Random Thoughts for the End of August

I’ve been reading Pathways: A Guide for Energizing & Enriching Band, Orchestra, & Choral Programs by Joseph Alsobrook. I’m only about halfway through, but wow, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite band related texts. In the next several weeks we’ll be trying to institute some of his thoughts to help with our Midwest preparation.

REHEARSALS
Things really feel in full swing now. We’ve started working on three of our Midwest works for a concert in four weeks. The band certainly seems to be more than one week better since camp, but I’ve been recently frustrated by what seems to be a general lack of urgency in rehearsals. This is certainly not a reflection of me! Our next concert is four weeks away for crying out loud!

Anyway, I’ve taken a multi-pronged approach to refocusing the kids’ efforts. At rehearsal Tuesday afternoon, I played the kids a couple tracks from Hill Country Middle School’s Midwest performance in 1999. That jolted them back to reality…the kids were blown away by how well that band played. I’ll continue to play various recordings of the premier middle school bands so that the kids understand clearly where the bar is set.

Goal setting has been an integral part of our program for the last several years. I had actually considered skipping this assignment this year, but changed my mind when it became clear some students needed a little more direction and ownership in their learning. Their goal sheets are due tomorrow. It’s always interesting to see what the kids are hoping to accomplish each year.

Finally, just as I shared with last year’s band all of the congratulations we received at the end of last year, I’ll be sharing with the kids the many emails I receive each week that state that they can’t wait to hear our performance at Midwest.

I think most would agree that it’s a fine line. It’s important to shield the kids from the bulk of the pressure that I’ll be feeling as the performance approaches. At the same time, it’s essential that they realize the significance of this performance and not take it lightly. Hopefully these steps will strike the balance. If not, we’ll try something else!

PROGRAM
Our program must be submitted to the Midwest Office by September 15. I believe our program is set. After considerable thought…and good judgment (I think), I switched out one of the harder works on our program for an easier work by the same composer. What finally sold me was that the new work is on the 60th Anniversary list the Board of Directors compiled. It’s also listed in Volume One of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, and has a short feature for one of our stronger players. This, plus the improved rehearsals of the last couple days, has made me very comfortable with our program. It has a nice balance of difficulty and I truly believe that they are all works that our audience should, and will want to, program with their own ensembles.

(For topic suggestions or questions relating to our Midwest performance I can be contacted via email: cdestefano@skokie735.k12.il.us or through the contact page on our website.)

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