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- BAND DEVELOPMENTAL WORKBOOK My Big Campus

- BAND DEVELOPMENTAL WORKBOOK

Developmental Workbook
UNIT 1: Introduction and Goal Setting
Who am I? Name Instrument(s) Alto Saxophone, (a little) piano, electric bass (an Ibanez), (reluctantly) clarinet When I started playing Saxophone: 2 years ago/almost 3, Piano: a little under a year, Bass: 2-3 months, Clarinet: 3-4 years ago (I stopped) Other Impact Ghana club, writing a sci-fi novel, volleyball (club and school), Student Council, acting (voice and stage) What is your favorite song that Concert Winds is currently playing? Use your musical vocabulary to describe what you like about the song and what your favorite section of the song is.

My favorite song from band right now is between Gravity Wave and Caliber. I like Caliber because of how the music rhythms often diverge from each other (mainly in measures 98108). I like Gravity Wave because of the general musicality of the piece. My favorite section from Caliber is from measures 86-152. My favorite section from Gravity Wave is from 181 to the end.
Identify two or three substantial challenges that you are having in the music or with playing your instrument in general. Again, use your musical vocabulary and be specific. I am not happy with my tone when I play notes higher than fourth space E is much better than I cant play high notes.

In Gravity Wave I have trouble with note accuracy from 181-201. Also, my lessons teacher recommended I not use the alternate side-C where Mr. Suehiro suggested I use it (ex. measure 191). I'm not sure if this really counts, but in certain sections on GW, like measure 169, my tone isn't as good during band or at home practice. (The notes for Alto are G-sharp, F-sharp, E-natural, D-sharp, right?) I'm also not sure how to play measure 222-224. From what I can hear, it sounds like a trill.
Create a plan that includes several short-term goals that will help you on your way to overcoming your challenges that you listed. Be specific, but also be reasonable.

Short-Term Goals (Gravity Wave) -Get measures 181-213 up to speed 144. -Work on my tone quality for long notes (especially the higher notes) -Figure out the counting issue I have at measure 51 (the short 2/4 section) Short-Term Goals (Caliber) -Work on the staccato sound of the staccato notes.
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-DYNAMICS. - Note length (not as big a deal) Short-Term Goals (Torch of Liberty) -Work on the SPRITELY march type sound -DYNAMICS -Balance my sound with my neighbors -Work on blend? (Would that work in a march?)

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UNIT 2: Music Tells a Story

As musicians, we have the extraordinary ability to tell stories through the music that we play. Sometimes composers will base a composition on an existing tale or a real event, but usually the music stands on its own and the audience is free to imagine what is happening in the score. When we perform, we transmit many different affects: we generate suspense with sudden pauses, we create drama through stark contrasts in dynamics and we build excitement through gradual changes in tempo. One of the most challenging tasks is to do all of this without saying a single word; we must communicate this wide variety of emotions through the sounds we produce with our instruments. To get started, please visit a few of these links for some inspiration. I encourage you to both read the article and also listen to the music for each piece. Peter and the Wolf Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (assigns animals to instruments) Peter and the Wolf (Wikipedia) Peter and the Wolf (YouTube) The Sorcerer's Apprentice Paul Dukas, French composer (from Disney's Fantasia) The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Wikipedia) The Sorcerer's Apprentice (YouTube) Overture 1812 Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Russian composer (think V for Vendetta) Overture 1812 (Wikipedia) Overture 1812 (YouTube) In this unit, you will choose one of the three songs we are currently playing and write a short story that follows the music your own unique interpretation of the piece. Listen to the recordings and create characters, a setting (or settings) and a plot that follows the general direction of the music. As you write, constantly put yourself in a stranger's shoes and ask yourself if you could recognize the piece just by reading your story. Find the big musical events in the song (changes in tempo, dynamics, instrumentation) and use them to help organize your plot points. Also consider solos, specific instruments or sections, rhythmic patterns, melodic themes and harmonic accompaniments. Listen for specific motives that recur throughout the piece; they could represent a character's struggles and ultimate triumph over evil. Your story can be as long or short as you want it to be, as long as it is a product of which you can be proud. Check your spelling and grammar and have someone else (a parent, sibling, or friend) read your work before you submit it. Sketch out your details like characters and setting on paper in an outline, web, or timeline. Start your writing process either on paper or in a word processor like Microsoft Word, then transfer your product into this workbook when you are done. At the end, revisit your initial goals and personal improvement plan. What have you done since your first post? How have you progressed? Do you need to change your plans? In what areas are you still having trouble?

CALIBER by

Tick-tick-tick...tick-tick-tick...tick-tick-tick... "Oh no," Ferrera said beneath her breath. She began viciously attacking her newly assigned clock that lay in front of her with her tools. "No, no, no, no, no." This was the fifth time she tried fixing the clock, but no matter what she did she could not get the clock to stop 'ticking' so much. She pulled back from the clock, wiping her brow with the edge of her sleeve, and listened carefully.
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Tick-tick-tick...tick-tick-tick... "Nooooo," she said beneath her breath again. Slowly, the clock began to grow louder and louder until it was resonating through her work station. "Shut up, you stupid clock!" she hissed angrily. She began beating at the clock with her wrench to quiet it but that only made it louder. "Ferrera!" Ferrera stopped hitting her clock and sadly hung her head as her work manager angrily stomped over to her. "Ferrera, what is your clock doing?" he said in a calm voice. Ferrera knew he was actually seething behind her. "I can't fix it," she said, on the brink of tears. "I've tried everything. In the last three months I haven't once been able to get it to tock once. No matter what I try." Ferrera looked up at her work manager's red eyes then back at the stupid dismantled clock on the table. She felt tears running down her cheeks and moved quickly to wipe them away with her sleeve. "Will I have to deal with the punishment for not fixing it by my deadline again?" she asked her work manager. She'd already been locked in isolation, forced to work in the Ice Ward, and had electricity sent through her entire body as she worked at least three times each. She didn't think there were anymore punishments. "I'm sorry, Ferrera," her work manager said. "This is your eighth time that you've missed your deadline. The penalty for eight missed deadlines, unfortunately, is...death." Ferrera jumped out from her seat and backed up against her work table. "Wait, wait! N-no, that's n-not possible! I haven't missed eight deadlines!" she cried. "At most I've missed five or six, but there's no way I've missed all of them." She grabbed her clock and held it in front of her defensively. "Please, give me just a little more time. I know I can fix it, I just need more time!" "I'm sorry Ferrera," her work manager sighed. He gestured for two guards standing in the corner to come over and Ferrera hurried to run away. As she ran, one of the guards lunged and grabbed wrist, yanking her back. The force sent her backward and the clock flew from her hands, landing hard on the ground. As the guards hand-cuffed her and began to drag her away to the torture room, Ferrera began screaming and crying. "Please! Please, I just need more time! I can fix it! I can fix it! I just need more time! Please!" As the guards dragged her away, the Clock Worker closest to the discarded clock looked down and stooped to pick it up. He lifted it to his ear and listened carefully. It was ticking just like before and as he was about to toss it in the trash, he heard a faint but there... Tock.

Since Unit 1, measures 181 to the end on Gravity Wave have become easier to play musically. In Caliber and Torch, there are no more real struggles and I find the pieces easier and more fun to play. I still struggle with 213 to the end only because of the constantly changing rhythms and the sixteenth notes. I believe that my method of slowly increasing the tempo on the troubling spots in my music while I play is very effective. For those trouble measures in Gravity Wave, I can play them at a speed of 92-96. I feel I will soon be able to play at the normal tempo speed of 144, but at this current moment I cannot yet.
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UNIT 3: Musical Research Project Think about the music we are playing right now. How was it created? Who or what inspired the composer to write it? It certainly does not exist in a vacuum. At some point, it was inspired by an important event, a significant person, or perhaps a work of art. In order to truly understand a piece of music, you must understand more than just how to play the rhythms and pitches correctly; you have to change your perspective from performer to creator and look at the music from a composer's point of view. Immerse yourself in the outside details that make the music special and, as a result of your research, your performance experience will much more gratifying. In this unit, you will choose one of the topics listed below. Do some research in the library or online and gather sources and evidence that covers at least three main points about your topic. Please do a little reading on all the topics in which you are interested so that you can make a more informed final decision. This will help you choose a topic that you will enjoy researching. Under each piece, I have listed general categories and a few directions that you could go with each topic. If you find something else that interests you that relates to any of the pieces, you are welcome to explore that idea as well. The first part of this assignment is an outline that organizes your information. The essay will be due later. 1. Caliber 1. Clocks, watches (how they work, history of timepieces, famous watchmakers, Big Ben) 2. Terraced dynamics (in Baroque music), the Rossini crescendo (in Classical music) What other composers used terraced dynamics? Who is Rossini? 3. Hocket (technique used in Renaissance music, who used it, musical examples, parallel s in other forms of art painting, sculpture, poetry) 2. Gravity Wave 1. Impressionism: Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel (music); Claude Monet, Claude Renoir (art); Joseph Conrad, James Joyce (literature) 2. Meteorology and earth science: clouds, weather phenomena (what is a gravity wave anyway? how is it formed?) 3. Physics (how gravity works or how waves relate to sound) 3. Torch of Liberty 1. Ellis Island and Immigration (possible ties to current events) 2. History of the Statue of Liberty (creation in France, how it was transported) 3. 1942: Current Events (WWII, Casablanca movie, Franklin Roosevelt) In addition to your outline, please submit a progress report on your practicing. Have you reached any of your goals yet? Do you need to revise any of them? Any interesting developments

Topic sentence (1st paragraph):

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The idea of hocket is most often seen in music. -Examples -Relevance (ESSAY) In the song Caliber that we will play in band, the basic structure revolves around clocks and their calibration. In the song, there are many time when the melody is passed between sections, creating an effect much like the musical technique of hocket. Hocket can be seen in many kinds of art forms, but most prominently in music. The technique of hocket requires at least two instruments or vocal singers to sing the melody, alternating so one is singing while the other rests and vice-versa. In Caliber, many different instruments have alternating melody sections that resemble the technique of hocket. In music, hocket normally involves two instruments or singers both playing/singing the melody but in the sense that one sings/pl ays while the other rests. In Caliber, for example, the flutes may play the melody then rest as the clarinets or trumpets take up the melody. By using this technique, the composer creates more diversity in the piece, which lets the audience and listeners have more to look forward to in the piece and lets the band or orchestra playing have much more fun with it. In terms of music, the hocket, or hoquet, technique is a good tool to use if the band or composer wants to add in a spice of different and diversity to the piece that i being played. In Caliber, particularly at measures 98-108, where the melody instruments and Altos play the main melody but at different times and resting at different times as well. During this time, the music sounds very muddled but at the same it adds excitement to the pie ce, as it is never played again. Using hocket adds flavour to the music and lets its change and bend in different ways.
(PRACTICE REFLECTION): Since my last reflection (and the last time I had my music from contest), all the previously hard parts became much easier to play with a higher musicality level. Our new music isn't very difficult from what I can tell (September, Caliber, and Reflections), but so far my note articulations in September could be better, and my overall musicality on Reflections so far isn't at a very high level. My tone and intonation compared to the other Altos is pretty good, but tuning beforehand will make it better. I plan to use a tuner and metronome when I practice so I can play Caliber with good tone and note accuracy; September in the appropriate type of style; and achieve the musicality of Reflections.

Works Cited

The Medieval Hocket. Mary E. Wolinski, 2003. http://theorb.net/encyclop/culture/music/hocket.html. 4-17-13..

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LISTENING 1. Which piece did you enjoy listening to at contest? Why? -I enjoyed listening to Chocolate Brown Eyes. I liked how the band was able to switch styles midway through the piece as measure like 39 and later on at the point when we switched back to the style at the beginning of the piece. 2. Compare listening in the audience at a band concert to listening to other live music. Do you listen to it the same way? Are there differences? Is it easier listening to music when you have heard the piece before or "know it" from somewhere else? Why? -I think it is easier to listen to music when I don't know it (in the sense of playing concert band music) because I will not dwell on any mistakes. When listening to music live, I tend to critique the music based on the recording or a better version of the song. When listening to a song as a performer,I find it much harder. 3. When you are an audience member, do you prefer slow or fast parts of musi cal pieces? Why? -As an audience member, I prefer listening to the slower parts because I can more easily hear the band and critique much harsher that way. In Gravity Wave, it was hard to write things down because it went by so fast that I could not hear much of the band, especially at the end. In Through Chocolate Brown Eyes, I could hear many more parts of the band and I enjoyed the performance more.

PERFORMANCE 1. What musical part of your performance (as a group) did you enjoy the most? -I enjoyed the last part of Gravity Wave (measure 181-the end) because so much was going on at one time that it gave me a chance to pick out specific and different rhythms in the organized chaos of the end of the piece. 2. Using musical terms, describe the performance from your point of view. (Note Accuracy, Articulation, Pitch, Dynamics, Style, Phrasing, Expression.) -Overall, the note accuracy in songs like Torch of Liberty and Gravity Wave were good and the articulation in GW (especially at 181) had improved a lot since first receiving the song. Dynamics in many of the songs, namely Torch of Liberty, could have been much better but the general style of the march was very good. Pitch in some ares was noticibly not as good as others but the general expression and phrasing in Chocolate Brown Eyes was very good. 3. Name a part of the three piece you performed that you thought you personally played well. What did you like about how you played it? Was it a part of the piece that you always felt comfortable about or was it something that you worked on and improved at? How did it fit with the other instruments/sections of the ensemble? -I thought I personally performed well on Through Chocolate Brown Eyes because I liked how I kept my own playing style light during the faster part and added some musicality to my playing of notes (the small crescendos and diminuendos on the descending and ascending notes) the slower section. My part was of the alto sax section but I think that my style of playing the song made the other players
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adjust.

LONG TERM GOALS 1. Name something that you feel you have improved on since the first concert last fall? Why? -I feel I have improved my ability to sight-read and the note accuracy that comes with that. When we did the sight-reading during contest, I was able to figure out the music much more easily than I have been in the past. 2. Name some musical skills that you wish to improve on in the near future. How do you plan to accomplish these goals? -I want to personally improve my note accuracy during faster sections in music that I will play in near future. I plan to take more private lessons and practice much more than I have been this year in the future.

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