Bandmasters Review - December 2019

or group singing (Swain, Bodkin-Allen). While both therapies resulted in “significant improvements in singing confidence,” the group singing method “outperformed ACT on an overall rating of improvement in self-perceived tone-deafness” (Swain, Bodkin-Allen). Martin shares that singing is perhaps a superior form of therapy or community-building, since “you can do it anywhere and any time” without any equipment or cost. She uses regular voice-training to encourage her students to express their feelings and “be confident in their voices” and themselves. Teaching instrumentalists to sing also enhances their marketability, should they choose to pursue music as a career. Skilled instrumentalists can make themselves more desirable to future college programs and employers by developing basic vocal abilities. In recent decades, there has also been a noticeable movement towards instrumental compositions that include a vocal or auxiliary part. More often, all levels of band students are expected to sing, snap, clap, or stomp in regular concert repertoire. Examples of this rising trend include Agincourt Hymn by Daniel Bukvich, Echoes of the Morning Trumpet by John Prescott, and Purgatorio by Robert W. Smith. It is our responsibility, as educators, to properly equip our students for a career in music and give them a myriad of tools to make them as distinguishable from their peers as possible. Implementing a Vocal Routine Several directors of instrumental ensembles are hesitant to introduce singing into their classrooms for a variety of reasons—limited rehearsal time, doubts about the validity of singing lessons to instrumentalists, or a lack of confidence in their own abilities. However, Melodianne The Importance of Singing in ALL Music Classes