Monday, September 17, 2012

Saved By The Bell!! . . .

When the afternoon school bell rings, students often scurry away to various sports, extra-curricular activities, home to play video games, or off to hang out with friends. Some groups of students chose a different outlet for their after school interests: contemporary music making.

In an effort to shed light on what composers are doing and how they are doing it in the ongoing effort to educate future generations of musicians on how to engage contemporary music, we will spend time interviewing and reporting on composers talking about their projects in schools.

This first interview is with composer Jeremy Podgursky, a composer from Louisville, KY who recently devised a project wherein he went into local high schools and worked directly with students in an after school settings. Currently a doctoral student at Indiana University, Podgursky reflected and wrote to us about his experiences with young musician/composers.


Podgursky says that he loosely based the sessions with the high school students on how he teaches private composition lessons to beginner/young composers. Every week he focused on a specific element of music (rhythm, harmony, melody, time, form, etc.). The students would be given an exercise which addressed the specific element for the week. Since the high school students were meeting in a group setting for only 90 minutes once a week, they were given simplified exercises that would meet the expectation of the exercise while not overwhelming them with a presumption of musical knowledge.

The meetings with these students largely centered around listening to and discussing musical examples. To this end, Podgursky says, "The most important element of playing music for the kids was to mix up the genres and include pop music." He goes on to elaborate that simply because the students were mostly writing for acoustic instruments didn't mean that he had to limit the reperatoire to only the standards for those instruments. Further, he says:: "just because they were composers didn't mean the focus was on 20th/21st century high art music. I played them Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Bjork,  The Beatles, Bartok, and Berio."

After five to six weeks of topical discussions, listening, and compositional exercises, Podgursky turned the students loose to compose their own pieces. Subsequent meetings would involve Podgursky floating among the students and discussing their individual projects with them. He notes that at one particular rural high school where he did this program, the students were involved in a successful band program, were highly motivated, and could read musical scores with ease. In that environment, during the latter half of his program, he could place one of the students' scores in front of the class for discussion.

The eleven to twelve week program culminated with a recital of the student's music. Podgursky offered the following final reflection on his experience:

I would say that the biggest difference between the high school students and college students is the emphasis placed on fun. I was very conscious not to pressure them to finish anything. I had to make sure that they always felt the extra-ciricular nature of the program because it was totally optional.

If he were to run the program again, he said that he would offer more opportunities for improvisation. He cites Murray Schafer and the book The Composer in the Classroom as sources of inspiration for future endeavors.


Thank you, Jeremy Podgursky, for creating an opportunity for interested, young musicians to encounter contemporary concert music in a meaningful way and for sharing your reflection on these experiences with us. We hope that as you continue in your career as a composer, there will always be a space for endeavors like this.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Oh, say can you sing?

As many of you watched the Olympics this year, you may have noticed the varying degrees of the athletes’ knowledge of their own national anthems. Some sang out proudly, with wide grins. Others were too overcome with emotion to sing a note. There were also a few that seemed to be nervous, their lips moving reservedly and their eyes darting away from the cameras. Did they feel uncomfortable with the song that presents their country to the rest of the world? Therefore, we dedicate this blog post to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Our national anthem is a difficult one to sing and understand. It describes a violent battle scene. The voice has to utilize a wide range and leap from one note to another. The poetry employs some arcane phrasing, and the first verse (typically the only one sung) ends with a question.

Certainly, “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not easy. There were great debates about choosing this song to be our national anthem. One of the great arguments against this particular option was that it was so difficult to sing, and school-age children, especially, have great trouble learning it. On the same token, however, it is that difficulty — those distinctive downward leaps and the soaring, high middle section — that make our anthem distinct and recognizable. The very real struggle to learn this song teaches our students that virtues of citizenship and perseverance are an important, valued part of our culture.

Take a few moments this month to ask your students to sing our national anthem. You might want to grab a video camera: Our youngest students sometimes come up with amusing word substitutions, which are worth recording for posterity! Gently correcting these errors in lyrics and melody is a process. By the end of this process, however, students understand that our national anthem is something to be revered and respected.

The Star-Spangled Banner

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

While the aforementioned difficulties associated with "The Star Spangled Banner" can be daunting to both teacher and student alike, there is a fantastic opportunity for composers to seize! Namely, by breathing new life into the arcane aspects of this tune and its lyrics through new arrangements exploring new harmonic and rhythmic possibilities. Granted, if you accept the premise that teaching this song to young students is already a challenge, then you might not want to veer too far away from conventions. However, there are still ways in which to make the music both accessible to younger students while giving the tune and lyrics the respect they deserve.

We recently had the opportunity to arrange "The Star Spangled Banner" for middle school chorus. The choral director at this particular school was frustrated with the mundane arrangements he had performed for so many years and wanted something new. The result was a nice opportunity for collaboration.