It was a beautiful day in downtown Deerfield, surprisingly so when past Memorial Days have featured thunderstorms or 90 degree heat. A rare, comfortably cool fourth Monday in May as the Warrior Marching Band once again traveled to Jewett Park for the American Legion's annual commemoration of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedoms. As usual, there were speeches made and honors bestowed, the band played our national anthem, and several alums stopped by to say hello. Recent alums like Ethan Kaplan (trumpet '08) and long graduated alums like Jerry Madden (alto sax '90). Army veteran Frank Harrison (baritone sax '92) carried a flag in the Legion's color guard as he has for several years. I spotted Herb and Vivian Landon, parents of Erica (trombone/drum major '92) along the parade route, and Bruce Stupple, retired DHS art teacher greeted me as well. It is always good to see old friends.
As we have for the past several years, we marched to the tune of "America On Parade." This is an arrangement I did a number of years ago that combines our "American the Beautiful" pregame entrance music with "Battle Hymn of the Republic." I originally put it together for the band to play in the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival parade competition. (If you're too young to know about that, it was an almost sacred event for the band each October). My favorite part of Memorial Day, however, is when we get to the cemetery just south of downtown. The drum majors, two senior buglers, and I join the queue of Legionnaires and scouts as they read the names of Deerfield residents who have died in America's many wars. It's an impressive list, beginning with a man who gave his life during the War of 1812 and ending with several names of men who died in Vietnam. I can't help but imagine that some of the latter were DHS grads who enlisted or were drafted right out of school. After the last name is read, three Legionnaires fire three volleys into the air with their rifles. Then our buglers, this year Josh Sacks and Max Polisky, play an echo version of Taps. Afterwards, there is a benediction and we parade back to the Legion Hall.
All in all, from the time we arrive at DHS to warm-up until the last uniform is checked in for the year, we spend less than three hours on this activity. While most students are sleeping in or relaxing at their family cottage, the marching band members are taking time out to pay tribute to the brave men and women who laid down their lives that we might enjoy our peace and prosperity. From Gettysburg to Normandy, from Iraq to Afghanistan, whether you agree with the politics of a given war or not, over one million Americans have given their lives in service of our country. And three hours on a holiday is a very small gesture for us to make in return.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Dissertation Update
I reached an important milestone with my doctoral dissertation yesterday. The whole process has been a series of these "red-letter days." The first came at the end of 2008 when I finished my last class. The second came in April 2009 when I passed my eight hours of qualifying exams. Then I spent all of last summer writing the 130-page proposal that spells out exactly what I plan to study. After attending a 10-day residency at Boston University in August, working with my professors and six colleagues, honing my plan, discussing the finer points of research, and doing a lot of reading and rewriting, my proposal was accepted by my professors, which means I was officially "ABD" ("all but dissertation"). My next step was approval by the Institutional Review Board.
The "IRB" reviews all proposals to make sure we researchers are using sound methods and not endangering our subjects. They looked over my work and returned it to me in October with specific questions and requests. I was able to answer all of them to their satisfaction, but I needed some supporting documentation from the state music education organizations. I finally received those letters late this spring and was able to resend my packet to the IRB. After one last minor edit, I was notified yesterday that I had passed this final hurdle and can finally begin my work in earnest. Woohoo!
Unfortunately, my major data collection instrument is a survey of high school band directors, which I now won't be able to undertake until the fall. This puts my time line about a year behind schedule, but at least I can now see a clear path forward. Luckily for me, I am still passionate about my topic, which is Comprehensive Musicianship. This refers to the teaching of diverse musical disciplines in an integrated fashion. In other words, band students can learn history, theory, and composition as part of the rehearsal process for a piece of music. If you've been in the Deerfield HS band program, you know that I have tried to do this to some extent over the years. Some directors have developed programs in which they do this in a very organized and intentional manner. I will be looking to determine just how much band directors know about this topic and how many of them engage in CM teaching. I'll be updating my blog readers throughout the process of my research. Stay tuned!
The "IRB" reviews all proposals to make sure we researchers are using sound methods and not endangering our subjects. They looked over my work and returned it to me in October with specific questions and requests. I was able to answer all of them to their satisfaction, but I needed some supporting documentation from the state music education organizations. I finally received those letters late this spring and was able to resend my packet to the IRB. After one last minor edit, I was notified yesterday that I had passed this final hurdle and can finally begin my work in earnest. Woohoo!
Unfortunately, my major data collection instrument is a survey of high school band directors, which I now won't be able to undertake until the fall. This puts my time line about a year behind schedule, but at least I can now see a clear path forward. Luckily for me, I am still passionate about my topic, which is Comprehensive Musicianship. This refers to the teaching of diverse musical disciplines in an integrated fashion. In other words, band students can learn history, theory, and composition as part of the rehearsal process for a piece of music. If you've been in the Deerfield HS band program, you know that I have tried to do this to some extent over the years. Some directors have developed programs in which they do this in a very organized and intentional manner. I will be looking to determine just how much band directors know about this topic and how many of them engage in CM teaching. I'll be updating my blog readers throughout the process of my research. Stay tuned!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Free Music Samplers from Amazon
Amazon.com, still a relatively new player in the online music market, is carving out quite a niche for itself with the release of several free samplers from various record companies. A lot of it is indie rock, so if you are into that, you can check out a wide variety of new tracks. There is also a variety of other genres available as well. They are giving these collections away, no doubt, in an attempt to entice you to buy more music by the featured artists. It's a great way to explore records that you might not otherwise hear. Three of my favorites:
The Koch Records jazz sampler is a mixed bag, with some instrumentals, some vocals, and a bit of smooth jazz. I do, however, really like the tracks by Vinicius Cantuaria (some nice samba), Jason Miles (a cover of "Stolen Moments"), and Jenny Scheinman (jazz violin).
I'm always looking for interesting music from cultures beyond my own, so any world music sampler is highly appreciated. The Rough Guide series is an excellent introduction to exotic sounds. This small sampler of their many, many discs goes from Guinea, South Africa, and Madagascar to Latin America and Arabia with a nice variety of Afropop and salsa.
Finally, Daptone Records offers some great funk and soul that sounds like it's straight out of the 1970s. If you want to hear some greasy horn vamps and hip vocals, check this one out!
Click on any of the album covers to go to the webpage and start downloading!
The Koch Records jazz sampler is a mixed bag, with some instrumentals, some vocals, and a bit of smooth jazz. I do, however, really like the tracks by Vinicius Cantuaria (some nice samba), Jason Miles (a cover of "Stolen Moments"), and Jenny Scheinman (jazz violin).
I'm always looking for interesting music from cultures beyond my own, so any world music sampler is highly appreciated. The Rough Guide series is an excellent introduction to exotic sounds. This small sampler of their many, many discs goes from Guinea, South Africa, and Madagascar to Latin America and Arabia with a nice variety of Afropop and salsa.
Finally, Daptone Records offers some great funk and soul that sounds like it's straight out of the 1970s. If you want to hear some greasy horn vamps and hip vocals, check this one out!
Click on any of the album covers to go to the webpage and start downloading!
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