http://www.weebly.com/link/cVkqBU
I've chosen a new weebly Template for this website. One I like a great deal more. Weebly really is an excellent resource for web development. It is super easy and fairly customization. If you become interested in it, sign up through this link and I'll get credit for the referral.
http://www.weebly.com/link/cVkqBU
0 Comments
I hadn't any time yet to get my new office organized. So Stephanie, Nellie, and I all went to the school to work on it.
We painted the walls a nice calm blue, cleaned like crazy (pretty sure it had been a while), and redecorated using some extra curtains from home, some mirrors and a rug from Walmart, and some of my junk.
I have to say I am quite pleased with the results.
I believe that a clean and organized workspace can do wonders for efficiency and general mood, and this whole project cost us less than $100 since we had most of the decorating elements already. Now, if it stays this clean, that will be a miracle. I have long been a believer in the clarinet neck strap, despite the growing controversy (not really sure if it's growing or that controversial).
Neck straps are in common use with the bass clarinet, and saxophones for support of the instrument. However, clarinet neck straps are so uncommon that I find it difficult to find more that two or three models on the ultimate source of all knowledge (the internet). Many people misunderstand the clarinet neck strap. I believe is is very unwise to think of it in the same way people think of the saxophone neck strap - as a support device. The clarinet will gain some support from a neck strap, but the purpose is that of a stabilization device. The clarinet requires a great deal of side key manipulation. More so than most instruments. This can lead to a natural unbalance that can make it very easy to lose efficiency. Neck straps can limit this movement and improve stability and efficiency. This won't necessarily be evident to beginner or intermediate players, and the neck strap may look/feel awkward to those that are not used to it, however, the gain in efficiency can be very evident to advanced players. Ultimately, any equipment choice is a personal decision based on what works for you. I find clarinet neck straps to be a benefit, but you may not... but you probably will. ...On a final note, don't do anything with give in it (Like neotech, elastic, etc.) the totally work against the stability factor (just my opinion!). It's been a while since my last update! Since no one is reading this, I'll bet you're not too disappointed.
At any rate, I have taken a new Job as the Middle School Director of Bands at Eastland High School in Eastland, TX. I will very much miss my friends, co-workers, and students in New Brunfels, but I'm looking forward to this opportunity. As soon as I am completely moved in (a few weeks), I hope to start updating with some videos for the ATSSB all-state music for clarinet and saxophone, and I hope to release some fingering charts for Clarinet, Saxophone, and Flute in the very near future. Expect more updates since I have started to work. I'm going to get this website off the ground sooner or later. Thanks. This is a very short review about the open source music notation software - muse score. It may help to start this by saying that this is definitely the most powerful free music notation option. You can download it here:
http://musescore.org/ I used Finale all through college, but the enormous price tag and yearly paid (minor) updates made me hate it. As a result I have switched to Musescore for everything. It takes a while to get used to, but Musescore provides all the primary functions a composer would require, parts management, transposition, speedy entry with a midi device, and many other unlimited uses. This is much more powerful that Finale Notepad and other freeware. You can also export and import .xml and midi when working with other notation programs. The major drawbacks I have found are lack of page layout options and some random bugs. Make sure you save frequently. It also takes a while to adjust to the interface, but if you read the help section, you'll catch on quick. As a music notation option, you can't get better at $0. However, the full versions of Finale and Sibelius are better programs, but they also cost $600. If you are used to these programs, Musescore will seem clunky, but it get's the job done. I give Musescore four stars. It's an amazing option out there made by the opensource community. It's not a perfect program, but it gets the job done and is constantly improving. I would also highly recommend this program for schools that want music notation that is more powerful that finale notepad, but is still free. Here is a trick that is used on a number of available band arrangements. When you get ready to hand out a new piece of music, especially a contest piece, make a Song Elements Sheet. Here is an example one I made (This is just the:
If you look at the file, you will see that I have several lines labeled "A" - "F". These lines are different sections of the music. The first is the bass line for example, B is a repeating riff, and so on. I have taken all of the main elements of the songs and put them into music notation software and transposed them so that all instruments in the band can play them.
Now, when we start to learn the piece, I don't have to work with an individual section, I can have the whole band play each part, before we sight read the actually piece. This offers huge advantages: 1. All students are playing the whole time. 2. Students that don't get to play the melody in the song, still get to play it. This encourages some students that don't get many moving lines in band arrangements (Saxophone, low woodwinds, Tubas, etc). 3. More mileage out of a piece of music. Since all students are learning a little bit of all the parts there is more educational benefit. This does take some time, and you have to have Music notation skills, but it can be a very handy way to help your kids grow. So, teaching a small school band creates a number of problems. As programs grow, some of these problems are solved by just having a larger pools of talent, and often more resources. However, growth is slow, and it requires success as a small program to warrant more student interest. I have been working the past two year in a small program and have discovered a few solutions I would like to present here. This first blog is dedicated to flexible arrangements
Flexible Arrangements There exist a number of compositions created to help create a better sound in programs with limited instrumentation while still maintaining musical integrity. The idea behind these arrangements is that, essentially, all band arrangements can be broken down into 5 parts plus percussion. When you open these arrangements, you have part 1 through 5 each arranged for multiple instruments. Part one is available for Trumpet, Clarinet, Flute, and Violin, Part two for Trumpet, Clarinet, Flute, violin, viola, Saxophone. etc. The advantage is that you don't have to crash and burn if you have a year without clarinets. You can still cover all the parts and have a good band sound. You can also use this to strengthen week sections by having other sections play the same part. I cannot stress how useful these arrangements are. The main disadvantages are that the parts are written in general, and not specific to instruments. The harmony is also only 5 parts thick, but that's still a thick sound. Examples: Flex-Band Series http://www.halleonard.com This is the best series of flexible arrangements available that I have ever seen. They have a great selection of both concert, march, and pop tunes available, all of which are high quality. Build a Band Series http://www.barnhouse.com/ This is also a great series, though I 've not found them quite as good as the flex-band series. Rubber Band Arrangements http://www.rubberbandarrangements.com/ This is a site that takes this same concept and applies it to beginner band. They also have a first semester workbook. Each arrangement comes with "virtuoso" parts to challenge beginners that are pushing ahead, while still using the same songs as the full band. These arrangements can be repetitive, but they are built with building block segments that help make learning the songs easier. First Year Jazz Charts Collection - http://www.alfred.com/ Alfred publishes Jazz charts with a similar concept. They are built to be played by a full big band, or with reduced instrumentation. They also come with alternate parts for flutes, and french horns etc. The first video for my sight has been uploaded. It is a lesson on exercises for improving the different registers of the clarinet. I hope to add at least on a week. We'll see if that happens. Find the link under the lessons tab.
http://www.freemusiced.org/clarinet.html It really bothers me that so many people are still paying $20 to buy an arrangement of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. Why are we doing this?
Any work written before 1923 is public domain. That is all classical, romantic, Baroque, and renaissance music as well as the first 22 years of the 20th Century. In the free music links you will find many websites that have free music that are copies of these original scores. Sadly, sometimes these scans are less than legible. When someone makes their own edition of a public domain piece of music, they can restrict it, and sell it. I would like to see all major classical works with free, clean, online editions free for download. This is 2012 people. I would like to start occasionally releasing free editions of some classical pieces on this website. If you would like to send me your cleanly edited editions of classical works that are in public domain, contact me under the contact tab. Practice, Practice, Practice.
This is what we say in the music ed biz. It pains me to see that some people still don't understand the importance of practice. I have developed this saying "Practice is the single most important element in how well you play your instrument." It's not as good as "practice, practice, practice," but it leaves no room for imagination. I tend to classify practice into two categories: General practice: anytime you are playing your instrument. Specific Practice: practice towards a specific goal. Both types are important. General practice General practice will probably be the majority of most music practice. This is getting out music and playing just to play. Playing duets, playing whatever is in your folder, playing just because it's fun. This has a valid place in learning to play an instrument. There is a trend in education that, when teaching children to read in elementary, we try to let them read books with subjects that interest them. We are understanding that children need to learn to read for fun, before they learn to read for education sake. People learning to play an instrument should take this same step. Find some music that interest you! If buying a "Taylor Swift" clarinet book means that you will spend three more hours a week practicing, buy that book! Anytime spent playing an instrument is time spent well. Specific Practice While general practice keeps us going, specific practice is when we get the most musical growth for our time. Specific practice involves focusing on a problem and working to fix it. This includes working slowly through difficult passages, playing etudes to clean your articulation, labeling rhythms to help improve your counting ability, and playing scales etc. It is easy for specific practice to feel like work after a while. This is why it is only through the marriage of specific and general practice that we can maintain the momentum to achieve musical excellence. Good luck, and practice, practice practice. |
AuthorStephen Cox Archives
August 2020
Categories |