peers and our faculty are going to do all we can to ensure that he has the most normal as possible senior year. I think it’s very admirable and noble of him to want to finish his education. While it may cause a stir in the beginning, I do think that the town of Garner and the students here respect him enough to let him focus on being a student once more. I am thrilled to have his beautiful voice back in my choir this year. It will bring joy to me everyday, and will add excitement to our class!

Composing as a Team

By Lois Brownsey and Marti Lunn Lantz

Although we’ve been writing together for about twenty years we are still always searching for that magical moment when melodies and words come together in a way that excites us. It’s a weekly event—our Thursday ritual. And our efforts can range from reworking a piece we were sure was finished last week, to brainstorming new ideas. While many writing partners divide the tasks (one lyrics, the other music), we both write words and music. This way we can critique each other’s contribution. That can be tricky, but over the years, we have become completely open to suggestions from one another.

There is much to consider. We’re always striving for a good message: something we feel is important and reflects good values, or something that teaches. It can come from other cultures, folks songs, poems, or be centered around a theme, especially the holidays and seasons.

We sincerely hope that our songs might inspire conversation. What does this song mean to you? How can you express your feelings about this topic? This might lead to some research or creative expression through painting, dance, or writing. And finally, could those creations be used in a performance? Nothing would make us happier than students not only getting something from a song we’ve written, but also bringing something to one of our pieces!

For example, Winter’s Frost could inspire you to read some of the poems of Robert Frost. Could someone read or recite an appropriate Frost poem before this song is performed? Our Santa Mash-Up, created from two of our popular “Santa” chorals, was obviously inspired by Glee. How do two songs fit together? Tempo? Key? Theme? Deedle Deedle Dai was just plain fun to write, but may lead to an explanation or discussion of the traditions of Hanukkah, or other seasonal celebrations.

We’re glad to see our songbooks still have legs. One of our favorites is Celebrations Around the World (and also its sequel), written in collaboration with Sally K. Albrecht. This collection reflects our interest in all things multi-cultural.

Our songwriting is completely spontaneous, yet formulaic—at the same time. That’s the mystery of the creative process. When we’re starting a new choral, we are never sure if it’s really going to work. If there comes a point when it clicks, then we’re excited. And if that doesn’t happen, it’s going to wind up in the recycling bin (literally or figuratively).

The final little piece of our ritual, upon completion of a song we feel is worthy of sending to Alfred, are our words: “It’s the best thing we’ve ever written!” Our little in-joke, but somehow we always believe it!

The Next Level: Breaking Young Musicians Through The Intermediate Ceiling

In a successful performing music curriculum at an American public school, students move successfully from their first experiences in singing, instrument mechanics, tone production, ensemble techniques, and so on and upon graduation have acquired a skill set for performance in the intermediate to lower advanced range. Their exiting proficiency depends on many factors: their aptitude level, the music learning environments K-12, the goals of the secondary music program and so on. It is common for many graduating seniors to reach upper intermediate proficiency in actual music performance, but lower proficiency in areas such as rhythm reading, and advanced basic in areas such as music theory, ear training, improvisation, and composition.

There are many teaching philosophies that come into play here. What is the goal for every student of a K-12 public music program? In so many places, the goal is to produce the highest quality high school performing ensemble possible, thereby enriching the lives of the participants in multiple ways and if nothing else making them intellectually aware of quality music-making as they enter the work force. This is an admirable goal and certainly has its place. It is my belief, however, that all music curricula, regardless of its mode of learning (band, chorus, orchestra, theory, electronic music, etc.) should be providing students with enough training in all aspects of music-making with the goal of nurturing them into adults who can create their own art rather than producing a musical “has-been” that has a dust-collecting instrument case in their attic.

For music performance, students need enough training in sight-reading, theory, scale study, and improvisation to be able to know and understand “the next level” of musicianship – the one that requires complete proficiency in all twelve major and natural minor scales on their primary instrument. It’s the level that allows singers to successfully sight-read vocal music without having to have the part played for them first. It’s the level where students understand the rehearsal process and what it means to move their performance into the mastery stage, where spontaneous sub-conscious recall has been drilled into place.

For non-traditional music students taking electronic music, music theory, or composition classes, they need to develop proficiency on a primary instrument of some kind, whether that instrument is their voice, a guitar, a piano, or the computer itself. To create music, they need a medium that can be transferable, which is either traditional music notation, music sequencing, or both.

The goal is to give them the skills to be life-long participants in music, whether that means performing in community groups, writing and sharing their own music, or at the very least supporting quality music-making that advances our collective culture rather than devalues it. That means giving them the training to get them out of the beginner level into the intermediate level in all aspects of music making, not just music performance.

So, as the title of this article applies, is “breaking through the intermediate ceiling” into advanced levels of performance, improvisation, and composition even a valid pursuit for public school programs? The answer is a qualified “yes.”

The next generation of music teachers, performers, and composers comes from within the ranks of our performing ensembles and electronic music classes. In many states, opportunities for further enrichment in performance music exist in the form of honors ensembles, all-state ensembles, and state adjudications. But where are the opportunities for composition? NAfME sponsors programs for student music composition as well as electronic music, as do some states, but it is a slowly developing field.

Our culture suffers from the delusion that to compose music, you have to be a genius like Mozart, an innovator like Beethoven or Paul McCartney, or a trend-setter like John Williams. It is certainly true that composition requires the composer to have a depth of knowledge in more than just performance, however, which is why the traditional performance-centric public school program doesn’t give students the skills necessary to compose at even the most basic levels.

We as a music education profession have bought into the notion the commercial music is a bunch of fluff and we are “fighting the good fight” to keep our band in the stands on Friday night, our orchestras attempting to play Tchaik 5, and our choral programs singing whatever Eric Whitacre writes next. There are commercial musicians who come from a traditional background, such as Cake and Ben Folds, but until we as a profession begin to embrace the idea that there is more to learning music than having the most professional high school performing ensemble possible, the music industry will continue to be populated by a small pool of “the selected” who do all the creating in the name of profit with little connection to the depth and aesthetic beauty of our cultural musical roots. That, quite simply, is why commercial music is rife with quarter-inch deep content, why 80% of our students can’t relate to our music programs, and we are constantly fighting to maintain our legitimacy and our jobs.

To read more ideas, check out Thomas J. West Music’s blog: The Next Level: Breaking Young Musicians Through The Intermediate Ceiling

Thanks goes to Thomas J. West Music for letting us use his blog!

Thomas J. West is an active music educator, composer, adjudicator, clinician, and award-winning blogger.
http://thomasjwestmusic.com