November 2023 Southwestern Musician by Texas Music Educators Association

NOVEMBER 2023

2024 TMEA Clinic/Convention FEBRUARY 7–10  SAN ANTONIO  TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION

325 Clinics 100 Performances 1,200 Exhibit Booths 11,000 Music Educators Each year, the convention is at exactly the right time to reenergize my passion and reinvigorate my teaching. —2023 convention survey comment

www.tmea.org/register

VOLUME 92 ■ ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 2023

CONTENTS FEATURES

Sound Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . band b y t a m i g o s s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21 31 vocal b y m e g a n s e n t e r and m i c h a e l d . m at l o c k . . 4 3 elementary b y l o r e l e i j . b a t i s l a - o n g . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1 college b y b r i a n g i b b s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1 orchestra b y a s h l e y d i c k e n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Teaching Beginners Truths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 b y ly n n e j a c k s o n

These simple truths are at the foundation of learning for young instrumentalists.

Developing Musicianship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 by dan miner

Examining the concepts of musicianship and musicality can inform our teaching and make us aware of how our practices help students develop into independent musicians.

Instruments in Early Elementary Music Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 by angela neal

Bring the spirit of fun and the love of music to your classroom with instrument play.

Adopting a Holistic Approach to the Music Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 b y c a r l o s r . a b r i l

With a holistic approach to curriculum, you can create meaningful and impactful learning experiences that resonate with students and prepare them for a diverse and interconnected world.

45 COLUMNS President Dana Pradervand-Sedatole . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Executive Director Robert Floyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Band Vice-President Shane Goforth . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Orchestra Vice-President Jennifer Martin . . . . . . . . 26 Vocal Vice-President Joshua McGuire . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Elementary Vice-President Christopher Giles . . . 52 College Vice-President Matthew McInturf . . . . . . . 62

UPDATES Clinic/Convention Basics, Important Dates, and Previews . . . . . . . .2 Music Education in the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

ON THE COVER: Teairra Meyers, now a student at Louisiana State University, performs with the Allen HS Varsity Treble Choir during the 2023 TMEA Clinic/Convention. Photo by Paul Denman.

Southwestern Musician | November 2023

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

2024 TMEA CLINIC/ CONVENTION BASICS

Editor-in-Chief: Robert Floyd

rfloyd@tmea.org | 512-452-0710, ext. 101

Managing Editor: Karen Cross

kcross@tmea.org | 512-452-0710, ext. 107

TMEA Executive Board President: Dana Pradervand-Sedatole, University of Houston president@tmea.org | 713-743-3627 3606 Glenwood Springs Drive, Kingwood, 77345

President-Elect: Jesse Cannon II, Fort Worth ISD

presidentelect@tmea.org | 817-814-2635 1407 I.M. Terrell Circle South, Suite 2203-Room 02, Fort Worth, 76102

• February 7–10, 2024 • San Antonio, Henry B. González Convention Center • $70 early registration fee for active TMEA members until Jan. 18 • 325 clinics, 100 performances, 1,200 exhibit booths • Full-day preconference of music technology clinics • Active TMEA members earn CPE credit

www.tmea.org/convention

Past-President: Michael Stringer, Mesquite ISD

pastpresident@tmea.org | 972-882-7300 3511 Lake Champlain Drive, Arlington, 76016

Band Vice-President: Shane Goforth, North Shore Senior HS bandvp@tmea.org | 713-516-7158 14122 Wadebridge Way, Houston, 77015

Orchestra Vice-President: Jennifer Martin, Fort Worth ISD orchestravp@tmea.org | 817-814-2640 4207 Crossgate Court, Arlington, 76016

Vocal Vice-President: Joshua McGuire, Rock Hill HS vocalvp@tmea.org | 469-219-2300 x 81201 16061 Coit Road, Frisco, 75035

Elementary Vice-President: Christopher Giles, Mireles Elementary

IMPORTANT DATES January 12: TMEA hotel reservation cancellation deadline. January 18: Early registration deadline. • Online registration must be complete by January 18. • Emailed registration forms must be received by January 18. • Mailed registration forms must be postmarked by January 18.

elementaryvp@tmea.org | 210-394-0289 12260 Rockwall Mill, San Antonio, 78254

January 31: Technology Preconference online registration deadline.

College Vice-President: Matthew McInturf, Sam Houston State University

February 1: Upper-level School Administrator registration deadline.

collegevp@tmea.org | 832-515-8724 17 Hornsilver Place, The Woodlands, 77381

TMEA Staff Executive Director: Robert Floyd | rfloyd@tmea.org

DETAIL PREVIEWS

Deputy Director: Frank Coachman | fcoachman@tmea.org Administrative Director: Kay Vanlandingham | kvanlandingham@tmea.org Advertising/Exhibits Manager: Zachary Gersch | zgersch@tmea.org Membership Manager: Susan Daugherty | susand@tmea.org Communications Manager: Karen Cross | kcross@tmea.org Digital Communications Specialist: Amanda Pierce | apierce@tmea.org Financial Manager: Cristin Gaffney | cgaffney@tmea.org

Clinics: www.tmea.org/2024clinics Featured Clinicians: www.tmea.org/clinicians Concerts: www.tmea.org/2024concerts Exhibitors: www.tmea.org/2024exhibitors

Information Technologist: Andrew Denman-Tidline | adenman@tmea.org Administrative Assistant: Dana Whitmire | dwhitmire@tmea.org

TMEA Office Mailing Address: P.O. Box 140465, Austin, 78714-0465 Physical Address: 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, 78754 Website: www.tmea.org | Phone: 512-452-0710 Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a .m.– 4:30 p.m.

Next Month’s Issue The December issue of Southwestern Musician features a full convention schedule preview. Watch for this issue and start making plans for the best four days of the year!

Southwestern Musician (ISSN 0162-380X) (USPS 508-340) is published monthly except March, June, July, and August by Texas Music Educators Association, 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, TX 78754. Subscription rates: One Year – $20; Single copies $3.00. Periodical postage paid at Austin, TX, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Southwestern Musician, P.O. Box 140465, Austin, TX 78714-0465. Southwestern Musician was founded in 1915 by A.L. Harper. Renamed in 1934 and published by Dr. Clyde Jay Garrett. Published 1941–47 by Dr. Stella Owsley. Incorporated in 1948 as National by Harlan-Bell Publishers, Inc. Published 1947–54 by Dr. H. Grady Harlan. Purchased in 1954 by D.O. Wiley. Texas Music Educator was founded in 1936 by Richard J. Dunn and given to the Texas Music Educators Association, whose official publication it has been since 1938. In 1954, the two magazines were merged using the name Southwestern Musician combined with the Texas Music Educator under the editorship of D.O. Wiley, who continued to serve as editor until his retirement in 1963. At that time ownership of both magazines was assumed by TMEA. In August 2004 the TMEA Executive Board changed the name of the publication to Southwestern Musician.

Southwestern Musician | November 2023

TMEA President DANA PRADERVAND-SEDATOLE

Priorities Off the Podium While the spotlight may shine brightest on the performance stage, musical success is a multifaceted journey that goes beyond talent and practice.

hen we think of a musical performance, our minds often conjure images of students skillfully playing their instruments or singing as the director passionately leads from the podium. However, the success of a musical performance isn’t only about what happens on stage. What happens off the podium and behind the scenes is just as crucial to ensure a harmonious and memorable performance. Coming out of the pandemic, I realized how important and impactful these concepts were to the musical development of my students and to me as a teacher. These often-overlooked concepts that support musical preparation have now become priorities in my teaching curriculum. The first time I meet with any ensemble, I discuss these ideas with the students, and then I consistently cultivate them. I have discovered that in doing this, my students are becoming better musicians, with a greater appreciation for making music itself. Whether you teach elementary music or a middle school, high school, or collegiate ensemble, what you do and what you teach students off the podium makes a significant difference. The following are eight off-the-podium priorities that will help students grow and achieve success. #1: Listen to as much music as you can. Broaden your musical palate by listening to a wide variety of musical styles and artists. You will learn much more about becoming a musician by immersing yourself in an active listening life. You will gain a greater understanding of rhythm, harmony, melody, and instrumentation. Having a diverse musical palate can inspire creativity and influence your own musical style.

Southwestern Musician | November 2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

November—Renew your membership and register for the convention. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. January 18—TMEA convention early registration deadline. February 7–10—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

School of Music

If music is your passion,

TCU is your school.

Visit our world-class music school this fall!

Scholarship Opportunities Available For You

TCU provides performance and academic scholarships that cover full and partial undergraduate tuition. Please visit our website for more information.

AUDITION DATES FOR SPRING 2024

January 27 // February 3 // February 17

November 1, 2023 - Application Deadline for Early Action Consideration.

Graduate Programs Available For You Visit our website to learn more about graduate assistantships.

MUSIC.TCU.EDU/ADMISSIONS

Watch all of our music events on YouTube!

#2: Set goals. The most meaningful growth occurs when we are aiming for something. Well-defined goals provide direction, focus, and motivation. Goals help us measure progress and allow achievements to be celebrated along the way. Document them and always have them visible as a target. #3: Be curious. Curiosity is a driving force behind musical growth. Don’t limit yourself to what you know; instead, explore new techniques. Encourage your students to improvise. Curiosity leads to experimentation, and through experimentation, you can make discoveries that set you apart as a musician. #4: Take chances by allowing yourself to fail. Musical growth happens when we push boundaries and take risks. Not being afraid to fail can lead to breakthroughs that enable memorable performances. #5: Pay attention to your mental and physical well-being. Musicians, like athletes, must maintain their mental and physical well-being. Off the podium, prioritize exercise, eat well, and get enough sleep. A healthy lifestyle, physical fitness, and mental resilience will help you manage performance anxiety and stress levels.

This all leads to consistent, high-quality performances. #6: Be collaborative. Do everything you can to strengthen a strong and harmonious vibe within your section, within your ensemble, and within your school community. Encourage discussion about the music, practice together, and share ideas. Collaboration ensures that everyone is on the same page and contributes to a cohesive performance. #7: Have pride in your effort and your product. Success is not just about the result but also about the hard work and dedication you put into your craft. Embrace your accomplishments, no matter how small, and remember you are the product! Always represent yourself, your program, and your school as well as you can! #8: Be a good human. Being a good human might not seem directly related to musical success, but it’s a foundational aspect that affects all interactions with fellow musicians, students, teachers, and audiences. Respect, kindness, and empathy go a long way in building positive relationships and collaborations in the music classroom or ensemble. While the spotlight may shine brightest

on the performance stage, musical success is a multifaceted journey that goes beyond talent and practice. It’s about being a good person, expanding musical horizons, establishing goals and striving toward them, nurturing curiosity, taking musical risks, and taking pride in those efforts. Teaching these off-the-podium priorities will enhance your students’ success and enrich their musical experience. So, keep an open mind and an open heart and let your passion for music guide you and your students to greatness! Giving Thanks! In this month of Thanksgiving, it is appropriate to recognize the many volunteers who serve this organization. Our gratitude also goes to our incredible TMEA staff, Executive Board, Region Chairs, State Board, committee members, and audition and clinic organizers. Your work is invaluable. Clinic/Convention Update If you haven’t yet, take time now to register to attend our incredible convention in San Antonio, February 7–10. Go to www.tmea.org/register. In this issue you will find information on some of the Honor and Invited Ensembles who are already working hard to prepare their performances. I know you will want to attend as many of their performances as possible! Next month, this magazine will feature a full convention schedule preview—just in time for you to plan your attendance while you’re off for the holidays. President’s Concert We are thrilled to have the Dallas Winds, under the direction of Jerry Junkin, perform the 2024 President’s Concert on Thursday evening of the convention. The Dallas Winds is the leading professional civilian wind band in the United States. With 50 woodwind, brass, and percussion players, the band performs an eclectic blend of musical styles, ranging from Bach to Bernstein and Sousa to Strauss. Joining them on stage will be the Boston Brass and Saxophone Soloist Tim McAllister. With all these musical greats on stage, this is going to be a fantastic evening for your musical enjoyment! Purchase your $20 general admission tickets in advance (when you register, or later by returning to your member record). 0 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Southwestern Musician | November 2023

Where heart, mind and soul coalesce. A U D I T I O N D AT E S F R I DAY

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VOICE, PIANO, ORGAN

WOODWINDS, BRASS, STRINGS, PERCUSSION, VOICE, PIANO, ORGAN

December 1, 2023 F R I DAY

January 12, 2024 VOICE

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January 13, 2024 BRASS, VOICE, PIANO, ORGAN

January 27, 2024

F R I DAY

February 2, 2024

To learn more about the audition process, scan the QR code, then choose your instrument/area of study. For more information: music.baylor.edu or Callan_Monroe@baylor.edu FACEBOOK baylormusic INSTAGRAM @baylormusic

WOODWINDS, STRINGS, PERCUSSION, VOICE, PIANO, ORGAN

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February 17, 2024 WOODWINDS, BRASS, PERCUSSION, VOICE, PIANO, ORGAN

Baylor University admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

TMEA Executive Director ROBERT FLOYD

What Does the Law Say? Despite being supported in state law and rule, the most effective protector of music in your district is a program valued by your students, parents, administration, and community.

aving completed 30 years of service as TMEA Executive Director I’m often asked if I have enjoyed any one part of my job more than others. I am quick to respond that the work I like the most always relates to helping a member with a particular problem. Their questions run the gamut—advocacy, auditions, TMEA policy issues, and more. The ones I field most frequently are about state law and rule, such as when a member asks if their administration can take a certain position that negatively impacts their program and their students. I have always believed that if arts education is not protected in state law and state board rule, it is much harder to win battles over a decision that negatively impacts teaching and learning in your district or on your campus. In this column I address the top ten questions I receive on policy topics. For more details online, go to tmea.org/lawandpolicy. It is worthy of mention here that in the entire Texas Education Code, the word music does not appear. The TEC wording that applies to our discipline is written as fine arts. The 15-member elected State Board of Education then defines fine arts as music, art, theatre, and dance. What does the law say about elementary music? In grades K–5 TEKS-based music instruction is required and must be delivered by a certified teacher who may also be the classroom generalist. Instructional minutes and class size are local decisions, but the Texas Administrative Code states that there must be time for teachers to teach and students to learn a curriculum that covers 100% of the TEKS, and students must demonstrate proficiency. If instructional time is inadequate or class sizes are unreasonable, this creates an untenable learning environment and is worthy of discussion with your fine arts administrator or principal.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

Southwestern Musician | November 2023

2024

AUDITIONS

December 2, 2023 January 27, 2024 February 24, 2024 March 23, 2024 Scholarships and assistantships available.

Learn more at music.txst.edu Texas State University, to the extent not in conflict with federal or state law, prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Texas State University is a tobacco-free campus.

What are the middle school fine arts course requirements? Every student must complete one fine arts course in grades 6, 7, or 8. While fine arts courses are locally determined, the courses must be TEKS-based. Districts must offer three of the four fine arts disciplines of music, art, theatre, and dance (or two, if reduced by the commissioner of education based on school size). Can high school students earn an Arts and Humanities endorsement in addition to a STEM endorsement? Yes. The Foundation High School Program provides flexibility and the opportunity to earn both. When that program was established, TMEA advocated to ensure not only that the Arts and Humanities endorsement was included but also that students who pursued STEM or any other endorsement were able to continue in the arts programs of their choosing. Quite often these are the same students. Can a student earn a fine arts graduation credit by participating in a fine arts-related activity? No. Students must be enrolled and demonstrate proficiency in a fine arts TEKSbased course such as Band I–IV. Districts must ensure students have the opportunity to take courses in at least two of the four fine arts areas of music, art, theatre, and dance. That said, the recently revised TEA Fine Arts Frequently Asked Questions

document lists other academic content areas that may be used to earn the credit. This document also includes clarification on arts activities such as marching band or color guard relative to graduation, as well as questions on numerous arts-related topics.

TEA Fine Arts Frequently Asked Questions

Can students be pulled from my class for STAAR preparation or remediation? Yes, but there are limitations. School districts must establish policies that strictly limit pullout of K–12 students from a regularly scheduled class for remedial tutoring or test preparation. The policy must limit pullout to 10% of the school days on which the class is offered for the student to receive credit or a final grade (this can be extended to 25%, but only with parent/guardian authorization, not solely by a principal or counselor). Learn more about this at www.tmea.org/pullout.

tutoring requirements. Fine arts courses are a part of the Enrichment curriculum. To be clear, when it is time for fifth graders to leave their homeroom for music, those who need tutoring as called for in HB 4545 cannot be held back for that purpose.

May a student be pulled from my classroom for state-mandated tutoring requirements? No. While districts must provide tutoring to students who performed below an acceptable level on the STAAR or required end-of-course exams, this tutoring cannot occur during your class time. The statute requires that students not be removed from recess or from a foundation or enrichment curriculum course as defined in TEC, §28.002, to meet required

11th Annual

MARCH 2 & 3, 2024 AustinChamberMusic.org/Coltman SUBMISSION DEADLINE December 20, 2023 Presented by the Austin Chamber Music Center Held at the University of Texas Butler School of Music 10 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

Go to www.tmea.org/ fineartsfaq or scan this code to download this helpful resource.

May a district deny students access to take my class and require them to participate in secondary remediation? Unfortunately, that is a local decision. Beyond the requirement for a student in grades 6, 7, or 8 to take one fine arts course, and the one-credit fine arts graduation requirement, a district may deny access to continued arts instruction because of local requirements. Parents should meet with a counselor and express a desire for their child to be in your class. How effective that may be will vary by situation and district. Does the law require a student to take a Career and College Explorations course in grade 7 or 8? No. The law requires only that information on career opportunities be shared with students as they prepare to select an endorsement for the Foundation High School Program. That said, many school districts have made it a local requirement, thus eliminating an elective for students in our programs. Is my school district allowed to assign my planning period before or after the defined instructional day? No. The law states teachers must have at least 45 minutes within the instructional day for planning, or at least 450 minutes over a two-week period. I get this call because scheduling a planning period before or after school often conflicts with sectionals and other rehearsals outside the instructional day. How do I address issues if my district’s policies are negatively affecting my program and students? Admittedly, that is a very precarious and delicate position. It should be noted

there can be legitimate reasons why it can be challenging, or even impossible, for a district to fully comply with every policy. Budget, staffing shortages, scheduling issues, facilities limitations, and local accountability pressures are just a few. If there is a fine arts director in the district, they should take the issue to the school administration. Regardless, do your homework and understand, from an administrator’s perspective, what the issues might be, and contribute to the solution. This is where a positive, professional relationship with your principal is so important. Share the relevant information and seek a solution with a win-win outcome, at least temporarily, until the situation can be fully addressed. Mentioned in part above, the greater challenge impacting our programs is tied to local requirements, especially in middle school. That problem often starts with a master schedule that limits elective options even before local requirements are in place. Consider joining with teachers of other disciplines who are affected by such hindrances. This united front could impact a change in the master schedule or local course requirements that give students more flexibility and elective choices. TMEA’s Political History Looking back, TMEA had a presence in the political arena long before I became Executive Director. In 1979, TMEA dem-

onstrated its strongest show of force to that date by helping defeat HB 246, a bill that would have removed elementary music from its place in the curriculum. Shortly after being named TMEA President in 1981, I spent my spring break at our state capitol. The TEC chapter on curriculum had been thrown out and the House Public Education Committee started over, identifying which subjects would be taught and at what levels would be required to be taken in public schools. We succeeded in keeping fine arts a part of the well-rounded curriculum defined in the TEC. As a teacher in the ’80s, more than once I got a call from Bill Cormack, my predecessor at TMEA, to jump on the next flight from Dallas to testify at a legislative hearing later that afternoon on an issue that could have a negative impact on arts education in the curriculum. When I started work as the Executive Director in 1993, I was greeted by the legislature beginning another rewrite of the entire Texas Education Code. This process historically had been tackled every ten years, but it hasn’t been rewritten since that 1995 session. My learning curve shot up throughout that session as newly elected Governor George Bush, running on an education agenda of Back to the Basics—reading, writing, and computing—defeated Ann Richards. In the first draft of TEC Chapter 28, the Curriculum chapter, fine arts was bur-

Photo by Scott Newton

Scan for FREE K-12 music educator resources 12 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

pbs.org/learn

ied on the third page, where it was stated fine arts may (not shall) be a part of a Recommended (not Required) curriculum, and for which there would be no standards. We clawed our way back into what was later defined as the Required Curriculum, which all school districts must offer, but as a part of the Enrichment Curriculum, for which there were no standards, or essential elements. We were successful in mandating the development of fine arts standards, but only as guidelines. Three legislative sessions later the legislature passed a law requiring that locally developed curriculum must cover 100% of the TEKS as a condition of accreditation. This law, driven by TMEA, was a significant step forward in terms of elevating the credibility of the Enrichment Curriculum to that of the Foundation subjects. Despite skirmishes since that time over physical activity requirements, CTE, and personal financial literacy, we have protected the fine arts graduation requirement, and managed to hold our own with a commanding presence in the Foundation High School Graduation Program due to our work with the Texas Education Agency and State Board of Education. It should be noted that no one is policing school districts’ adherence to state education policy. Also, being a state that believes in local control despite thousands of pages of education law and administrative rule, there is a certain amount of latitude and flexibility in how policy can be interpreted at the local level. This is where the relationships you build with district leadership and the influence you can leverage will be so important in influencing decisions made that impact your program and your students. In closing, for me personally it has been a sometimes scary but fun and successful ride on our state’s political rollercoaster. You will soon hear more about our vision for the Texas Arts Education Campaign during the interim. We will ask you to tell your story throughout the political process to those running for the House of Representatives, Senate, and State Board of Education. Those candidates will soon be filing for office, and we want to put arts education on their radar. It’s time to advance our quest for an arts education allotment and to elevate our presence in the state accountability system. We will need your 0 help—stay tuned!

Music Education in the Law

Below is an outline of requirements in law that affect music education which, along with art, theatre, and dance make up the fine arts. Fine arts education requirements are defined in the Texas Education Code (TEC) and in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC).

Texas Education Code Mission & Objectives A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will be provided to all students. — TEC, Objective 4.

Each district shall ensure all children in the district participate actively in a balanced curriculum designed to meet individual needs. — TEC, Chapter 28.002

Required Curriculum and Skills The TEC directs school districts with kindergarten through grade 12 to offer the Required Curriculum.

The TEC segments the Required Curriculum into Foundation and Enrichment subjects. Fine arts is part of the Enrichment Curriculum and thus must be taught.

Download this page at www.tmea.org/musiclaw or scan this code:

The State Board of Education adopts the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for all subjects of the Required Curriculum. Fine Arts TEKS are defined for every level, and instruction must cover 100% of the TEKS as a condition of accreditation. Districts must provide instructional materials that cover 100% of the TEKS in all fine arts courses.

Requirements at the Grade Level Elementary

State Board rule mandates that school districts provide TEKS-based instruction in music in grades K–5.

Middle School

State Board rule mandates that each student complete one fine arts course in grades 6–8, and the district must offer courses in three of the four fine arts disciplines (or two, if reduced by the Commissioner of Education based on school size).

Pullout Limitations

The TEC directs school districts to establish policies that limit the pullout of students from a regularly scheduled class for remedial tutoring or test preparation. The policy limits pullout to 10% of the school days on which the class is offered (unless authorized to extend to 25% by a parent/guardian). Additionally, students may not be removed from a fine arts class to receive the tutoring districts are required to provide them if they performed below an acceptable level on STAAR in grades 3–8 or on a required high school end-of-course assessment.

High School

Districts must offer at least two of the four state-approved fine arts subjects. Every high school student must successfully earn one fine arts credit to graduate.

Foundation High School Program

The Foundation HS Program allows the serious fine arts student the opportunity to pursue an Arts and Humanities endorsement that includes multiple fine arts courses. State Board rule also protects the opportunity for continuous arts study throughout high school within any of the five endorsements: STEM, Business & Industry, Public Service, Arts & Humanities, and Multidisciplinary Studies. Texas Music Educators Association — 2023

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 13

TMEA Band Vice-President SHANE GOFORTH

Believing in Your Students All truly successful teachers have come to the realization that you have to believe for the student until the student can believe in and for themselves.

In Memoriam Mary Lynn Brown 1987–2023 Danny Prado 1950–2023

t some point, you’ve likely heard someone pronounce, “I believe all children can learn,” as if it were a novel concept or profound declaration. I would wager that, like me, you find the statement equally redundant and underwhelming. Of course all children can learn, and more than that, it’s what they do best! Modern medical science has revealed clearly how the brain continues to grow and develop through the 24th year, with each stage providing significant and continual cognitive development. Not only are our youth genetically designed to be learners, history teaches us that they will create and achieve things that the generations before them could never have dreamed possible. As educators we understand that, as adults in the process, we must have an unequivocal belief in children. More importantly we understand that many times the crucial factor to educational success is not so much based on whether an adult believes in a child, but whether the child believes in themselves. All truly successful teachers have come to the realization that you have to believe for the student until the student can believe in and for themselves. Teachers in this category not only tell their students that they are incredible, smart, talented, and beautiful people just as they are, they also don’t accept phrases like “I can’t” from their pupils. They don’t

14 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

November—Renew your membership and register for the convention. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. January 6—Area Band auditions. January 18—TMEA convention early registration deadline. February 7–10—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

MERLIN PATTERSON MUSIC

UIL PRESCRIBED MUSIC LIST SELECTIONS

J.S. Bach Sleepers, Awake! (published by Manhattan Beach Music) J.S. Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor Hector Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique: March to the Scaffold Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique: Dream of a Witches Sabbath Johannes Brahms Academic Festival Overture Aaron Copland Down a Country Lane (published by Boosey & Hawkes) Claude Debussy The Engulfed Cathedral (published by Manhattan Beach Music) Paul Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Edward Elgar Variations on an Original Theme “Enigma” Edward Elgar “Nimrod” from “Enigma Variations” Percy Aldridge Grainger Mock Morris Gustav Holst A Fugal Overture Gustav Holst St. Paul’s Suite Gustav Holst The Planets Leos Janacek Sinfonietta Gustav Mahler “Adagietto” from Symphony No. 5 Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Overture for Wind Band, Op. 24 Modeste Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Giacomo Puccini “Nessun Dorma” from “Turandot” Ottorino Respighi Feste Romane Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Gioacchino Rossini Overture to “An Italian in Algiers” Richard Strauss Don Juan Igor Stravinsky “The Firebird” Suite Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring, Part I Michael Torke Javelin (available through Bill Holub Music) Guiseppe Verdi “Requiem” Symphonic Suite Heitor Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 Ralph Vaughan Williams Rhosymedre Richard Wagner "Procession to the Cathedral" from “Lohengrin” (published by TRN)

Please visit www.merlinpatterson.com for perusal scores and recordings

accept defeatist phrases because they know they are not true. They know their students can achieve whatever goal is set before them, and they will continue to teach, motivate, and support them until they are successful. It is through this process of a teacher believing in and for the student that they come to the transformative truth that they can (and should) achieve all of their dreams and goals, no matter the size or challenge. As music teachers we are uniquely positioned to shepherd our students through this transition to lifelong success because we are privileged to use the powerful tool inherent in our title, music. Music has the incredible power to strip away the noise and frustration of our societal norms and

return us to the humanity that makes us who we truly are. It has the unique ability to bring us together while allowing us to be ourselves, revealing both the importance of the individual and the power of the ensemble. Using music as our curriculum, we can provide every student with an experience of joy and success as they advance from essential but rudimentary section parts to virtuosic, soloistic flourishes. As band directors, we have the incredible honor of spending extended amounts of time over multiple years with our students. We get to travel with our students and work with them in a wide variety of environments from soloistic pursuits like All-Region and Solo and Ensemble to full ensemble experiences in concert and

TMEA Clinic/Convention BAND DIVISION

54 Band Division Clinics 11 Invited & Honor Band Concerts

New in 2024! Band Division Program Spotlights We look forward to clinic presentations by the following programs: • Hanna HS (Brownsville ISD), Dennis Ewing, Director • Tenaha HS (Tenaha ISD), Brian Sours, Director • Central MS (Weslaco ISD), Moisés Garza, Director

WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION 16 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

marching band and so many more. In my opinion, this is more than an opportunity; it is a moral imperative that demands we focus and structure our activities in a way that continually facilitates our students’ belief in themselves and what they can accomplish. With your continued motivation, instruction, and tenacious support, your students will continue to achieve goals, big and small, every day. In those achievements they will find selfconfidence and belief that will transform their lives. Years from now a few of your students may realize what you have done for them and come back and thank you, but on their behalf, I’m offering you my gratitude now. Thank you for believing in and for your students every day and making their lives a little better and more successful with every rehearsal and experience. You truly make a difference. Clinic/Convention Update With our convention just over three months away, I hope you have registered and secured your housing. For more information about this amazing event, go to www.tmea.org/convention, and be sure to read through next month’s issue that will feature a preview of the full schedule of events. Administrator Registration: TMEA offers complimentary badges to school principals, superintendents, and school board members. This is a fantastic music education advocacy opportunity. They can register at www.tmea.org/ adminregistration. President’s Concert: Have you purchased your tickets to the President’s Concert featuring the Dallas Winds with special guests Boston Brass and saxophone soloist Timothy McAllister? This exciting concert will be on Thursday, February 8, at 8 p.m. in Lila Cockrell Theatre. General admission tickets are $20, and you can purchase them when you register. If you already registered, simply log into your member record and add that purchase. Speaking of amazing concerts held during our convention, I’m pleased to feature information on the following four Honor Bands whose performances I know you will not want to miss. Additionally, in January, I’ll present previews of our Invited Ensembles. For a list of all Invited and Honor Ensembles, go to www.tmea.org/2024concerts.

Class C Honor Band Anahuac MS Honors Band (Anahuac ISD) With a population of 2,000, Anahuac is located on the Gulf Coast between Houston and Beaumont. Anahuac MS has an enrollment of 360 students, 200 of whom are currently enrolled in the band program. While the AMS Band strives to give each student an outstanding musical experience, its top priority is to create a culture of hard work, dedication, and a

love of music. The Honors Band consists of 58 students who actively participate in Region Band and UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest. The ensemble has been a consistent UIL Sweepstakes award winner the past three years and a state finalist in the ATSSB Outstanding Performance series in 2022 and 2023, earning 1st place in the 2022 Concert performance category. The Honors Band is under the direction of Morgan Contreras. Class 3C Honor Band Henry MS Honors Band (Leander ISD) Under the direction of Robert Herrings, the Henry MS Honors Band has been a consistent UIL Sweepstakes award winner and well-represented in TMEA AllRegion Bands and Orchestras. In 2008 and 2013, the band performed at the Western International Band Clinic. Previous selections as TMEA 3C Honor Band were in 2010, 2014, and 2018. The band has performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2022. In 2011, they were awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Silver Cup Award, and in 2014, the American School Band Directors Association awarded the program the Outstanding Band Program Award. In 2018, the program was selected as the TBA Exemplary Middle School

TMEA President’s Concert

WITH FEATURED GUEST PERFORMERS Boston Brass & Timothy McAllister, Saxophone Soloist

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 8 P.M. • LILA COCKRELL THEATRE Purchase $20 general admission tickets when you register for the convention or anytime following by returning to your member record to add this purchase.

www.tmea.org/presidentsconcert 18 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

Band recipient. Most recently, the Henry MS band program was awarded the NBA Programs of Excellence Blue Ribbon Award. Class 3A Honor Band Mineola HS Band (Mineola ISD) The Mineola ISD band program consists of around 320 students, with the Mineola HS Band membership standing at 106 members. In 2020, the Mineola HS Band was named the TMEA 3A Honor Band and awarded the Sudler Shield Award. The Mineola MS Band was named the 2017 TMEA 1C Honor Band. All high school band members participate in the Sound of the Swarm marching band, which is a five-time Area Champion, fourtime UIL state marching medalist, and three-time state marching champion. The Mineola HS Band has achieved numerous state ATSSB OPS recognitions, All-Region, Area, and All-State qualifiers, UIL State Solo and Ensemble Qualifiers, and UIL Sweepstakes awards. The band is under the direction of Jim Best. Class 5A Honor Band Lone Star HS Wind Symphony (Frisco ISD) Lone Star HS opened in 2010 and the band program began with just over 40 members. Since then, it has grown to over 230 members currently. The Lone Star HS band program has enjoyed great success at the local, state, and national levels. The Lone Star Wind Symphony was recently invited to perform at the 2022 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. The Wind Symphony is a four-time TMEA Honor Band Finalist, has been recognized as a Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honor Recipient in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and was awarded Grand Champion at the Dallas Winds Invitational in 2022. The LSHS Marching Band is a three-time UIL State Marching Band participant and was named a BOA Regional finalist in 2021 and 2022. The ensemble is under the direction 0 of Mark Poole.

Anahuac MS Honors Band

Henry MS Honors Band

Mineola HS Band

Lone Star HS Wind Symphony Southwestern Musician | November 2023 19

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS TLU SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Scholarships are available for both music and non-music majors. These awards are intended to provide recognition for scholarship and talent in the study of music.

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION DATES: Saturday, November 18th, 2023 1 - 3 p.m. Friday, February 16th, 2024 1 - 3 p.m. Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 1 - 3 p.m. Saturday, April 20th, 2024 1 - 3 p.m. Individual audition dates may be requested if necessary. For specific qualifications for each award, visit

www.tlu.edu/music-scholarships. BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN ALL-LEVEL MUSIC EDUCATION BACHELOR OF MUSIC IN PERFORMANCE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC

DEPARTMENT HEADS Douglas R. Boyer Director, School of Music and Director of Choral Activities dboyer@tlu.edu 830-372-6869 or 800-771-8521 Eric Daub Director of Piano Studies edaub@tlu.edu

Scott McDonald Instructor, Saxophone, Jazz Band & Music Education Carla McElhaney Asst. Professor, General Music David Milburn Instructor, Double Bass Nicole Narboni Asst. Professor, Piano

Eliza Jeffords Director of Strings ejeffords@tlu.edu Zoe Chunghui Kim Interim Director of Vocal Studies ckim@tlu.edu Brett A. Richardson Director of Bands brichardson@tlu.edu

Daniel Orban Instructor, Trumpet Sung-Eun Park Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist Keith Robinson Instructor, Tuba & Music Education Jill Rodriguez Instructor, General Music

FACULTY Adam Bedell Instructor, Percussion Carol Brittin Chambers Composer in Residence & Composition Lauren Casey-Clyde Asst. Professor, Trombone & Euphonium Sean Holmes Asst. Professor, Horn & Music History Stephanie Hulsey Instructor, Flute

Deborah Mayes Choral Accompanist

Eric Siu Asst. Professor, Violin Yu-Hsin Teng Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist Shareen Vader Instructor, Piano & Music Education Mika Allison Valenzuela Instructor, Oboe Yvonne Vasquez Instructor, Mariachi

Michael Keplinger Instructor, Guitar

Tyler Webster Asst. Professor, Clarinet & Music History

Elizabeth Lee Asst. Professor, Cello

Sarah Wildey-Richmond Asst. Professor, Bassoon

www.tlu.edu/music

SOUND IDEAS BAND: Selecting Repertoire for UIL Evaluation by tami goss

ne of the questions I’m often asked by music educators, both early career and veterans, is how to select a program that supports student success at UIL evaluation. Early in my career I learned the hard way how detrimental poor programming can be. As an educator, there is no feeling worse than realizing my students could have been more successful had I not stood in their way. We must recognize that every ensemble is different; the ensemble that existed one short year ago might be nothing like the ensemble sitting in front of you today. Each group brings new challenges, new expectations, new considerations, and new enjoyment! Take time to learn the dynamics of your ensemble and use that knowledge to your advantage. Is this a young ensemble requiring a more careful approach or a mature, experienced group up for the challenge of advanced literature? Are your students involved in other organizations and less able to attend rehearsals before or after school? What style of music does your ensemble most enjoy playing? Do they need exposure to literature of varied styles, from different periods, or other cultures? Finding music that fits each ensemble and supports their development is the top contributing factor to their overall success. Repertoire Selection Priorities After spending time in the fall semester getting to know your group, make a checklist of the top priorities for your ensemble going into UIL preparation. For example, what level(s) are you considering for this ensemble? Over the years, I have become less concerned about the level of music to perform and more concerned about what the ensemble can perform at a high level. While the UIL does have specific performance requirements for each ensemble, those guidelines are only minimum suggestions. Students appreciate working diligently on music that excites and challenges them, and they will often devote more time and effort into music that pushes them. At the same time, avoid programming a more difficult work for the sole purpose of being competitive. No matter what level of music you choose for your ensemble, always prioritize the students’ performance success over the difficulty of literature. Next, what areas of the band would be good to feature? Are there sections of the band that require less difficult music or part revisions to aid in student success? Rewriting parts as needed can be tremendously helpful. For small school band directors, this is often a necessity as numbers are limited, and sometimes entire sections do not exist. Is there a specific skill I want this ensemble to execute on a higher level by the end of this process? This could be as simple as

Two valuable online resources for repertoire review: www.uiltexas.org/pml www.composerdiversity.com learning to transition gracefully through a time change or as complex as mastering multiple tonguing. Apart from performing the music for a rating, know what you want your students to take with them when they leave. Decisions on all these priorities will help you considerably narrow the list of possible repertoire. Dos and Don’ts Further Guide Selection Some factors took me the longest to figure out over the years as they are the most difficult and take deeper thought and consideration. I place these factors in two columns: Dos and Don’ts. This is where I must take myself and my preferences out of the equation and do what is purely in the best interest of the group. Do not prepare a piece for UIL simply because you like it or want to perform it; always choose a work that showcases the strengths of the ensemble in front of you. Do not select a piece for UIL without first spending some time working on it. I have found that students really enjoy rehearsing some pieces while others they just enjoy playing. Some pieces read well the first time but stagnate after the initial reading. Only time will reveal this, and it can differ with every group. With that, you need to allow yourself the flexibility of changing selections if that’s what you need to support your students’ growth and success. Just as you need to evaluate the dynamics of your ensemble, it is important to respect your strengths and weaknesses when you make selections. Always choose pieces you are confident in your ability to teach well. Finally, the factor I have found most significant in this selection process is the why behind the music I choose. Regardless of the age or level of your ensemble, they are capable of real, human connection through music. In fact, they are hungry for it! Share the story or inspiration behind the piece, reveal something personal about your connection to the work, and encourage your students to offer their own thoughts. Next, watch their performance and musical maturity transform before your eyes. Music plays such a vital role in our closeness and connection, and it is our responsibility to facilitate that for our students. When this level of connection and cooperation is achieved, students will fall in love with the art of music-making, and the evaluations will 0 take care of themselves. Tami Goss is the Director of Bands at Bridge City HS (Bridge City ISD). Southwestern Musician | November 2023 21

A Member of the Texas A&M University System

DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC An All-Steinway School with Spirio Designation

PERFORMANCE PASSION PRIDE

OFFERING BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S DEGREES IN MUSIC EMPHASIZING MUSIC EDUCATION OR PERFORMANCE

2024 Admission & Scholarship Audition Dates: February 17 February 24 March 9 April 6 (Instrumental Non-music Majors only) November and January audition dates are available upon request. Auditions are required of all entering and transferring music majors and minors.

@TAMUCMusic • @TAMUCBands • @TAMUCChoirs

tamuc.edu/music • 903-886-5303

Teaching Beginners

TRUTHS By Lynne Jackson

rom day one, I aspire to offer my beginning instrumentalists information, pedagogy, and concepts that will sustain them throughout their musical career. I strive to teach beginners truths. What follows are several truths that have guided my work with beginners for over 50 years. While many applications and methods can support these truths, I believe they are at the foundation of learning for young instrumentalists. If you are privileged to work with this amazing group of learners, consider how your approach can be led by these simple truths. Truth: Music class should be taught as a fine arts learning community. I stand in front of my students daily as a musician–teacher. My intent is to be an example to my students and to create a culture that feels uniquely beautiful and personal. The key element in the classroom is respect. I want students to develop a high regard for the information, processes, and details put before them. Additionally, we should help our students learn to celebrate their accomplishments and those of others. It is important to nurture a sense of community from the very beginning. While it might sound simple, one of the first things I work on with beginners is teaching them to raise their hands. We practice it daily at the start of the year. The arm is fully extended and, more importantly, eye contact is made with the teacher. I like to teach these quiet, internal ways of demonstrating enthusiasm and appreciation, and the hand raise is a perfect place to start. Also, when students work from the method book or a worksheet, I concurrently display that page for the class to see. I teach from the front of the room, heads are up, and eyes are lifted. This helps me have confidence that we are all on the same page. Teaching from the front of the room also develops a greater sense of community. When students are focused on the teacher and screen in

the front of the room instead of on their music stand, a sense of communal learning is created. With their eyes on the teacher and on the information being presented, they can’t hide behind their music stands or fall behind because they selected the wrong music. It’s extremely important that each student I teach feels valued and safe in my class. My ultimate hope is that each experiences a personal connection to our class and finds joy through the study of music. I work to provide motivation that keeps all students engaged and experiencing a feeling of success regardless of their skill level. The classroom should be a safe place where judgement is replaced with encouragement and acceptance. Truth: Telling is not teaching. My beloved University of Michigan professor Elizabeth Green taught me that telling is not teaching. Information does not become knowledge until one can independently and successfully apply that information to their own experience. I work to ensure that from the start my students become critical thinkers and independent learners. To that end, I frequently go on “fishing expeditions” in my classroom. I ask questions to search for understanding, comprehension, and application. “What is the lower neighbor of C?” or “Which position on the staff is the note B?” Even when students are playing, I’m fishing for their understanding. I might point to a note on the staff and ask the students to play it to learn who understands and who does not. Through this understanding I can help them in their musical growth as individuals and, by extension, as an ensemble. A beginning band classroom of critical thinkers is a truly exciting community. In this environment, the study of music often becomes an irresistible muse even for young students. I believe that student retention is directly related to success in achieving this type of community within the music classroom. Southwestern Musician | November 2023 23

Beginners come to us as blank slates. Why not fill their toolboxes with accessible, sustainable information and skills that support their musicianship for years to come? Truth: A deep-seated knowledge of the music staff is necessary from the start. Teaching beginners EGBDF and FACE does not suffice. I prefer to begin with the musical alphabet. Necessary vocabulary includes ascending, descending, octave, upper neighbor, and lower neighbor. The staff has five lines and four spaces. Begin

by having students confidently identify each of the nine positions on the staff. Next, have students identify upper neighbor and lower neighbor positions on the staff. I often go fishing to check understanding in this area. “What is the upper neighbor of space 4?” Then add the clefs. I prefer to call the

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24 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

treble clef the G clef and the bass clef the F clef. Those are the first notes I place on the staff. Next, critical thinking comes into play. We must use our knowledge of upper and lower neighbor positions/notes to complete naming notes within the staff. With this approach, ledger lines appear as simple extensions of the staff. I include a piano keyboard page in each student’s band notebook. Students can touch the page and identify upper and lower neighbor notes and recite the musical alphabet, ascending and descending. Later, the same verbal and tactile technique can be used for major, minor, and chromatic scales. Students should complete the first year of class with a deepseated knowledge and understanding of the music staff and note reading. Truth: The relationships among rhythms always stay the same. A half note is called a half note because it is half of a whole note. A quarter note is called a quarter note because it is onequarter of a whole note. These are eternal truths for music students. Additionally, teaching our students to subdivide rhythms strengthens the knowledge of rhythmic relationships. It is important to me that I begin teaching the eighth-note subdivision as soon as possible. Students who understand fractions grasp this quickly. The foot tap is another tool that facilitates rhythmic prowess. I integrate it in my rhythmic pedagogy by calling the upbeat the “up” instead of the “and” of the beat. (1–Up, 2–Up, 3–Up, 4–Up). When I visit beginner band programs, I often observe that the foot tap is underdeveloped. The up aspect of the foot tap often does not appear as a rhythmic gesture. Everything we teach must be developed. The foot tap requires coordination that must be nurtured pedagogically, particularly in the early stages of musical development. This will help them as they begin to learn more complex rhythms. Finally, the truth about time signatures takes me back to my Vandercook College years. H.E. Nutt, an amazing teacher, stated that 3/4 time means that there are three quarter notes in each measure or anything equivalent in notes or rests. Often 3/4 time is played waltz-style, with one count in a measure; therefore, I prefer Nutt’s definition of a time signature as it remains reliable no matter how 3/4 time is played.

Truth: Teachers must have a concept of the desired tone quality for each instrument they teach and be able to help students develop strengths and employ various techniques required to produce that desired tone quality. Quite honestly, it takes years to be able to achieve the level of expertise required to become a master teacher in this area. If you are an early career teacher, begin by striving to understand the physics of each instrument to facilitate a better understanding of the technical aspects of what’s required to achieve the desired tone. When teaching tone production, I teach the individual in the classroom setting. That is because one size does not fit all. Each student has unique mental and physical qualities that require our individual attention. When working on instrument pedagogy with individuals, strive to engage the entire class in hopes that information or reparation can benefit others as well. The process of helping individuals can be arduous, but it’s well worth it. I generally spend the first semester helping wind instrumentalists develop their embouchures. Brass embouchures take longer to develop because we must “build

our reed.” I am cautious about using too much air early with the brass because I do not want the volume of it to compromise muscle development. With woodwinds, I can focus more on air during the first semester, and then include that for brass in the second. But for all, once the embouchure is developed, it’s all about the air! Breathing and blowing must be taught. My priority is to produce a clear tone at the start of each note, sustain the vibration, and then create a beautiful release by leaving the sound outside the bell. Correct embouchures create a pathway to natural articulation. I like to think that the tongue “decorates” the air. The priority here is that the vibration does not stop when moving from note to note while slurring or tonguing. These concepts offer students gateways to musicianship. Truth: Musicianship can be taught from Day 1. When beginning to introduce musical ideas, I do a great deal of call and response playing with my students. I am sure to provide an example of a characteristic sound and articulation. This might mean I am using my primary instrument. I intensify repeated pitches and start to shape phrases

with arrival notes and up-notes. I might even start to move a bit while I demonstrate. I teach accents, staccato, and long lifted notes as shaped air. I also teach three kinds of breaths: the long breath, the intime breath, and the quick breath. Lastly, many of the teachers with whom I work tell me that teaching beginner instrumentalists is one of their greatest joys. These young students often come to us as blank slates. Why not fill their toolboxes with accessible, sustainable information and skills that support their musicianship for years to come? I always strive to teach the first-year students with the second year in mind. I believe that keeping your thoughts on this path will be useful in providing a great experience for students to thrive and grow and, consequently, have the desire to continue with music. 0 Lynne Jackson teaches wind method and graduate music education classes at Southern Methodist University and serves as a wind pedagogy specialist for Richardson ISD.

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 25

TMEA Orchestra Vice-President JENNIFER MARTIN

The Journey to UIL Evaluation People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. —Maya Angelou

e are entering the fast, furious, and glorious race to the finish of the first semester! Through holidays, benchmark testing, performances, probably some more testing, more performances, final exams, celebrations, parties, gigs, and family events, remember to pause, take it all in, and enjoy the moment. The extra planning, events, and traditions mean the world to the students! With the close of the first semester nearing, we begin to glimpse into the next season—UIL season! Did that elicit a groan, tension, or a bad flashback? After experiencing my first UIL event as an orchestra director, a friend jokingly said, “Enjoy it—it’s the longest period of time you’ll ever have before you go to UIL again.” I certainly did enjoy the relief and celebration of a journey completed! While I have never been able to convert myself into a runner, I imagine the feeling I experience after completing a UIL season is like that of crossing a marathon finish line. Over the years, I have come to enjoy the challenge, the focus, and the sense of team unity that this race to UIL can bring. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way: Repertoire selection is critical. Now is a good time to review what you planned to program for UIL evaluation. Is it still realistic, and is it

26 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

November—Renew your membership and register for the convention. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. November 11–12—Pre-Area and Area adjudication. January 18—TMEA convention early registration deadline. February 7–10—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

a good selection for your group of students this year? Will it provide the challenge they need to push them to grow without overprogramming in the process? Run your repertoire choices by an experienced colleague. This is also a good time to refresh your memory on the skills your students need to perform their UIL repertoire so you can be intentional in building those into your technique time. Cast the vision of your shared group goals for UIL. When leveraged well, an event like UIL evaluation has huge potential to supercharge the sense of unity and synergy toward a common goal. Orient your students toward the musical goals. Keep the main thing the main thing— getting better at your instruments individually and as a group. Speaking about shortterm and long-term musical goals should outweigh specific discussion of ratings, sweepstakes, and trophies. Educate them on the process and on the rubric standards. Again, keep the main thing the main thing—musical progress and excellence! Educate students on how the UIL scoring and rubric work. Point out the differences in a Superior, Excellent, Average, Below Average, and Poor rating. It’s okay to have a group goal of achieving a Sweepstakes award. If you foster a culture that emphasizes musical growth as the primary goal and relate the ratings to the rubric skills, the sense of pride in earning that coveted score is more meaningful. Create a culture of high standards and hard work! Emphasize the overall journey rather than a high-stakes all-or-nothing mentality. One of the great things about music is that we aren’t beholden to a specific time, score, or notion of winning or losing. The performance of an orchestra that earned a sixth-place ranking in an Honor Orchestra competition might be more musically meaningful to some than the top-ranked ensemble. The music world is never black and white. While that’s a positive for us, it can also create a challenge for some students (and directors) as they struggle to understand or reconcile a rating that doesn’t align with their expectations. This is a great opportunity to build skills in your students to persevere when things don’t go as well as they hoped. Having a trusted adult walk them through this process will help them mature and learn to keep things in perspective. Most importantly, as Maya Angelou

TMEA Clinic/Convention ORCHESTRA DIVISION 40 Orchestra Division Clinics & Concerts

Kirt Mosier Featured Clinician Learn more at tmea.org/clinicians

New in 2024! Orchestra Division Program Spotlights

Featuring clinic presentations by these programs: • PSJA Southwest HS (Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD), Joseph Bonura, Director • Central JH (Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD), Tara Truex, Director

Check out convention preview information:

tmea.org/2024clinics • tmea.org/2024concerts • tmea.org/2024exhibits

WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION 1849 University Ave. Berkeley, Ca 94703 800-322-6263 510-845-7178 www.forrestsmusic.com

Your one stop shop for all things double reed since 1944

Instruments Accessories Rental Repair Southwestern Musician | November 2023 27

said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Music and life are about relationships. You have a responsibility and an amazing opportunity to create a UIL journey they will remember fondly! TMEA Clinic/Convention Update I hope that you have registered to attend the TMEA Clinic/Convention. You can take advantage of early registration prices through January 18. Go to www.tmea. org/convention for all the details, and be sure to check out next month’s issue that will feature the full convention schedule preview. This year, Orchestra Division clinic proposals were at an all-time high in terms of quantity and quality. I’m certain you will find great value in the fantastic sessions covering a wide variety of orchestra and mariachi topics! You will also be inspired and amazed by the Honor and Invited Ensemble concerts, and the new Invited Program Spotlight Clinic/Concert presentations. This month, I’m pleased to offer information on our Invited Mariachi Ensemble and three of our four Honor Orchestras. In January, I’ll feature our HS String Honor Orchestra and university invited orchestra. For a full list of all Invited and Honor Ensembles performing concerts during our convention, go to www.tmea.org/2024concerts. Invited HS Mariachi Roma HS Mariachi Nuevo Santander (Roma ISD) Roma High School’s Mariachi Nuevo Santander, led by Eloy Garza, has embodied a tradition of excellence since 1994. With their national presence, performances across the U.S. showcase a remarkable legacy. With 16 national titles, including nine in the past decade, they’ve shared stages with mariachi legends and graced America’s Got Talent in 2017. During the pandemic, their viral virtual serenades led to appearances on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the 2021 Latino Presidential Inaugural, and the U.S. Department of Education Summit. Inducted into the Las Vegas Walk of Stars, they’re the sole mariachi to receive this honor. Mariachi Nuevo Santander radiates musical brilliance, discipline, and competitiveness, inspiring 28 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

programs nationwide with their virtuosity in mariachi tradition. They represent an emblem of unparalleled musical artistry. JH/MS String Honor Orchestra Sartartia MS Orchestra (Fort Bend ISD) Sartartia MS is a campus in Sugar Land that is home to over 1,450 students in grades 6–8. Sartartia MS is proud to be a part of the Clements and Austin HS feeder patterns. The orchestra program has over 275 students directed by Heather Davis, Guillermo Teniente, and harp specialist Margaret Davis. Sartartia Orchestra has a long-standing tradition of excellence and was the TMEA Honor String Orchestra in 2012 (Ann Victor, director) and has performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic every five years since the school opened in 2001, most recently in December 2022. The students and directors of the Sartartia Orchestra program thank the administration, community, and their families for their unwavering support. JH/MS Full Honor Orchestra Lawler MS Symphony Orchestra (Frisco ISD) The Lawler MS Symphony Orchestra is a collaboration between the Honor Band and Chamber Orchestra at Lawler MS, a grade 6–8 campus. Lawler is a young campus, founded in 2018, and the orchestra and band programs were started under the current directors. Each organization has

achieved consistent honors over their first five years. Lawler Honor Band was named a finalist in the 2021 TMEA Honor Band competition. The partnership between the band and orchestra programs was formed in the 2022–2023 school year, and the LMS Symphony was named the 2024 TMEA MS Honor Full Orchestra. The orchestra program is led by Christy LaLonde, associate director Kevin Sluder, and harp instructor Young Park. The Lawler band program is led by Christian Holzer, associate director Jay McKellar, and percussion instructors Chad Wallace and Jesse Ramirez. HS Full Honor Orchestra Westwood Symphony Orchestra (Round Rock ISD) Westwood HS, located in northwest Austin, is a comprehensive high school, proudly transforming the lives of its students for the benefit of society. The Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Joshua Thompson (orchestra) and Thomas Turpin (band), is the premier performing ensemble at Westwood HS. The ensemble has been named a TMEA Honor Orchestra four times and has performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic twice. The spirit of collaboration between the orchestra and band programs is a long tradition at Westwood, as the school annually takes three full symphony orchestras to UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation, and each ensemble is co-conducted by an 0 orchestra and band director.

Roma HS Mariachi Nuevo Santander

Sartartia MS Orchestra

Lawler MS Symphony Orchestra

Westwood Symphony Orchestra Southwestern Musician | November 2023 29

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SOUND IDEAS ORCHESTRA: Recruiting and Retaining Beginners by ashley dickens

he word recruiting can induce anxiety in many orchestra teachers. While we need beginners to ensure program stability, we also know students have other choices for their sixth-grade elective. Recruiting is a yearlong process, and the orchestra program’s grades 6–12 ensembles are a product of our daily efforts. I recently polled current sixth grade beginners asking why they joined orchestra. The top three responses were: • It looked and sounded fun. • I wanted to learn an instrument. • I wanted to belong to a group with my friends. Students join our program not only to learn an instrument but also to be social. They want to have fun and feel a sense of belonging. Also, word gets around fast. If current students know you as a fun and successful teacher who produces a good product, they tell their fifth-grade friends. Parents become valuable advocates when they share pictures and videos of their child playing their instrument. On our orchestra Facebook page, we post achievements, fun things we do in class, social events, and spirit nights. These posts are often shared by parents and, at times, by our district. When your program is relevant, successful, and fun, it creates a buzz, and people want to be a part of it. One of the best hooks for students is when they see older students playing instruments well and having fun! Begin by increasing the visibility of your orchestra program. Have a small ensemble play in the entry area to your school as students are arriving. We form a small high school group called Ambassadors who are always prepared to do this. Before winter break, have your most advanced sixth graders do this, playing a variety of holiday music. During Solo & Ensemble preparation, ask fifth- and sixth-grade teachers if your students can visit their classes to perform their solos. Inform other sixth-grade elective teachers about your ideas so that they can be aware and plan similar opportunities for their programs. Plan an annual demo day where all fine arts electives can showcase their opportunities. In late January, our district buses fifth graders to the middle school campus, and students rotate through the four elective choices to learn about each. Make sure all elective teachers know what to expect so that if there are giveaways, each teacher can plan something similar. I follow a script for the demo day and ensure the pieces we play accurately represent what we do in orchestra. Our top middle school ensemble performs pieces from the fall concert and UIL, as well as pop songs. When introducing instruments, we play short snippets of familiar songs. For demo day, I ask the musicians who are involved in other

Go to www.tmea.org/dickens2023 or scan this code to download recruiting and retention resources: school activities to wear their other program’s uniform or shirt. I want fifth graders to see that it is possible to be in orchestra and continue involvement in sports and other activities. After students sign up for their elective, plan an instrument selection event where students try each instrument, get fitted, and select the instrument they want to play. You can set up a background for parents to take pictures of their child with their chosen instrument. Invite a local vendor to be there to provide rental information. In May, invite the current beginners and incoming beginners to a spring party that includes snacks, yard games, and more. This helps students feel welcomed and excited about being in orchestra! Parents can stay and learn about what it means to be an orchestra parent from current booster club parents. After beginners join, your focus shifts to retaining them. To get them excited about orchestra, we host a weeklong sixth-grade summer orchestra camp. Students get a head start on learning their instrument and perform a short concert on the final day. We take a break from rehearsing and go to a water park on one of the days to cultivate a sense of community and have fun. Their first year must be enjoyable, and most importantly, they must be set up well for success on their instrument. Throughout the year, we hold four performances, two competitions, and five socials. Additionally, we have found success in keeping students motivated and interested by incorporating the following challenges and games: bead line challenges; Note Reading Ninja and Unitunes; notecard challenges; Jingle Bells slur challenge; games, such as bow-lympics, hide the rosin, detective; staff twister; and Throwback Thursday. For details on how to include these, go to www.tmea.org/dickens2023. Recruiting and retaining beginners is no easy task, but it is one of the most important things we can do for our program to thrive! Continue to ask your students what they love most about your program, and create an encouraging atmosphere paired with a 0 challenging musical experience on a daily basis. Ashley Dickens is Orchestra Director at Willow Springs Middle School and Sloan Creek Intermediate School (Lovejoy ISD). Southwestern Musician | November 2023 31

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Developing Musicianship teaching our students to be musical as an integral part of the music-making process by dan miner

hile we often categorize ourselves as instrumentalists or vocalists, we must remember that we are all musicians first and share similar foundational musical skills, knowledge, and understanding. Some students enter our programs with an innate sense of musicality, but most need to be empowered with tools, knowledge, and musical experience to fully understand the structure of musical phrases. To begin, let’s first define musicianship and musicality and then identify three of the primary elements that affect a musical outcome: dynamics, articulations, and phrase development. Musicianship & Musicality How would you define musicianship and musicality? We can all identify a good musician when we hear one, but at its core, what skills quantify that individual’s musicianship? Many of us might include performance accuracy, analytical listening, stylistic and ensemble evaluation, creativity, and more, but consider this: musicianship is the demonstration of thorough musical understanding through practice and performance. This definition is intended to encompasses all those ideas, as much of our musicianship is developed and demonstrated in a practice room or rehearsal hall and not on a stage. To prepare for an ensemble performance, student musicians must be able to listen, identify, evaluate, respond, and adjust their own individual performance before a concert. But what knowledge beyond notes and rhythms do students need to have to fully assess themselves?

Like musicianship, we can usually say when something is musical and when it is not, but what defines it? While I don’t have a singular definition to offer, I would ask you to consider this: musicality is the demonstration of the concepts required to be a musician, and an individual’s comprehensive musicianship is inherently linked to their understanding of musicality. Discussing and understanding musicality and musicianship can inform our teaching and make us aware of how our practices help students develop into independent musicians. Breaking down our classroom repertoire to its core ingredients and thoughtfully assembling the various pieces can transform our teaching, make it more efficient, and build stronger student musicians who not only understand the what and how but also the why of musical decisions. Creating a Process In her workshops on sequential teaching, Denise Eaton presents how to scaffold and layer a teaching unit. She encourages educators to introduce concepts on prep sheets before application in context of the repertoire. Her ideas inspired this article as they’ve transformed how I score study and present repertoire to students. With the mindset that everything on the score (technical and musical) is a primary focus, we can isolate concepts and refine each from the beginning of our teaching unit, gradually layering them together. This helps us avoid the temptation to prioritize notes and rhythms while subordinating musical and editorial markings. Southwestern Musician | November 2023 33

INTRODUCING OUR NEW FACULTY JULIA BELL

ELIZABETH CHAPPELL

VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF TRUMPET

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION

ALAN HICKS

JOSÉ HOLLAND-GARCÍA

DIRECTOR OF OPERA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE IN COMMERCIAL VOICE

LUCY LIU

SHAUNA PICKENS

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MUSIC THEORY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION

SUSIE ROCKETT INSTRUCTOR OF OBOE

COREY SULLIVAN

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CHORAL STUDIES/ ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION

ttu.edu/ music | schoolof m usic @ttu.e d u | 8 0 6 .7 4 2.2 2 7 4

Anatomy of a Musical Performance #1: Dynamics How many of us have taught notes and rhythms for the first half of our unit and delayed teaching dynamics for the latter half? In this scenario, we can find ourselves needing to unteach in order to instruct the correct musical style. In the spirit of sequential teaching, below are several ideas to integrate teaching dynamics from Day 1 of a unit. Example 1: For vocalists, explore changing warmup dynamics with each repetition of the exercise. Not only will this explore the dynamic contrast, but as the exercise ascends or descends, students must also automatically compensate and adjust for range, support, vowel modification, tone, etc. For instrumentalists practicing interval drills, consider repeating the intervals at contrasting dynamics to develop support, tuning, and tone at various dynamic levels in all ranges.

Example 2: For all disciplines, consider approaching scales with dynamic contour and shape to achieve similar layering of concepts:

Musical Articulations LEGATO: CONNECTED

(No marking)

STACCATO: DETACHED

TENUTO: ACCENT, DECAY, LIFTED

ACCENT: STRONG FRONT, DECAY

Download this chart at www.tmea.org/articulations

Example 3: Many students won’t have any issues knowing terminology and being able to execute the written crescendo and decrescendo in Example 2. However, consider those students who instead perform with a piano to sort-of-loud to very loud. To help these students (and to dive deeper for the others), consider utilizing a number system. I also learned of this in a clinic with Denise Eaton. In the number system, each number and subdivision will have a different level of dynamic:

An exercise like the above can be applied in all types of classrooms. Instrumentalists could practice by chanting and singing on numbers before practicing the exercise on their respective instruments. Be sure that what is vocalized in chanting and singing transfers equally to the instrument. Anatomy of a Musical Performance #2: Articulations Articulations can be approached differently depending on the type of ensemble you’re leading. Regardless of what ensemble medium you teach, I strongly encourage you to take time to teach students the general rule of accents and marked articulations: the notes preceding and following the marked articulation must sound different (usually softer) for the marking to be effective. I stumbled across the musical articulation chart seen at the top of the next column in a Facebook teachers group; I have found it to be an effective starting point for young musicians. While there certainly are more markings that could be added,

in general I found that this chart gives a great visual for students. With this, students can see what detached looks like for staccato in relationship to the beat instead of just hearing an aural or verbal direction of short. Again, I would suggest teaching these fundamental skills through warmups, having students perform a selected exercise using a variety of articulations. Ensure there is always a contrast to the focus articulation to ensure student understanding. As you integrate articulation exercises into warmups, change the focus not only to teach the full articulation vocabulary, but also to ensure mastery for application in repertoire. To add variety, once they have grasped the articulation, layer it by adding dynamic variations. Example 4: Like dynamics, another way to build articulations into your repertoire through warmups is to create your own exercises pulled from your repertoire. For example, below is an excerpt from Laura Farnell’s Gloria Deo that I utilized to teach phrasing through articulations and dynamics. By pulling just four measures out and creating a warmup from it, I’m not only indirectly teaching the notes and rhythms but also integrating the word stress (with simplified vowels) and shape that can be referenced later in the unit.

Gloria Deo from “Three Latin Songs” by Laura Farnell (BL740)

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 35

Anatomy of a Musical Performance #3: Phrase Development While I present phrase development as the third area of musical anatomy, it exists as a culmination of the prior two. Many of us help our students feel musical stress by having them conduct with us, move their bodies to the music, identify when they hear an accent or strong point in a phrase, or identify when they hear dynamic contrast. Consider how our teaching transfers their knowledge through the realm of the what (the marking), to the how (the execution of that mark), to the why (the contextual reason for the mark). Are we teaching in a way that includes each of these identifiers in our teaching units and scaffolding as such? As you work through that process, remember that this will be different for each stage of a student’s music education. While still able to perform musically, a beginning sixth or seventh grader has more limited musical knowledge, vocabulary, and experience so their how and why will look different compared to a senior in high school entering a four-year university as a performance major. To begin empowering students with background knowledge for phrase development, I find it helpful in all disciplines for students to know and understand these three rules of musicality: • Note Value: Tempo-depending, any note value longer than a quarter note must have dynamic shape. • Direction: Every note and phrase must have dynamic shape and direction. Music is either going somewhere or coming away from somewhere. Nothing is stagnant.

With proper score study, we can design lessons that teach phrasing in its various elements before putting it together. For example, in addition to technical skills, a prep sheet may have a dynamic exercise for a given phrase or two, a separate articulation exercise, and (for singers) text sheets bolding syllables that should be stressed. These exercises can then be combined one at a time with the notes and rhythms to create a musical performance built on sensitive musicianship skills and not rote teaching. Students are capable of performing musically if we set them up with a process for music-making instead of leaving it to chance or afterthought. Like creating a Lego structure or piece of IKEA furniture, our students need the opportunity to understand the elements of music and how to assemble them to create a refined musical product. In Summary Our students are developing musicians, and we want to ensure that our teaching always focuses on skills that help them become sensitive music makers. If we create a process in our teaching and use small segments of our repertoire, we can nurture these skills for the students to build on as they advance in their musical journey. It takes time and planning, but the rewards and benefits for individuals and ensembles are worth it! 0 Dan Miner is the Head Choir Director at William B. Travis HS in Fort Bend ISD.

• Repeated Notes: With some exceptions, no two pitches that repeat should sound the same (unless marked to be that way).

TE XA S LU T H ER A N U N IV E RS IT Y S C H O O L O F MUS IC

YOUTH CHOIR

FESTIVAL FOR TREBLE VOICES, GRADES 4–12

Featuring Bob Chilcott 2024 Festival Conductor

Saturday, January 20, 2024

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Jackson Auditorium 4:00 p.m. Free Final Performance Registration form online at: www.tlu.edu/youth-choir-festival For more information, contact Laurie Jenschke at ljenschke@tlu.edu or 830.456.3016.

36 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

2024 TMEA Clinic/Convention FEBRUARY 7–10  SAN ANTONIO  TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION

LEARN

325 TARGETED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CLINICS Preview a list of clinics at www.tmea.org/2024clinics

BE INSPIRED

100 AMAZING ELEMENTARY TO UNIVERSITY PERFORMANCES Invited and Honor Ensembles listed at www.tmea.org/2024concerts

EXPLORE

615 COMPANY & INSTITUTION EXHIBITORS Find out who is exhibiting at www.tmea.org/2024exhibitors

CONNECT

14,250 EDUCATORS & COLLEGE STUDENTS Southwestern Musician | November 2023 37

TMEA Vocal Vice-President JOSHUA MCGUIRE

Mentoring, Part 2: The Mentee I encourage my mentors to give me tasks that align with my strengths. In doing so, this divides the workload and increases productivity.” —Kelly D’Souza Meyers In Memoriam

he unique bond of a mentor and mentee is crucial to the continued growth of music education, be it at the elementary, secondary, or collegiate level. It is built on giving and taking, listening and acting, caring and sharing. Most importantly, it is a bond that requires the giver and the receiver to actively participate in the shared experience. Last month, I wrote about how through their sacrifice of time, mentors can have a great influence on those they embrace as mentees in music education. But that is just one side of this valuable relationship. Mentors are at their best when they interact with coachable mentees, especially in student teaching. Why are some student teachers and some new to the profession more successful than others at benefiting from the mentor-mentee relationship? Is it something they are born with, or something learned in our teacher education programs? What are the successful early-career teachers learning that has set them up for the best experiences in the music classroom? When I talk with mentors about the qualities they look for in a mentee, three early-career music teachers in our state consistently come to mind. Kelly D’Souza Meyers is in her eighth year of teaching, most recently as a choir director at Plano Senior HS (Plano ISD). True Hernandez is in her seventh year of teaching, most recently as a choir director at Cook MS (Cypress-Fairbanks ISD). Caleb Whytus is in his second year of teaching, serving as a choir director at Dr. John Horn HS (Mesquite ISD). I asked these educators to reflect on what influenced their success as good mentees and I’m pleased to share their ideas here.

38 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

Steve Garms 1951–2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

November—Renew your membership and register for the convention. November 1—TMEA scholarship online application deadline. January 6—Area Vocal auditions. January 18—TMEA convention early registration deadline. February 7–10—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

Know Your Strengths True Hernandez: The strength I possess that has made me a good mentee is the openness to criticism and advice. Too often, we as young adults/young educators leave college and enter the classroom with the idea that we have to have all the answers. That’s simply not true. My first year of teaching, I taught elementary music at a campus by myself and was responsible for teaching all 1,500 students alone. I thought I would have all the answers because I found success in my student teaching placements, but having your own classroom is another story. Kelly D’Souza Meyers: According to Clifton StrengthsFinder, my top strength is “Learner,” which is described as someone who has a desire to learn and wants to continually improve. Being a lifelong learner is my main quality that allows me to benefit from a mentee–mentor relationship as the process of learning excites me. Additionally, I strive to have a growth mindset daily and am eager to continue to develop into the best version of myself. This allows me to soak in as much knowledge and information from mentors so that I can continue to grow as an educator. Advocate for Yourself True Hernandez: I’m comfortable asking for help. My mentor teachers wanted me to be successful, but they couldn’t always know there was a problem or that I didn’t fully understand something until I brought it to their attention. Self-reflection is another quality that I pride myself in having. Every lesson or class period isn’t going to be a slam dunk. Having the ability to go back and self-reflect is an important part of being a mentee because often, you can see the issues you had. You just may not know how to fix them for next time, which is where the mentors come in! Resilience and Grace Caleb Whytus: In student teaching, don’t let all the little things get you down. Not everything you try the first time is going to fix the problem. You will collect so many ideas and strategies through your experience. Observe as much as you can and always volunteer to help your mentors. Help Your Mentor Kelly D’Souza Meyers: I am someone who needs to know and understand the why behind the things we do. When col-

laborating with my mentors, I often ask why we do something in a certain way. Often that challenges them to think differently. This helps maximize our processes on a daily basis, instead of falling into a mundane routine. Additionally, I am in tune with my strengths, and I encourage my mentors to give me tasks that align with those strengths. In doing so, this divides the workload and increases productivity on a working team. Intention and Care I recently had lunch with Mark Rohwer, Texas Choral Directors Association President. We were discussing future plans for each of our organizations when we stumbled on the topic of mentors and mentees. Rohwer brilliantly summed up what every mentee should do: “Select mentors with intention and care.” I would add that we should encourage all mentees to take that intention and care and use it to better themselves and share it with those they teach, continuing the cycle. This will strengthen music education for generations to come. 2024 Clinic/Convention Update With our convention only three months away, be sure you have registered and secured your hotel reservation. These four days in San Antonio offer so many opportunities for professional development and inspiration—you just can’t miss it! Go to www.tmea.org/convention for all the details and to register. If you haven’t taken advantage of the opportunity to volunteer for the 2024

TMEA Clinic/Convention, there is still time! To register as a volunteer and indicate your area of interest, go to www.tmea. org/vocalvolunteer. When everyone does a little, no one has to do it all, so please sign up. I’m certain you’ll enjoy this service opportunity and expand your network of choir director friends in the process. This month, I’m pleased to introduce some of our division’s amazing Invited Choirs, whose concerts we can look forward to attending during our convention. Enjoy reading about these ensembles and look to the January issue for the remainder. Next month, the magazine will feature a preview of the full convention schedule. Montgomery HS Chorale Women (Montgomery ISD) The Montgomery HS Chorale Women is the select varsity treble choir at Montgomery HS. This choir consists of 28 young women in grades 10–12 and performs in a variety of concerts and community performances. It is under the direction of head director Heather Orr and assistant director Emma Cockerham. The ensemble has a long history of accolades, including UIL Sweepstakes awards and convention performances for TMEA, ACDA, and SWACDA. This will be their seventh convention performance. Chorale Women are members of TFME and Tri-M Music Honor Society, and they are active in Region and State Solo and Ensemble UIL Contests, NATS competitions, and Region and All-State Choirs. These ambitious musicians are leaders in the school and community.

TMEA Clinic/Convention VOCAL DIVISION 38 Vocal Division Clinics & Concerts LEARN MORE AND REGISTER TODAY: WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION Southwestern Musician | November 2023 39

Bridgeland HS Varsity Tenor Bass Choir (Cypress-Fairbanks ISD) Located in Northwest Houston, Bridgeland HS is the newest high school in the district. The BHS Varsity Tenor Bass Choir is made up of members of the larger varsity choir known as Chorale. They meet roughly two times a week to prepare for upcoming concerts. This choir routinely earns UIL Sweepstakes awards and has been a featured choir at the Sam Houston State University annual Tenor Bass Invitational Concert. By taking pride in their program and working together, the Tenor Bass Choir was named a finalist for the American Prize and was the First Runner Up at the 2023 Celebration of Excellence Competition held in Houston. Accolades aside, this choir runs on great vibes, fun, rigor, respect, and snacks! First Colony MS Bobcat Select Treble Choir (Fort Bend ISD) First Colony MS is a 3C middle school in Sugar Land, a suburb southwest of Houston. Sugar Land is known for its incredibly diverse community, and FCMS reflects this; about 14 languages are spoken in the homes of Select Treble members. The First Colony MS Bobcat Select Treble Choir consists of 42 auditioned seventh- and eighth-grade treble singers, all who have at least one year of previous experience in Bobcat Choir. Many members also participate in athletics, cheer, volunteerism, and church programs, and they hold themselves to a high academic standard. The program is led by Tommie Trinh and Joshua Sarmiento. Choirs under their direction have earned consistent UIL Sweepstakes awards and superior awards at solo and ensemble, and many members earn places in Region Choir and TCDA MS/JH All-State Choir. McCullough JH Chamber Choir (Conroe ISD) The McCullough JH Chamber Choir consists of 80 auditioned students who are incredibly dynamic and hardworking. This varsity treble choir includes a diverse group of eighth graders, most of whom are involved in various other programs in and outside of school. These students are resilient representatives of the McCullough choir program values, and many of them are campus leaders. Under the direction of Kelsie Quintana, 40 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

Alison Eaton, and Angela Brill, the McCullough choir program consists of approximately 490 members who perform in nine ensembles. A fundamental belief of the McCullough choral program is that we must foster a place for all students to be valued while growing and developing their skills. Plano West Senior HS Chorale (Plano ISD) The students and directors of the Plano West Chorale are honored by the invitation to perform at the 2024 TMEA Clinic/ Convention. Led by Sarah Council and Eric Feldman, the Chorale represents an 11th–12th grade campus of 2,615 students in West Plano and is celebrating 25 years of excellence. The choir is proud of the community support as well as the opportunities students in the ensemble have been given to work with living composers and professional choral artists. Members of the Chorale are active in Plano West campus life, in other areas of our Fine Arts Department, as well as in other

departments. This year, the ensemble is proud to have five alumni of the Plano West Chorale serving as choral music educators in Plano ISD. West Texas A&M University Chorale The choral program at West Texas A&M University, consisting of two large ensembles and one chamber group, annually performs an extensive season of events, including a nationally broadcasted Christmas concert and a major choral work each spring. The WT Chorale, under the direction of Sean Pullen, is the flagship choral ensemble of the School of Music. Representing many disciplines on campus and historically from all over the world, the membership of the WT Chorale consists of 47 undergraduate students and two graduate students. The 2024 convention performance will be the WT Chorale’s second within the past decade. The ensemble performed previously for the TMEA Clinic/ Convention in 2016 and for the graduate conducting competition at the Southwest ACDA convention in 2022. 0

Montgomery HS Chorale Women

Bridgeland HS Varsity Tenor Bass Choir

First Colony MS Bobcat Select Treble Choir

McCullough JH Chamber Choir

Plano West Senior HS Chorale

West Texas A&M University Chorale Southwestern Musician | November 2023 41

SOUND IDEAS VOCAL: Programming for Small School Choirs by megan senter and michael d. matlock

e have had the privilege of spending our careers on small school campuses in Texas. The following are some of the ideas and criteria we’ve utilized when programming music for a concert or contest. As you consider them, remember that you are the one who knows your singers and what works best for your choral program. There is often a mindset that small school equals less talent, but all it really means is smaller enrollment. Given that, challenge your singers. In most cases, students will rise to the challenge of meeting your expectations. If you hesitate when introducing a piece (This might be too hard for us, but . . .), students will feed on a belief they can’t do it. Conversely, giving them high praise during the first reading of a challenging piece (I know you can do this!) will instill confidence from the start. Quantity and Singer Experience When you have a smaller yet proficient group of singers, you can program more challenging literature. When your numbers are smaller and students lack experience, the music must meet the students where they are. Teaching during covid revealed that we don’t have to program difficult music for it to be rewarding. Programming one or two challenging pieces along with one or two that don’t require as much time to prepare will allow more time to work on musicality and detail. Tessitura Considering singers’ tessitura is crucial for success. We often find a piece that checks all the boxes except for range. Look online for versions in different keys or adjust the key using music notation software or music scanning software. When selecting SAB (three-part mixed) pieces, pay special attention to the range of the baritone voice. The number of our tenors and basses often necessitates choosing three-part mixed repertoire. Exploring different keys could help make the baritone voice part more accessible. Variety Variety is indeed the spice of life, and in our world it encompasses multiple elements: style, era, tempo, sacred vs. secular, composers, and more. Programming a variety of styles, tempos, and composers increases interest for everyone. This keeps students and audience members engaged and allows the choir to explore different genres of music, tone colors, and musical lines. Appeal This element overlaps with variety. Look for repertoire that your singers will find meaningful and interesting. Whether the music

For more on this topic, go to www.tmea.org/senter-matlock2023, or scan this code to access the materials: is for fall, winter, or UIL evaluation, if the students are invested in the music, their experience will be more meaningful. The audience will feel what your choristers feel, and it’s the director’s responsibility to help lead the groups to relevant musical moments. Student Input Have you ever needed to choose from two or three songs to fill a spot in a concert? Have students sightread 16–24 measures of accessible pieces, and then ask for musical feedback. “What does this piece have that the rest of our program doesn’t?” Questions like that result in great conversations beyond simple responses of “I like this one” or “This sounds good.” It’s amazing what you can learn from your students. Audition Music We require varsity choir members to prepare music for the Region auditions. We rehearse them during class, with the possibility of programming one of the pieces for the fall concert. They realize this is the most difficult music they will sing all year. They sing for the director several times before entries are final. While most students will complete the first round of auditions, some won’t for a variety of reasons. The student might have worked hard, but we believe auditioning won’t be a positive learning experience. Regardless, the process of learning, marking, and listening to this higher-level literature makes them better musicians. For the rest of the year, they approach all pieces with a different attitude and greater confidence. UIL Solos We have found great success in allowing students to select their own solo (with our guidance). In each of our programs, we put together playlists for students to listen to according to their experience level, and they make their selection from that list. Choir programs are classified as small school solely based on the school’s enrollment. No matter how many students are in your program, continue to have high expectations for them—challenge them and challenge yourself. Megan Senter is the choir director at Sunnyvale HS; Michael D. Matlock is the choir director at Andrews HS. Southwestern Musician | November 2023 43

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Instruments in Early Elementary Music Education

ncorporating instruments in any lesson with PreK–second graders can sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be the focus, an extension, or even what some call a brain break. It’s not important that students do it perfectly, but it is valuable to start developing routines early. As an Orff teacher, I utilize instruments almost weekly. Sometimes we use them for five minutes, other times longer, but rarely do we use them for most of the period. Through the Orff Schulwerk approach, teachers focus on speech, singing, movement, play, imitation, exploration, improvisation, and studentcreated composition. While instruments are often a focus in an Orff-style program, Carl Orff believed that the voice was the first instrument. Many clinicians and authors use the saying “Sing, say, dance, play.” The goal is creating and making music. There are many ways to take a short section of your lesson and embellish it with an instrument activity. In these activities, students will have fun, learn safety for self and equipment, and have another way to demonstrate known skills. Instrument Organization Organize your space and teach the students how to help organize the instruments. Labels can be placed on bins, using pictures for prereaders. You can mark your shelves or area with the same labels so students know exactly where to place those bins. For larger instruments, consider placing labels on top where students can see the label while they are playing. Numbering each instrument and placing a number on the floor for instruments that do not fit on shelves is another way to help students. Experience with distributing, handling, and cleaning up the instruments will pay off later when you want to spend more time playing barred instruments with older students.

By Angela Neal Developing Routines At the beginning of the year, start simply. Allow young students safe opportunities to make sounds with instruments. This could be as easy as holding up a small instrument like an egg shaker, asking students what they see, and passing it around the circle for each to shake a few times. Make sure to praise students for sharing, being careful with the instrument, and knowing when to stop. Taking turns is an essential skill for our students to practice. If you have enough time, or on another session, extend this activity by passing multiple eggs around the circle. When they get back to you, you can place them in the basket and move on to another activity. Eventually you can pass a basket around and have students select an egg. Once they can quickly choose and pass the bucket (without shaking each or complaining that there aren’t any red ones left), you can call groups of students to get their instruments from a shelf. If the thought of every student playing egg shakers, triangles, or tambourines at the same time makes you uncomfortable, mix them up and limit each instrument to a number that is manageable for you. It is easy to cut the sound in half by having students take turns with a partner and trade at the teacher’s signal. These are a few phrases we use to help with these routines. Each has a sing-song quality, and by the end of the year, students often say them before being prompted: • Put your [instrument name] on the floor, put your hands in your lap. • Put your [instrument name] on your shoulders. • Ready, set, and here we go. • Everybody stop. • That’s okay, I’ll try next time. • Take your turn and pass it along. Southwestern Musician | November 2023 45

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Bring the spirit of fun and the love of music to your classroom with instrument play! Introducing Instruments Repertoire: Decide what students will play with the instruments. They could play along with songs, stories, videos or recordings, pictures, or movement, or they could use their instruments as props in a dance. Explore and Prepare: One of the first impulses children have when they pick up an instrument is to begin playing. Some teachers allow this behavior while others expect silence until it is time for everyone to play together. In addition to praising students who wait for directions, I like to play games with them:

• Red Light Green Light: This is easy to adapt for instruments. In addition to a traffic signal visual to guide students to stop and start, I utilize other signals to help keep the games fresh. A leader facing the group means stop while their back to the group means go. You can play one instrument to signal go and a different one to stop. • Dice Game: Roll a large die and allow students to play the number of sounds based on the number they roll (with a steady beat or within a period of time).

Pick a student leader who is really focused on playing the correct number of sounds. You could make it a group game by forming groups of 3–4; give each group dice and have them take turns being the leader of their group. Tech it up by using virtual dice. Sound Before Symbol: It’s important for students to play with the instruments before they are reading music. You can bring instruments into your lesson even if they aren’t the focus. You might extend a folk song by handing out sticks and asking students to follow you. As the group is singing you can play the steady beat, a pattern that indicates the meter, a rhythm that repeats, or play on a special word in the song. Eventually this can become a follow the leader game with students walking, playing, singing, dancing, freezing, and using the sticks as props. Sometimes, students form a straight line behind the leader; sometimes they clump up close together. As long as the lesson objective is being met, the students are playing musically, everyone is being safe and having fun, we keep going. Iconic Notation: One of the simplest

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ways to start reading music is to begin with a graphic representation of the steady beat. I often use four hearts, and we practice pointing to the hearts while we listen, chant, or sing. This can easily transfer to instruments with a leader pointing to the steady beat and the group following with their instruments or partners taking turns leading and playing. Play the rhythm using pictures of thematic content. If you are singing songs about fruit, use pictures of fruit. Have the students point and say, say and clap, and then say and play. An example of that might be in teaching eighth notes and quarter notes. With lem-on lime lem-on lime displayed over lemon and lime pictures, half of the class can play the beat while half plays the rhythm. When you are ready to introduce notation, flip the pictures over to reveal the quarter and eighth notes. Add a Color Part: It’s like sprinkles on a cupcake. Students have fun playing on rests, word cues, repeated words, or action/descriptive words that could also describe a sound. For example, in “Bow Wow Wow,” the student plays a triangle

in the rest after “Bow wow wow,” a glockenspiel glissando in the rest after “Whose dog art thou?” and zils on the final rest. In “Mr. Sun” the students play a quarter note each time they sing “sun,” and in “Wee Willie Winkie,” students play a glockenspiel glissando when you say “upstairs” or “downstairs.” Any song with words that move up or down in pitch is a pitched percussion opportunity! But don’t stop there, set up the instruments in a tone set, removing or turning over unwanted notes. This allows students to play pitches of their choosing in the rest of a well-known song. Pick a repeated word and have students take turns playing each time it occurs in the song. Often our first experience with barred instruments is to pass one glockenspiel around the circle and take turns playing up and down, a sol mi or mi re do pattern. Play Along: You can find many ideas for playing along on YouTube, from Boomwhackers to body percussion, unpitched percussion, and much more. You can lead a play along by playing your favorite recording and playing the steady

beat. Use Classical, Jazz, Pop, Folk, World Music, and any genre you wish to introduce to your class. Sometimes I use an accompanying track for a song we will learn much later in the year. A big favorite of my students has been playing along with Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns. I often begin with scarves for waves and fish puppets that swim around the waves with the music. When it’s time to extend, scarves switch out with a triangle and fish switch out with beaters. The students with the triangles stand in one place and the students swim around and play each triangle before sitting down beside someone. When a wave is ready to become a fish, they trade. You Can Start Today Don’t wait to bring out the instruments—you can play them with or without Orff certification. Bring the spirit of fun and the love of music to your classroom with instrument play! 0 Angela Neal is an elementary music specialist at Prestwick Elementary (Little Elm ISD).

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for music teachers Explore this amazing knowledge bank by topic, division, or both. With almost 4,000 answers to over 200 questions, this is an incredible resource for educators at every level! Below are five of the 200+ questions that are answered online. Go to www.tmea.org/q&a and choose the TMEA division to find the answers to these questions and many more!

BAND

What has been most important in helping retain students after they complete their first year in a band class or after they move into high school?

How soon can I begin weaning beginning strings students off of marking finger numbers or note names on their music? What are some tactics?

VOCAL

How do you educate students about vocal health and promote it through your instruction?

COLLEGE

ORCHESTRA

Beyond teaching, what should student teachers do during this preservice time to help them best prepare for their first job as a music educator?

ELEMENTARY How have you managed to minimize test-prep pullout from your music classes?

Submit Your Questions and Answers Go to www.tmea.org/q&a to submit questions for consideration and to answer currently featured questions. While you’re there, look for members’ advice on multiple topics from previously featured questions.

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 49

SOUND IDEAS ELEMENTARY: Representation—A Whole New World by lorelei j. batisla-ong

resent a diversity, equity, inclusion, and access topic to the Elementary Division of TMEA in 600–800 words. This offering must be met with the understanding that what follows can serve only as an introduction to generate deeper discussion, that it’s an act that approximates equity work, or perhaps that it’s both. When working in K–12 schools and higher education, I note that equity discussions often center on race. I add that race is a social construct, and although race is not based on biology (APA, UNESCO, AAP1) people are nonetheless affected by its existence. Race is often used to conceptualize inequity. And while we may easily identify inequity due to racialization, racism is only one (albeit a historical, current, and prevalent) reason inequity lingers. I lead with a racial lens, but remain mindful of power within sex, gender, affinity, class, and ability. The stories I share support representation’s positive effects, but I caution us not to confuse more of something with fundamentally correcting marginalizing values. How does this heavy conversation affect the music teacher working with six-year-olds? I recall watching videos of Black and African-American children seeing a live-action Disney princess who looked like them. I think of the videos from several years ago of Asian American children realizing Eliza looked like them. And I personally remember being awestruck watching a PBS special of Lea Salonga belting “On My Own.” The song’s coincidental title did not escape me. My world busted open. And though I know there are other factors in attaining performance heights, seeing a Filipina, like me, on Broadway, made something I had never dared to imagine—imaginable. Beverly Daniel Tatum (psychologist, educator, author, and nationally recognized voice on race in education) once asked an audience to imagine the act of having their group picture taken.2 She mentioned that most people’s first instinct when we look at that picture is to find ourselves. Was I smiling? Did I close my eyes? Then she asked the audience to imagine getting the group picture and not seeing yourself there. Imagine this continues to happen repeatedly, with every group picture. This subtle, persistent messaging compels you to stop asking, “Where am I?” and instead ask, “What’s wrong with me?” It’s difficult to describe this phenomenon to those who have never had to search for themselves in movies, musicals, or on streaming services. It’s difficult to explain how consistently monitoring your space informs your self-concept. I wish for it not to be an act of subversion for minoritized children to see a nuanced, minoritized protagonist experience a character arc. I hope children see they’re more than the BBIA,3,⁴ the queer, or the woman sidekick, existing to develop the main character. That they’re more than the character existing in strife

and who we’re meant to cheer on as they “overcome” disability or “pick themselves up” out of poverty. I hope one day representation doesn’t elicit wonderment and astonishment. And I hope that if a child should become an artist, it’s not with the expectation that they’re the single representative whose performance will determine if these stories are worth telling. But this isn’t where we are as a society (yet). And hope is not a viable teaching strategy.⁵ Music teachers are curators of experiences who provide opportunities and amplify existing examples of representation. We must be cognizant of the group picture we pass out, in the forms of lessons prepared, pieces programmed, and songs sung and played, and many educators are. But, perhaps in adding “cultural” music, adding “diverse” composers, adding “diverse” performers, we fail to notice that a surface additive approach is simply a reaction to what exists, not the answer to address what exists. If our action doesn’t start with reflecting on why imbalance exists and how what we do maintains that imbalance, then we’re simply reacting to the imbalance after it’s in place. Without understanding why and how systemic inequity persists, practical lists remain untethered to a fundamental understanding that makes equity work repeatable and sustainable. I invite you to visit www.tmea.org/batisla-ong2023 for a practical reflection of one aspect of representation in a general music classroom. Then, join me in community and discussion via the Decolonizing the Music Room private Facebook group. Let’s con0 tinue the work. Lorelei J. Batisla-ong, PhD is an Associate Professor of Music Education at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music and deputy director and lead editor of Decolonizing the Music Room. References 1. American Psychology Association, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, American Anthropological Association. 2. Tatum, B.D. (2021, March 7). Dr. Beverly Tatum: The ABC’s of Representation in Education [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hXvTT6Tctvg. 3. Decolonizing the Music Room. Batisla-ong, L. & Tsui, A. (2021, July 21). BBIP to BBIA: The Evolution of Terminology [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMrlgoYmLU0 4. BBIA is a group descriptor that stands for Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian. 5. Duke, R.A. Said on many occasions in lectures and conversations at the University of Texas at Austin (2017–2023). Southwestern Musician | November 2023 51

TMEA Elementary Vice-President CHRISTOPHER GILES

Inclusivity and Respect in Repertoire Through music, we can foster a sense of unity and understanding among our students, ensuring that our classrooms are welcoming spaces for all.

t my district convocation this year, my superintendent shared that roughly 1,200 people move to Texas each day. That statistic seemed mind boggling to me and made me think about how that personally affects my students, school, and community. We often get comfortable with what we know, and in that comfort, we neglect to change our lessons from year to year to accommodate the new populations of students we serve in our classrooms. As educators, it is our responsibility to create inclusive and respectful learning environments that celebrate diversity and promote understanding among our students. In today’s diverse classrooms, it is crucial to make thoughtful decisions that not only celebrate the joy of active music-making but also promote inclusivity and respect for the various cultures and holiday traditions that your students and families hold dear. Music is a powerful language of its own that transcends boundaries, brings people together, and fosters understanding. However, it can also unintentionally exclude or marginalize certain groups if not chosen carefully. When selecting musical repertoire for winter holidays, teachers have a unique opportunity to introduce students to the rich tapestry of celebrations that occur around the world. Rather than simply celebrating one holiday, we can use this time to teach students about

52 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

the diversity of traditions that exist within their classroom. This is equally important if you happen to teach in a school with little diversity. These young learners can expand their view of the world through the music you teach. To make informed decisions about holiday repertoire it is essential to first understand the diverse makeup of your classroom. Students come from a wide range of cultural, religious, and familial backgrounds; some may not celebrate holidays at all. This provides a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and learning. Support their learning by incorporating songs from different cultures, including secular material, and explain the significance of each. It is crucial to respect the holiday traditions of all families in the classroom, including those who may not celebrate winter holidays. Beliefs differ and cultural backgrounds might not align with this holiday season, and that is okay! It is essential to ensure that these families feel valued and respected. Start by encouraging students to share their family holiday traditions. Create a safe and respectful space where they can discuss their customs, foods, and celebrations. This not only helps children learn about each other’s backgrounds, but also promotes empathy and a sense of community and belonging. Your students are not your only stakeholders. Involve parents and guardians in the decision-making process. Ask for their suggestions and feedback regarding holiday music selection. This not only shows respect for their perspectives but also creates a sense of involvement and cooperation. When selecting repertoire, music teachers should be sensitive to these differences. Avoiding exclusive language or themes associated with specific holidays and instead focusing on the broader themes of togetherness, giving, and joy can create an inclusive atmosphere. In some cases, students may not be able to participate in holiday-related activities due to personal beliefs or circumstances. It is important to approach these situations with sensitivity, empathy, and understanding. Teachers should communicate with parents and guardians to understand their preferences and make appropriate accommodations, such as providing an alternative activity or project. This allows no one

to feel pressured to conform to a celebration they aren’t comfortable with. To foster inclusivity and respect, teachers can also consider organizing unique class or school celebrations that incorporate various cultural elements without singling out or promoting one specific holiday. This approach can be an excellent way to bring the entire school community together while emphasizing the importance of diversity. For example, a schoolwide winter celebration might include a multicultural performance event featuring songs and dances from different cultures, allowing students to showcase their heritage and learn from their peers. Another unique idea is to host a “Winter Traditions Fair” where students and their families can share displays, stories about their holiday traditions, and my personal favorite—food. You can invite guest speakers from varied cultural backgrounds to share their holiday traditions through music and storytelling. This can provide authentic and enriching experiences for your students while simultaneously strengthening community relations. Sometimes, the most inclusive approach is to create unique class or school celebrations that don’t center around holidays. These celebrations can be themed around the winter season itself. You can focus on values like kindness, gratitude, and community. This not only helps each student feel included but also reinforces essential life lessons.

By making thoughtful decisions and facilitating open communication, we can respect each other’s traditions and emphasize the importance of children learning about each other’s holidays and understanding when participation is not possible. We can create unique class or school celebrations that promote inclusivity and appreciation for the rich tapestry of traditions that make up our world. Through music, we can foster a sense of unity and understanding among our students, ensuring that our classrooms are welcoming spaces for all. By prioritizing education over celebration, you can create a musical experience that brings your classroom and community closer together and leaves a lasting impact on your student’s lives. Clinic/Convention Update I look forward to seeing you in three months at our annual convention! There will be amazing opportunities for elementary music educators to learn and be inspired, so register now while you can pay the lower convention fee. Go to www.tmea.org/convention to learn more about it and to register. I hope you’ll also take a moment to register as a convention volunteer—our division has many opportunities to offer a little time in service. Our convention is a great success largely because of members like you stepping up to volunteer. Volunteers in our division also have the chance to get

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 53

Sonido

Corey Cub Chorus

Kujawa Elementary Eagle Choir 54 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

to know other elementary educators from across the state. To register as a volunteer and indicate your area of interest, go to www.tmea.org/elementaryvolunteer. The elementary convention committee was pleased with the creative and varied topics submitted through the clinic proposals this year. You can look forward to learning more about those clinics in next month’s issue that will feature the full convention schedule. This month, I am pleased to introduce a few of the Elementary Division Invited Ensembles you will have the opportunity to enjoy at our upcoming convention. The remainder are scheduled for inclusion in the January issue. For a list of all Invited and Honor Ensembles performing concerts during our convention, go to www.tmea.org/2024concerts. Sonido, Roan Forest Elementary (North East ISD) Established in 2015, Sonido is a high energy percussion ensemble from Roan Forest Elementary. The group was invited to perform at the opening ceremonies of the 2017 AOSA Conference in Fort

Worth. This is their second time performing as a TMEA Invited Ensemble, with their first performance in 2020. They have collaborated with recording artists Daniel Robledo, Jane Monheit, and Eric Marienthal and have performed for the cast of STOMP. Sonido even has a TikTok following—they are cool! Sonido performs the songs you love. The way Sonido creates music is a treat for any audience. These kids totally jam! Sonido is directed by Danielle Ortiz and Matthew Trevino. They have also been assisted by Liandra Winfrey and Mary Shaw. Corey Cub Chorus, Corey Fine Arts/Dual Language Academy (Arlington ISD) The Corey Cub Chorus is honored to represent Arlington ISD at the 2024 TMEA Clinic/Convention. Founded in the early 1990s as the Corey Chorale, this group of singing students brought the campus to life with their music. Since its inception, the Corey Cub Chorus has sung at college sporting events, groundbreaking ceremonies, local nursing homes, and various

district events. Many of the choir members have gone on to perform in the school musical, sing in the Arlington Children’s Chorus, and become members of the TCDA Elementary Honor Choir. They strive to spread happiness through music and the joy of performing every chance they get. This is their first TMEA convention performance, and they are truly grateful for this experience. Kujawa Elementary Eagle Choir (Aldine ISD) The Kujawa Elementary Eagle Choir is an extracurricular ensemble consisting of approximately 60 auditioned students in third–fifth grades. Kujawa Elementary School celebrates their 20th year of education this year. The choir rehearses once a week and puts on a variety of performances throughout the year. Kujawa Elementary Eagle Choir is honored to be selected to perform at TMEA this year. This experience supports our vision that all Kujawa Elementary students will receive a dynamic and unparalleled education that will open doors to the world. 0

TMEA Clinic/Convention ELEMENTARY DIVISION Learn new methods and strategies and earn continuing education hours!

Teaching Methods • Technology Use • Instrument Methods DEIA • Self-Care • Repertoire Selection • Curriculum Planning

W W W.T M E A . O R G / C O N V E N T I O N Southwestern Musician | November 2023 55

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Adopting a Holistic Approach to the Music Curriculum By Carlos R. Abril

usic education is a vital part of the school curriculum that promotes intellectual, physical, and emotional growth in students. When the curriculum is designed holistically, educators are primed to stimulate creativity and nurture thoughtful expression, as well as build meaningful connections. Conversely, a music curriculum can be overly specialized, emphasizing one facet of music learning such that others are inadvertently neglected. In so doing, it might not reflect the multilayered and multifaceted nature of music-making and learning. This imbalance can create a perceived disconnect between music in school and music practices outside school. A holistic approach to curriculum design centers around the core concept of connections (Miller, et al., 2019). Music learning is not isolated from any one domain of music knowledge nor from the people who are learning it and the people who created it (Abril & Gault, 2022). The curriculum is designed to build connections across various domains of music, such as performance, theory, composition, improvisation, and musicology. It should also encourage interdisciplinary connections when they are meaningful or necessary to the music experience. Moreover, the curriculum emphasizes the integration of music in people’s lives, music’s societal impact, and broader global and environmental contexts. To understand the principles of holistic music education, we should explore three areas of connection: disciplinary connections, interdisciplinary connections, and integrated connections.

Disciplinary Connections Traditionally, courses in music may be separated into specific music domains such as performance (e.g., choir, guitar), history/ appreciation, or music theory. A holistic music curriculum is a slightly different way of envisioning and designing courses to

break down artificial barriers and embrace the interplay between various dimensions of music, including performing, creating, connecting and relating, and responding and analyzing. How might we design our music courses for greater disciplinary connections? Let’s take a guitar course as an example. Traditionally a Guitar 101 curriculum might be guided by a method book that develops students’ skills in reading music and playing simple melodies and chords, which might lead to two performances of some solo and some ensemble music. A holistic approach to this same course might develop these performance skills alongside creative skills, such as songwriting. Students would develop guitar skills not in isolation but in connection with creating original music of interest to them. In an advanced band class, at some point in the curriculum, students might break into small groups to collaboratively analyze a piece of music they are performing. The charge could be to dissect a section of the score and mark the crucial and less significant musical lines. This can foster a deeper understanding of the composition’s intricacies and make students more sensitive to the ways the parts connect to the whole. These are not radical shifts, but they are ways that a music course might be more interconnected with diverse forms of musical understanding. Some familiar approaches to teaching music seek to build connections among various modes of music-making (Abril & Gault, 2016). For example, the Orff approach seeks to develop students’ imaginations and creativity through experiences that bring together singing, composing, playing, improvising, moving, speaking, and dramatizing (Beegle & Bond, 2016). Popular music pedagogies, as well, seek to engage students in experiences of listening, arranging, developing skills, and performing (Smith & Gramm, 2022). These are merely two of many approaches that Southwestern Musician | November 2023 57

A holistic approach to curriculum design centers around the core concept of connections

Disciplinary Connections

Design courses so they break down artificial barriers and embrace the interplay between various dimensions of music, including performing, creating, connecting and relating, and responding and analyzing.

Interdisciplinary Connections

Recognize that music is a dynamic form of human expression with the potential to intersect with art, literature, history, religion, politics, and social movements.

Integrated Connections

Create space for personal reflections, prompting students to consider how music connects to their emotional, aesthetic, and spiritual sensibilities.

embrace curricula that build connections across music domains. But disciplinary connections alone are not holistic. Interdisciplinary Connections Holistic music education extends beyond the boundaries of music disciplines and seeks to connect music with other subject areas. Music is a dynamic form of human expression with the potential to intersect with art, literature, history, religion, politics, and social movements. Interdisciplinary connections in music education help students gain a broader view of music in its relation to other domains of knowledge. Music is created, used, and arranged by people in particular times and places. This knowledge is not extraneous to the music or to music learning. In fact, understanding the historical, cultural, and social contexts of music can enrich students’ comprehension of musical pieces and guide them in making thoughtful musical decisions. It might shape their interpretations of a melody or inspire them to go down a particular path for a composition project. This type of research could inspire assistance from a history teacher or a collaboration between teachers. Returning to the example in an advanced band course, we could charge students with researching and writing program notes for a concert or introducing a piece before its performance. This approach starts to con58 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

nect music to a broader world outside the classroom, one connected to its sociocultural and historical contexts, enriching the learning experience for all. Interdisciplinary connections in music education also encourage students to take on roles beyond that of performers or composers. Using the example of the guitar/ songwriting course, students may need to assume the role of the poet/songwriter and access their knowledge of the literary arts for the lyric-writing portion of the course. A teacher might engage students in discussing the difference between poetry and song lyrics or support them in choosing a poem as source material for an original song. The blurring of disciplinary lines was witnessed in 2016 when Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. This marked the first time a musician won this award as a songwriter/musician. Adopting a holistic approach requires going one step further. Integrated Connections Through a holistic approach to the music curriculum, we recognize the importance of making integrated connections between the personal, social, and environmental aspects of learning. We seek to connect learning to students’ lives, making education more relevant and motivating. When students can personally relate to and make integrated connections to the music they are studying, they are more likely to be engaged and find long-

term meaning in their learning. A holistic curriculum creates space for personal reflections, prompting students to consider how music connects to their emotional, aesthetic, and spiritual sensibilities. In a popular music course, we can facilitate that connection by giving students the freedom to select a song they are assigned to cover in their small group bands. In a mariachi ensemble class, we might ask for a brief journal reflection about the personal meaning students derive from a piece of music they played, a recent concert they performed, or a musical challenge they overcame. In an elementary classroom, we can ask students to improvise on two pitches using their voices and lyrics to express something about their musical selves. Students come from diverse backgrounds and communities, each with its own musical traditions and practices, values, and expectations. Teachers play a vital role in getting to know their students as individuals and understanding the ways their culture shapes how they see and understand the world. Teachers should build on students’ strengths and experiences, validating and affirming their cultural backgrounds. For example, rather than viewing Englishlanguage learners as deficient, teachers could instead demonstrate how they value the fact that a student speaks their native language, while also learning English. When teachers value their students, peers may be more likely to value each other. Creating a supportive and collaborative social environment in the classroom fosters a sense of belonging and encourages students to participate in the music program and take creative risks in their musical endeavors. Integrated connections bring together the personal and the social, and music educators can facilitate interactions between students and their communities. This can include organizing performances in local venues, collaborating with community organizations, or even engaging in outreach activities, such as students performing and sharing their musical stories with older adults in a community center. These connections bridge the gap between classroom music experiences and the broader community. They can also help students recognize the impact music can have on building social bonds or enriching people’s lives.

Integrated connections also consider the relationship between the music experience and the environment. Traditionally, music has celebrated the beauty and wonders of nature, often featuring compositions that reflect the natural world. In recent decades, composers and performers have sought to go further by bringing attention to environmental concerns through music. For example, Pulitzer Prize–winning composer John Luther Adams has used his music as a vehicle to promote ecological understanding and to deepen listeners’ awareness of the human connection to the earth. Making an environmental connection requires more than learning and playing a piece like Adams’s Become Ocean. It requires ventures into understanding the meaning and purpose of the piece, as well as sharing that information with an audience before the performance. Music can serve as a powerful tool to raise awareness of environmental issues, connect individuals with nature, and inspire action. Music classrooms offer unique opportunities for students to connect with the natural environment. Elementary general music students could recycle natural materials to create unique instruments or sample sounds from their communities as material for original compositions. Teachers can explore the potential of outdoor music classrooms or music within community gardens. Music can serve as an emotional catalyst for raising environmental awareness, inspiring action, and fostering a deeper connection to the natural world. Concluding Thoughts A holistic music curriculum is one that supports the development of the whole student, within the background of the world outside the classroom. It involves providing opportunities to build connections within the discipline of music—with various moments that step outside these disciplinary boundaries when needed. By adopting some of these principles, music educators can create meaningful and impactful learning experiences that resonate with students and prepare them for a diverse and interconnected world. 0 Carlos R. Abril is a Professor of Music Education and Associate Dean for Research at the Frost

School of Music at the University of Miami. Abril is a 2024 College Division Featured Clinician. References Abril, C. R., & Gault, B. M. (Eds.) (2016). Teaching General Music: Approaches, Issues, and Viewpoints. Oxford University Press. Abril, C. R., & Gault, B. M. (2022). General Music: Dimensions of Practice. Oxford University Press. Beegle, A., & Bond, J. (2016). Orff Schulwerk: Releasing and developing the

musical imagination. In C. R. Abril & B. M. Gault (Eds.), Teaching General Music: Approaches, Issues, and Viewpoints (pp. 25–48). Oxford University Press. Miller, J. P., Nigh, K., Binder, M. J., Novak, B. & Crowell, S. (Eds.). (2019). International Handbook of Holistic Education. Routledge. Smith, G. D., & Gramm, W. (2022) Pedagogical approaches in modern band. In C. R. Abril & B. M. Gault (Eds.), General Music: Dimensions of Practice (pp. 74–90). Oxford University Press

School of Music

Fall 2023 Spring 2024 AUDITIONS

AT SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY

November 18th, 2023

February 24th, 2024

Voice and All Instruments

January 27th, 2024

March 2nd, 2024

Voice and All Instruments

February 3rd, 2024

April 13th, 2024

Voice and All Instruments

Voice and Percussion

excluding guitar

excluding percussion and guitar

excluding guitar

non-scholarship

Scan for more information. shsu.edu/music 936.294.1360 Southwestern Musician | November 2023 59

2024 TMEA CLINIC/CONVENTION February 7–10 • San Antonio • Henry B. González Convention Center

Get ready to learn all about the 2024 convention in next month’s preview issue! W W W.T M E A .O R G /C O N V E N T I O N 60 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

SOUND IDEAS COLLEGE: Reframing Our Concept of Stress by brian gibbs

am fortunate to enjoy genuinely satisfying work surrounded by colleagues and students I respect and admire. When inexplicable feelings of restlessness began to surface last spring, I immediately sought answers. I quickly discovered that stressful feelings of unrest are widespread among educators as we adapt to the post-covid realities of teaching. Fortunately, research and resources can help us examine our perspectives on stress and learn some practical techniques for reducing stress and improving our quality of rest. After conducting several studies on stress, Elissa Epel (2023) reports that today’s youth face up to four times the stress their parents and grandparents experienced before adulthood. A longitudinal study of high school and college students from 1938 to 2007 revealed an almost linear decline in mental health among adolescents across the decades (Twenge et al., 2010). Researchers attributed the downward trend to heightened anxiety levels, unhealthy self-appraisal, chronic sadness, isolation, and feeling undervalued. These alarming statistics underscore the importance of understanding stress for ourselves and our students. Alia Crum (2022) researched the mindset of stress, discovering clear, consistent behavior patterns associated with beliefs about stress. Participants who perceived stress as debilitating were likely to demonstrate self-protection behaviors and avoidance of stressful stimuli. Those with a mindset that stressors could be beneficial tended to have behaviors oriented toward self-improvement and wellness. The stress response system prepares the mind and body to face challenges in real time and in the few moments ahead, yet many dwell in an unnecessarily heightened state of readiness due to perceived threats (Epel, 2022). Rest does not occur in a chronic fight-or-flight mode, so a recovery process is required for the body to reach the level of calmness needed to achieve restoration. Researchers have studied a variety of approaches that can inform our response to stress. Protocols for breathing and exposure to cold (Hof, 2020) can train the stress response system to function more efficiently through progressive, deliberate shots of stress followed by planned, immediate recovery periods. Meditation and mindfulness (Brewer, 2021), sunlight exposure (Huberman, 2023), intermittent fasting, and maintaining circadian rhythm (Panda, 2018) are also techniques for accelerating recovery and improving rest. After struggling with my state of restlessness, I tried multiple approaches. I adopted the practice of sunlight exposure for a few minutes in the first waking hour and before the sun sets. The unique colors of light allowed my brain to develop and maintain a circadian rhythm to regulate sleep more efficiently. I also adopted intermittent fasting, limiting mealtimes to the same eight to ten

hours each day, allowing my body to anticipate mealtime and regulate digestive processes to synchronize with the sleep schedule for more restful and restorative sleep. I also began monitoring a stress algorithm of pulse and heart rate variability, implementing cyclic sighing (Huberman, 2022) to reduce needlessly elevated stress levels. After three weeks, I achieved 85% of my sleep goal (last year’s average was 67%) and restlessness began to subside. I cannot say whether my results are typical, but I am pleased with the benefits of the three protocols. There are many apps and devices to help strengthen stress recovery rates, and I encourage you to explore them. We will be better prepared to guide our students through their challenges when we 0 take care of ourselves. Brian Gibbs is a Professor of Music and Associate Director of Bands at Sam Houston State University. References Brewer J. (2021). Unwinding Anxiety. Avery an imprint of Penguin Random House. Crum, A. (January 24, 2022). “Dr. Alia Crum: Science of Mindsets for Health & Performance.” [Video Podcast]. Huberman Lab Podcast. Huberman Lab. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dFR_wFN23ZY [accessed October 11, 2023]. Epel, E. (April 3, 2023). “Dr. Elissa Epel: control stress for healthy eating, metabolism & aging.” [Video Podcast]. Huberman Lab Podcast. Huberman Lab. https://youtu.be/ulHrUVV3Kq4 [accessed October 11, 2023] Epel, E. (2022). The Stress Prescription Seven Days to More Joy and Ease. Penguin Books. Hof, W. (2020). The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential. Sounds True. Huberman, A. (January 4, 2023). “How To Stress Less, Sleep Better, and Optimize Your Health with Dr. Andrew Huberman.” [Video Podcast]. Whoop Podcast. Whoop, Inc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZzKvoLZyY. [accessed October 11, 2023]. Panda S. (2018). The Circadian Code (First). Rodale an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. Twenge, J., Gentile B,. DeWall C., Ma, D., Lacefield, K., & Schurtz D. (2010). Birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans 1938–2007: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the MMPI. Clinical Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. cpr.2009.10.005.

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 61

TMEA College Vice-President MATTHEW MCINTURF

Nurturing the Love of Learning The enduring love of learning is the fuel that sparks growth and drives teaching. Sharing that love with our students is an imperative that complements our curriculum.

ost people who pursue a career in college teaching are rooted in a love of learning. I know very few college professors who were not great students, disciplined learners, and driven by intellectual curiosity. Very often, this is coupled with creative thinking, and an imaginative life of the mind, that sometimes makes us seem eccentric to others. I realize that people in other professions are also committed to learning, and I do not intend to minimize the work of anyone. However, loving the process of learning, not just the result, is often a professorial trait we find in abundance. The “Ivory Tower” is a stereotype because we recognize that learning, in and of itself, can be addictive. When I speak to college faculty who are frustrated, it is often because their duties conspire to stifle their opportunity to learn. Budget constraints limit travel necessary for performance or research, administrative duties impinge on classroom preparation or creative work, and the need to quantify academic performance in ways that don’t reflect artistic achievement make the life of learning into a small fraction of their professional experience. I have a particularly astute, and brilliant, academic colleague who recently turned down an offer from a prestigious institution because he realized the position would limit his opportunity to pursue just this kind of professional life. I admire the kind of self-awareness, not to mention confidence, that will trade professional prestige and remuneration for artistic and intellectual satisfaction. The culture of learning that is so attractive to us is critical to the environment of teaching. We know that being a great performer or excelling

62 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR check www.tmea .org for updates

November—Renew your membership and register for the convention. November 1—Collegiate Music Educator Award nomination deadline. December 15—College Student Essay submission deadline. January 18—TMEA convention early registration deadline. February 7–10—TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

in research is not the only element of being a great teacher, but we must value what is learned if we are to value what is taught. Simply said, there is no teaching without learning. Intentionally instilling a love of learning is essential for music education. One of the most attractive things about true musicianship is that there is always something to learn. This is why we perform works multiple times. We don’t recreate the last performance; we reimagine our encounter in a new experience and understanding. We must teach our curriculum to our students, who are our future colleagues, while sharing our wonder and fascination with the art that we are employed to profess. We desperately want our students to be successful, and the only sure path is for them to become independent learners. One of the enticing joys of being a music educator is that any music we study has relevance to our work. In many ways, this is truer for teachers than performers. We live in a time that values diversity and gives teachers the opportunity to study far afield of their training. We have the opportunity to share the experience of learning with the next generation. Our K–12 colleagues

have the opportunity, and responsibility, to offer the world of music to people who will contribute to our society and the body politic in untold ways. How different would our policy conversations be if even a third of the decision makers understood the positive impact music-making has on independent thinking? Have you ever met a parent who had a profound encounter with music and didn’t want the same experience for their child? The enduring love of learning is the fuel that sparks growth and drives teaching. Sharing that love with our students is an imperative that complements our curriculum. Nurturing that love in intentional ways ensures our student’s futures. Cultivating it in ourselves is the core of our professional life. College Division Essay Contest December 15 is the deadline for TMEA member undergraduate and graduate college students to submit essays for our renewed College Division Essay Contest. The rules, adjudication rubric, and submission portal are available at www.tmea.org/ essaycontest. It is our intent to encourage academic writing in music education. The

strength of the Executive Board’s commitment is evidenced by budgeting a $2,000 award for each winner. I believe it is good for our students and our organization. TMEA Clinic/Convention Update During the September Executive Board meeting, we reviewed and refined the convention schedule, and it’s clear this is going to be an exceptional event for all attendees. I am grateful to colleagues who submitted presentation proposals, regardless of whether they were selected by the review committee. Once again, there were many more excellent proposals in all divisions than we were able to accept. We also have many from outside Texas who will be joining us. Next month, the magazine will feature the full convention schedule preview, and you’ll see the breadth and depth of our 325 scheduled sessions. Our College Division Featured Clinicians, Nicole Robinson and Carlos R. Abril, will be presenting on Thursday and Friday. They bring extraordinary expertise and vision for current educational needs. I am confident their presentations will be thought-provoking and valuable as we continue to seek the best for all students.

Music scholarships available to non-music majors ■ Faculty who focus on undergraduates

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trinity.edu/music The Trinity University Music Department is recognized as an ALL-STEINWAY SCHOOL by Steinway and Sons, for its commitment to excellence

Southwestern Musician | November 2023 63

TMEA Clinic/Convention COLLEGE DIVISION 51 College Division Clinics & Research Poster Session College Featured Clinicians

Carlos R. Abril

Nicole Robinson

Learn more at www.tmea.org/clinicians Learn about the latest research and much more, including: Teacher preparation • DEIA • Wellness • Teaching methods • Research methods & results

WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION

We also have performances by many of our colleagues and their students to anticipate. If you or your students are performing, I encourage you to invite an administrator to attend, especially if their discipline is other than music. An administrator who attends TMEA for the first time is usually deeply impressed, and sometimes overwhelmed, with the magnitude and energy of our profession. I have invited colleagues from the College of Education who have never seen our students perform before, and it has been an exciting and positive encounter. Membership Reminder Finally, if you have not yet renewed your TMEA membership or registered for the convention, now is the time. Please encourage your music education students to join TMEA and attend the convention. College Student membership is inexpensive, and current student members pay no fee to attend our convention (though they must still register to attend). When you register, please consider a donation to the Scholarship Fund. TMEA has an extended and unwavering commitment to providing scholarships for students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The generosity of our members over many years has made this possible. 0

ADVERTISER INDEX Austin Chamber Music Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Sam Houston State Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Austin PBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Texas A&M Univ/Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Baylor Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Texas Christian Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Blinn College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Texas Lutheran Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 36

Bocal Majority Woodwinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Texas State Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Forrests Music, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Texas Tech Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Loyola Univ New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Texas Woman’s Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

Marimba One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Trinity Univ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Mark Hughes Trumpet Mutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Univ of Colorado Boulder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Merlin Patterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Univ of Mary Hardin-Baylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

MindaMusic School & Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Univ of North Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

Dr. Nancy Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

UT/El Paso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Oklahoma City Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

UT/San Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Oklahoma State Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Walnut Hill School for the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The Polybandstand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

West Texas A&M Univ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Randall Standridge Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 64 Southwestern Musician | November 2023

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