MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Building Curriculum-Based Concerts

Author(s): Joshua A. Russell
Source: Music Educators Journal, Vol. 92, No. 3 (Jan., 2006), pp. 34-39
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of MENC: The National Association for Music
Education
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3401138
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 Building Concerts
Curriculum-Based
By Jo s h u a A. R u s sel

.i
At's the first day of the new semester. The students are back from their long winter break with a
rt'wed sense of vigor. Unfortunately,there are six fewer people in front of Mr. Aubelchan. "Well,"he
?tks, "there isn't much I can do about it now. I might as well start passing out the new music."
I Mr. Aubelchan," Stephanie shouts, "anotherarrangementof a Vivaldi piece? This is the second one
":&year and the fourth one in the past two years!"
"Well, Stephanie," the teacher tries to explain, "you guys play in the baroque style very well, and
we have a contest coming up in a couple of months, not to mention the concert at City Park and the
festival. And don't forget the fund-raising assembly next week, which is taking away one of our
rehearsals. We have just enough time to learn to play a piece like this, and I know it's one that'll
allow you to really shine. You want to get that Superior rating at festival and beat Bergwill High, don't
you?"
Mr. Aubelchan raises his baton and starts to rehearse the Vivaldi arrangement. Those in the class
who have been there for a year or two have no trouble adapting what they've done before to this "new"
piece. At the end of the class, the students pack their instruments
away and leave the rehearsal hall with a much-deflated sense
of enthusiasm.
_ti to bn te , e , o aThe nextd day at rehearsal, the students dutifully enter
._
...mpr ...l ofmse the
. Itroom, to fout their
is rr get a instruments, and prepare to play.
c a o b Mr. Aubelchan's baton falls on the first downbeat, and
~iE * they're off. Repetitive eighth notes fill the room. A fresh-
tSonw!rt-~
?7~',,, ~man F in the back of the second violins drops his bow while
trying to execute a bouncing bowstroke, forcing Mr.
|_expriecesNo e e l Aubelchan to stop. When he turns to address the situa-
tion, he looks around at the second violins and asks, "Hey,
has anyone seen Stephanie today?"

"Teachingto the Test"

Since and even before-the National Standardsfor Music Educationl were published, music edu-
cators have tried to balance the expectations associated with the traditional performance curriculum
and contemporary models of music education. It is rare to find an argument against the idea of a com-
prehensive music education as outlined by the Standards.However, heated discussions about how best
to implement these Standards are rampant in the field. (See the Suggested
Readings for examples.) Music performance can provide students with mean-
ingful experiences. Nonetheless, ensemble directors need to find ways to
balance the curriculum and incorporate nonperformance skills as well as
general musical knowledge.
Many secondary music directors are hesitant to give up rehearsal time
when their community, administration, parents, and colleagues expect
students to demonstrate a high level of performance skill at any number
of school or community functions. This dilemma requires rethinking the
curricular scope and sequence.
If the typical large-ensemble concert once or twice a semester is the
sole impetus for a secondary performance class, then comprehensive
musicianship will remain a distant and often accidental outcome of music
education. The holiday or winter concert, which is usually scheduled before
winter break, and the end-of-the-year concert, which usually contains the music
performed for adjudication, will be more educational and worthwhile for students if
they are not asked to perform similar music for each concert that has been prepared,in both cases, over

MUSIC E D) UCATORS JOURNAL JANUARY 2006

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a Ilenglthyrehearsal sclason.
In tllis tradlitional rmaince
iprfor modell, directors muLst often make decision-s bIased on extrinsic
exptcta.tiolns. l -he tprforlmalnccs are frcclucnltlv an hour or
longer, oftcn with n(o logical conncction b)ctwccn the
T o ilmpress their colleagues or their .audi-
pieces.
nccs, Imany dclircc tors choose 1well
music that is
abovc the skill level or undetrstanding ol' the cnscm- :
bli. 1-here arc also dlircctors who think that pecr-
forniancil cluantitxt at tiimes rcgardlcss of ciuality, is L -
the hialllmarkof a good program. School functions,
class trils, sIno\ clays, assemtIlics, anlt testing can ,,
l,
also take away valuahilc class time, forcing directors
and studenCts to feel less than pcrfectly prepared foor
a perforlllmanc.lThcsec recCluirlementsand attitudes
force dtircctors to use the bulk of class tilCme as
rehearsal time, p-rcparing forty- five minutes or ,i ^ ll l 1
mlorc of music. I 1hisis the Lmusical version of teach- . e
ing to the test, allowing little time to covcr ancillarvy
*ili.l | " .n1
material or explore importanl t lnonlierformancc "
skills.

Beyond Performance?
Although, as Charles I oftfcr points out, concerts l
"lrovidcc a definite goal toward which to work,"
thec\ should not become the ultilmlate goal toward
which all stucCnts strive. The C ontlmlporarv Music
Project, launched to place colmposcrs in schlools as
artists in residencel , includedi a list of rationales that
echo the National Standards' focus on comprechen-
'
siveCrlmusiciarnshipas a vita l aspect of ltmusicclduca-
tionl. Amonllg these was tlh idea
tl that "complrehnc- ll

durino four-year ensemble proglram.

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 students will become bored with the
~
-II~..* ~
fI e rt? Ie IIuIWE *l. U h?F ?(. ~ repeated emphasis on performance
preparation and drop out. Without a
comprehensive education in music,
Historical Context and Philosophy
many students will not become famil-
* Elliot,David.MusicMatters:ANew Philosophyof MusicEducation.New York: iar with the cultural contexts of vari-
Oxford UniversityPress, 1995. ous types of music, and their interest
in as well as ability to negotiate an
* Mark,MichaelL.Contemporary MusicEducation.New York:SchirmerBooks, advanced
interpretation of any given
1996. work may be adversely affected.
* Reimer,Bennett.A Philosophyof MusicEducation:Advancing the Vision.Upper Students will not have the opportuni-
Saddle River,NJ:Prentice Hall,2003. ty to develop the creative skills of
composition and improvisation in
Curriculum and Pedagogy music, which can often be among the
most enjoyable or meaningful aspects
* Abrahams,Frank,and PatriciaHead.CaseStudiesin MusicEducation.Chicago: of music education. In
short, students
GIA, 1996. stuck in a performance-basedcurricu-
* Littrell,David,and LauraReed Racin,eds. TeachingMusicthroughPerformance lum are just that-stuck.
in Orchestra.Chicago:GIA,2002.
* Labuta,Joseph A. TeachingMusicianshipin the High School Band. Fort A Thematic Concert
Lauderdale:MeredithMusicPublications,1997. The Standards-based curriculum
challenges directors to consider how
Books for Students student experiences and learning can
be broadened and made more mean-
* Garofalo,Roberto. RehearsalHandbookfor Bandand OrchestraStudents.Fort ingful. It's difficult to justify four
Lauderdale:MeredithMusicPublications,1983. years of enrollment in an ensemble
class if the outcomes seem to be the
same each year and for all students
sive musicianship training incorpo- music education. regardlessof what grade they are in or
rates conceptual knowledge with In a purely performance-based how many years they have participat-
technical skills to develop the capaci- model of music education, students ed in the ensemble.
ty to experience fully and to commu- sometimes miss the opportunity to One viable strategy is to design the-
nicate the content of a musical gain alternate meaningful experiences matic concerts to take place at the end
work."3 It would be difficult to argue (for example, a connection to music of each quarter.Concert repertoirecan
that students taking a traditional in their lives outside class and in the be rotated on a four-yearbasis so that
ensemble course are learning accord- future). Without these additional all students have the chance to
ing to this broader interpretation of benefits of music education, some explore new information, skills,
styles, cultures, and outcomes each
year without repetition. These themat-
YearOne Ist Quarter Musicof the ClassicalEra ic concerts allow a director to focus on
2nd Quarter Opera/Oratorio a specific genre or style of music. Each
3rd Quarter Jazz nine-week term could be its own
4th Quarter Student Compositions and SmallEnsembles rehearsalseason, creating an opportu-
nity to discover a breadth of repertoire
YearTwo Ist Quarter Musicof the BaroqueEra over four years (see table 1).
2nd Quarter Theatrical/Musical(Pit Performance) Instead of giving a "feature-length"
3rd Quarter Concerti concert at the typical times of the
4th Quarter Student Compositions and SmallEnsembles
year, the ensemble could prepare
shorter concerts each quarter. The
YearThree Ist Quarter Musicof the Renaissance shorter length of the concerts allows
2nd Quarter Rock/Pop more time to be devoted to nonper-
3rd Quarter Contemporary/Modern formance instruction. Each quarter's
4th Quarter Student Compositions and SmallEnsembles
learning would be dedicated to a spe-
cific genre, style, or musical culture
Year Four Ist Quarter Musicof the RomanticEra
appropriate for the students and the
2nd Quarter Country/Mariachi/Bluegrass/lrish community. One performance could
3rd Quarter Atonal Music be based on the compositions and
4th Quarter Student Compositions and SmallEnsembles music of the baroque era, whereas the
next quarter'sinstruction might focus
| _ [_r,Tm1
_ "M1o- rTIT5 'U _ on developing students' skill and
36 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL JANUARY 2006

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knowledge in bluegrass music. This
sequence could be rotated over the Standard (Numbers) Instructional Activity
course of four years, with the director
ensuring that repertoire is not need- Singor performon instru- Prepareconcert music,breakinto sectionalsor
ments (I & 2) smallensembles.
lessly repeated in high school per-
formance classes. Moreover, thematic (3)
Improvisation Director-ledinstructionwith opportunityfor
concert rotation allows teachers to studentsto attemptone skillper lesson.
develop a logical and structured pro- Composition(4) Director-ledinstructionon basiccompositional
gram of study. This arrangement can skillswith assignedhomework.Smallensembles
broaden students' musical under- gettingtogether to compose music(possiblyfor
standing without compromising the concert) or a large-classcompositionover the
course of the year.
development of essential performance
skills. Readand notate (5) Sight-reading exercises used as warm-ups.These
As long as the rotation is not fun- skillsare also foundin the performanceand
damentally altered, it wouldn't matter compositionsections.
where students come into the pro- Listento, analyze,describe, Short director-ledinstructionwith students
gram. No matter when they enter dur- and evaluatemusic(6 & 7) keepinga journalof at least two entries a week
ing the four years, they will experi- with a growingvocabularyof musicterminology
ence high-quality repertoire ranging appropriateto the theme.
from examples of great orchestral Relateto the other arts (8) Teacher-leddiscussion.Paperdue at the end of
works to modern pieces to their own the term on one of the pieces performedin the
compositions. largeensembleon this topic.The directorcould
choose appropriatecontributionsto includein
concert programnotes.
Efficient Time Use
Assuming that the school year is Historyand culture(9) Director-leddiscussionwith one paperdue per
divided into nine-week quarters with quarterbasedon the theme'sinformation.Again,
an average of 225 minutes of music the directorcan choose appropriatepapersto
use as concert programnotes.
class each week, ensemble directors
can divide instructional time in a way
that allows for high-quality perform-
ances as well as a comprehensive
music education. week? For teachers meeting with a much the same except spread over a
Taking into account the musical
class five times a week, the schedule two-week, five-block period with
roles that underlie the National might look something like what is extended times for each activity other
Standards and contribute to a com- shown in table 3. than setup and cleanup (see table 4).
For ensembles on a block schedule This will allow more time to be spent
prehensive music education, teachers
can draw on their particular areas of that permits them to meet only every in sight-reading or on other material.
other day, the schedule may look The schedule is more flexible than a
expertise and firsthand knowledge of
the community in formulating the
best way to serve students. Collabora-
tive efforts by the music faculty in the Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
school can help bridge gaps in expert-
ise where they exist. For example, if Setup, 5 min. Setup, 3 min. Setup, 4 min. Setup, 4 min. Setup, 4 min.
the band director is an avid composer, Read and Concert Concert Concert Concert
perhaps he or she could teach lessons notate (Sight- prep (piece prep (piece prep (as prep (as
in composition to the orchestra while readingwarm- 2), 14 min. 3), 28 min. needed or needed),28
the choral director facilitates small- ups),5 min. piece 4), 18 min.
Composi- History and min.
ensemble rehearsals in the band Listen/De-
Concert tion, culture, 10
room. Alternatively, if the orchestra scribe, 10
prep (piece lesson/large- min. Improv, 10
director is a music history aficionado, I), 22 min. groupor min. min.
he or she could teach lessons on any small-group Cleanup, 3
number of historical subjects. These Improv on compositions, min. Relate to Cleanup, 3
team efforts are potentially limitless. concert piece 25 min. the other min.
I melody,10 arts, 10 min.
With or without collaboration, it's min. Cleanup, 3
possible to configure weekly instruc- min. Cleanup, 3
tional time in a way that can expand Cleanup, 3 min.
the scope of musical experience and min.
learning for students (see table 2).
What would this curriculum look
like if implemented over a single
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 students, the two most critical groups
Block One BlockTwo BlockThree Block Four Block Five needed for this style of program to be
successful are the teachers and the
Setup, 5 min. Setup, 5 min. Setup, 5 min. Setup, 5 min. Setup, 5 min. administrators. These are some of the
Read and Read and Read and Read and Read and requirements for these groups:
notate (Sight- notate (Sight- notate (Sight- notate (Sight- notate (Sight- * a music department with a colle-
readingwarm- readingwarm- readingwarm- readingwarm- readingwarm- gial relationship and a desire to work
ups),10 min ups),5 min. ups),6 min. ups),6 min. ups),6 min. together for the advancement of all
students' education
Concert Concert Concert Concert Concert * a music department of educators
prep, 52 min. prep, 27 min. Prep, 56 min. prep, 36 min. prep, 56 min. who wish to adopt a comprehensive
Improv, 20 Composition History and Improv, 20 Listen/De- approach
min. ,50 min. culture, 20 min. scribe, 20 * a dynamic music faculty willing
min. min. to work toward a better program and
Cleanup, 3 Cleanup, 3 Relate to respond to the pressures of change
min. min. Cleanup, 3 the other Cleanup, 3 * a music faculty willing to expand
min. arts, 20 min. min. the idea of music education and do
the extra planning and research
Cleanup, 3
min. required for implementation
* a faculty with the opportunity
and desire to communicate and create
*SI( _ m __ team-teaching opportunities
* an understanding and open-
five-times-a-week arrangement,allow- tance of performance. In fact, it
minded administration willing to lis-
ing the director to better fit the allows pure performance instruction-
ten to the experts they hired
sequence of the curriculum to his or al time to be almost 50 percent of the
If these criteriaare met, there is lit-
her class. The overall goal of allowing curriculum. Comprehensive music
tle that can prevent dramatic and pos-
time for a broader interpretation of education does not have to exist at
itive change.
music education remains the same. If the expense of performance.
Another prerequisite for the suc-
properly planned, these block classes cess of this comprehensive model is
(once considered a detriment to Getting There an educationally aware administra-
music education) can be one of our What would this curriculum
tion. The often-contradictory desires
greatest assets. require?Before educators can take the of administrators and music educa-
As you can see, this model would required steps to address the short- tors are not a new phenomenon. Nor
give students and directors both the comings of purely performance-based have we traditionally been our own
opportunity to prepare for a high- curricula, they must identify the indi- best advocates, either within the sys-
quality concert and enough time to viduals and environments essential
tem or outside it. In 1973, Daniel L.
explore diverse aspects of the quar- for true and lasting change in the
Kohut wrote,
ter's particular theme. This arrange- overall practice of music education in
ment does not diminish the impor- the secondary schools. Beyond the
Unfortunately,theoryand prac-
.X"e tice seem to be at opposite
poles in many school systems.
o m Music as an art continues to
Z
,,, o
z
23N3W
MENCResources receive minimal attention in
those schools where it exists
largely for its entertainment
The following related publications are available from MENC and public relations values.
School administratorswho use
(www.menc.orgor 800-828-0229):
music programsprimarilyfor
* Consortium of NationalArts EducationAssociations.NationalStandards these purposes and music
teachers who willingly allow
forArtsEducation:What EveryYoungAmericanShouldKnowand BeAbleto
Do in the Arts. Reston,VA:MENC, 1994. Item #1605 ($17.25, MENC this to happen deserve to be
chided for their neglect of edu-
members;$23.00, nonmembers).
cationalresponsibility.4
* MENC.TeacherSuccessKit:Howto Succeedin MusicEducation(CD-ROM
for IBM-compatibleor Macintosh systems). Reston,VA:MENC,2002. Now, more than thirty years later, it
Item #3101($8.25, MENCmembers;$1 1.00,nonmembers).Free online seems that we have many of the same
at www.menc.org/publication/books/teacherskit.html. issues, with little change in the prac-
tice of music education in the second-
11"k- 01
ary schools.
38 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL JANUARY 2006

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 1 I~~~~~~~~~~~
Walk the Walk! SUMMER INSTITUTE INSIENA,ITALY (FLORENCE) >
We music teachers demonstrate
July 17 to August18, 2006
what is important to us by what we 7\ TheUniversityof Siena-S/American and
Universities
do, not what we say. Many in the field
( S~\ ~
Colleges(35rdyear)Music:Vocal,Instrumental,Composition,
of music education have been great Chorus,Languages, Chamber Orchestra, Travel
Study
advocates of comprehensive musi-
SSMA,incooperation of Siena-Sagainoffersstudyseminars
withtheUniversity andconcertsin
cianship in education. There have Siena,Italyin2006.Theprogram is opento qualified undergraduates,
graduates, professionals,
been great thinkers who have given teachers,20 yearsof ageorabove.$2585.Educational travelcharter
flight.Specialdiploma;
us considerable fodder for debate and creditornon-credit;
in-service tripsto Rome,Florence,
auditions;
credit; Assisi,Venice,Pisa,
threedaysinSwitzerland; a Puccini
Opera.Liveandpreform inoneofthemostarts-endowed
experimentation. Unfortunately, we citiesintheworld.
have yet to find the room in our busy WRITEOR CALL:
curricular schedules to implement SessioneSeneseperlaMusicae I'Arte.
Auditions ,^ ES MusicDirector
- JosephDelPrincipe
many of these ideas. Our programs InNewYorkCity,CTorTapeMail- in Registration 595 ProspectRoad*Waterbury,
CT06706
continue to be defined by formal con- \1< Non- Profithttp://www.sienamusic.org 203-754-5741

certs and other public appearances.

We attend conferences and often
leave energized with new thoughts or
ideas. However, by the time we are
back in the classroom, we are con-
strained again by the performance
pressures that administrators, com-
munity members, and we teachers
place on our students. As these pres-
sures filter down to the students, they
often begin to feel that all there is in
music education is that which is
placed before them-performance.
It's time to stop building music
education curricula purely on the per-
formance model. It is possible to
build curriculum-based, thematic
concerts each nine-week period.
Rethinking how to best serve the
RevolutionizeYourTeaching!
needs of students will illuminate how
this system can make music educa-
tion more meaningful to more stu-
KODALY ,\ 1 1C
CtINT!VR1kOR
Study with Hungarialnlmasterteachers
and distinguishledAmerican ftzcultv
ill once of the fincst lmusiccducati)on
dents, provide educational validity, prograims in North At-merica.Mllakeuse
aid student retention, and further the
-t! IC,\-1TO' of thc large HNU foilksong collectioln-
.a uniqlue rcsoturc tfor teaching!
comprehensive model of music edu- * 1M.M. in Mlusic Education
cation outlined by the National 'I'c
h lastcr off Nlusic dcgrce imay bc
* Kodail Specialist (Crtificatc
Standards beyond the elementary complleted in one year. (Classes begin
* KodailkSumnmelcr Certificate with the HNU Kodily Summer
classroom and into the rehearsal halls
Institute, July 10 - 28, 2006.
of secondary programs.
Application deadline: May 1, 2006.
Notes $5,000 Kodail Fellowshipsavailable.
1. Consortium of National Arts Fellowshipdeadline: NMarch1, 2006.
Education Associations, National Stan-
dardsfor Arts Education:(Reston, VA:
MENC, 1994).
2. Charles R. Hoffer, TeachingMusic in
the SecondarySchools (Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, 1991), 269.
3. MichaelL. Mark,Contemporary Music
Education (New York: Schirmer Books, Anne Laskey, Director of the Kodaly Center
1996), 162. 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA 94619
4. Daniel L. Kohut, Instrumental (510) 436-1234 laskey@hnu.edu www.hnu.edu
Pedagogy: Teaching Techniquesfor School
Band and OrchestraDirectors (Englewood r

Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1973), 2. U

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