Chip De Stefano
DePaul University Wind Literature Guest Lecture
June 1, 2001
Introduction and Overview
Thank Dr. DeRoche for inviting me
I'm excited to be here to discuss this topic
I'm very passionate about the topic of middle school
literature
I apologize in advance for my opinionated nature in this
matter
As music educators, our decisions when we select music
are extremely important.
All band directors think that they pick the greatest music
for their students to prepare
Unfortunately, in my opinion, most (particularly at the
middle school) of these directors are wrong!
At the high school and college level, there is a large
and well known pool in the standard literature
At the middle school level, the literature push is publisher
driven (it's how they make the majority of their money).
Attempts to form a standard literature are quite fragmented
Today I'm going to share how I go about selecting music (particularly
for my top band).
I have also brought scores and recordings of some works and
composers that I feel qualify as quality young band literature
Responsibility of picking quality music
As band directors, the music we select is our curriculum
We have two needs to consider when selecting music
Educational needs
Aesthetic
Instrumental Skills
Theory
History
Performance needs
Audience Appeal
If we expect our students to grow musically, they will have
to be challenged and presented with music of depth that will
allow this growth to occur
What to look for when selecting music for you middle school band
Musical Issues
Aesthetic – Does the work provide an opportunity
for an aesthetic experience for the students? If not, look
for something else.
Musical Depth – Does the musical difficulty meet
or exceed the technical difficulty?
Percussion/Bass Line – Do their parts represent
the same level of technical and musical difficulty as the
other instruments?
Technical Issues
Independence of Parts – The more independent the
parts, the more difficult for the middle school band to
prepare.
Brass Range – Check the 1st parts for potential
upper register problems.
Key Signature – Some keys are more "band friendly" than
others especially in terms of pitch issues. Don't shy away
from keys just because they have lots of sharps or flats.
One of the more difficult keys for kids to play with good
pitch in is, in my opinion, C major.
Technique – How far will the kids technique be
stretched with the work? Are the technical passages scalier?
Is there time for the students to learn the technique?
Do you really feel like beating the technique into them,
or would you rather work on other issues?
Look for a balance between pushing the kids technically and
allowing time to focus on musical issues.
Set a high standard for the literature you select. The process
should be the same whether you are selecting music for your third
band or for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Choosing music, my process
Listening
Looking at score
See how it fits with rest of program
Available resources for finding literature
Publisher Demos
Beware! They are very good at marketing.
Every year I find maybe 3 or 4 new releases that I would
consider programming.
The large publishers are in business to make money. Most
of the pieces have a "hook." Unfortunately that hook doesn't
ever seem to be musical depth.
Beware of formula composers. There is a reason all their
pieces sound the same. They are contracted to do six or
seven pieces a year. I truly believe this is the source
of some problems…they're contracted to write so many
works that they don't have the luxury to sort through and
truly develop their works.
Many of the larger publishers have gotten into a habit
of trying to make every piece sound good regardless of
the bands instrumentation. The result is a catalog we everything
has basically the same tutti sound.
Time can help determine whether a work is of quality
or not. If you're not absolutely sure about a work, give
it a couple years. If you still like the work, you're probably
safe programming it.
Watch middle school bands play
See what other bands are playing, especially the good
ones.
Just because several bands are playing a piece, it doesn't
mean that it's good.
Repertoire Lists
I lived off the Doug Akey list for virtually my entire first
two years of teaching
A trusted repertoire list can be your most valuable resource.
Teaching Music series
Personal Tastes
This is one area where I believe student opinions don't matter.
First of all, the teacher is the one getting paid to make these
decisions
The average teenagers listen to hip-hop and boy bands. They
can appreciate quality music, with depth, but they must be taught
this.
If you really believe in a piece, they will either:
Learn to like it
Tolerate it
Don't be afraid to bail on a piece that doesn't meet your musical
expectations even if you have spent rehearsal time on it
How to insure quality programming for young students