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From Stonemason to Sculptor (Midwest 2021)

Thank you for reading our most-recent article in the Southwestern Musician.
You can download the original CLINIC HANDOUT here.

 

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Download Style Worksheet (pdf)

This is a great tool to use with your students, whether on-line or in-person. Consider a lesson where you discuss these different note shapes and have them color in what they think they should see in Tonal Energy's Analysis window.

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Download Note Grouping Presentation (ppt)

This powerpoint can be used following the individual note presentation about building phrases in MACRO. Again, you can play with this however you like. Perhaps diagram phrases from some of the pieces you're currently preparing.

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Download Note Shape Presentation (ppt)

Use this powerpoint to present the different note shapes to students. Edit as you'd like - we understand that not all directors want to hear the same things for these. Having a "jumping-off point" is so important for codifying ensemble style.

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Download Cresc+Dim Presentation (ppt)

While we didn't talk too much about this in the most-recent article, you can dive in here too talk about the ACTUAL shape that crescendos and diminuendos should follow. Again, edit as you would prefer for your ensemble.

Organized Files

Ensemble Skills Packet

What Works for Us

(pdf)

This is the daily ensemble skills packet we use with the concert bands in Coppell ISD. Different variations on these are used across the middle school and high school ensembles. Feel free to adjust and adapt them as you see fit. If you want to know more about how to use the Yamaha Harmony Director with these exercises, I'll be preparing some videos on that in the next several weeks (Nov-Dec 2020).

Presentation Notes:

 

We have to assume, during the “bricklaying” stage, we are ensuring that the students can do the following:

 

Play every note IN-TUNE/IN-TONE/IN-TIME at the correct VOLUME.

 

During the “bricklaying stage”, don’t worry about…

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  • Note Shape

  • Tempo

  • Style

  • Articulation

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On Staccato interpretation...

“sharp attack and abrupt release” – Vincent Persichetti

“brevity and detachment…dry but resonant” – Frederick Fennell

“shorten each note value more than normal” – John Paynter

“no accent – tongue easily, lightly” – William Revelli

“only as short as the music requires” – Clarence Sawhill

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On Accenteed interpretation...

“more force than would ordinarily be used” – Francis Erickson

“the separation from one tone to the next” – Howard Hanson

“emphasized attack…moderate shortening” – Vaclav Nehlybel

“sharp attack and tone held” – Vincent Persichetti

”detache style…a la string bowing marcato” – William Revelli

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On Tenuto interpretation...

“as legato as possible without accent – ‘soft-tongued’” – John Barnes Chance

“full value…minimum space between each note” - Frank Erickson

“sustained legato with emphasis on each tone” – Howard Hanson

“very little separation…slight emphasis or ‘leaning’” – Martin Mailman

“the whole duration is required” – Vaclav Nehlybel

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On Marcato interpretation...

“very hard, strong accent with normal spacing” – John Paynter

“sharp accent with tongue, firm, no diminuendo” – William Revelli

“maximum emphasis on attack – Beethoven” – Frederick Fennell

“extremely harsh, sharp attack…considerable decay” – Vincent Persichetti

“strongly emphasized…sometimes shortened” – Vaclav Nehlybel

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Contact Information:

Gerry Miller

Coordinator of Fine Arts

 Coppell HS

Coordinator of Instrumental Music - Coppell ISD

214.496.6475 (office)

gmiller@coppellisd.com

Thanks to my Mentors:

 

Col. John R. Bourgeois
Dr. Joseph G. Hebert
Prof. Gwen Hotchkiss
Prof. John Reeks
Prof. Sue Loegering Daves
Mr. Anthony Frigo
Mrs. Joni Keller Boulet
Dr. Nicholas Williams
Mr. Scott Mason
Mr. Scott Taylor
Dr. Tom Shine
Mr. George Jones
Dr. Daryl Trent

Dr. Jeff Gershman

Mrs. Amanda Drinkwater

Mr. Jay Bocook

Dr. Nola Jones

Mr. Wayne Dillon

Dr. Jay Kennedy

Thanks to my Colleagues:

 

Kim Shuttlesworth

Riaz Mohammed

Brandon Slovak

Kate Klontz

Matthew Rummel

Randall Nguyen

Lindsey Hartfelder

Rusty Gray

Katie Morris

Jeremy Lindquist

Allie Guinn

Greg McCutcheon

Chantal Hoang

Bona Coogle

Aaron Coronado

 

 

Cecilia Hamilton
Sally Bohls
Sara McCallum

Matt Casazza

Christy Springer
Jared Hunt
Megan DeRubeis
Jon Bohls

Blake Birmingham

Jung Moo Lee
Doug Bush
Patricia Islas

Adrian Caswell
Annie Chernow

Josh Boyd

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