Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • September 2014
23
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Dance Warm-up
Integrating dance skills into the vocabulary of
wind players has become much more important. Our
choreographer, Curtis Uhlemann, gave us this exercise
so that we could expand our movement vocabulary.
Focus:
• Increasing movement quality, fulfilling each motion
• Connecting the timing of the visual phrase to the
music
• Maintaining balance and body control
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Box Drill
This is the staple of our visual program. Once the
school year starts, this becomes our primary exercise
during our limited fundamentals time. This fairly
standard box exercise incorporates our major forward
and backward slide techniques, along with direction
changes.
Our goal is to develop the quality of this exercise
over the season so that the students all have the same
understanding of what our visual expectations are
for individual technique and ensemble awareness.
We will create variations of this exercise by changing
count structure, tempos, form responsibilities, or by
isolating key phrases in order to focus on specific
needs throughout the course of the season
Focus:
• Displaying good foot timing and technique
• Maintaining posture and movement quality on the
move
• Maintaining cover downs and form awareness
• Exhibiting control through direction changes
IN CONCLUSION
The greatest influences on our program have without
a doubt been Tom Bennett who taught at both the high
school and college levels (Spring and J.J. Pearce High
Schools and University of Houston) and Gino Cipriani,
Brass Caption Head at “The Cadets” Drum Corps, who
has worked both in drum corps and in public schools.
We have received additional guidance from Tim Rhea,
Mike Brashear, Mark Chambers, Jodie Rhodes, Jason
Buckingham, Joe Dixon, and Philip May. Behind
the scenes, there are our many private teachers and
instructors who mentor our students individually. If
you were to study all of their backgrounds, you would
realize very quickly that we do not subscribe to “one
school of thought at Johnson.” Perhaps the greatest
goal we have aspired to at Johnson is to bring together
and learn from those instructors and professional
players whom we believe are the best at what they do.
Jarrett Lipman is the Director of Bands at Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson High School in San Antonio, Texas. He is currently on
the Brass Staff at The Cadets Drum Corps of Allentown, PA where he instructs the Baritones and served as the Assistant Corps Director of
the Crossmen Drum Corps of San Antonio, Texas in 2008. Lipman also works with “The Guardians” Open Class Drum Corps of Seguin. At
Johnson High School, Lipman directs the Marching Band, co-conducts the Wind Ensemble with Alan Sharps, and assists with the Symphony
Band, Concert Bands, and Jazz Ensembles. The Johnson High School Marching Band advanced to the 2010 and 2012 UIL State Marching
Contest and was named a State fnalist in 2012. Since 2010, the band has been a consistent Bands of America Regional and Super Regional
Finalist and was named a Bands of America Grand Nationals Finalist in 2011 where the group placed 8
th
overall. The Johnson High
School Wind Ensemble advanced to the TMEA State Honor Band Contest Finals in 2012, placing 5
th
overall. The Wind Ensemble has
earned exclusively Sweepstakes ratings at UIL Concert & Sight Reading Contest since the school opened in 2008. Lipman graduated Magna
Cum Laude with degrees in Music Education and Euphonium Performance from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Lipman currently studies with Tom Bennett, Gino Cipriani, and Joe Dixon. In 2014, Lipman was selected as the Phi Beta Mu International
Bandmasters Fraternity Texas Chapter’s “Outstanding Young Bandmaster”.
What We Like and What Works For Us. . .