SBO November 2008

UpFront:Winter Guard

Performance:Percussion Ensembles

Mt. Lebanon High School’s

Rick Minnotte

Drumming Up a Generation of Experts

NOVEMBER 2008$5.00

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SB&O School Band and Orchestra® (ISSN 1098-3694) is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310, publisher of Musical Merchandise Review, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JAZZed. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: one year $24; two years $40. Rates outside U.S.A. available upon request. Single issues $5 each. February Resource Guide $15. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to School Band and Orchestra, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Copyright © 2008 by Symphony Publish-ing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

Cover photo by Brian Chmura, M&M Photography, Bethel Park, Pa.

4 Perspective

6 Headlines

49 New Products

52 Playing Tip

53 Classifi eds

55 Calendar

56 Ad Index

Columns

Features

14 FROM THE TRENCHES: WORLD REPORTBob Morrison relays the latest on music education initiatives abroad, based on current headlines from around the world.

18 UPFRONT: WINTER GUARDWGI’s Aaron Jenkins provides tips on having a successful indoor season.

22 UPCLOSE: RICK MINNOTTEIn this recent SBO interview, Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh) High School’s director of percussion, Rick Minnotte, talks about the development and progression of an advanced percus-sion ensemble, which, in addition to providing students with world-class performance opportunities, was designed to teach the students about far more than just music.

34 PERFORMANCE: PERCUSSION ENSEMBLESSBO contributor Scott Brown examines the key ingredients to developing a successful middle school percussion ensemble.

38 SURVEY: IDEAL SALES REPWhat do you look for in a road rep? Music educators from around the country answered this question and more in this month’s reader survey.

42 TECHNOLOGY: PERFORMANCE TOOLS

Contents November 2008

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22

2 School Band and Orchestra, November 2008

18

34

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W W W . P E A R L D R U M . C O M

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Perspective®

November 2008Volume 11, Number 11

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Do You YouTube?Y

ouTube.com, which is a relatively recent phenomenon, has an astonishing variety of offerings, with subjects ranging from how to vote to motor-cycle maintenance to a view of the Orion constellation and everything in-between. YouTube surfers can also fi nd the sublime and the ridiculous. However, this site is an extraordinary source of musical

knowledge that can provide a wealth of benefi ts to the student musician, teacher, professional, or hob-byist. The speed at which one can access a world of musical performance, lessons, ideas, and technology would simply have been unheard of even as recently as fi ve or 10 years ago. As a teaching tool, YouTube is easily adaptable for music lessons, as its format can benefi t students and teachers and serve as a con-tinual refresher in between music lessons.

More advanced students or musicians who want to expand their horizons may view a tremendous selection of lessons online for all levels with teachers from around the world. YouTube could even be used to allow a student to audition a teacher, and vice versa! There are some exceptional video “lessons” avail-able on YouTube, including a standout one from the 1950s featuring the famed Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and the legendary saxophonist Gerry Mulligan; Clark Terry, the extraordinary trumpeter, can be seen giv-ing a beginner and an intermediate lesson; and there is a fi ne series of trumpet lessons by a U.S. Army Field Band musician on range and endurance, starting as a beginner, warm-ups, warm-downs, and much more.

The September 2008 issue of The Strad magazine featured an in-depth case study highlighting a violin teacher who used YouTube regularly to provide supple-mental lessons at home. She would upload short videos twice a week featuring simple rhythm and bowing exercises, playing the bottom part of a duet, and dem-onstrating the relaxed bow hand. The links to the lessons, which were directly related to their most recent class, were e-mailed to the students each week. Evi-dently, the results were astonishing. The students benefi ted from the repetitive nature of the on-line video, which served as a constant reminder of the proper methods for playing their instrument. Additionally, “They even seemed to feel a closer bond to me, because they ‘saw’ me more often. In less than a year, all of them could play Suzuki’s Twinkle variation no. 1… compared to only a handful from the previous year.”

Rick [email protected]

“ YouTube is an extraordinary

source of musical knowledge that can

provide a wealth of benefi ts to the student musician,

teacher, profession-al, or hobbyist.”

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HeadLines


Yamaha’s Celebrate Your Music Contest

Yamaha Corporation of America has launched an exclusive sweepstakes and Web site seeking the best performance of Disney’s “It’s a Small World” theme song utilizing Yamaha products. Between now and De-

cember 31, 2008, contestants can enter on-line to win the grand prize of a two-night stay at a California’s Disneyland Resort and a $750 credit towards any Yamaha instrument or product. A second prize winner will also receive

a monetary credit towards any Yamaha music product. Both winning entries will be showcased on the Yamaha multimedia Web site, The Hub

www.yamahahub.com. To enter, users can upload their video or audio per-formance to the contest website, www.yamaha.com/celebrate. On the Web site contest entrants will have access to an array of downloadable materials including sheet music, exclusive arrangements, DJ background tracks, and other supplies to enhance their performance. The grand prize winner will be chosen by a panel of Yamaha and Disney offi cials; the second prize winner will be chosen by popular votes on The Hub Web site. Both winners of the Celebrate Your Music contest will be announced at the 2009 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

For more information, visit www.yamahahub.com.

2009 Marine Band Concerto Competition

The 2009 “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band annual concerto com-

petition for high school musicians, presented with support from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and The National Association for Music Education (MENC), is open to high school musicians (grades 9-12) enrolled during the 2008-2009 academic year. Performers of woodwind, brass, or percussion in-struments may apply. The winner(s) will appear as a guest soloist with the U.S. Marine Band and receive a cash prize.

Applicants must select one of the works listed in the application pack-et for their instrument and submit an audio recording of their perfor-mance of that selection accompa-nied by piano, band, or orchestra. Application packets should include the following:• a completed application form• a letter of recommendation from

a teacher familiar with the stu-dent’s musicianship

• an unedited cassette or CD re-cording of the applicant per-forming their selected work in its entirety with accompaniment. If the work is multi-movement, se-lect the first or last movement. If the work is through-composed, play the piece in its entirety un-less otherwise specified.Application packets must be post-

marked by November 15, 2008, and should be mailed to:

MENCAttn: The Marine Band Concerto

Competition1806 Robert Fulton DriveReston, Va. 20191Further details about the com-

petition can be found online at www.marineband.usmc.mil, or by calling the Marine Band Public Af-fairs Office at (202) 433-5809.

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HeadLines

No Yes

Will you be attending next months Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, Texas?

89% 11%89% 11%Visit www.sbomagazine.com and let your voice be heard in the current

online poll – results to be published in the next issue of SBO.

Online Survey ResultsPASIC 2008

The Percussive Arts Society’s 2008 International Convention is taking place from November 5-8 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

The lineup includes more than 150 events on twelve stages, featur-ing many of the world’s best musicians on drumset, orchestral percus-sion, keyboard, world percussion, marching, and more.

The convention’s International Drum and Percussion Expo takes place Nov. 6-8 with more than 130 exhibitors showcasing the latest in percussion instruments, gear, publications, and services.

The nationally recognized PASIC Marching Percussion Festival also takes place during the convention. This indoor festival features a competition of high school and collegiate drumlines and solo per-formers vying for top honors.

In addition, the Percussive Arts Society is currently accepting on-line artist applications for PASIC 2009. The process takes approxi-mately twenty minutes and is a requirement for any group or indi-vidual who wishes to be considered. Applications will be accepted through December 15, 2008.

For more information, please visit www.pasic.org.

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HeadLines

NAMM and Disney Announce Sequel Grant Program

The NAMM Foundation and Disney Channel have an-nounced that they will again team up to allow middle and high schools across the United States the oppor-

tunity to apply for a grant to put on their own school stage production of Disney’s High School Musical or High School Musical 2. The public affairs initiative utilizes the popularity of the High School Musical movies and the licensed amateur theater adaptations to encourage more kids to get involved in music and the arts.

The grant program will award worthy schools a $5,000 monetary grant and license for High School Musical 1 or 2. The funds are to support music and arts-related education-al costs of the production, such as hiring music and dance coaches, and to help schools that do not have suffi cient lighting and sound equipment for the production.

Schools interested in applying for a grant should visit www.nammfoundation.org to view grant guidelines and submit an application online. All proposals must be received by December 15, 2008 (11:59 p.m., EST). Grant recipients will be notifi ed in May 2009.

As part of the initiative, Disney Channel and Radio Dis-ney will present Public Service Announcements to encourage viewers to learn, engage, explore and participate in music, dance and theater. Messages will also include information on how schools can apply for the grant. Select 2008 grant recipients will also be featured in a Disney 365 presentation that showcases the impact of “The Music in You” program.

Last year’s grant award winners were:• Booker T. Washington High School, Houston, Texas• BYNG Schools, Ada, Okla. • Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga, N.Y. • Cranston High Schools East and West, Cranston, R.I. • Dwight Morrow High School, Englewood, N.J. • Eau Clair High School, Columbia, S.C. • L.A. Webber High School, Lyndonville, N.Y. • Marana Middle School, Marana, Ariz. • Patrick Henry Middle School, Granada Hills, Calif. • Ridgeview Charter School, Atlanta, Ga.

For more information or to apply for the grant, visit www.nammfoundation.org.

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HeadLines

Grover Pro Percussion Launch-es New Web Site

The focus of Grover Pro’s new Web site will continue to be on the company’s tambourines, tri-

angles, and percussion accessories, but also offers visitors a greatly enhanced browsing experience. The site allows percussion players and music educa-tors access to a comprehensive “Tam-bourine Selection Chart” as well as to pop-up product feature pages, which detail the benefi ts of Grover Pro’s product line. A vast improvement over the former site, a fl ash-based easy-to-use dealer locator generates lists of local dealers with contact information and a detailed vicinity map. Visitors to Grover Pro’s new site also have one-click access to online “Live Help,” an interactive chat service staffed by a percussion product specialist.

Visit the new site at www.groverpro.com.

New Holton Horns Web Site

Conn-Selmer has announced that a new Web site for Holton horns, www.holton-

horns.com, is now live. This new site will be the clearing house for all information regarding the Holton Student, Holton Farkas and Holton Merker lines French horns. The site also includes links to other valuable information such as articles written by Phil Farkas, designer and develop-er of the Holton Farkas French horn, featured Holton artists, along with exclusive performance resources es-pecially for French horn players and teachers. As the Web site continues to develop, more information and resources will be added.

Visit www.holton-horns.com for more information.

Majestic Performance in Lubbock

Both Texas Tech University and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (LSO) have enhanced their programs with the addition of Majestic timpani. As-sociate Professor of Percussion Studies Dr. Lisa Rogers and her Texas

Tech colleague Mr. Alan Shinn were instrumental in infl uencing the School of Music administration and the LSO’s executive offi cer to fi nalize the purchases.

The set of symphonic drums for the LSO is the fi rst timpani upgrade for the orchestra since the ‘70s. Featuring around 30 perfor-mances a year, the orchestra’s ties to the Tech communi-ty present an abundance of resources for the percussion majors there.

Texas Tech hosts approximately 40 percussion majors in its School of Music of over 500 music majors. Many of the School of Music faculty play in the orchestra and some students earn placement with the orchestra through very competitive auditions.

Rogers and Shinn will direct a group of students from the Texas Tech Percussion Ensemble at their upcoming PASIC clinic, “New Literature for Percussion Ensemble.” Majestic will provide the timpani and bass drum for the

performance. Rogers is also the vice president of the Texas chapter of the Percus-sive Arts Society.

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SBOFrom the Trenches

What Do They Know That We Don’t?

Every once in a while I will be scanning the head-

lines when it hits me that there is a strange jux-

taposition about similar stories from different

parts of the world. I recently had one of those

moments. It started with this story from…

BY BOB MORRISON

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School Band and Orchestra, November 2008 15

CanadaIt appears that the Canadian Gov-

ernment is now offering tax credits for arts instruction. This is similar to a credit the country has in place for ath-letic participation. Here is an excerpt of the report from CEP News:

Canadian Prime Minister Pledges Tax Credits for Arts Training

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says if he is re-elected next month, he will bring in a new chil-dren’s arts tax credit and expand the reach of the Registered Educa-tion Savings Plan (RESP). Harper told an Ottawa news conference he will provide the same kind of tax treatment for arts training that the government already offers families with children involved in sports programs.

In addition, he said the new arts tax credit and the fi tness tax credit will be made fully refundable so

lower income families will receive cash payments if their incomes are too low to qualify for tax credits.

“Giving working families a break is one of the most important Con-servative priorities,” Harper said.

The prime minister also prom-ised to expand the RESP program to allow charities and not-for-profi t organizations to establish savings plans for children from low-income families in partnership with par-ents.

As with most campaign promises, this prompted dialog in the context of the campaign. Was it enough? Are they missing the point that what is needed is not tax credits but more in-school music and arts programs? When the

elections were held on October 14th, 2008 the Prime Minister’s party won. This means we should soon see this new tax credit implemented in Cana-da.

A somewhat heartening takeaway

from this was the fact that the im-portance of arts education was being debated as part of a national election. Here in the United States, we had lots of discussion during the primaries about arts education. For our general election, however, the debate on this issue has gone silent.

After reading this story, I was not sure if this tax credit would be good or bad for music and arts education. Instead of credits, how about just put-ting the programs in the schools, so parents would not have to spend their

“China is expanding music and art education for all children!”

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tax money on the programs as others suggested? Ultimately, I came down on the side of this being a net posi-tive since, hey… a little incentive to encourage parents to have their chil-dren participate in music and arts and dance and theater can’t hurt.

After reading that story I received the following news item from…

ChinaThe China News Service reported:

“Artistic talent” to become factor for appraising Chinese students

Performance in arts courses will become a factor in evaluating pri-mary and middle school students, the Ministry of Education said on Thursday.

Arts education was insuffi cient because of lack of time, teachers and resources, which has hindered the development of quality-oriented education, said a course plan for compulsory education issued by the ministry on its website.

Chinese students are wellknown for intelligence and diligence as shown by high scores but often show

little or no artistic talent.Many youngsters, especially in

rural areas, do not know how to sing or dance and have never had music or art lessons.

Under the plan, class-hours for the arts should take up 9 to 11per-cent of the school time in the nine-year course of compulsory educa-tion, which includes six years of primary school and three years of junior high school.

Primary and middle schools should use arts textbooks approved by the educational departments and improve their teaching quality in ac-cordance with national standards, it said.

Performance in arts courses should be included in a student’s record as an important promotion factor.

Most urban schools have full-time arts teachers, but many rural schools lack such professionals. Some schools only have part-time arts teachers or have none.

China is expanding music and art education for all children! Very excit-ing! Very enlightened! Can you imag-ine the number of young children that will benefi t from this new mandate?

We are talking tens of millions of children… making music! My head is spinning just thinking about it!

So Canada has a new tax credit for music and arts participation and China has now mandated music and arts and will use it in student evaluations. Cer-tainly the United States will have some new policy to match, right?

United StatesThankfully, the San Antonio News

was there just in the nick of time:

Texas To Adopt Uniform GPA Calcu-lation, Eliminate Arts

School districts across Texas will soon adopt a single method for cal-culating student grade-point aver-ages. But talk of leaving fi ne arts courses out of the equation and of giving no extra weight to some tough classes has drawn the ire of many educators.

What may seem like a straight-forward measure of student achieve-ment, grade-point averages in fact vary from district to district. Some places add extra weight to harder courses or toss certain others from the calculation altogether.

So lawmakers mandated that a statewide standard replace the hodgepodge of methods now in play. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is expected to vote Oct. 23 on the uniform meth-od, which it says will not affect any students now in high school.

Commissioner Raymund Pare-des is proposing adding an extra, weighted point to Advanced Place-ment, International Baccalaureate, and dual credit courses. He would give no extra weight to pre-AP or pre-IB courses, which he says lack uniform standards.

What this means is that schools would be required to compute GPAs by including only courses in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign languages. Grade point averages would have to be calculated on a four-point scale, with an extra point given only for Advanced Placement, International

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Baccalaureate, and dual-enrollment courses, which can permit college credit.

The kicker: the grades Texas stu-dents earn in music and arts courses would not count in their grade point averages under this statewide formula for calculating GPAs. Now here is the good part:

… Paredes also suggests includ-ing only “academic” courses in the GPA calculation, so many fi ne arts and career and technical education courses would not count toward a student’s fi nal GPA.

“By my very nature I support the arts,” Paredes said. “We just want to make sure we focus on the courses that get students ready for college.”

Help me! Help me! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! Wow! How do you re-spond to this? Has this guy been living under a rock? The arts are not viewed as “academic”? The arts do not help students get ready for college? What,

have I entered the “way back” machine and been taken back to 1989 where this kind of thinking was rampant? Where is the sanity?

Robert Floyd, chairman of the Tex-as Coalition for Quality Arts Educa-tion, had this response:

“I certainly hope the members of the board do not want the state of Texas to go on record as the kind of state that fails to recognize that the study of music and other fi ne arts is an academic course of study.”

Go get ‘em, Bobby!Now we have just taken a tour of

newspaper headlines over a two-day period in three different countries. Two were forward moving initiatives for music and arts education. One was… how do I put this… not!

Which leads me to ask this question: at a time when the US is reducing or eliminating music and arts instruction for many of our students, states are at-tempting to redefi ne what courses help

students get ready for college, and the relentless mantra of testing, testing, testing permeates our schools… what do the education leaders in China and Canada know about arts education that our education leaders do not?

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SBOUpfront: Winter Guard

Tips for a Successful Indoor Season

BY AARON JENKINS

With the 2009 indoor

marching arts season on

the horizon, it’s time to

get the production wheels

in motion. It’s never too early to start

planning for your winter color guard

and indoor percussion ensemble.

Many aspects of starting your own

group, or planning a follow-up sea-

son take time. Some processes are

even out of your hands, so getting a

jump-start can alleviate a lot of stress

once the season starts.

Planning the showMusic licensing is a foreign topic for the

majority of directors and instructors. If you’ve been throwing around show concepts and mu-sic choices, start the process to have your songs approved early. WGI Marketing manager, Bart Woodley comments, “The earlier you start listening to music the better. WGI offers sev-eral resources for you to begin the copyright clearance process, but this sometimes takes months. It is a good idea to work on the copy-rights for a piece almost four months in advance

Having Fun While Getting the Job Done

SBO_18 18 10/29/08 2:57:56 PM


from when you want to start teaching the show. This means that for most areas you should have music selected by August at the latest.” It may be diffi -cult to nail down what you want to do until your cast is set, but doing so will help solidify the fact that you won’t have to change your tune midseason.

During the show designing process, make sure that you can convince your marching members to buy into your show theme. Since they will be in front of thousands of spectators throughout the season, your performers need to feel comfortable and excited about portraying what you create for them. Keeping it passionate, age-appropri-ate, and exciting can be a challenge, but the end result will ultimately be something that the students really felt a part of, and something that they will treasure forever. It’s all about bringing something new and different to keep the attention of both the performers and the audiences.

AuditionsTo start building hype in your com-

munity and school about upcoming au-ditions, take a proactive role getting the word out. Be in contact with former members to spread clinic and audition information by word of mouth. Give them an incentive to bring new faces to the group, such as a discount on dues for the season. The Internet is full of opportunities to fi nd more members as well. Start discussion topics on col-or guard and percussion newsgroups. Try putting together a short video on YouTube with audition information in it. Set up groups on social network-ing sites like MySpace and Facebook. Don’t forget the power of blogging and podcasts. Local circuits and newsletters are also great resources to “advertise” your group’s next meeting.

Throughout the SeasonMake plans to create an inviting

and exciting atmosphere at rehears-als from day one. Getting new and old members to bond is particularly important. Begin with a new warm up routine that energizes everyone. En-courage veterans to introduce them-selves to “newbies” and make sure the

newer performers are included during breaks and understand details of new routines, tech-nique, and how to make the most out of their season. Often-times, matching returning per-formers with new members as Big Siblings and Little Siblings is a great way to make people feel comfortable. This can help to quickly create relationships that will last throughout the season.

Continuing the hype of the group will help on days when energy is low. Schedule themed rehearsals. Have your members dress up for Twin Day, ’80s Day, Old Costume Day, Tacky Christmas Sweater Day, and any other fun or crazy theme to keep the atmosphere light, but still remain focused on the goal. Incorporating a mascot, cheer, or ritual can keep spirits up as well.

Incorporating outside friends and family may give students that boost of confi dence they re-ally need to soar in your perfor-mance group. Host a “Friends

& Family Clinic” to let them be a part of the experience. Keep them updated on trips and local shows. Encourage students’ families and friends to start a support or fan group to cheer at shows. They can wear matching shirts and make signs to get the excitement started in the performance arena. Al-though it’s important to have the sup-port of family, make sure they know and respect boundaries. Performers will need time by themselves to prepare for performances without the distractions of others around.

Memories that will last a lifetime are occurring every second during the season. Don’t forget to choose a staff or marching member to be in charge of taking pictures at rehearsal, events, and shows. Also fi nd someone that is willing to take video of your group during these times as well. By the end

of the season, a DVD of these will be a great gift for both staff and students so that everyone will be able to look back at all they have accomplished. These photos will remind everyone how spe-cial the time they have spent together has been. It’ll also serve as a great way to advertise for the following season.

Off the FloorWhile learning to work together as

a team at rehearsal, it is also impor-tant that your members create trust and compassion off the fl oor. Plan-ning informal get-togethers can be an easy way to share common interests. Try activities like bowling, skating, a trip to a haunted house, potluck din-ners, and sleepovers. The possibilities are truly endless, and members are al-ways looking for ways to continue the fun outside of rehearsal.

“Participating in the indoor marching arts teaches students life lessons and builds character.”

Center Grove High School (Greenwood, Ind.) Winter Guard.

SBO_19 19 10/29/08 2:58:00 PM


Always stress the importance of professionalism and respect with fel-low members and competitors. There is always someone watching and mak-ing judgments about the group as a whole. Show days are particularly good opportunities to impress future generations to join your organization.

WGI charter member Shirlee Whit-comb expresses the importance of competition: “One of the best ways to keep your students ‘in tune’ with their peers, is to place them in a situation where they watch the others in their

class and where they are assigned to come away from each viewing picking out what pieces of the performance they were most impressed with. If they watch from that perspective, focusing on the ‘quality’ and not the ‘problems’ within each performance, they’ll begin to defi ne what qualities they would like to emulate. In addition to this ‘viewing’ education, they can learn to appreciate and applaud the other play-ers in their class and set themselves up to make new friends and to gather new fans who hopefully will learn to reciprocate by showing their support and appreciation of your students.”

Stay FocusedWhile fun is a key factor of the season,

there is a job to be done. Creating a calen-dar fi lled with long and short term goals for the group can motivate members to work on tricks, technique, and sections of their show during breaks and outside of rehearsal. Make sure that these goals are realistic and focused on improving

their own skills, not just to hit a certain score or beat a specifi c competitor. A re-ward system may also be set up for those who reach standards fi rst. For example, the fi rst person to execute a diffi cult por-tion of their show perfectly fi ve times in a row might get to sit out at the end of a rehearsal block to watch a section of the show being performed.

Participating in the indoor march-ing arts teaches students life lessons and builds character which helps them excel later in life. This is the time to create and to inspire. Make this season stand out from rest. Provide a challenge, an adven-ture, and a dream for your performers and staff. This is the time for everyone to take part in the journey to success.

Aaron Jenkins is the Marketing & Communications coordinator for WGI Sport of the Arts. He has been a performer with New Philadelphia HS, Onyx, and Pride of Cincinnati winter guards.

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Drumming Rick Minnotte

Generation BY EL IAHU SUSSMAN

Richard T. Minnotte is

the director of Percus-

sion Studies for the Mt.

Lebanon School District, located

on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. To-

gether with his staff, Rick teach-

es the fi ner points of all things

percussive – from chimes to mal-

lets to timpani to drum set – to

approximately 200 students in

grades four through 12.

SBO_22 22 10/29/08 3:04:00 PM

Up a of Experts

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Six days a week, and exclusively outside of regular school hours, the Mt. Lebanon High School music facilities are taken over by a hoard of young percussionists, as students from all over the district fl ock to the high school to take private lessons and participate in non-curricular percussion ensembles. This advanced program is the fruit of Mr. Min-notte’s hard work and vision, fi rst set in motion when he became an assistant band director in the district some 35 years ago. It has since culmi-nated in large high school percussion ensemble performances at MENC in 2006, the National Percussion Festi-val in 2007, the Pennsylvania MEA Conference in 2008, and a scheduled return to the National Percussion Festival in March of 2009.

Rick Minnotte is a Pittsburgh na-tive. He was born and raised in Mt. Lebanon, where he attended the public schools he now teaches in. His mother was a church musician, and he grew up turning the pages of her sheet music as she played the organ and listening in on her choir rehearsals.

After starting out on piano, Rick quickly gravitated towards percus-sion, which would later be his primary instrument at Duquesne University, where he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Music Education. From there, he went straight back to his former schools and set about spread-ing enthusiasm for his musical passion, building a percussion ensemble.

One might ask, “What’s so impor-tant about percussion ensembles?” But the truth is that Rick would be the fi rst to say that the subject matter is irrel-evant; it’s how the process of learning that material and developing those en-sembles helps the kids grow that’s at the crux of what he’s trying to impart. As he says in this recent SBO interview, “The point is teaching the kids how to be really good at something.”

School Band & Orchestra: When you were growing up, did you have dreams of playing with the Pitts-burgh Symphony Orchestra?

Rick Minnotte: I was fascinated with marching band and marching per-cussion. As a student in high school, I began writing drill and coming up with musical arrangements for march-ing band. In fact, as soon as I graduat-

ed from high school, the district hired me back to write drill because I loved doing it, and there were so few people out there who were into that sort of thing – which worked out pretty well for me.

I really never looked into the per-formance area. Not that I didn’t like to perform, I just never really saw myself going in that direction. I love kids and I’ve always loved teaching. I’ve been teaching since I was a junior in high school, when I started giving lessons to elementary school kids. The band director needed assistance and I was more than glad to help out – it was good for two or three bucks an hour. [laughs]

Once I started teaching, I already knew I liked kids, but getting the chance to work with them like that, well, I was hooked. So I went to school for education, did a graduate program and an assistantship at Duquesne in conducting – something I also love. At Duquesne, I was conducting the wind ensemble and concert bands, and teaching the marching band methods courses. Then I was fortunate enough to get hired back fulltime by the dis-trict I had graduated from, and I’ve been here ever since!

SBO: But you didn’t start out just teaching percussion. Would you talk about the transition?

RM: I was hired as an elementary school band director. That was my fi rst job with the district, and I took it because that was what was available; there wasn’t a position strictly for per-

“I use percussion as the vehicle to show these kids what it takes to become really good at something.”

SBO_24 24 10/29/08 3:04:19 PM


cussion at that point in time. When the percussion at our program started to grow, I knew I really wanted to focus on that element. Once we got around to building a percussion ensemble, the number of students interested in it skyrocketed. We now have 195 kids in the district who participate in our percussion ensembles.

SBO: Did that initial impetus to have you focus on percussion come from you or from administra-tion?

RM: The administration fought it. They knew long-range that it was go-ing to be expensive – percussion in-struments don’t come cheap. To hire a fulltime instructor just to do per-cussion was a little hard to sell to the school board when we used to have one band director doing winds, brass, and percussion.

SBO: So what was your pitch?

RM: We had a lot of kids doing per-cussion at that time, and all we were teaching them was snare drum, and maybe a little bit of bells. Some people were starting to talk about total per-cussion, where you learn to do every-thing. We convinced the district that we weren’t even beginning to get close to where we wanted to be as far as of-fering choices to the kids.

The Mt. Lebanon school district itself is very progressive in regards to education: we’re one of the top 100 districts in the nation based on SAT scores. So we argued that when you teach math, for example, you don’t just teach algebra, you teach calculus, honors calculus, trigonometry, and all of these other fi elds, because you want the kids to be prepared for whatever they going to do off in college.

Well, here we have kids who may want to major in music, may want to major in percussion – who knows – and all we’re doing is teaching them how to play the snare drum. That isn’t going to cut it.

We went to the Fine Arts supervi-sor and said that we wanted to buy our very fi rst marimba, which in those days would probably cost $2,500 or so, and she asked, “Why would we want to spend that kind of money on an instrument that only one student

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can play?” So I tried to explain that it’s like buying a piano, a bunch of stu-dents will actually get to use it, and it’s a long-term investment.

After a year or two, we got a new Fine Arts supervisor who really under-stood the concept of what we wanted to do. With his blessing, we bought a marimba. Then we bought another ma-rimba. Then we bought a xylophone. And now we have a full complement of percussive keyboard instruments. Once it caught on and the people were able to hear us play, the program grew quickly.

Some people think of a percussion ensemble as a bunch of people banging drums. But once they hear keyboard percussion, where they can play actual music – there’s melody, there’s harmo-ny, there’s rhythm – then they get fas-cinated by it. It’s not just an auditory experience; it’s visually fascinating to see people play percussion.

We started off doing a spring con-cert series with the standard reper-toire for a high school ensemble and

that developed into a second night of the concert, and then a third night, because our auditorium only holds 400 people and we were selling it out every night. From there, we started playing some holiday/Christmas mu-sic, which turned into us doing a Christmas concert series, and before you know it, the school is getting rec-

ognition for our ensemble – and of course they love that.

Once the administration saw that they were getting some bang for their buck, they were happy. The kids kept progressing and the program kept growing, and I now have a staff of fi ve that gives the private lessons for me. My staff is comprised of all profes-sional percussionists with college de-grees in either performance or music education, or a dual degree with the two. They give about 110 lessons per week to the students, of which there are about 195 total in grades four through 12.

SBO: According to your Web site, back in 1985 you started out with a small group of students. By 1991, you were playing grade IV material. A few years after that, you moved on to grade V material. And fi nally, just a few years ago, your ensembles began playing grade VI repertoire. What is it that you and your staff are doing that enables your students to achieve that level of performance?

RM: We demand that the students raise the bar every year. It sounds like a corny thing, but we really implement that. Every year’s class is supposed to improve upon what the previous year’s ensembles were able to do.

For so many groups, kids will come back and they’ll want to say, “When I was in the band, when I was in the orchestra, that’s the best it ever was!” We teach our kids that that’s really the wrong attitude. When they come back, if the current group isn’t better

“It’s not just an auditory experience; it’s visually fascinating to see people play percussion.”

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than they were, somewhere along the road, we all didn’t do our jobs. We have the kids motivate the future students, the alumni come back and watch, and really, the criti-cal thing for us is the private lesson program. We started off teaching only the high school kids lessons. Then we dropped it down to include eighth grade. Then seventh, then sixth, fi fth, all the way down to the fourth grad-ers, which is where we’re at now.

SBO: Are those lessons curricular? How is that whole program set up?

RM: The private lessons are funded by the parents solely, just like you’d go to your local music store and get lessons, but the instruc-tors are all selected by me. They’re not only good per-cussionists, they’re good educators. They teach the lessons at the high school, which is a centralized build-ing in our district, so it’s easy for everyone to get here. Plus, the instruments are al-ready here.

One of the problems with percussion is that almost none of these kids have a marimba or a xylophone at home because these instru-

Mt. Lebanon Percussion At A Glance

Location: 155 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh, Pa.On the Web: www.mtlpercussion.comDirector: Richard T. Minnotte

School and Program Enrollment:High School (grades 9-12): 1,805Percussion Program (grades 4-12): 195HS Percussion Program (grades 9-12): 54

Ensembles and Enrollment:Elementary Honors Ensemble (grades 4-5): 14 Middle School Honors Ensemble (grades 6-7): 12 Eighth Grade Ensemble (grade 8): 12 Fall Freshmen Ensemble (grade 9): 7 Fall Concert Ensemble (grades 10 - 12): 47 Spring Freshmen Ensemble (grade 9): 7 Spring Concert Ensemble (grades 10 - 12): 47 Brazilian Ensemble: 20African Ensemble: 16Keyboard Ensemble: 6Drum Set Ensemble: 5Drumline: 21Front Ensemble: 10

Recent Honors & Performances2002 - Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pa. 2005 - Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Annual Conference, Hershey, Pa.2006 - Music Educators Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah2006 - Named a Malletech Artist Ensemble 2007 - National Percussion Festival, Indianapolis, Ind.2008 - Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Annual Conference, Hershey, Pa.March 2009 - National Percussion Festival, India-napolis, Ind.

SBO_28 28 10/29/08 3:04:33 PM

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ments are too big or too expensive for them to purchase. In fact, none of the elementary schools have any of the major percussive keyboards. Their kids come to our school, work with the high school instructors and use the high school equipment.

SBO: All after school hours?

RM: Right, this happens in the eve-ning. We joke that we work the night shift. The regular workers leave at 3:15, and we start teaching at 3:30. We teach private lessons Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 10 o’clock at night, and then all day Saturday, from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon. I think it’s 108 lessons a week right now that we’re teaching, and this is for kids who are in grades four through 12.

So what’s happened is that we have kept lowering the age of the students who were entering the private lesson system. Whereas maybe before we would only get kids who had a year or two worth of private lessons, we’re

now getting kids coming into the high school who’ve had lessons since fourth grade, and they’re playing three- and four-mallet marimba repertoire. They’re playing four-timpani, and all kinds of advanced stuff.

We make each of the students take what we call “departmental” – “jury,” I guess is what you’d call it at the col-lege level – where once a year, they spend ten quality minutes with the entire percussion staff, during which time they’ll have to play basically an audition of one keyboard piece and one multiple percussion piece or snare drum solo of their choice. After every year when we fi nish that, we instruc-tors always say, “Gee, I never played this piece or that piece until I was sophomore or a junior in college, and these kids are sophomores and juniors in high school!”

SBO: That sounds great, but how can your students afford these private lessons?

RM: Our percussion parents organi-zation, the Friends of Mt. Lebanon Per-cussion, has a scholarship fund set up. It’s all done in private, where parents can approach me individually, and I’ll arrange for the parents organization to pay directly to the instructors. In fact,

there are even some kids who are on scholarship without even being aware of it. Everything is done to avoid any stigma that might be associated with receiv-ing fi nancial assistance.

SBO: So you keep it private. Are those scholarships supported by fundraising?

RM: Fundraising might not be the right word. The band program fund-raises with traditional methods, selling candy bars and that sort of thing, and we don’t want to compete with them. So our group sells ads in our concert programs, tickets to the concerts, ap-parel and merchandise, multimedia (CDs, DVDs), and we have an honor roll, where people simply donate mon-ey to the program. We do not send the kids out knocking on doors and col-lecting – in fact, we don’t really use the kids at all. The parents raise the money, and we have some corporate sponsors. As much as I say that the pri-vate lessons are the key to the program – and they are – the other leg we stand on is that parent group.

The school only pays about one-third of our budget, and the parent group raises the other two-thirds. We’re

“We joke that we work the night shift.”

SBO_30 30 10/29/08 3:04:40 PM

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talking roughly $50,000 a year that the parents raise, which covers the day-to-day operations of our activities – in-cluding the purchase and maintenance of instruments, the stipends for staff.

SBO: If you have students taking lessons from 4th grade on, are you worried about burning them out?

RM: Our kids keep a log of every single thing they do in the course of the school year, ranging from their own in-dividual practice time, to their private lesson time, to rehearsals for either per-cussion ensemble or marching band, including sectionals, including perfor-mances… everything. It’s currently in excess of 650 hours per year, per kid.

SBO: So how do you keep them fresh and enthusiastic?

RM: Diversity in the program is key. Instead of just having a percussion en-semble or just the marching percussion, we have, for example, a Brazilian en-semble. We have an African ensemble. We have a keyboard ensemble. We have a drum set ensemble. We have a fall ensemble that plays holiday music dur-ing a concert series around Christmas. We have a spring series that features the more standard repertoire. We have marching percussion. We let the kids pick and choose what they want to play, and they don’t have to do everything.

We also keep the parents closely in-volved because when we fi rst tell them that their kids might be spending 650 hours a year on percussion, they get a little taken a back, and they might say, “I’m not sending my kid to high school to major in percussion, I’m sending [him or her] there to get an education.”

And we understand that, so to freshmen, we might suggest that they

only do the marching percussion, which happens in the fall, and then the spring percussion. Well then they do that and realize it’s fun. It’s musical. It’s social. So in their sophomore year, the same student might think, “I can probably do the marching percussion and the fall concert ensemble, and still do the spring one.” Then they do that, and the next year he or she might add another ensemble on top of that. And before you know it, we’ve grown from the 10 or so kids to 56 kids in the high school ensemble, which is insane – it’s way too many kids. But it’s a great problem to have. We don’t turn any students away. We have an audition when the kids make the jump from middle school to high school, but it’s simply a placement audition, it’s not exclusionary. We simply want to place them on the right instrument at the ap-propriate level. We fi nd a way so that the kids can work at their own level without being embarrassed, because other students may have been taking lessons for years, where they may have only been doing it for eight week.

What’s really amazing is that we can still go out to the National Per-cussion Festival or the Music Educa-tors’ National Conference, take all those kids with us and let them play on the national stage. When we were at the National Percussion Festival two years ago, one group had 12 kids, and another had 15 kids – all seniors, an auditioned group. And they were all good – very good. Maybe they thought they were better than we were, but we took 36 kids out there, sophomores through seniors. And some of those kids, if you heard them by themselves, you might think they weren’t that

SBO_32 32 10/29/08 3:04:45 PM

www.vicfirth.com


good, but on that national stage, given the right part, they were able to sound great. Not a lot of people get that op-portunity. It’s a real kick for the kids, and it helps their confi dence. We tell the kids that the least important thing I do is teach the music.

SBO: But if teaching the music is the least important thing you do, then what is the point of all of this?

RM: The point is teaching the kids how to be really good at something. One of my biggest peeves in the whole world is that we’ve become a world full of generalists. People are okay at a bunch of things, but not really good at any one thing. It was a popular educational concept for a while, to let the kids try every-thing. “Let them do sports, let them do some church activities, let them try music. We want them to be well rounded. We want them to have a smattering of everything.” Well, you know, that sounds great, but even-tually the world demands that you

become good at something because you’re not going to get hired to be a generalist. You’re going to be hired to be a doctor, a lawyer, an Indian chief – whatever. The kids need, in my opinion, to learn to practice how to be good at something. It just so happens that I teach percussion, and I use percussion as the vehicle to show these kids what it takes to become really good at something. It could have been widget building, if I had been a widget builder, but I’m a percussionist.

When you become really good at something, you develop a sense of pride, you learn what dedication is all about. How many hours it takes. So many people say they want to be really good at something, but when you tell them how many hours it takes, they decide that they’ll settle for average.

What I have found is that the big-gest reward for me is that when kids leave by their senior year, some of them have already gotten it. They’ll say, “Yeah, I’ve got it. I’m prepared

to attack whatever career I feel like.” Other kids don’t get it.

In one of the fi nal speeches I give my graduating students every year, I say, “Do me a favor guys and gals, when the light bulb does come on – it may be in fi ve years, maybe 10 – will you prom-ise me one thing? Will you send me an e-mail? Give me a phone call? Tell me, ‘Mr. Minnotte, I get it! I am now a salesperson and I was giving my fi rst sales presentation. I walked into the room, and I was thinking about how in the world I was going to get through it when I realized that I played 15 con-certs a year for you in front of sold out audiences. I prepared well for it, I was confi dent enough to go out on the stage and do it. Well, that’s what I’m doing here! I’ve prepared this presentation, these people are going to sit here and listen to me for 10 minutes. I’m go-ing to talk to this board of directors because I know how to focus and get the job done. So that is what we did for four years in your percussion classes!’” That is what it’s all about.

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SBOPerformance: Percussion Ensembles

A percussion ensemble is a great vehicle for developing not

only technique and musicianship in young percussion-

ists, but also interest and excitement about the world of

percussion. When I fi rst started teaching, I saw young

students standing in the back of the band room tired of counting

rests and playing music that was not as challenging or interesting

as that of their fellow band members. Apparently not much had

changed since I was in middle school.

The decision to start a percussion ensemble at Dickerson Middle School was made mostly for motivational rea-sons. I wanted to get the kids excited about playing percussion and chal-lenge them with more involved parts than they were exposed to in the con-cert setting. A successful percussion ensemble at the middle school and high school levels is one that generates interest and helps the students develop their craft. Although an exceptional performance is great, the goal must be to have an educational environment as the driving force. Addressed in this ar-ticle are a few of the topics that will be discussed during a clinic/performance I will be presenting at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago later this year.

Choosing LiteratureSince my only percussion ensemble

experience was in college, I had no idea what music would be appropriate for students at the middle school level. I browsed through several catalogues and picked out music with interest-ing titles. Once I received the scores, I found that most of it was either too easy, too diffi cult, or just not very good. The next step was to talk with other percussion ensemble directors, most notably Mike Lynch (Simpson Middle School/Lassiter High School) and Tra-vis Downs (Valdosta Middle School), to fi nd out what music they had used and liked. Probably the best advice I received during that time was from Al-fred Watkins, band director at Lassiter

Developing a Successful Middle School Percussion EnsembleBY SCOTT BROWN

SBO_34 34 10/29/08 3:06:53 PM


High School. He told me to fi rst teach the students how to learn by playing music that they could relate to and en-joy, then I would be able to teach them what I wanted them to learn. I started out playing more drum-oriented piec-es because few of the students were interested in keyboard percussion and gradually began including music with a variety of instruments.

It has also been useful to collect demo CDs from various music publishers – such as Row-Loff, Drop 6, and C-Alan – and visiting their Web sites to listen to recordings. A fi nal idea for fi nding qual-ity literature is to attend as many percus-sion ensemble concerts as possible.

Find out when local middle school, high school, or even college ensembles will be presenting concerts and attend the local “Day of Percussion,” state music conventions, Midwest, and PA-SIC. Save the programs and make notes next to the titles. Also, try to choose music that will expose the students to a variety of cultures and styles. On a

typical concert, we will perform an ethnic per-cussion piece featuring Japanese Taiko drums and/or African percus-sion, a xylophone rag, a marimba chorale, or-chestral transcription, novelty percussion,

Latin-American music, and traditional percus-sion ensemble litera-ture. This provides an interesting variety for the students and audi-ence and a great base of knowledge and skill.

“A successful percus-sion ensemble at the middle school and high school levels is one that generates interest and helps the students develop their craft.”

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Modifi cationsDue to the variety in instrumenta-

tion and the number of performers re-quired to play a piece, it is often nec-essary to make some adjustments. In many cases, the instruments required to perform a piece simply aren’t avail-able. We have played music for Taiko drums and djembe on concert toms, string bass on an electronic keyboard, and have two large fl oor toms that

also function as surdos. The audience never knew the difference and the stu-dents still enjoyed learning the music and some background information on the cultures. One of the more com-mon issues is the number of players required to perform a piece of music. In most situations there are more stu-dents than there are parts. Keyboard parts are easily doubled if there are enough instruments. It may be neces-sary to have students playing in the

wrong octave so that two can play on one keyboard. This might change the sound of the music in performance, but is educationally important for the development of the students.

Latin and African music lends itself well to full ensemble playing with the large variety of accessory instruments and the community nature of the music and culture. I fi t every student possible on a keyboard instrument, and then begin handing out cowbells, claves, maracas and shakers, tambourines, bongos, et cetera. We usually spend a two-to-three-week period during beginning percussion in sixth grade learning basic techniques and rhythms for Latin instruments, so later on it is merely a matter of reminding them. Even without this prior knowledge, it is not diffi cult or time consuming to introduce these instruments, tech-niques, and patterns to the students. Latin American Percussion by Birger Sulsbruck provides excellent informa-tion and is coordinated with a video by the same name.

RehearsingIt is important that all of the stu-

dents in the ensemble are able to read their music and count their parts out loud. If they cannot, it becomes a learning session for the entire group as we break down the rhythms or fi g-ure out the notes. Once the students are comfortable playing the notes and rhythms of their music, I begin to focus on the technique and quality of sound of the instruments, and the cohesive-ness of the ensemble. Demonstrations of the correct technique or the desired sound are directed toward the entire ensemble so that it becomes a learning experience for all instead of the one student. Because the students are nor-mally rotated to different instruments for each piece, the possibility that they will need to demonstrate that same skill later is likely.

We also do a lot of singing of the music in “drum speak” once the stu-dents understand how to count their rhythms. The natural infl ections of the voice are more apparent with this method, helping the students to discov-er musical line and direction. At times it is necessary for me to dictate via call

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and response how I want the music to feel and sound. The students are ex-posed to these various “western” and “non-western” methods of learning through percussion videos that I play during their set-up time, and are fairly receptive to trying them. Recording rehearsals (audio and video) and bring-ing in guest clinicians and performers will also provide a different perspec-tive and learning experience for both the students and the director.

MidwestI hope to see and meet many of you

at our session at The Midwest Clinic. The Dickerson Middle School Percus-sion Ensemble will serve as the dem-onstration group performing a variety of percussion ensemble literature and demonstrating some of the rehearsal techniques used with the program. In addition to the topics addressed in this article, we will discuss equipment issues, ensemble set-up, and beginning percus-sion. Attendees will receive a booklet covering the topics discussed, informa-tion on the ensemble at Dickerson, and a suggested literature list for middle and high school percussion ensembles.

Although I feel an obligation to pass along the information I have re-ceived through my experiences and the advice of other percussionists, the most important reason why I felt I had to apply to present a clinic at Midwest was to have the opportunity to bring my students to the convention. The students will have a chance to meet and interact with musicians and edu-cators that will change their apprecia-tion of our art. I certainly believe that those experiences alone will go a long way toward making this year’s percus-sion ensemble a success.

For more information on the percussion program at Dickerson Middle School, please visit them on the Web at www.dickersonper-cussion.com.

Scott Brown is currently the as-sistant band director at Dickerson Middle School in Marietta, Ga. and assistant percussion director and co-arranger for the percussion section of the 1998 & 2002 Bands of America

Grand National Champion Lassiter High School Band. In addition, Mr. Brown is co-founder of Percussion Workshop, a percussion consulting company, and co-founder and director of the North Georgia Middle School Percussion Camp.

Mr. Brown is co-author of Field Level – The Ultimate Band Director’s Guide to fi elding the Ultimate March-ing Percussion Section, published by Row-Loff Productions and has pre-

sented clinics for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Georgia Music Educator’s Association Conference, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and marching percussion clinics in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, and will be presenting a clinic at the 2008 Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Scott is a member of the Vic Firth Education Team and an art-ist/endorser for Mapex/Majestic/Ross Percussion and Evans Drumheads.

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SBOSurvey: Road Reps

a SalesmanMore than just

Amidst the hectic sched-

ule that today’s music

educators contend with, a

friendly face can be a wel-

come sight. One key member of

the support team should be the road

sales representative. This valuable re-

source can provide assistance with most

of a music educator’s classroom needs,

from method books and sheet music to musi-

cal instrument purchase and repair.

However, not all road reps are created equally. This

latest SBO survey asks readers for the specifi cs of what

they look for in a road rep.

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SBO readers were asked to rank the following Road Rep behavioral traits on a scale of least important (1) to most important (5):

Comes consistently and reliably at a scheduled time

NA . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . 1%3 . . . . . . . . . . 1%4 . . . . . . . . . . 21%5 . . . . . . . . . . 77%

Realizes my time is valuable & respects it with quickness & ef-fi ciency

NA . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . 03 . . . . . . . . . . 1%4 . . . . . . . . . . 25%5 . . . . . . . . . . 74%

Available (even if just by e-mail) outside of “normal” call times

NA . . . . . . . . 1%1 . . . . . . . . . . 2%2 . . . . . . . . . . 3%3 . . . . . . . . . . 9%4 . . . . . . . . . . 33%5 . . . . . . . . . . 52%

Well-equipped van – anticipates what specifi c directors will need or want

NA . . . . . . . . 1%1 . . . . . . . . . . 2%2 . . . . . . . . . . 4%3 . . . . . . . . . . 14%4 . . . . . . . . . . 31%5 . . . . . . . . . . 48%

Follows up - keeps up with status of orders in progress; makes a courtesy call if an expected item is delayed

NA . . . . . . . . 0 1 . . . . . . . . . . 0 2 . . . . . . . . . . 0 3 . . . . . . . . . . 8%4 . . . . . . . . . . 28%5 . . . . . . . . . . 64%

Is capable of performing quality repairs

NA . . . . . . . . 7%1 . . . . . . . . . . 3%2 . . . . . . . . . . 1%3 . . . . . . . . . . 15%4 . . . . . . . . . . 16%5 . . . . . . . . . . 58%

Timely return of repairs

NA . . . . . . . . 3%1 . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . 03 . . . . . . . . . . 2%4 . . . . . . . . . . 17%5 . . . . . . . . . . 78%

Can diagnose and/or fi x minor problems on the spot

NA . . . . . . . . 6%1 . . . . . . . . . . 5%2 . . . . . . . . . . 4%3 . . . . . . . . . . 18%4 . . . . . . . . . . 33%5 . . . . . . . . . . 34%

Consistent repair prices

NA . . . . . . . . 3%1 . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . 1%3 . . . . . . . . . . 8%4 . . . . . . . . . . 25%5 . . . . . . . . . . 63%

Is educated about various brands, models, and specs of instruments and equipment

NA . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . 03 . . . . . . . . . . 54 . . . . . . . . . . 26%5 . . . . . . . . . . 69%

Can make musical suggestions to help my ensembles

NA . . . . . . . . 3%1 . . . . . . . . . . 17%2 . . . . . . . . . . 13%3 . . . . . . . . . . 27%4 . . . . . . . . . . 24%5 . . . . . . . . . . 16%

Offers things beyond sales (clin-ics, expertise, et cetera)

NA . . . . . . . . 1%1 . . . . . . . . . . 7%2 . . . . . . . . . . 7%3 . . . . . . . . . . 21%4 . . . . . . . . . . 35%5 . . . . . . . . . . 29%

Comments:“I have had many road reps over the

past few years, and my best experiences have come with the reps that serve me, but don’t try to be pushy with me or other directors. I’ve had some who have offered services and, instead of accepting a politely stated ‘not at this time,’ have proceeded to question why I was dare to say no, and spend all their energy at-tempting to change my decision. Those types of reps tend to get no business at all once they demonstrate this behavior. Road reps would do well to know that we are all stressed and a well taken ‘no’

Top 10 qualities educators want in a road rep:1. Reliability2. Knowledge of Instruments and Program3. Honesty4. Friendliness5. Punctuality6. Helpfulness7. Flexibility8. Organization9. Consistency10. Professionalism

Top 10 qualities educators don’t want in a road rep:1. Pushiness2. Unreliability3. Lack of Knowledge 4. Lack of Punctuality5. Inconsideration of Teacher’s Time6. Forgetfulness7. Arrogance8. Disorganized9. Rumor Mongering 10. Dishonesty

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now will probably result in a lot of posi-tive responses in the future.”

Jeffery D. HeidMuscatine High School

Muscatine, Iowa

“Someone that does whatever it takes to help my music program is someone that I would welcome into our band room. We are currently blessed with a road rep who is knowledgeable about repairs, as well as instrument quality and

recommendations for future purchases.”Michael Holl

Chartiers Valley Intermediate School

Pittsburgh, Pa.

“My local area rep is a wonderful ex-ample of what a service rep should be. Robert always has time to discuss what is going on with my program and how things are going with other programs in the area and does his best to see that we

are getting the products and services we need to be successful. In several other places I have worked, the rep simply walked in and asked if you needed any-thing then just walked out if you weren’t buying. Robert genuinely cares about my program, as well as the other programs in the area and will do whatever he can to make things work better!”

Jimmy ThorntonForrest County High School

Brooklyn, Miss.

“When my job changed during the second week of school this year, I really relied on the local rep to help me put in-struments ‘back together’ and get orga-nized for a new class in a new building. He supplied folders for my students and brought the method books to me, saving me valuable time so I could get the pro-gram up and running. He makes me feel like my program is special and he wants to help keep it that way. I will continue to keep his local business going if I can.”

Denise KuehnerClay High and Edison

Intermediate OrchestrasSouth Bend, Ind.

“Your music rep can be a vital connec-tion to the outside world (other programs at other schools and other directors). A good rapport with your sales rep can help you stay – and feel – connected.”

Salvatore TerrasiShorewood High School

Shorewood, Wis.

“A good rep can be a huge asset to a music program operating on a shoestring, as we have for years. I have had the same rep for 33 years and Steve Guptill, of Eastern, then American, now Music And Arts, has been a colleague, a friend and a savior more times then I can count!”

Michele BoulangerDover High School

Dover, N.H.

“We have been very fortunate to have an outstanding road rep. Her willingness to try new approaches has been key to our successful program. She is a resource that all the music educators in our district value.”

John WogerNorth Jr. High SchololMenomonee Falls, Wis.

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SBOTechnology: Performance Tools

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

Dr. John Kuzmich Jr. is a veteran music educator, jazz educator and music technologist with more than 41 years of public school teaching experi-ence. He is a TI:ME-certifi ed training instructor and has a Ph.D. in com-prehensive musicianship. As a free-lance author, Dr. Kuzmich has more than 400 articles and fi ve textbooks published, including a music technol-ogy column that appears regularly in School Band and Orchestra. As a clinician, Dr. Kuzmich frequently participates in workshops throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and South America.

For more information, visit www.kuzmich.com.

Technology may appear to be the one ingredient that

can help us maximize instructional time, especially

outside of class, but implementing new tools may be

challenging for those who feel under pressure and

maxed out with learning curves. Ironically, many of our stu-

dents are already stepping up to the plate in the technology

sphere with blogging, podcasting, iTunes, YouTube, and MP3

players, while many of us are safely teaching dated method-

ologies and techniques governed by the limitations of our

college curriculum – which often included little, if any, music

technology. Students are pretty techno-savvy and educators

need to plug into that enthusiasm.

Tech Tools to Aid Student Performance

Music Publisher Technology InnovationsEver wish your drum set players could play different styles of contempo-

rary music besides rock? While play-along recordings can be helpful, a video presentation can be incredible. Tom Davis at Tom Davis Publications (www.tomdavismusic.com) is both an unusual music publisher and an innovative high school band director in Canandaigua, New York. He offers many peda-gogical aids for those using his charts, making it easy to perform his music at a high level. You can download all purchased parts and scores from the Internet. Imagine this: no need to purchase additional scores for festivals or ordering lost parts, you can just print them out. Along with his charts, Tom provides educational materials, such as worksheets, practice tracks for all players, rehearsal suggestions, notes about the music, interviews with solo-ists, solo transcriptions with alternative solo takes, and videos of soloists im-

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provising on the chart. Perhaps most innovative of all is the OverheadDrum-Cam, which allows users to view the drum set video performance of each chart. Videos also include interviews with the drummer about performance techniques, along with downloadable and streaming audio rehearsal tips for every chart. This invaluable motiva-tion tool allows students to see and hear the performance in real time. And all of this is provided by the publisher at no extra-charge.

On a philosophical footnote about Tom Davis’ charts and educational focus, students may be more comfort-able than directors when it comes to accessing this information. The pub-lisher’s goal is to promote and foster an independent learning community outside the classroom through tech-nology by providing a “robust arsenal of multimedia support” for music that challenges the imagination and stan-dard practices of “big box” publishers. Amen to this publisher’s credo!

Creative Solutions for Common Problems

Keeping time is a continual teach-ing challenge. Fortunately, there are many resources to consider when addressing this and other common performance problems. Automatic accompaniment generating software such as Band-In-A-Box by PG Music and SmartMusic by MakeMusic can provide authentic accompaniments that interactively engage students with concentrated practice that is more effective than the traditional metronome. Practicing with a rhythm section accompaniment gives students a keener awareness of the beat as they experience the unique functions and roles of individual rhythm section in-struments.

Transcribing jazz solos has long been touted as the most authentic way to learn to improvise. Why? Because stu-dents become aurally involved with the recorded solo, notating it, analyzing it, and then transposing it. Without tech-nology, this can be laborious process. But with either software or hardware tools, students can slow the recording without changing pitch, and be able

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to hear the nuances and articulations. There are several excellent transcrib-ing software applications available, but Transcribe! 7.50 offers video playback that plays the video frame by frame, in sync with the audio at any speed.

Many students get a kick out of transcribing YouTube clips. I have a clarinet student who is going to be a featured soloist with the school’s symphonic band on the December concert. To make her practice more productive, she found a YouTube vid-eo of a professional playing her clari-net concerto. By downloading it into Transcribe!, she can practice with the video and control the playback tempo simultaneously. Using SmartMusic by MakeMusic, she has also downloaded a 99-cent recording of her concerto from iTunes and loaded it so she can

practice with an entire symphony orchestra at any tempo, plus loop any section at any tempo for more in-depth practice. And she can also record herself with the symphony or-chestra accompaniment.

I have a tuba/alto saxophone stu-dent preparing for his college audi-tions. He imports audio recordings of his concerti into SmartMusic and practices more creatively with Smart-Music than he would with the origi-nal recordings because SmartMusic allows him to control the tempo and looping boosts his practice miles ahead. Practice can really be fun and productive with technology.

Auditions and TestingEver wish you had time to assess

students and improve accountability? With SmartMusic, software can record each student and can even grade the performances automatically if you pick music from its extensive library that includes more than 30,000 solo and ensemble titles and 50,000 exercises for woodwind, brass, string, and vocal musicians. In addition, there are 1,010

concert band, 161 string orchestra, 92 jazz ensemble and 14 full orchestra titles. SmartMusic Impact is a Web-based grade book for SmartMusic sub-scribers that automates administrative tasks to save time because it tracks all returned and late assignments, calcu-lates grades for assignments based on the teacher’s grading criteria, collects audio recordings of student assign-ments, and shows how each student is progressing.

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One of the SmartMusic sample fi les, “Straight Ahead Blues,” is a perfect tryout piece for a high school jazz band audition. Students are able to perform with a rhythm sec-tion and practice with it at home in preparation for the tryout. And if that’s not enough, educatros can listen to the recorded tryout at their convenience and print out the scores of students’ performances with errors indicated. For drummer tryouts in which students need to demon-strate different style grooves and fi lls, try selecting dif-ferent from the jazz improvisation folders, especially the Aebersold repertory. Besides helping the evaluation, your drummers can practice keeping a steady beat, playing the correct style, and doing fi lls in time. The SmartMusic fi les can help teach drummers comping styles as well. This will also work well for the bass and piano players.

Bob Grifa, a retired middle/high school educator in Virginia, feels that grading for Jazz Ensemble is slightly different from Concert Band, especially for younger groups. In his opinion, in order to play in the Jazz Ensemble students must already have some degree of fundamental playing skill. Style also needs to be taken into consideration, and improvisation can raise the dif-fi culty of a chart.

With that in mind, here are some titles in the Jazz En-semble repertoire list at the SmartMusic Web site. Consid-er the headings below as to what level those pieces might be used for in terms of both of musical development and auditions.

ImprovisingThe strength and freedom that the process of improvisa-

tion provides can and should be part of any music student’s experience. I will be teaching in Maui in the near future, and improvisation will be taught to all band students at the middle and high school level, including marching band. SmartMusic offers a wealth of innovative instruction for contemporary music. Their latest jazz repertoire fi les for

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More advanced“Caravan” (mixture) – Ellington & Tizol, arr. Baylock Belwin“R U Chicken” (funk) – Berg Belwin

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jazz band are particularly applicable to the entire ensemble. All the jazz improvisation materials can be played by any concert band or string instru-ment. Improvisation can now be in-troduced into the “regular” concert band or orchestra rehearsal, which neatly fi ts MENC National Music Standards. A list of key features at www.smartmusic.com/teachers/fea-tures/ includes jazz-oriented items for the entire ensemble: Play by Ear, Improvisation Patterns, and Jazz Ex-ercises.

For example, “Straight Ahead Blues” and “Rockin’ Blues” are great for teaching improvisation with the blues scale. Students start out play-ing the blues scale along with the file. Try using the file at the begin-ning of rehearsal with SmartMusic amplified through speakers. After instruction, each student could im-provise one bar, one student af-ter the other, all the way around the section. After students become more comfortable, the number of measures can be extended, until students are trading fours. More ex-

perienced improvisers could do an entire chorus. During this process, the amplified SmartMusic rhythm section keeps things moving and the tempo and key can be adjusted as needed. This is a great warm-up activity to focus the students’ cre-ative juices and increase their musi-cal confidence. (By the way, the two files mentioned here are available in SmartMusic demo mode.)

Coping With CompingBand-In-A-Box can help teach

those elusive comping skills. Your bass players can watch, listen, and read custom-made bass lines. Then, simply print out the Band-In-A-Box bass lines and help the students ana-lyze the roots, 3rds, 5ths, fl at 7ths, and passing tones. The bassist can quickly start to see and understand how walking bass lines function, that chord tones occur on the fi rst and

third beats and passing tones on beats two and four. You can also use this to teach Latin bass lines with most roots and 5ths.

The Wynton Marsa-lis repertoire in Smart-Music is valuable for all performers, but is par-ticularly good for the rhythm section because it has transcriptions showing what Wynton’s rhythm section actually plays. This allows great opportunities for analy-sis. Students can practice published charts at any tempo, and even loop diffi cult measures. Piano players can see and hear exactly what comping is. All students will be able to experi-ence different musical styles and play along with each of them by muting their instrument in the recording. For example, mute the drums so your drummers can play along with the piano and bass player, or the piano, so your piano player can play with

just the bass and drums. These same features are available with Band-In-A-Box.

Practicing with Jazz Ensemble Repertoire

It’s amazing how we can now create automatic rhythm section accompani-ments. In just minutes, users can build an entire rhythm section accompani-ment in Band-In-A-Box for any chart and burn CDs for students to practice with. Just input the chord symbols and select from thousands of musical styles for as many tracks as necessary. For example, you could create separate tracks of “Giant Steps” by John Col-trane or “Magic Flea” by Sammy Nes-tico fi rst as a bossa nova at 120 mm, medium tempo at 160 mm, uptempo at 220 mm, 260 mm. That’s a lot of assisted/sequential home practicing for teachers to creatively utilize with their

students, and all from a single software application.

Our friend Bob Grifa regularly as-signed a challenging part. He had the students send him a recording of the assignment using SmartMusic Impact. At the next rehearsal, before a note was ever played, he was able to tell students what they were doing incor-rectly and how to fi x it. In rehears-als, he used the recordings from the SmartMusic library to let students hear tone quality, interpretation of articulations, including unwritten dynamics. He even projected a part up on a screen so students could see and hear their parts in real time. With SmartMusic amplifi ed, one section or the entire group can play along with the pros. Time can work for you when the creative energy of music technology opens up new possibilities for your students.

“Students are pretty techno-savvy and educators need to plug into that enthusiasm.”

Have any tech ideas or ex-periences to share? Visit www.sbomagazine.com/techfeed-back to take part in our readers’ survey. This simple online form is your opportunity to voice music tech needs and make thoughts and success stories known. Your responses will help shape up-coming music tech columns.

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Mapex Releases New Quantum Models Mapex has released new models and accessories to complement its Quantum marching series. A tenor case and practice covers highlight the accesso-

ries options, with the Agility snare and a new 32” bass drum expanding the drum offerings.

The new Quantum drum covers and cases fea-ture wheels on the tenor case making transport easier. The neutral grey color of the drum covers help to refl ect heat. Covers feature smartly posi-tioned D rings on each side to hold stick bags and easy to reach pockets are big enough to hold a dot book.

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NewProducts

Vater Player’s Design Sticks from Wengren, Roddy, and Frasier-MooreThe Brian Frasier-Moore model stick design comes from one of the most in-demand drummers of today. Brian’s stick design is just under a 5A in the grip but with some extra length for added reach. The gradual taper to the medium sized barrel tip makes it a nicely balanced and versatile stick.

Derek Roddy’s model is in-between a 5A and 5B in the grip. The stick features a really quick taper to a small acorn tip for warm but defi ned cymbal tones. It is a great stick for a variety of musical applications.

Designed by the multi-plati-num drummer of the band Dis-turbed, Mike Wengren’s stick measures in between a 5B and a 2B with a quick taper to an oval nylon tip. The extra length gives some added weight and a bit more reach. Nicely weighted and durable, this is a perfect stick for hard-hitting drumming. Art-work features Disturbed’s band logo and album logos.

All three sticks list for $14.99 per pair.www.vater.com

Meredith Music announces the publication of Mallets for Drummers: A Rhythmic Approach to Learning Me-lodic Percussion by Lynn Glassock. This unique approach utilizes drumming experience by presenting the melodic fundamentals of music in an interesting and challenging way. No nursery rhyme

tunes or children’s songs are found here. Instead, rhythmically interesting and fun pieces that will greatly speed the intermediate/advanced drummer’s progress on keyboard percussion in-struments.

Includes:·Play along CD

·Melodic music fundamentals·Performance fundamentals·Scale studies·Triad studies·Reading studies·Solo studies·Utilizes snare drum/drum set skills

www.meredithmusic.com

Mallets for Drummers: A Rhythmic Approach to Learning Melodic Percussion

RUBEN ALVAREZ - PART OF THE LP INNER CIRCLE. – are you in?

©2008 Latin Percussion, Garfield, NJ

are you in?

Everyone wants to get their hands on LP AspireAccents Series Wood congas and bongos withthe latest scarab design. They feature the quality and sounds found only in an LP. Embraced by theworld’s best players, they’re new, but instantlyclassic. What else would you expect from LP? Get into it. Get LP.

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www.lpmusic.com


NewProducts

New Universal II Chromatic Tuner and Metronome Tuner from Planet Waves

Planet Waves’ all new, redesigned Universal II Chromatic Tuner is based upon the Universal Chromatic Tuner, but the new design features bold, easy-to-read display graph-ics and offers precision tuning with chromatic and manual modes, now with a lower price tag.

The Universal II Chromatic Tuner Features:Chromatic or manual tuning modes; built-in condenser microphone and ¼” input jack; Large, easy-to-read LCD Display; Sleek, compact design; Battery Included.

Also new from Planet Waves is a new Metronome Tuner, equipped with onboard tempo, beats, and time division variations. Any elec-tric instrument can be plugged into the Metronome Tuner thanks to the ¼-inch input jack adapter. Plus, a built-in condenser microphone makes it equally adept at tuning acoustic instruments. www.planetwaves.com

Hamilton Stands Improves Desks

Hamilton Stands has im-proved its KB90 Traveler II and KB990BL portable stands by adding Hamilton’s proprietary solid desk, which is used on all of Hamilton’s symphonic stands. The desk features du-rable steel construction with rolled edges and corners that resist bending. The shelf is reinforced with corner gussets to assure it remains perpendicular, and the platen is ribbed across its full surface to reduce bending and warping caused by use, as well as abuse. Finished with a scratch resistant black textured paint, the desk is embossed with Hamilton’s stylized logo across the top. www.hamiltonstands.com

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Brought to you by EPN Travel Services

Keep the Beat MovingI borrowed this rhythm/metronome exercise from fl utist James

Walker. Play a passage with the quarter note equal to each beat of a measure (for example, 120 bpm). Next, set the metronome to 30 bpm and play the passage with only beat 1 of each mea-sure as the metronome reference. Next, have the metronome be reference for beat 2, then beat 3, then beat 4. My students feel like their timing is perfect when they nail a passage only

hearing the metronome beat the fourth beat of each measure.

Simon AustinBurroughs High School

Ridgecrest, Calif.Submit your PLAYING TIP online at www.sbomagazine.com

or e-mail it to editor Eliahu Sussman:[email protected].

Win a special prize from EPN Travel, Inc. Winning Playing Tipswill be published in School Band and Orchestra magazine.

Reserve your copy of the new Third Edition

Student’s Guide to College Music ProgramsListing more than 1,300 Music Colleges and Universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Plus “What’s Expected of Incoming Freshmen,” “Tips for the College Audition,” and “How to Obtain Financial Aid.”

The Guide is a valuable resource for high school music and guidance departments.

This limited edition Guide is offered to SBO readers at a special $5 discount.

Regular price is $19.95

This Offer Only

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and handling.

Email [email protected] or Call Melanie Prescott at 800-964-5150 ext. 24 to reserve your copy

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BandGifts.comGuitar • Horns • Piano • Strings T-shirts, Hats, Stickers, Jewelry,

Keychains, Miniatures, Ties, and more.

Free Marching Band ArrangementsContact or email

International Education ServiceP.O. Box 15036

Alexandria, Virginia 22309703-619-6268 [email protected]

ARRANGEMENTS

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FUNDRAISING

Fund Raising Since 1948!We have helped groups like yours raise funds since 1948. The key to our success is “products that sell themselves!” Your group will be selling useful items that people want and need at manufacture direct prices. These top quality, Made in the USA items include Rada Cutlery, Soy Wax Candles, Recipes Books, and Stoneware. Working with the manufacture ensures that your customers will receive and incredible value for the merchandise they purchase while supporting your cause! Call 800-311-9691 or email money @radamfg.com today to receive you FREE Fund Raising Packet so you can get started!

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MERCHANDISE

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SPECIAL SALE PAGES ON OUR WEBSITECONTACT US FOR CATALOG INFORMATION

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List SASE (2 stamps)Bambauer Music

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MOVING? Let us know 6-8 weeks before your move so we can continue to send your

magazine without interruption.

PAST

E OL

D LA

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HERE

!

NEW ADDRESS HERE! Name ___________________________

Address _________________________

_______________________________

City ____________________________

State ____________Zip ____________

21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494(781) 453-9310

Classifi eds

Find Your Next Private Teacher

www.LessonPortal.comTeachers Sign Up FREE, Forever

TEACHING RESOURCES

December

HanukkahDecember 22

Winter BeginsDecember 22

Christmas DayDecember 25

Illinois:Midwest International Band & Or-chestra ClinicDecember 16 – 20

Every attempt has been made to provide accurate data, though readers should note that all dates and informa-tion listed are subject to change.

If you have information on any relevant future events that you’d like to see included in next month’s calendar, please e-mail SBO editor, Christian Wissmuller: [email protected]

Events Calendar

If you are interested in sub-mitting an article to School Band and Orchestra, please visit www.sbomagazine.com

and click on Submissions Info.

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Call Maureen 1-800-964-5150 ext. [email protected]

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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

1. Publication Title: School Band and Orches-tra. 2. Publication No.: 0019-072. 3. Filing Date 10/8/08. 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $24. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Offi ce of Publication: School Band and Orchestra, 21 Highland Circle, Ste. 1, Needham, Norfolk, MA 02494. 8. Complete Mailing Address of the Headquarters or General Business Offi ce of the Publisher: (Same as #7). 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Pub-lisher: Richard E. Kessel, 21 Highland Circle, Ste. 1, Needham, MA 02494; Editor: Christian Wissmuller, 21 Highland Circle, Ste. 1, Need-ham, MA 02494; Managing Editor: None. 10. Owner (If owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also immediately thereafter the names and addresses of stock-holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of stock): Zapis Capital Group, LLC; Leon Zapis, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Xenophon Zapis, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Richard Bongorno, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Maria Wymer, 26202 De-troit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Donna Thomas, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Renee Seybert, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145.. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. 12. (For Nonprofi t Organizations - Does Not Apply) 13. Publication Name: School Band and Orchestra. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Octo-ber 2008. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation. Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preced-ing 12 Months/Actual No. Copies of Single Is-sue Published Nearest to Filing Date: a. Total No. Copies : 17,757/17,160b. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribu-tion:(1) Paid/ Requested Outside-County Mail Sub-scriptions:. 12,148/12,314(2) Paid/Requested In-County Subscrip-tions:.0/0(3) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales:.0/0(4) Requested copies distributed by other USPS mail classes:.0/0c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation:. 12,148/12,314d. Nonrequested distribution:(1). Outside county nonrequested cop-ies:.5,145/4,676(2) In County nonrequested copies:. 0/0(3) Nonrequested copies distributed through other USPS mail classes:0/0(4). Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail: 300/30e. Total nonrequested distribution:. 5,445/4,706f. Total Distribution:17,593/17,020g. Copies not distributed:164/140h. Total: 17,757/17,160i: Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 69%/72%16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the November 2008 issue of this publication.17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or civil sanc-tions.

Richard E. Kessel, Publisher

Clarinet and Flute $295Wood Clarinet $495

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AdIndexCOMPANY NAME E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS PAGE #

Mike Balter Mallets, LLC www.mikebalter.com 35

Band Shoppe www.bandshoppe.com 5

Bari Woodwinds www.bariwoodwinds.com 8

Barrington Music www.wwbw.com 45

Burkart-Phelan www.burkart.com 25

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LP Music Group www.lpmusic.com 50

Musicfest Orlando www.musicfestorlando.com 40

New Horizons Tour & Travel www.nhtt.com 7

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Noteworthy Musical www.noteworthymusicalinstruments.com 46

Pearl Corp. www.pearldrum.com 3

Percussive Arts Society Inc. www.pas.org 26

Peterson Strobe Tuners www.petersontuners.com 10

Premier Perc. [email protected] 49

Pro-Mark Corp. www.promark.com 6

Pro Winds www.prowinds.com 27

Protune Corp. www.protune.com 12

SKB Corp. www.skbcases.com 37

Sabine www.sabine.com 33

Super Holiday Tours www.superholiday.com 43

Superscope Technologies www.superscopetechnologies.com 51

Super-Sensitive Musical String Co. www.cavanaughcompany.com 29

The Tuba Exchange www.tubaexchange.com 31

Vandoren www.dansr.com 36

Vic Firth, Inc. www.VicFirth.com 30



Wholesale Fundraisers, Inc. www.VicFirth.com 28

Winter Guard International www.wgi.org 20

Avedis Zildjian Co. www.zildjian.com 13


Ad Index.indd 56 10/30/08 1:10:09 PM

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www.nhtt.com

SBO_COV4 COV4 10/29/08 3:17:40 PM

www.festivalsofmusic.com

SBO November 2008

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