Our Midwest Application

I love performing at conferences. I particularly enjoy preparing for them. There’s something about a high-pressure performance that doesn’t involve competition. I also feel, because of our successes, that it is our responsibility to share as much as we can to the rest of the band community through these performances and clinic sessions. Plus, I won’t lie, I also like the recognition these type of performances bring. They’ve done a lot to help our program establish a statewide and national presence. I’ve also found the audiences to be very supportive and appreciative of our kids’ work.

There is also something intrinsically beneficial to applying to perform at conferences, even if you are not selected. The applications are typically fairly extensive. If done properly, the process can be used to improve your teaching and better the students’ performance. The Midwest Clinic application definitely falls into this category. In a nutshell, the Midwest application includes an application form, CD recording, a video, past programs, student roster, three recommendations, and two photos.

This was our fifth consecutive application. The first year we applied, for the 2002 Midwest, I was a bit surprised by how long it took to compile everything. Since then, things have become streamlined. While the application requirements have evolved a bit the last few years, it’s generally the same from year to year. Most of our application for this year was finished before the end of December. This allowed us to focus on the most important part of the application, the CD, the last several weeks before the deadline.

If you ever consider applying to perform, I strongly recommend attending Mark Kelly’s workshop on applying to perform. I’ve been at least five times! He really cuts to the chase about how the application process works. At least for me, the sessions were very helpful.

I do think this was our strongest application of the five. Here’s what we did:

RECORDING
The quality of the recording is the most important aspect of the application. The committee listens to the recordings anonymously at first. So it doesn’t matter how good your other materials are…if your recording isn’t strong, they won’t even look at the other stuff.

We made our recording at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois about three weeks before the deadline. I told you my administration was great! It’s a tremendous hall, and their recording engineer Jon Schoenoff has unbelievable knowledge about the acoustics in there. He was a huge help during the recording.

The application requires that you submit a march (by one of the composers on the required composers list) and a non-march. We recorded four works:

Rough Riders – Karl King

Whip and Spur – Thomas Allen/Ray Cramer
An Irish Rhapsody – Clare Grundman
Spoon River – Percy Grainger/Glenn Cliffe Bainum

I really wanted to place the two harder works on the tape, but they just weren’t as well played as Irish Rhapsody and Rough Riders.

We’ll save the details of our recording preparation for another post.

VIDEO
We recorded our video at the same time we made the recording. I’ve done them separately some years, but find it’s easier to just tape both at the same time. A parent handled the district’s two video cameras. One was stationary on me, the other panned the ensemble from the front of the group. iMovie made editing the tape and making the DVD very easy.

PROGRAMS
This is pretty self-explanatory. The committee asks for two years of programs. We submitted our normal programs from that time, plus we had three nicely printed programs from the three conference performances we had the last two years.

RECOMMENDATIONS
James Keene (University of Illinois), Steve Peterson (Ithaca College), Don Owens (Northwestern University, retired), and Carolyn Barber (University of Nebraska) were all nice enough to write recommendations for us.

PHOTOS
I should really get a new headshot. Five years and three children later, I’m sure I’m more tired looking now. For the band photo, we usually use a more formal shot, this year we got several nice photos during our session at the Palmer House for Gary Barton’s rehearsal lab at this past Midwest. We used one of those.

Did I think we’d get invited? I was hopeful, but not very optimistic. There was some very nice and expressive playing on our recording with demonstration of strong fundamentals, but I wasn’t sure it was good enough. I had, in my mind at least, started planning for next year’s application and began application packets for both the MENC North-Central Conference in Lincoln, NE and our All-State Conference. For now, though, I’m just happy that I can be stressing about our Midwest performance like it’s next week.

McCracken Middle School Midwest Audition Repertoire
Just in case anyone is interested. I love this type of stuff!

2006 Midwest Application
Rough Riders – Karl King (Barnhouse)
An Irish Rhapsody – Clare Grundman (Boosey and Hawkes)

2005 Midwest Application
Circus Days – Karl King (Barnhouse)

Prelude and Fugue in Bb – J. S. Bach/Roland Moehlmann (Warner Brothers)

2004 Midwest Application
Orange Bowl – Henry Fillmore (Carl Fischer)
Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo – Malcolm Arnold/John Paynter (Carl Fischer)

2003 Midwest Application
Red’s White and Blue March – Red Skelton/Frank Erickson (Sam Fox)
Fantasy on American Sailing Songs – Clare Grundman (Boosey and Hawkes)

2002 Midwest Application

March: Seventeen Come Sunday from English Folk Song Suite – Ralph Vaughan-Williams (Boosey and Hawkes)
Yorkshire Ballad – James Barnes (Southern Music Company)

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