Wii Music

I am going to do a little cross posting. My other blog Virtical Education covers my Instructional Design/Technology thoughts. Of course, music and IT cross paths often in my life, thoughts and activities.

Our KSQ mission is to promote music for life in our communities. This mission I take seriously and look for ways to expand our knowledge of what is going on in the great musical community. By doing so, I feel we can develop not only an understanding, but an appreciation for the role our group plays in the overall musical community. Certainly, an area of interest for me is music education.

As we think about the future of music education, it is my thought that we have great opportunities to learn how we learn, how our kids learn, what motivates us to grow (and learn), all driven by new technologies and approaches to learning. The Wii MUSIC game is a pretty good example of how to mainstream music learning. Music has been held back from the masses for most of our countries history. While in ancient time, music was revered as a necessary academic subject for all.

I just started working with a talent, young Saxophonist from a local school district. She has access to the school's technology resources including Smart Music and recording equipment. My business partner also shared a recent story about a band director, while attending a PMEA festival, was able to continue testing his students at school by using SKYPE to listen to their scale assessments that were due. And, if you have not tried Wii MUSIC and read about the support of the MENC, this is a good opportunity to catch up on what is going on. Technology and music education offer a truly powerful way to connect students to the subject, and to talent teachers. My own venture, viaAcademies relies on this premise and promise of the two working in harmony.

Does Wii change the way I think about saxophone and saxophone quartets. No! Appreciating it helps me in a broader sense though. KSQ's mission requires us to be diverse, and to expand our view past our immediate musical contribution. I think all great groups who strive to influence the growth of the art of music should do the same.

Please visit my other blog and read more about Wii MUSIC.

Thinking "Quartet"

The first 30 pages of a book recommended to me by James Berrera are history. The book, The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri Quartet. Readers should note this book highlights the wisdom and musical genius of the Guarneri STRING Quartet. What we as Sax Quartets can learn from this book is that instruments aside, great ensembles are first and foremost great MUSICAL ensembles. So a book such as this can be an amazingly powerful tool, much like best selling books on Leadership can help Leaders from a variety of organizations. As a side note, the quartet after 45 years will be retiring. Check out this link to learn more.

It may have been the environment when I was reading the book (I was listening to the WSO Symphony rehearsal in preparation to play the American in Paris), but the first 30 pages spoke to many of the questions I have had regarding how our quartet can establish great rehearsal habits. So, over the next few posts, I will be highlighting the thinking, tips, hints, methods and practices outlined in the book. I should first say nothing replaces reading the book. The book is jammed full of advice. In fact, the conversation around the first 30 pages easily filled the 45 minute ride home for my wife and I after the Symphony rehearsal. So, the posts will be high level take aways that may entice you to read the book for yourself.

A key takeaway from the first 30 was a great conversation regarding quartet leadership. The quartet believes in a shared leadership model, ie - not uber leader. Leadership is defined as the ability to inspire others to join in on a mission, to inspire others to WANT to follow, support and push towards a common, attainable goal. Notice that leadership does not have as part of the definition a statement such as "following 1", or "Obeying the commands of an individual." Leaders are among us each day, we all can and should be leaders. But leaders come in levels. My role in our quartet for example is to do what I am doing here. I hope my words inspire our own group to think hard about how we work together and how we can better ourselves. So, for this effort, I do consider myself a leader. But as we start to rehearse, new leaders will and should take on their roles. As the book states, a group with a single leader will musically take on the desires of that one individual and only that one. In this case, the group will become followers and not participants. I think we would all agree, this is not the intent of any great musical ensemble.

The approach of "Leaders in All" can be a very personal issue for groups. I know in talking about this with my wife, the philosophy is not one that traditional musicians grow up with. Many of us come from backgrounds where the "Director' or "Conductor" model is applied to all we do musically. I would go so far as to say we are ingrained by the Authoritarian model of musical leadership to expect 1 person to surface and lead us to greatness. The advice from the book clearly points the advantages of thinking past those constraints and building group leadership in each performer.

One idea mentioned in the group to build a groups application of "Leaders in All" is to have each member take a tune or movement of a tune and work to build their own leadership skills. Through this effort, the members will start to experiment with what they can empower the group to perform -- ie -- how can they express, both verbally and non-verbally what they feel the group should do?

I feel like I could write forever on this topic in order to really flesh out the details. But, this is a blog and blogs are meant for idea sharing and conversation. The main point I will leave is for groups to be great -- they must build "Leaders in All" for themselves.

This is post one from what I am sure will be a great book. It will take me time to read this book as my life is pretty full of research, business, and teaching right now. So, stay tuned. Or, grab a copy yourself and join in.

Practicing -- Redefined

I recently read a post from a college friend of mine.

Amateurs practice until they get it right,
Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.

This quote is actually very profound.

I have also recently reviewed "the basics" with an ex teacher. He reminded me that practicing is not about pounding through passages until they are tenderized. Joe Murphy, Sax Professor from Mansfield, has a pretty neat rule -- 4 times! While I may be interpreting this differently than intended, 4 times through with no success -- you are doing something wrong. Today, I tried this on a defined passage -- it works. Before playing a note, preparing the passage includes various activities. Then, play. Then, hone the passage, then play, etc. The 4th time through should be fairly up to your tempo and musical goals. If not, the piece may be too hard.

So, combining these two principals, being a professional means that after four times through, if you can't play it -- you will not be viewed as a professional. So, being professional is not about playing a certain level of music. It is about practicing so that you can not get something wrong, in a set amount of time, at a certain level.

We can all aim to be professional - it is in our control. We just need to redefine our practicing according to solid, proven philosophies.

Sax Blog Tour

It is time for a Blog Tour.

Please check out "The Sound of Sax" by James Barrera.

A post of note is the review of this year's Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Performance and Composition Competition. I won't give away the exciting news - but a hint -- some great news for the saxophonist.

Have fun!

Merger Arts: Combining Visual with Musical

The digital age has opened many avenues for the creative promotion of musical art. Besides the obvious distribution channels, ie web postings, podcasts, online downloads for purchase (iTunes), there are some amazing examples of digital "merger" arts. I like to call this a Merger Art because one art promotes the other. In this case, the digitial animations and music work together seemlessly, merged together to form a single experiences. One without the others seems a bit pointless.

The AniMusic videos are not new, I remember seeing the bouncing ball example about a year ago and was almost convinced it was real. Now enter the HD world. This morning, I downloaded the HD version of "Resonant Chamber".

If you are so inclined to download at 280MB of this single video, it took me about 15 minutes on cable in the early am. In the end, I now have a great clip to watch when I want to.

So, what does this have to do with quartet performance?

First, what I love about this clip is the visiual aspect of what is going on in the music. The animators do an incredible job connecting us to the music by being at the right place at the right time VISUALLY. There is a section where the bass does a gliss'ed line. As it is played, the view is of course on the bass. Seeing and hearing the bass line creates a great connection to what is going on musically. This "vision" of what is going on is something that all of us have experienced. For example, after you have heard a piece, or practiced a piece, the music starts to BECOME more a part of you. In essense, we can start to "see" the music. We start to anticipate what is coming up and start to visualize the sound. This is an amazing phenomenon in my mind. It is one of the great occurances that makes music so enjoyable. The Animusic clip is a great way to actually visually demonstrate this "merger" of the mind's eye and the musical sounds.

Secondly, and somewhat connected to number 1, is a lesson for all musical groups. The visual hand off of musical lines throughout a composition is what really makes an audience connect to the music. When I think of some of the greatest recitals I have heard (and seen), I think of groups like the Canadian Brass, The Nuclear Whales and the New Century Sax Quartet. I would also add groups like the New York Phil to that list on a larger scale. The point is with each of these groups, the musicians interact in a way that hands off musical lines throughout a performance. The audience can not only hear, but see how the lines connect. The motions are subtle. Disconnected from the music they would almost if not totally be inperceptable. Sometimes the connection is eye contact between performers. Other times, a shoulder node handing off a melodic line to the next perform in the line up. For groups that move about, a step forward or back depending on the musical phrase or priority brings about the vision. Of course, groups that sit, like the symphony are capable of making these visual musical connections. The way that this example of Animusic scripts the perspective throughout demonstrates a good lesson for all groups. Creating the visual connection to the music can be incredibly powerful.

Learning from our world around us means we have to step outside our domain once in awhile. When you have the time, download the clip and others and see what inspiration they could create for you.

Free or Low Cost Music Options

First things first -- I am not advocating that we as musicians give away our talents. However, we can all point to a plethora of musical "merchandise" we have given away or charge little for. Of course, we do not dwell, or feel regretful about our generosity - it is our nature and one reason we are rewarded by being musicians. So, I thought I would take a minute to share how others are giving back to our art and how we can harness their talents and generosity.

This website by the Diamond State Saxophone Quartet (DSSQ) offers a variety of arrangements for instant download. There are a variety of genres and levels. Check the levels to see if they match your impression of the indicated level.

The growth of SibeliusMusic.com is astounding. A search for Saxophone Quartet on the site resulted in 6004 arrangements that meet that criteria. Select arrangements have MIDI MP3 files associated with them so you can listen. But, beware - MIDI is MIDI in all it's "glory." You will need to install the Scorch plugin to view the scores you choose. But, the key is price. You will find many scores for $4.95-$10.00. And, you can download them NOW - save shipping charges. As a side note, I just ordered from a national supplier -- the score was $14.95 and shipping was $7.00.

Of course, the value of the music must be considered. I do not imagine we would ever program an entire concert from these resources - but then again, I have not tried.

If you have another resource, share. We can all benefit from resources such as these.

Have fun!
Mark

Community Group Missions

How healthy is the musical community in your hometown? Do you know? Why should we know?

I recently posted to the NASA (North American Saxophone Alliance) regarding how to promote the value and role of community based musical groups. You must be a member to have access to the Forums. So, I suggest anyone interested in the world of Saxophone (or just good music for that matter) to join. There are some really great ideas coming out of my initial thread after only a 1 day post life.

So, back to the question -- how healthy is the musical community in your hometown? I usually think of our hometown as the surrounding area, or the general area where we perform. The key to understanding the healthiness of your surrounding area is to look at the indicators. Here are a few from our area that may give you some ideas on how to measure yours.

1. We have a healthy Symphonic Organization - the Williamsport Symphony, with local corporate and organizational support is a strong member of our musical community. The concerts are varied, pulling in - YES -- SAXOPHONES -- and many others styles, soloists and performance opportunities. Of course, the group is mostly supported by local musicians who are teachers, professionals or non-music career individuals. The group has a long history with a continued bright future.
2. We have 4 Post Secondary Music Programs (3 University and 1 College) within our area. 3 of which are no more than a 30 minute drive from Danville, my hometown, and 1 about an hour. They include Susquehanna University, Bloomsburg University, Lycoming College and Mansfield University. Having attended performance by all of these programs in the last year, the performance level, faculty and student base seem to all be growing in strength and performance level. Kudos to all.
3. In 4 of our local community villages, towns and cities, Lewisburg, Williamsport and Danville and Bloomsburg, Music plays a central role in community events. Each of these communities has town park concert series events with great venues. I have played in and attended events at all, most times to full houses (although hard to determine in the park :-)
4. Most of our area has strong public school programs with little evidence of cuts. Many of our smaller schools have concert band programs, school musicals, marching bands, jazz bands and small ensembles. I would also add that many music programs have ventured into the technology age, using music applications to help students learn and create music, including recordings.
5. Our area was also honored as the host of the Governors Awards for the Arts Ceremony recently. Williamsport PA was the center of the Arts a few weeks back. It is great to have a high level of visibility brought to an area.
6. Mansfield University recently announced the creation of a Entrepreneurial Development Center on campus. The focus will be on the arts, including music. The business of the arts is growing. The creation of a center of this nature is incredible evidence that combining arts and business opportunity can be beneficial both artistically and economically in our communities. I am excited to watch or help that program grow.
   

These indicators are somewhat anecdotal. To validate my vision that our area is a healthy musical community, I would want to look at statistics including concert attendees, dollars spent per capita on arts development, college enrollment stats, as well as the levels of music being performed within our schools. As most of us would find, getting that information is tough. So, for now, going on my indicators, I do feel we are headed in the right direction.

But, as we all know, this direction can quickly change. For example, if we allow ourselves to sit back on past successes, the bright spot light on the musical arts we are seeing now can quickly dim. I often compare our mission to that of the many lost family fun parks throughout our region. If you ever driven by the rusted gates of a once grand and spectacular family fun park, you will know what I mean. During their heyday, it was hard to imagine a time when the gates would be locked and the rides inoperable. But, the day did come, and could come for the musical arts if we allow.

As a community group however, the mission is not all that tough. We don't have to think too hard about how to keep music alive. We simply have to do what we do, and do it as much as we can, and talk about what we do, and encourage others THROUGH our love of what we do, to continue to support the musical arts. No one can be forced to do something they do not want to do or cannot do. But, we can all be MOTIVATED to do something when we truly, innately love to do it. That is our mission!

So, why should we know how healthy are music community is? Because when we do, we know how we can be part of that community, and how we can help. For 2009, I feel a renewed sense of ensuring each time KSQ performs, that we take a minute to discuss how strong our musical community is, and how happy we are to be part of that community. And, of course, encourage the continued support and growth of our art. I would love to see 10 new PA based sax quartets form this year and join in our efforts.

Get to know your community -- think about the indicators and measures of success and start to form a clear picture of where your group can help. If your area is struggling -- think about ways to spread the word. And, of course, think about how groups like KSQ can help. If you are in PA -- use our website to invite us to your town. We would love to help.