Rapid Fire DuffyLecture!

• So much to say; so littletime.

• Visit my web site, wherethe text for this entirepresentation will be postedas: BandQuest Lecture.

• Visit www.duffymusic.com

BandQuest

BandQuest Concepts

1. Identify “significant”American composers froma variety of style areas.

2. Commission thesesignificant Americancomposers to write musicfor Grade 2 band (middleschool).

3 . Develop a template:what can composers expectto find in the standardmiddle school band.

4. Arrange for composers tomeet and work with specificmiddle school bands and theirdirectors.

5. Develop curriculum toaccompany the published music.Curriculum would be presentedon a CD ROM.

1. Original Stable of“Significant” Composers

• John Cacavas

• Michael Colgrass

• Brent Michael Davids

• Thomas C. Duffy

• Baird Lancaster

• Libby Larsen

• Tania Léon

• Bobby McFerrin

• Chen Yi

2. CommissionedComposers

• Michael Colgrass

• Brent Michael Davids

• Thomas C. Duffy

• Adolphus Hailstork

• Libby Larsen

• Tania Léon

• Robert Rodriguez

• Alvin Singleton

• Chen Yi

• Judy Zaimont

Compositions

• Michael Colgrass

• Brent Michael Davids

• Thomas C. Duffy

• Adolphus Hailstork

• Libby Larsen

• Tania Léon

• Robert Rodriguez

• Alvin Singleton

• Chen Yi

• Judy Zaimont

• Old Churches

• Grandmothers

Song

• A+:…

• Wade N’ Water

• Hambone

• Alegre

• Smash the

Windows

• Ridgeview

Centrum

• Spring Festival

• City Rain

3 . Develop a template:what can composers expect

to find in the standardmiddle school band in terms

of:

a. instrumental range

b. dynamic capability

c. technical proficiency

d. instrumentation

e. extended techniques-clapping, vocalizations, etc

f. rhythm facility-tempo,meter, syncopation

4. Arrange for composers tomeet and work with specificmiddle school bands/directors.

• Film sessions

• Use sessions to assess thecompositions

• Use sessions to updateand adjust band “template”

5 . Develop curriculum toaccompany the publishedmusic. Curriculum wouldbe presented on a CD ROM.

Project MissionStatement

“It meets a need…for repertoirethat will challenge and nourishthe students’ creativity, and forinterdisciplinary teachingmaterials that are no lessstimulating… ambition to helpcultivate, at an age early enough tohave a real impact, the nextgeneration of consumers andsupporters of new Americanmusic. ”

Sounding Board, ACF, Volume24, #10, Nov. 1997

Project MissionStatement

“New Band Horizons will notbe a method book. That is, itwill not be designed to teachstudents to play bandinstruments and will notcompete with theexcellent band-instrumentmethod books currentlyavailable.”

Project MissionStatement

• What teachers tell us they needis music of real substance,by first-rate composers, that hasbeen written with the technicalabilities and limitations ofyoung students clearly in mind.‘A lot of music being writtenfor school bands is eitherformulaic or watered down.’”– Sounding Board, ACF, Volume 24, #10, Nov. 1997

What Should I Write“About?”

• “If a piece is programmatic, theytend to love it. They have extremelyfertile imaginations, and they truly enjoyusing that part of their minds. They canhear conflict, resolution, joy, pain,excitement, confusion – but most pieceswritten for them don’t offer that spectrum(Old MacDonald Had A Band. etc.).These kids have felt a great deal intheir own lives, and while the maynot be capable of accuratelyexpressing themselves verbally orin writing, they can certainlyrecognize those emotionalextremes in music.”

– Elizabeth Jackson, Hopkins School District, Minnesota

What Should I Write“About?”

• “My students love music that isbeautiful. It can be fast or slow, but itmust be beautiful; expressive. They willaccept anything that I put in frontof them, and even though they may notlike it at first, as they grow in theirunderstanding of the piece, they acceptand enjoy each one. As a matter of fact,the compositions that are usuallytheir favorites are quite theopposite at first!”

– Laura Kautz Sindberg, Central Music Department, Waukesha, WI

What Should I Write“About?”

• ‘Deal with topics that are relevantto kids’ lives in a visible way(address things they face on a dailybasis).”

– Make Hiatt, State Music Resource Coordinator, Minnesota Centerfor the Arts

• “…(as) products of the TV age, if themusic does not provide instantgratification, it has no worth in the eyesof the student.”

– P. Brett Smith, Band Director, Mahtomedi Middle School,Mahtomedi, Minnesota

What Should I Write“About?”

• “Some things that do not always workwell include:...contrived gimmicks orconnections which are notauthentic or directly related to themusic . As far as jokes-my students donot like most of mine!”

– Laura Kautz Sindberg, Director of Bands, Central Middle School,Waukesha, Wisconsin

What Should I Write“About?”

• “One of the things that I look for istechnical accessibility. If the students arefrustrated by technical issues from theoutset, I’ve pretty much lost them forgood despite the quality of thecomposition. I look for a piece that stayswithin their playable “good-sounding”range, but which is fairly complexharmonically. They really enjoy hearingthick chords, and how they fit into thatsound. Unisons and octaves bore them totears; they dealt with that sound asbeginners, and they consider it “babyish.”

– Liz Jackson

What This Means,Maybe?

• Write music that is acceptable to kids

• Write music that is good

• Write music that is the right music to advance theart form

• Write music that makes kids want to play it.

• Write music that causes hedonistic pleasurethrough its performance or hearing

• Write music that has a program that is relevant tothe lives of the young musicians.

• Include performance notes that address theneophobic tendencies of conductors. Carefullyexplain to them in writing in the preface how toperform the piece.

Complexity!!!

• Instruments in the Band.

• The instruments in the first andsecond year bands include thefollowing: Flute, Oboe, BbClarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon,Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone,Baritone Saxophone, French Horn,Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium,Tuba, Timpani, assorted percussion,including keyboards, and manyensembles have a part for electricbass.

Melody

• 1 s t Year Band

• -Mostly steps andskips with larger leapspermissible in thewoodwinds

• -Very limited use ofaccidentals

• -Mostly 4, 8, and 16measure phrases, withadequateopportunities forbreathing

• -Simple two-partcounterpoint (canon)

• 2nd Year Band

• -Steps, skips, andoccasional leapspermissible in allinstruments

• -Predictable use ofaccidentals

• -Primarily 4, 8, and16 measure phrases

• -Simple two or three-part counterpoint

HARMONY

• 1 s t Year Band

• -Unisons, thirds,fourths (limited),fifths, sixths, andoctaves

• -Triads

• 2nd Year Band

• -Primarily consonantintervals

• Suspended triads andseventh chords

KEYS

• 1 s t Year Band

• Concert Bb,Eb, and Fmajor

• 2nd Year Band

• Concert Bb,Eb, F, Ab, andC major

Scoring/ Texture• 1st Year Band

• -Melody for allinstruments sometimeduring the selection

• -All parts doubled byat least one otherinstrument

• -Bass line in all lowwoodwind and lowbrass instruments

• -no more than tworhythmic ideasoccurringsimultaneously

• -two parts for flutes,clarinets, altosaxophones, andtrumpets, only

• -inclusion of shortpercussion soli

• 2nd Year Band

• -melody for allinstruments sometimeduring the selection

• -all parts doubled byat least one otherinstrument

• -bass line in all lowwoodwind and lowbrass instruments,trombones maydeviate occasionally

• -two parts for flutes,clarinets, altosaxophones, andtrumpets; two partsoccasionally fortrombones and horns

• -inclusion of shortpercussion soli

Musical Maturity• 1st Year Band

• -Selections shouldhave a strong musicalpulse

• -a few ritardandos(ending in fermatas);no accelerandi(Tempo changes onlyafter a fermata)

• -Limited dynamicvariety

• -Predictable arrangingand orchestration

• -Considerablerepetition inpercussion withlimited use of rolls(no snare drum rollson fermata notes)

• -Predictable binary orternary forms

• 2nd Year Band

• -Occasional meterand key changes

• -Limited use ofritardandos andaccelerandi

• -Moderate dynamicvariation

• -Predictable arrangingand orchestration

• -Moderate use ofrepetition inpercussion; moderateuse of rolls

• -Primarily binary orternary forms;moderate use ofvariation techniques

Endurance

• 1st Year Band

– -Performancetime generallyshould not exceed2 minutes

• 2nd Year Band

• -Performance timegenerally should notexceed 3 minutes,unless adequateresting time isprovided (i.e., duringpercussion solis)