Paige Kibbler

4/15/2016 - Administration of Bands

Concert Programming Paper and Sample Program

In a school band ensemble, a concert performance is like a public exam; the community
will watch and judge as the students demonstrate the knowledge and curriculum they have been
learning. When a concert is well prepared and formatted, it can be a source of community
bonding. When programming for a Middle or High school age band, it is important to consider
factors relating to both the students and the audience. Issues of schedule, piece development and
challenge-level, and overall enjoyment will affect both the students and the audience before and
during the performance.
When programming a concert, a director must consider how often the concerts are
scheduled during the school year, as this will dictate how much rehearsal time is available for
each concert. The director must also be careful not to schedule a concert during an important
school or community function. A concert should also be time-conscious, not lasting longer than
an hour in most cases. This is for the sake of the players endurance, as well as the audiences
aural endurance. Parents and families will often be taking time out of their busy schedules to
support their child, so the director should make this interruption as worthwhile and efficient as
possible. Once the schedule is decided and the length of the concert is decided, the director must
choose music that will fill the time of the concert while taking into consideration how much the
students will be able to prepare each piece. If a concert is happening in two weeks, it may not be
a great time to program multiple long and challenging pieces. Likewise, if your band has several
months to prepare, the students may become tired of rehearsing lighter repertoire.

When considering the difficulty level of the piece, there are several factors a director
must consider. Does the instrumentation match the ensemble? Are the ranges of each part
feasible for the players? Are there techniques (extended or otherwise) that the students are
unfamiliar with? Is any special equipment required to perform the piece? (i.e. mutes, extenders,
etc.) The given difficulty ratings may be helpful in this area for weeding out pieces on the
extremes, but overall, the best way to judge a piece is to look at it yourself. When examining a
piece, the director must consider the potential to grow from the ensemble. Certainly, the band
may not be able to play their parts during the first run through, but will they be able to succeed
through rehearsal and practice time? A director should also vary the repertoire within each
concert. There are many factors to vary, including composer, tempo, style, difficulty, length, etc.
If students are playing the same types of pieces over and again, they may become uninterested
and bored during the rehearsal cycle. Also, while every piece should challenge the ensemble in
some way, students may appreciate a sort-of rest piece that is generally light-hearted and
simple with a singable melody. The conductor may also choose pieces that feature different
sections or soloists. This serves not only as a feature, but often for the other sections, it serves as
a respite. By programming contrasting pieces, keeping the students interested and challenged is
the main goal.
Programming different music also serves a purpose to the audience. A dynamic program
and energetic performance will keep the audience engaged in their seats, even if their child is not
playing in the ensemble. It may even be advised not to program a piece that sounds the same to
whole way through, for similar reasons. Still, an audience can only pay attention for so long, and
attention spans become even shorter in the uncomfortable gymnatorium. An audience listening
to lively march after lively march will likely fall asleep by the end of the concert. And, of

course, parents want to hear their children play, so offering features and solos is a great way to
gain support from more specific parent groups.
In short, there are many things to consider when programming a concert for a school
group. While the list begins with scheduling conflicts and inadequate rehearsal time, factors of
difficulty and enjoyment become just as important. Programming contrasting music is advised,
as it keeps the energy shifting and moving. In some ways, a concert should tell a story, and a
story would be very boring if the same thing happened over and over again to the same character.
A great concert can be a gateway to community building and parent support.

M. J. Fox Township Middle school presents

7th/8th Grade Band Spring Concert 2016

Home of the Flying Foxes!
Bruce Preuninger (1947-)

Timothy Broege (1947-)

John Carnahan (1955-)

Frank Ticheli (1958-)

Canyon Creek Overture (5:00)

America Verses (5:30)

and the Antelope Play (8:30)

Cajun Folk Songs (6:30)

My Reasonings: I decided to create an American themed concert to commemorate the feeling of

summer and the coming 4th of July Celebration, which is a large community event in the M.J.
Fox Township. As a general scheme, the pieces begin on the easy side, with Canyon Creek
Overture at a grade 2, and moving to more difficult pieces, ending with Cajun Folk Songs at a
grade . I began with Canyon Creek Overture because I wanted a fanfare-like beginning to the
concert. This piece also serves as an effective warm up both for the students as players and the
audience as listeners. American Verses follows as an American nod to past musical traditions,
namely the form of theme and variations. Certainly a more complex piece, it is a good exercise
for both player and listener as they attempt to hear exactly how America becomes its variations
and how they progress throughout the piece. While this piece has some good energy in the
middle, it does begin and end quietly, which is a good balance to the previous fanfare. and the
Antelope Play is the centerpiece of the concert. It includes non-musical sounds at the beginning
and end (imitating wind gusts), and features the flute and woodwinds. It is the longest piece on
the program, and definitely an audience-grabber. It is also the most programmatic piece on the
program, with its poem text included, it is a piece that will be enjoyed by parents and students for
its significance and relation to American culture. It is by no means an easy piece, and the
ensemble must have confident woodwinds and soloists to pull it off, but I believe my 8th graders
will act as good section leaders and pull the group through. Cajun Folk songs is the closer,
mostly for the undeniable energy of the last movement and its rambunctious finale. This is
certainly a difficult piece to pull off with middle schoolers, especially because of the time
changes. However, once the students settle into the groove, I think they will really begin to
enjoy the difficulties of the piece. Since the 8th graders are graduating soon, I thought I would
give them a taste of what their experience at the high school level might be like. This is a piece
that the high school has performed before, and some students may recognize it from their
concerts.

PROGRAM NOTES

Bruce Preuninger (1947-), Canyon Creek Overture (5:00)

Bruce Preuninger has lived much of his life in the Western United States, having studied at
Eastern Washington University in Cheney, where he received his Bachelor of Music. He later
studied at Gonzaga University in Spokane and received his Master of Arts. He was a music
teacher at public schools in the state of Washington for approximately 36 years. As Preuninger
traveled around the West, he has certainly come across some magnificent Canyons, including the
Grand Canyon. As our Flying Foxes play this piece, composed in 2002, we too can imagine
flying through the Grand Canyon, just over the surface of the Colorado River. Please enjoy the
wind and the beautiful sights as they rush past.
Timothy Broege (1947-), America Verses (5:30)
Composed in 1997, this substance of this piece comes from a much older patriotic melody.
While it was originally known as God Save the Queen in England, the American Revolution
and the resulting break from the British way of life caused the lyrics to be changed to My
Country, Tis of Thee. The melody is always present in this piece, but it undergoes several
changes. The variations are passed between instruments and sections, and the melody begins to
take on other American influences, including Ragtime. This blending of the Renaissance form of
theme and variations with distinctly American styles produces an interesting and enjoyable
effect! Challenge yourself to recognize My Country Tis of Thee and its countermelodies as
they progress and evolve throughout the piece.
John Carnahan (1955-), and the Antelope Play (8:30)
While the title of and the Antelope Play (2002) comes from the popular folk song Home on
the Range, the familiar melody is not obviously present in this piece. Rather, the thematic
material of the music is based on sections of a poem written by the composer about the
transformation of the Antelope Valley. The valley was home once home to Native American
tribes. The pertinent sections of the poem are read as follows. first there was wind
morning lightbehold the valleyand the antelope playthe plight of the valleythe spirit
remainsand the antelope?...the valley home. Keep these phrases in mind as we journey
through the phrases of music, and note how as the music transforms, so does our view of the
valley.
Frank Ticheli (1958-), Cajun Folk Songs (6:30)
Cajun Folk Songs (1998) is an attempt to capture the Cajun folk song culture. The Cajuns
originally came from France, although when they colonized what we now call Louisiana, they
created a culture rather different from typical French culture. There is a rich tradition of
folksong in Cajun culture, but the music has become increasingly commercialized throughout the
20th century. However, some original recordings have been preserved, and the Cajun culture
continues on in Southern Louisiana and Texas. Both movements carry stories that take place in
the Southern United States with their melodies, both centering on love, beauty, and death.

Logistical Plan
At 6 p.m. I will arrive at the performance space to confirm that the proper amount of chairs and
stands have been placed in their proper places by the custodians. The performance space is our
schools Gymnatorium. We will be set up on the basketball court, as the stage is too small to fit
our numbers. Since the 6th grade band is smaller, we will set up for the 7th/8th grade band and
center the younger band in the middle of the bigger set-up. This way, no chairs have to be
moved during the concert. The podium and directors stand will come from the band room, as I
do not require it for the warm up. If necessary, I can easily make adjustments before students
arrive. Once the set-up is satisfactory, I will begin to unlock the percussion closets so that when
the percussionists arrive, they can begin to move the instruments into the performance space.
The students should be arriving around 6:30 p.m., and the 7th and 8th grade band will meet in the
band room, as the 6th grade band meets in the choir room. When the students arrive, they will
know to find their seat and begin warming up their instrument. I will be in charge of the 7th/8th
grade bands warm up, and my colleague, Ms. Sangerlerherhin, will be leading the 6th grade
band. At 7:45 both bands will begin their respective warm ups, and they will last approximately
7 minutes. At this time, the 7th-8th grade bands will file out into the Gymnatorium and into the
first 3 rows of bleachers, which have been reserved for them. Here is where they will sit while
the 6th grade plays, and vice versa. Once the older band has their seats, I will return to collect the
6th grade band. As they are already sitting in their rows, they will file out in order, following last
row to first. As the younger band enters the Gym through the back doors, Ms. Sangerlerherin
will sit with the older band and perform crowd control. Since they do not need to climb the
stage, students will simply follow the leader to their row and their seat. Once the younger band
is quietly in their seats, I will turn around and greet the audience to our America the Concert with
my microphone procured from custodial staff. After speaking, I will give the cue for the tuning
to start. The note comes from the oboist, and will begin with the woodwinds, giving them and A.
The oboist will give another A for the brass, then a Bb to check anyone who still needs
adjustment. From there, we are off! Once the 6th grade band is finished, they will stand, accept
applause, and file off to the left. At this time, Ms. Sangerlerherin and I will direct the older band
to file into their seats from the right of the ensemble, as the younger band fills the seats where the
older kids were moments before. We will more or less be turning in a large circle. I will give a
short greeting during transition, introducing the new band and thanking the old. Once the
students are in their seats, tuning will begin again, same as before. When finished playing, all
students will keep their folders with them, as we will spend the next day in class collecting and
sorting music while listening to and reflecting upon the recording of the concert the night before.
After the concert, both bands may leave the set-up as they wish, as they will be meeting family
and returning to the band room to pack up. At the very end of the concert, Ms. Sangerlerherin,
some parent volunteers, and I will begin to pack chairs and stands back onto their racks, to make
the break down as easy for the custodians as possible. Percussionists will move the percussion
instruments back to the appropriate closets, and once everything is back and I have checked, I
will lock them.