Bandmasters Review - December 2019

Texas Bandmasters Association Bandmasters Review • December 2019 2 Become the Expert Roland Sandoval, 2019 - 20 TBA President Elect Phillip Clements President Texas A&M University-Commerce P.O. Box 3011 Commerce, TX 75429 903-886-5285 phillip.clements@tamuc.edu Roland Sandoval President Elect Department of Music-UTSA 1 UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249 210-737-8929 roljack@satx.rr.com Daniel Allen Vice President Franklin High School 900 N. Resler El Paso, TX 79912 915-236-2266 dallenep@aol.com George Little Treasurer Lufkin High School 309 South Medford Drive Lufkin, TX 75901 936-630-4134 glittle@lufkinisd.org Reagan Brumley Secretary Highland Park High School 4220 Emerson Dallas, TX 75205 214-780-3737 rabrumley@gmail.com Christopher Yee Sergeant-at-Arms Cedar Park High School 2150 Cypress Creek Road Cedar Park, TX 78613 512-570-1200 christopher.yee@leanderisd.org John Morrison Past President Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Secondary Music 10300 Jones Road, Suite 724 Houston, TX 77065 281-897-4042 john.morrison@cfisd.net Michael Brashear Executive Director Texas Bandmasters Association 1002 Central Parkway South San Antonio, TX 78232 210-492-8878 mbrashear@texasbandmasters.org TBA Board of Directors 2019-20 Standing in front of a band in the heat of a rehearsal can be invigorating, intense, exhilarating, and humbling all at the same time. It is all cool though…I have studied the art form since my middle school, high school and collegiate days and as a direct result I am the EXPERT for my students. That’s right, my students have me as the “expert” that will bring them on this musical journey. They sit in front of me waiting for information on fingerings, embouchure, music history, melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, dynamics, articulations, tempo, timbre, tone structure, form, intonation, scales, consonance, dissonance, ornamentation, and expression. That expertise can also lead to those young musicians improving their language skills, test scores, self- esteem, listening skills, math skills, stress relief and creativity. Whew…Oh my! Well, I have been teaching for over thirty years and I am no expert. When I realized that (over thirty years ago) it got deep. I came across a quote by Epictetus. It went something like this: “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.” The music education you offer your students is for improving the lives of others and leaving your community and musical world better than you found it. That means a constant investment in yourself first. Become the expert. Believe your students will succeed because you have invested in learning from mentors that have walked the path before you…no matter how many years you have been teaching. Drive across town or across the county to watch how that person you admire teaches beginning horn, jazz improvisation, marching fundamentals, or warms up their band and so on. Become an expert by observing then applying. Try new things! This models enthusiasm and energy. Get out of your comfort zone and teach a concept with a new technique and maybe a new technology. We all have our “routines” but challenging yourself and your students in a new way will keep the rehearsal exciting. Picture this: Your students walk into a concert band rehearsal and you are set up in a circle… they walk in and they must sit next to a different instrument…your marching band run through is just the girls and then just the boys and so on. Become an expert by trying something new. Be awesome, energetic and cool. What? Absolutely take the journey to build a program every student on campus wants to be a part of. How do those programs that have over a hundred beginners or several hundred in their marching band get to that point and maintain them? They probably have a leader that is awesome because of the INFORMATION they offer. The educational environment is rich with information. The energy is high because of the confidence that the curriculum will work because the concepts come from the highest possible resources and if it doesn’t, you are willing to change. I can’t tell you how many times I ask the college students I work with about their middle school and high school experiences