Cool Concert This Thursday

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has a training group called the Civic Orchestra (sort of like a AAA farm club). It is a fantastic ensemble led by Cliff Colnot, and they perform several times a year for free. This Thursday, June 11, at 9:30 AM, they will present Dvorak's 9th Symphony, commonly known as "The New World Symphony." The fourth movement of this work will remind you of John Williams' theme from the movie Jaws, although it's important to note that Dvorak wrote his work several decades earlier. The second movement is one of the most beautiful melodies of all time, an English horn solo also known as "Going Home." It sounds very much like an old-time African-American spiritual. In fact, Dvorak, a Bohemian (Czech) composer, wrote this symphony in part to show his American counterparts how they could use the music of African and Native Americans to forge a unique style that was less influenced by European romanticism.

The concert will begin with a multimedia presentation on the background of Dvorak's piece, followed by a complete performance after intermission. It will be held in Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Click here for more details. Let me know if you get a chance to attend and celebrate your first day of summer vacation in style!

Spontaneous Public Music Making

For the last several rehearsals, all but seven members of the Wind Ensemble have been rehearsing with the orchestra for graduation. That left me with one trumpet, one euphonium, four alto saxes, and one baritone sax. So, instead of sitting around with nothing to do, we put together two fun ensembles. The first is a quick arrangement I did of Canzon III a 6 Voci by Giovanni Gabrieli. This was written in the early 1600s, probably for brass instruments, but it works surprising well for our chamber group. My music theory class was down to one student after the seniors left, so I encouraged him to write an original work for the same instrumentation. He came up with a delightful modal piece in 3/4 with interesting syncopations and texture changes.

We worked on both pieces for a few days and then decided to take our show on the road. We wandered around the school during our class period looking for odd places to play. We began in the student union where we were largely ignored, except for the appreciative teacher who was supervising the empty space:

We then played in the open hallway space known as "The Blocks." Some people seemed very annoyed with our disrupting their precious social time, but one student decided to be a groupie and follow us.

Our next stop was the front entrance. Bad acoustics but lots of natural light:

We found a much more receptive audience in the north gym, where a number of girls were on treadmills and exercycles. The guys lifting weights next door went about their business, clanging barbells and grunting:

After picking up another groupie, we went to the library lobby. Here we drew a large audience and more followers:

When we finished up in the courtyard, we had a number of fans listening, as well as the rest of the Wind Ensemble, who had just gotten out of rehearsal. All in all, it was an interesting experiment, and we brought live music to some people who would have otherwise heard only their iPods and car stereos today.

Ravinia--Summer Music Under the Stars

Those of us here on Chicago's North Shore are blessed with one of America's truly great summer music fests, Ravinia. Located in a beautiful park setting in a neighborhood just east of us in Highland Park, their eclectic line-up, quality sound system, and great dining choices make this a wonderful place to spread out a blanket and soak up great music under the stars. You can sit in the pavilion if you have the cash for the ticket, but I enjoy plunking down $10 or so and sitting on the lawn. The parking is pricey ($10-20), so I suggest parking in one of their shuttle lots along the train tracks on St. Johns. A free bus brings you directly to the park. Plan to arrive a couple of hours before show time to enjoy a meal and social time with friends! Look for some of your friends from band who are working as ushers this summer (what a great job!).

After perusing the schedule, I'd like to recommend the following events to my students:

Classical

• June 18, Music of Handel
• July 12, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with actual cannons! (This will be very crowded--arrive early!)
• July 18, Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Probably also very crowded)
• July 19, Mahler's 9th Symphony (two ninths in two nights!)
• July 24, Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Gershwin and Bernstein (West Side Story Dances!)
• July 25, Dvorak's New World Symphony (this is probably where John Williams got the Jaws movie theme)
• August 9, James Galway (one of the greatest flutists in history!) with the CSO

Jazz/Pop/World

• June 12, Ramsey Lewis (Chicago jazz legend) and his tribute to Abraham Lincoln
• July 1, Femi Kuti and King Sunny Ade, two African pop legends, guaranteed to get you dancing ($16 lawn tickets)
• August 11, James Galway (see above) playing Cuban and French jazz
• September 2, Kurt Elling (incredible jazz singer) and Ernie Watts recreate a famous John Coltrane with vocals album

If you want more information, click here for the official Ravinia website.

Memorial Day 2009

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.

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!

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!

Jazz Nite 09

Come one, come all to this year's edition of Jazz Nite, on Wednesday, April 29, at 7:30 in the Deerfield High School auditorium! The Jazz Band will perform the world premiere of Geoff Shell's composition "Twilight," as well as three jazz classics: "Red Clay" by Freddie Hubbard, "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday, and "Moanin'" by Charles Mingus (not to be confused with the Bobby Timmons tune of the same name). In addition, the Monday and Tuesday Afternoon Jazz groups will each play a set. The ever-popular Choraliers and various vocal soloists will be singing some favorite numbers from the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and '40s, and the Jazz Band and Choraliers will open and close the show together in spectacular fashion. We hope to have a big crowd--it's a great concert paper opportunity for all you sophomores and juniors!