Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • December 2012
13
Teaching Musicianship in Band:
F inding Music Among the Notes
Many of the objectives in a band
rehearsal are concerned with the
“craft” of music: playing the correct
note in the correct place at the correct
volume with the correct articulation.
But isn’t this just musically painting
by number? It is possible to integrate
musicianship into every level of
instrumental music education,
from beginning band to university
ensembles. Playing in an artistic
manner is possible at every level,
and we teachers should commit to
doing so.
What is musicianship? It is
easy to think good musicianship
means playing all the right notes
with correct rhythm at the right
dynamic level. To make something
artistic happen, individual players
and ensembles must go beyond
merely reproducing the symbols
on the page: a true musician
brings something more to the
performance. I propose that “being
musical” means creating something
artistically surprising when playing
a piece.
Both individual and ensemble
musicianship can be taught!
Individual musicianship
is
demonstrated in solo performance,
in the standard solo repertoire or
etudes or even within ensemble
literature. Ensemble skills require
sections and groups to unify
elements to demonstrate good
musicianship.
One of the most basic forms in
music and architecture of Western
Civilization is the arch, and one
of the most basic ways to show
musicianship is to apply this to a
phrase: a crescendo followed by a
diminuendo. This is a fundamental
way to show tension and release
in music, and can even be taught
in beginning band exercises. Why
not add some dynamics to lines
in the beginner book? It would be
more interesting for the players and
certainly more interesting for the
teacher!
Beginner books are full of lines
like the one below. Either version
is more musically interesting than
the line is as printed. Why not add
shaping to teach musicianship?
Fred J. Al len
& b b b 44 œ œ œ œ œ
As printed in book
œ œ œ œ ˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
& b b b
œ œ œ œ œ
Version 1
Add:
œ œ œ œ ˙
,
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
& b b b
9
œ œ œ œ œ
Version 2
Add:
œ œ œ œ ˙
(no break)
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
Beginner Book Line
FJA