COMPREHENSIVE MUSICIANSHIP- Bruce Pearson, Elk River, Mn

Youth today face two radically different forces. Schools demand excellence in all subjects. At the same time, the mass media outside the schools all too frequently focus students' attention on shallow, mediocre models of the good life. Students exercise value standards as they make independent, intellectual judgments artistic quality in all of their experiences. For example, they identify the characteristics of good theater in television or movies. They discriminate among the barrage of music that permeates their world. They judge design in the goods they buy and the things they produce.

All students, therefore, need experiences in understanding the arts. Otherwise they base their decisions on stereotypes and prejudices which can easily be manipulated by the mass media. Students need to learn to exercise social responsibility in making personal and group decisions about the arts.

The hulking ugliness of large parts of our cities and towns, the mediocrity of some industrial production, the brazen tawdriness of much of our advertising and commercial display, the insipid programs that fill many hours on radio and television, and the content of many pages of newspaper and magazines do not provide the desired image. These conditions exist because too many people are willing to accept such standards, having little educated basis for critical selection. In a free society, each individual is responsible for the quality of art he/she contributes in his home, his work, and his stand on the kinds of architecture and the urban and suburban planning in his community. For example, he makes many decisions about civic planning, housing, parkways, and conservation, all of which involve the arts. The arts viewed as a function of society are the responsibility of all citizens.

Neither an outstanding nation nor a worthy individual can be intellectually mature and aesthetically impoverished. School programs should reflect a balanced image of social and artistic values.

One of the outstanding achievements of public school music during the 20th century has been the phenomenal development of performing groups. As the performance program grew in importance and was accepted by the public, the training of the music teacher became increasingly dominated by courses which were directly related to a performance oriented music curriculum.

In more recent years, however, music educators have begun to evaluate the outcomes of music education and they have expressed increasing concern with the fact that in spite of the high standards of performance in many schools, the large majority of high school students had no formal contact with music during any of their high school years. They also noted that even though students who were active in performance groups, though technically well-trained, were frequently deficient in understanding music as an art. The National Standards for Arts Education have addressed this problem and have identified what all American students should know and be able to do in the arts. Even if you or your school district has not adopted or don't even agree with the concept of National Standards, it is indisputable that these Standards are admirable goals for the teaching of comprehensive musicianship.

Musicians seem to know intuitively what musicianship means and use the term in varying contexts. For our purposes, I would like to define comprehensive musicianship as theory applied to practice; and knowledge and skill applied to practical music-making. To teach comprehensive musicianship you must consistently emphasize and explain the relationship of structure and style to performance. The first step is to develop a band curriculum emphasizing music as a fine art or cultural aesthetic study. This results in a music appreciation course for band-"Music Appreciation"-of the highest quality, not the usual, degrading connotation. Performance provides a most effective medium to teach aesthetic sensitivity and understanding.

The band director's choice of literature is critical. It is far from redundant to say that the director must put music into the band program.-quality literature, plus knowledge of its structure and style.

The highest attainable level of performance is necessary. By planning carefully, nothing is lost in the quality of the performance. In fact, students should perform better because they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. Many directors of fine performing groups spend up to 20% of their rehearsal time teaching musical content to their students.

However, only a limited amount of learning results from an inconsistent approach. The director must be organized and consistent to teach musicianship effectively.

There are usually three reasons why comprehensive musicianship is not often taught. Those four reasons are:

1. The lack of training
2. Lack of materials
3. The lack of time
4. The lack of agreement as to the purpose of a music education

Carefully selected band literature is the foundation of the proposed program. We must put good music into the band program in order t teach musicianship. Band literature is the basic material through which musicianship is developed. Students study the "content" of the music they are rehearsing and performing. Not just any music will do. it must be quality literature that illustrates the concept to be learned. The music presents the problems; the solutions develop musicianship. The music that is selected should be chosen for its musical worth, stylistic validity, teaching potential, and suitability for programming. Learning about the music being rehearsed in no way precludes a culminating performance. Concerts, after all, should be a logical outgrowth of classroom learning. The seminar becomes a seminar in which the students learn about the music they are playing. Students should perform better, also, because they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. Search out from all sources music that is appropriate for your group that illustrates the concepts to be learned. The one necessary condition is that musical examples, from the band literature that students are rehearsing and programming, serve as illustrations for teaching about tone color, structural elements, forms and historical styles.

The director can use several procedures to present music to teach musicianship in rehearsal. He can (1) provide incidental information, (2) distribute printed materials, (3) prepare program notes, (4) assign out-of-class study, (5) utilize class discussion, and (6) provide additional music courses. Perhaps it is superficial to list these procedures as separate and exclusive approaches since they can used most effectively in combination as well as singly. However, for the sake of complete presentation, I will discuss the characteristics, values and limitations of each method to help you ascertain which are most appropriate to your teaching situation.

provide incidental information

In this approach, the director relates incidental information about the music as the rehearsal progresses. Stylistic, analytical and historical facts, dates, and other anecdotal data are tossed out to the group. Most directors seem to do this as a normal part of day by day teaching. Here are some examples of this technique:

" A fugue has a series of entrances of the theme or 'subject' in different voices. This is called 'imitation'. Watch balance! Be sure to drop back at least one dynamic level when a new voice enters so it can be heard.
"This is the music of Mozart. It is light and well articulated. Play it accordingly."
"Listen to this recording of the composition to check rhythm and phrasing. Note the tone quality of the professionals, also"

While this type of information may be very pertinent to the composition, it may have little carry-over to future music-making. Unrelated facts lack continuity and meaning, and are usually forgotten by students. However, this need not be the case. Incidental information that is consciously related to concepts studied earlier-that clarifies or reviews earlier learning, and deepens meaning-will tend to be remembered. The rehearsal plan that is appropriate for this model of learning is the same as for any rehearsal. Information is given in those places where normal breaks occur in the rehearsal.

Distribute printed material

With this technique the director gives students outlines, worksheets or other written materials about the music being performed. Student study guides can include information about musical structure, form, historical styles, arranging and many other important topics. Adjudication check sheets and other evaluative tools can be used, also. I will show you the material that was prepared for the Standard of Excellence pieces. Such materials provide handy sources of information for students. Another advantage is that students can study these materials on their own time. Ease of administration is one advantage of this approach. However, several questions will arise: Do students understand the material? How well do they understand? Did the in fact study the material? Evaluation could proceed from an informal discussion to a written test.

Again, no change in rehearsal routine is needed for this type of presentation unless a follow-up is used. Rehearsal time would be necessary for this. Allocate five minutes within several rehearsals for discussion or a longer part of one rehearsal for testing. The day after the concert may be a good day for testing.

Prepare program notes

The director prepares and provides extensive program notes for concert music. If concerts are an outgrowth of rehearsals, what more logical way could be found for presenting information about the music being studied? The approach is somewhat limited, yet very effective if the programming includes many styles. Many conductor's scores now include some program notes. To be of value for teaching musicianship, however, the program notes must concentrate upon the structural, stylistic aspects and not the typical, non-musical considerations.

Program notes also make the concert more enjoyable for the audience. The comprehensive notes used for study may have to be trimmed and simplified for the audience. I still remember my high school band director explaining our music to the audience. He was good at it and I looked forward to the concerts so that I could learn more about the music that we were playing. I only wish that he had done more of it for us in rehearsal.

The learning experience can be improved for students if program notes are the result of student research and if they are discussed in class. No extra rehearsal time is needed, unless class time is used for discussion of the information included in the program notes.

Assign out-of-class study

Daily assignments have long been utilized by band directors. These assignments usually emphasize individual technical improvement. Yet, they need not be limited to technique. Examples of other types of assignments include audio listening, selected readings, theory exercises, research and written reports of research.

Listening should be directed to the music being performed. Tone quality can be imitated, stylistic interpretation noted and emulated, and technical and rhythmical problems analyzed. Students can follow the score to learn the "big picture" If transcriptions are used, the original version should also be studied.

Out side readings should include relevant background materials about the music being played. Students can read about historical periods, compositions, composers, forms and structural elements.

Theory assignments should emphasize the relationship of structure to performance. For example, "What are the types of cadences and how do they function in phrases you play?"

Students research should be directed to problems about the music being performed.

The out-of-class assignment approach does not take up rehearsal time. As with most of the previous plans, however, this procedure would be most effective combined with class discussion.

Utilize class discussion

The director uses lecture, discussion, and demonstration to present important concepts. The band functions as a seminar or laboratory group for learning. This plan is advocated for its total efficiency, especially if used with other procedures. Rehearsal time is needed for this approach, so rehearsal routines must be constructed to accommodate the type of presentation desired. Two rehearsal routines may be used:

1. The director may take several minutes of rehearsal time as needed. Band literature is carefully chosen for the illustration of the concepts. Lecture and discussion is incorporated into the rehearsal. Learning materials are prepared and distributed. Careful attention is paid to consistency and continuity of presentation. Careful evaluation of progress is made and the works are programmed on a concert.

2. The director may take one or more complete rehearsals for presentations, demonstrations, lecture and discussion. The "musicianship" rehearsal consists of the performance of the music that specifically illustrates the concepts to be learned. Difficult music can be rehearsed prior to the "lesson" day. Learning materials and outlines are used also. The work is programmed on the concert.

For example, to learn about thematic development, (1) important themes are located, (2) students play them, and (3) students listen to what happens to them throughout the composition. This is a good introduction to the study of form, especially if study outlines are provided.

Long-Range

A major strength of the proposed curriculum is that it has "content" - students learn more than performance skills. They learn about music, its theory, styles, and values. By taking a cyclic approach, the learning can be spread to a three or four year sequence to match the high school structure. A possible four year curriculum consists of the following sequence.

FIRST YEAR The Baroque and Classical Eras are emphasized for the entire year. One concert work is selected from the Baroque era, one from the Classical era, and two from the "recommended works" for band. Three concerts are presented, with the following topics emphasized per concert period:
CONCERT ONE CONCERT TWO CONCERT THREE
Timbre/Tone & Interpretation: Musical Forms,
Elements of Music: Expression Musical Styles:
Rhythm, Melody/ Phrasing Structure Articulation &
Theme, Harmony, & Discrimination, Historical
Texture Multicultural

SECOND YEAR The Romantic Era is emphasized for the entire year. Two concert works are selected from the Romantic era and two from the "recommended works" for band. Three concerts are presented, with the following topics emphasized per concert period:

(Same as first year)

THIRD YEAR The Contemporary Era (Part 1) is emphasized for the entire year. Two concert works are selected from the Contemporary era and two from the "recommended works" for band. Three concerts are presented with the following topics emphasized per concert period:

(Same as first year)

FOURTH YEAR The Contemporary Era (Part 2) is emphasized for the entire year. Two concert works are selected from the Contemporary era and two from the "recommended works" for band. Three concerts are presented, with the following topics emphasized per concert period:

(Same as first year)