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Robes for sale; also two titles music As Minister of Music, I was hoping to find a target audience for advertising 25 royal blue adult choir robes in great shape, and some choral music (listed below). My church is moving locations, and I am trying to find a good home for these things. Again, there are 25 royal blue adult choir robes with reversible stoles in very good condition (some may need to be cleaned). Asking $125 for all, OBO. Here is my contact information - Margie Paynton |
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Jazz Pedagogy, The Textbook We Never Had I Written by J. Richard Dunscomb and Dr. Willie L. Hill, Jr., this 394-page book comes complete with a DVD and a chapter devoted to vocal jazz! The vocal jazz chapter was written by, none other than Jennifer Shelton Barnes. Although only ten pages, this chapter has lots of good information for the vocal jazz ensemble director including a director's checklist, listening lists of jazz artists (both vocal and instrumental), and vocal jazz resources listing books, web sites, and jazz vocal camps for you and your students. (Unfortunately, the Soundsation camp isn't on the list.) Jennifer¹s chapter also provides a short section on amplification and a page of valuable rehearsal techniques for you and your vocal jazz ensemble. The strength of the chapter is Jennifer's emphasis on listening along with some tips on scat-singing and the importance of the lyric. I especially like her discussion of effective scat syllables and her step-by-step approach on how to learn a song in order to improvise over it. But, there is much more useful information for you in this book. It comes with a three-hour DVD where you can watch Willie Hill work on improvisation skills with a student jazz combo. You¹ll be pleasantly surprised to find how singing is an integral part of his teaching method. Part of the DVD is devoted to rhythm section techniques, however much of that discussion deals with the role of each player and setup of the rhythm section. There is a lack of specific information on how to train your rhythm section players, but you'll find much more information on piano, bass, drums, and guitar in the book itself. The DVD also documents live rehearsals of junior and senior high jazz bands led by the two main authors. (You can also see Bob Mintzer work with a college big band.) The audio examples on the DVD include a valuable listening demo of both vocal and instrumental articulation using the song Just Friends. The book itself includes an historical jazz timeline, a chapter on using
technology to teach jazz, a resource guide, and a glossary. You
also might be interested in the sections on ensemble scheduling challenges
and budgeting. I feel there is much to be learned from the chapters
on improvisation, especially as singers peering into the instrumental
world. Dr. John Kuzmich Jr. reviewed this text and DVD in the
March/April, 2003 issue of the Jazz Education Journal (p. 79), and he
states, "This book can and will eliminate the barriers of teaching jazz
in the public schools." A Jim Jirak |
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Books on Beth’s
Desk As a young girl, my family and I would visit the library regularly,
and we’d all sit with a book and read in the evening. Now, it seems
the only time I read “for pleasure” is on vacation or on
the airplane. I am happy to say that several “study” books
I have read recently have also given me great pleasure. Let me recommend
some materials that inspired me this past year. I put several of his rehearsal suggestions and
warmups to use right away. One thing that CHANGED my rehearsal planning
was his five-minute schedule. He broke his rehearsal into five-minute
slots and planned what would happen in each. Believe it or not, I didn’t
feel regimented or overwhelmed, but instead, more efficient. During rehearsal,
as I glanced at my five-minute plan, if I found myself getting late,
I felt free to push ahead to the next thing on my agenda. Rather than
feeling like I ran out of time ONCE AGAIN, I found I completed what I
had set out to do. I plan to purchase his sequel book, The Perfect
Rehearsal. Having attended one of
his workshops about two years ago, I have been regularly reviewing this
DVD and my notes. If you didn’t get to attend the conference, get
this! I am including in my rehearsals many of the beat, rhythm, and phrasing
activities I first was trained to use in my primary general music classes...stepping
the beat, clapping the rhythm, turning on the phrase, stepping the macro
beat while clapping the rhythm, etc. Incorporating these activities will
keep your kids involved, and their singing will be much more alive. Plus,
you’ll have fun! In her book, she presents specific lesson plans for teaching
vocal technique as well as presentation plans for literature. I felt
she gave me tangible tools to help children understand they have control
of their voice and they are able to manipulate it. Marie is developing
a subscription membership service where you can access lesson plans for
more octavos. I plan to check it out. Having searched for years to find a musicianship book that fits the needs of my choirs, and having tried several semi-successfully, I can say I am purchasing this for my kids this fall. I spent several hours talking with the other two authors, Eileen Baldwin and Linda Beaupre. They were most gracious to share how they have piloted this series, along with Jean Bartle, with ALL of their choirs. Finally, a resource that teaches concepts through singing and the keyboard, and a CD so the kids have guidance and can practice/study at home! I “piloted” a couple of the pages with my school choir to see their response. I couldn’t believe how EASY it was to connect with my kids. They were “playing” their pianos while singing the chromatic scale right before my eyes. They were asking questions. They were saying, “Oh!...is that why?” (That was from my smart 8th grade piano player who loves to challenge me.) Highly recommended for any age choir. Call me and I can fill you in on more details I learned from the three B’s.
Ten Positive Things to Do for Yourself This Year As I write this article on August 1, I am beginning to feel that “empty” feeling
I always experience when the month of August arrives. I’ll bet
I’m not the only one! The last relaxing, peaceful weeks of summer
are almost a memory, and the busy regimen of the school year is WAY too
near. A basic habit like eating a balanced diet can become almost impossible
due to time constraints. As I prepare my “self” for this
onslaught, it occurs to me that we all need to remember to nurture ourselves
when life gets so busy and we give so much of ourselves to others. (This
is especially true for those of us who have children of our own.) So,
I am writing this list for myself. I’m sure there are other readers,
like me, who will benefit from this reminder.
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Guest Article
I have the choristers lift their hand up in a claw shape facing away
from their body and say "snarl"...a couple of times to get them to think
about the forward or "frontal" placement of that sound...then turn the
hand toward their face and say "snore" a couple of times to let them
hear the difference in these placements. All of this, by the way,
is modeled by me or you or whomever is teaching...which raises a very
important thought...we teachers must be VERY careful to make sure that
EVERY sound that comes o Anyway...back to "snarl & snore." We should model this carefully for them. Now, once they grasp the idea that these are two different placements for sound, let's get them to substitute "piano" for "snarl" and "forte" for "snore." The idea being that in the soft/piano dynamic range, they need to keep a more forward or frontal placement to be understood textually and to aid in singing in tune. In the loud/forte range, they need the backward or internal placement to keep from getting too brassy and to again aid in singing in tune. Let me pause once again and also recommend that we be very careful about terms like "forward and backward." They are useful, but can lead down some inappropriate pathways pedagogically speaking. Occasionally I'll substitute terms like "front - back" or "outside-inside." Often I'll return to the "snarl-snore." Then the fun part is to have them hold their hands forward in a snarl placement and sing the word "piano" softly on a given pitch (maybe even a chord), then gradually turn their hand while singing the word "crescendo" and actually doing the crescendo on their given note, finally ending with their hand in the "snore" placement singing the word "forte." It takes a couple of times doing this to get the hang of it. Everyone has to start at the same dynamic and end at the same dynamic AND CHANGE dynamics at the same time. Very advanced! Then, just for fun, reverse it! Have them start on a forte (snore hand placement), make the descrescendo and end at the piano (snarl hand placement). It can really be a lot of fun...part of the weekly drill. I always did it on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and right at the end of the warm-up, before we started literature and applied it immediately to some part in a song on which we are working that requires them to crescendo or descrescendo and sustain a forte or piano sound. WOW! That's a lot of words. It works for me and I hope it helps. If not, just drop it and don't worry about it! Keep on keepin' on.
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f you are like me, classes and textbooks for jazz pedagogy were rare
or nonexistent during your undergraduate training. But now there
are many more resources for the jazz educator than ever before, and you
should consider adding Jazz Pedagogy, The Jazz Educator¹s Handbook
and Resource Guide to your library.
enjoyed
Tim’s style of writing (especially appreciating his short
segments of readable chunks). It was very practical, usable, and entertaining
(Learning can be fun!). 
ocent Sounds
ean Ashworth Bartle, Eileen Baldwin, and Linda
Beaupre – Hinshaw
Exercise 4-5 times each week. As you plan your day,
schedule exercise into the daily routine. The benefits will permeate
into all areas of your life, including your teaching.
a student who has gone “over and beyond” your
expectations, or, most importantly, a family member. One kind deed
goes a long way.
How do we help our choirs make their best sound? Lots of tricks to this
trade, but here's one of my favorites! What we're trying to do is get
the little darlings to listen to the sound they're making...and to realize
that the dynamic spectrum requires different SOUNDS as well as VOLUMES.
So...
ut of us is a sound that we want the kids to
imitate...because they WILL imitate it, whether it's a "good sound" or
not! We must constantly monitor our own sound and listen critically to
ourselves. How can we expect them to listen critically when we just bellow
mindlessly? Modeling counts.