Page 15 - 2018-BMR-April

Band Benefits . . . and More !

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser

The following is a sound-byte from a chapter written for the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series. Many
have said the message has awakened parents, administrators, counselors, etc., and created a forum to discuss the importance
of our band culture. Might I suggest you can cut-’n-paste any segment of the article and share it via newsletters, program
notes, Facebook posts, etc. You can find the article online at texasbandmasters.org/resources/bandmasters_review.php.

There are countless reasons to “be in Through music learning we teach: develops an appreciation for art. We
band.” From my narrow perspective, • An understanding of QUALITYas don’t make music to get to the
the number one reason is to “make well as the rewards of QUANTITY. end of the musical composition;
music.” The intrinsic benefits of • Behavior based on ETHICS as we make music to make music.
self-expression are beyond measure. well as the importance of obeying the The personal reward is not the final
Simply put: WE MAKE MUSIC TO RULES. evaluation (as in a quantity-driven
MAKE MUSIC. This in itself *is* the • Respect for AUTHORITY as curriculum), but rather the intrinsic
reason to embrace music learning opposed to fear of DOMINATION. satisfaction generated as a result of
and music making. With that said, • A working WISDOM as well as a MUSIC-MAKING. Music teaches an
it is often difficult to explain/express solid transcript of ACHIEVEMENT. appreciation for QUALITY as well as
the values of band (and every other • An ongoing development of an understanding of QUANTITY.
aspect of school music programs) to INNER PEACE as well as a workable
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someone who has not experienced plan for personal SECURITY. ETHICS RULES
this one-of-a-kind universal language. For the survival of mankind and
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The only way to truly understand the QUALITY QUANTITY the perpetuation of our communal
priceless rewards of conveying feeling, Our educational system is heavily form of living we must have RULES to
passion, intensity, humanness via the focused on assessment/testing. We ensure the welfare of the community
art form of music is to be a part of it— measure the success and/or failure of members. For the safety of the
not a bystander who “appreciates it,” the learning process through a series drivers on our highways, we have
but a contributing “personality” to the of evaluations. Clearly there has to speed limit RULES, and if these
musical stage (even in solo fashion). be a scale to review, benchmark, and restrictions are not properly observed
While everyone has the propensity monitor the teaching process; it’s the a penalty is assigned to the violator.
to make music, those who have not way we determine LEARNING. All too Society protects itself with guardians
tapped the inherent talent often often, the numerical outcome becomes (law enforcement), spokespersons
look at other spin-off values that an end within itself and it tells us very (attorneys), and interpreters (judges,
are harvested as the result of the little about the pragmatic value of the juries) to guarantee we live in
requisite commitment and dedication class material. Shouldn’t we be more harmony while still enjoying freedom
to music. While I caution this is not concerned how this “subject matter” of choice. Although altruistic, it is
the justification for any form of music is relevant? We must ask, “Can the feasible there could be a society absent
education, the following logic can ‘quantitative results’ be integrated into of rules if each individual believed,
(and often does) bring the non-music- the student’s lives to promote better practiced, and lived an agreed code of
maker into the conversation. This living, learning, and being?” ethics. In principle, the members of
opens the dialogue about the critical Music, by nature, triggers both the group/community/BAND would
importance of music as a key aspect of the cognitive and affective mind. be responsible for his/her behavior
the positive growth and development Not only does the young artist as it related to the welfare of the
of each and every child. experience the input of facts and community/BAND. The responsibility
figures, but he/she simultaneously for “harmony, balance, and blend”

Bandmasters Review • April 2018 13 Texas Bandmasters Association