Implementing New Orleans Brass Band Playing Into a Tuba and Euphonium Applied Lessons Course Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Rifkind, Justin Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/06/2018 18:08:26 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621090
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Implementing New Orleans Brass Band PlayingInto a Tuba and Euphonium Applied Lessons Course
Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation
Authors Rifkind, Justin
Publisher The University of Arizona.
Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this materialis made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona.Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such aspublic display or performance) of protected items is prohibitedexcept with permission of the author.
Download date 24/06/2018 18:08:26
Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621090
1
IMPLEMENTINGNEWORLEANSBRASSBANDPLAYINGINTOATUBAAND
EUPHONIUMAPPLIEDLESSONSCOURSE
by
JustinRifkind
_____________________________________Copyright©JustinRifkind2016
ADocumentSubmittedtotheFacultyofthe
FREDFOXSCHOOLOFMUSIC
InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements
FortheDegreeof
DOCTOROFMUSICALARTS
IntheGraduateCollege
THEUNIVERSITYOFARIZONA
2016
2
THEUNIVERSITYOFARIZONAGRADUATECOLLEGE
AsmembersoftheDocumentCommittee,wecertifythatwehavereadthedocumentpreparedbyJustinRifkind,titled“ImplementingNewOrleansBrassPlayingIntoaTubaandEuphoniumAppliedLessonsCourse”andrecommendthatitbeacceptedasfulfillingthedocumentrequirementfortheDegreeofDoctorofMusicalArts._______________________________________________________________________ Date:7/20/2016MattTropman _______________________________________________________________________ Date:7/20/2016MoisésPaiewonsky _______________________________________________________________________ Date:7/20/2016EdwardReid Finalapprovalandacceptanceofthisdocumentiscontingentuponthecandidate’ssubmissionofthefinalcopiesofthedocumenttotheGraduateCollege.IherebycertifythatIhavereadthisdocumentpreparedundermydirectionandrecommendthatitbeacceptedasfulfillingthedocumentrequirement.________________________________________________Date:7/20/2016DocumentDirector:MattTropman
3
STATEMENTBYAUTHOR
Thisdocumenthasbeensubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements
foranadvanceddegreeattheUniversityofArizonaandisdepositedintheUniversityLibrarytobemadeavailabletoborrowersunderrulesoftheLibrary.
Briefquotationsfromthisdocumentareallowablewithoutspecialpermission,providedthatanaccurateacknowledgementofthesourceismade.Requestsforpermissionforextendedquotationfromorreproductionofthismanuscriptinwholeorinpartmaybegrantedbythecopyrightholder.
SIGNED:JustinSidneyRifkind
4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TherearenumerouspeoplethatIwouldliketothank:ToRexMartinatNorthwesternUniversity,thankyouforagreatfoundationandteachingmetheartofstorytellingthroughmusic.ToJohnStevensattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison,thankyoufordaringmetotakerisksandjustbemyself.ToDr.KellyThomas,thankyouforbringingmetotheUniversityofArizonaandforyourmentorship.Imissyoueveryday.ToDr.MattTropman,thankyouforsteppingupinatoughsituationandhelpingtoguidemeforthefinaleofmydegree.ToProfessorMoisésPaiewonsky,thankyouforyourguidanceandyourextensivemusicalknowledge.ToProfessorEdwardReid,thankyouforbeingsupportiveandkind.Tomyparents,Icouldneverhavedonethiswithoutyou.YourunwaveringsupportandguidancethroughoutmylifehasledmetowhereIamtoday.AllofthosetripswhenIwasyoungerpaidoff.Iloveyou!ToCasey,Youaremyrock.Ithasn’talwaysbeeneasy,butwedidit.Thankyou.Iloveyou!
5
DEDICATION
ToDr.KellyThomasforbeingamentor,ateacher,andafriend.Weallmissyou
downhere.
6
TABLEOFCONTENTS
LISTOFMUSICALEXAMPLES...............................................................................................................7
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................................8CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................9IntentandScopeofStudy.................................................................................................................................9ReviewoftheScholarlyLiterature............................................................................................................14HistoryofNewOrleansBrassBands........................................................................................................17Thesis......................................................................................................................................................................23
CHAPTER2:IMPLEMENTATION.....................................................................................................24CreationoftheSupplement..........................................................................................................................27LearningGoals....................................................................................................................................................29TeachingandLearningActivities...............................................................................................................30FeedbackandAssessment.............................................................................................................................34HowComponentsAreConnectedandIntegrated...............................................................................37
CHAPTER3:EXERCISESANDASSIGNMENTS............................................................................39Exercises................................................................................................................................................................39MethodBooks.....................................................................................................................................................47ListeningAssignments....................................................................................................................................48
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................53
APPENDIX:NEWORLEANSBRASSBANDSUPPLEMENT.....................................................57REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................................64
7
LISTOFMUSICALEXAMPLESMusicalExample1.I-ii-V-IArpeggios............................................................................................41
MusicalExample2.i-iio-V-iChordProgression........................................................................42MusicalExample3.SyncopatedBassLinefrom“DoWatchaWanna”.............................43
MusicalExample4.SousaphoneGroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp”........................44
MusicalExample5.“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”BassLine.....................................45MusicalExample6.TwelveBarBlues............................................................................................46
LISTOFMUSICALEXAMPLES
8
ABSTRACT Thefocusofthisprojectistoexaminecurrenttubaandeuphoniumapplied
lessonssyllabiandtocreateaNewOrleansbrassbandcurriculumsupplementto
enhancethoseexistingcourses.Throughtheadditionofnewmethodbooks,
exercises,historicaltextsandarticles,listeningassignments,andperforming
experiences,collegiatetubaandeuphoniumstudentswillbeabletoapplythe
knowledgegainedincoreacademicmusiccourses,suchasmusictheoryandmusic
history,tomasteringanewstyleofmusic.Emphasishasbeenplacedonlearning
chordprogressions,stylizations,andhowtoimproviseandwalkabassline.
9
CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION
IntentandScopeofStudy
“Forsuchalargeinstrumentthetubaisperhapsmoreagilethanmightbe
expected.Thoughtherearedefinitelimitstothespeedandcomplexityofthepartsit
canplay,double-andtriple-tonguingareentirelyfeasible.”1Thissentiment,which
primarilyhastodowithorchestration,putslimitationsontheagilityandtechnical
facilityofthetuba.Itisnotonlythefoundationofmanyinstrumentalensembles,but
alsohasthecapabilityofvirtuosicplayingwhilestillmaintainingmuchofits
foundationalrole.Therearecomposersandperformersbringingmusicalinnovation
tothetuba,includingNatMcIntosh,whoisthesousaphonistwiththeYoungblood
BrassBandandformerlywiththeDallasBrass.NewOrleanssousaphonists,suchas
KirkJosephofDirtyDozenBrassBandandPhilipFrazierIIIofRebirthBrassBand,
aredazzlinglistenerswithbasslinegroovesandmelodies.Thereisagreatdealthat
collegetubaandeuphoniumstudentscanlearnfromthesegreatNewOrleansbrass
bandmusicians.
Thewords“sousaphone”and“tuba”willbeusedinterchangeablythroughout
thisdocument.Thoughthesousaphoneisconstructeddifferentlythanthe
contrabasstuba,itisstillamemberofthetubafamilyandhasanidenticalrangeto
1DonaldGranthamandKentKennan,TheTechniqueofOrchestration,6thed.(UpperSaddle
River,NewJersey:PrenticeHall,2002),157.
10
theBBb concertcontrabasstuba.Thesousaphonewrapsaroundthemusician’sbody
andhasafront-facingbellthatisdetachable.Thisdesignallowsforgreatermobility
fortheplayer,especiallyduringmarchingbandorsecondlinesituations.Itshould
alsobenotedthattherearethreetypesoftubas:contrabasstubas,basstubas,and
tenortubas.Thisdocumentwillonlybedealingwiththecontrabassandbasstubas.
Thecontrabasstubahaslongertubingandhasalowerfundamentalpitchthanthe
basstuba.ContrabasstubasareinthekeysofCCorBBbandhaveacousticlengths
of16and18feet,respectively.BasstubasaregenerallypitchedinForEEbwith
acousticlengthsof12and14feetrespectivelyContrabasstubasareusually
consideredlargeensembleinstruments,whilebasstubasaregenerallyusedassolo
instrumentsoriftherangeofapieceisnotwellsuitedtothecontrabasstuba.2
When“NewOrleansbrassbands”ismentionedinthisdocument,“second
line”brassbandsaremostoftentheintendedsubjects.The“secondline”tradition
“referstopeoplefromtheneighborhoodwhowouldjoininthecelebrationasthe
bandmarchedaway.”3NatMcIntoshdescribesthetraditionalinstrumentationof
NewOrleansbrassbandsas“’…trumpets,trombones,saxophones,drums,and
tubas…’”4Thesebrassbandshavebeenassociatedwithparadesandfuneral
2BartonCummings,“ThoughtsOnTuba,”http://www.dwerden.com/tu-articles-thoughts.cfm
(accessedJuly9,2015).
3MatthewThomasDriscoll,“NewOrleansBrassBandTraditionsandPopularMusic:ElementsofStyleintheMusicofMamaDigdown’sBrassBandandYoungbloodBrassBand”(DMAdiss.,UniversityofIowa,2012),20.
4Ibid.
11
marches,butthegenrehasexpandedandnowincludesmanygroupsthatfuse
differentstylesofmusictogether,suchasjazz,hiphop,andR&B.
TheNewOrleansbrassbandtraditionemergedfromtheearlybrassband
traditioninnineteenth-centuryAmerica.WilliamJ.Schafersays,“Againstthe
backgroundofthedevelopmentofthebrassbandorsilvercornetbandof
nineteenth-centuryAmericaistheparallelhistoryofbrassbandsinNewOrleans,
withtheirAfro-Americanadaptationofthetradition.”5Thereisalinkbetweenthis
earlyhistoryofthebrassbandandtheearlydevelopmentofjazz,butthetwoare
notnecessarilythesame.Manyofthebrassbandmusiciansattheturnofthe
centuryinNewOrleansmovedtodancebandsorjazzbands,but“thebrassband
servedasthetraininggroundformanyblackmusicians,andmanyofthesemen
preferredparadeworktoanyother.”6ThoughtheNewOrleansbrassbandsuse
someofthesametechniquesasjazzbands,suchasimprovisation,thetwotraditions
arenotoneandthesame.
TheNewOrleansbrassbandidiomfeaturesthetubaasitslowendinsteadof
theelectricordoublebassfoundinotherpopularstyles.InaNationalPublicRadio
articleof2011,GeoffreyHimesstatesthat,“becauseit’sawindinstrumentrather
thanastringinstrument,thetubagivesNewOrleansmusicabottomthatbubbles
5Driscoll,7.6Schafer,32.
12
ratherthantwangs.”7Thesousaphoneaddsdepthandpowerthatonedoesnot
alwaysexperiencewiththestringbass.Theroleofthesousaphoneinthebrassband
istogenerateabasslinetoserveasaharmonicandrhythmicfoundationforthe
group.Anthony“TubaFats”Lacen,aNewOrleanssousaphonelegend,saidinan
interviewinOctober2002,“Iknowhowtoplayrhythmandblueschanges,aswell
astraditionalchanges…Iusedtolistentostringbassplayers–thatwasmything.”8
Thoughtheytakeontheroleofthestringbass,tubistsinNewOrleansbrassbands
maintainadifferentsoundconceptfromthebass,whichstemsfromthesheer
volumethatisproducedbyasousaphone.Thesoundthatiscreatedisgenerally
brightintimbre,whichisdifferentthanthewide,darksoundthatiscustomaryin
thewindbandorsymphonyorchestra.Thedirectnesscomesfromthebellfacing
forward,asopposedtothetraditionalconcertbandtubathatfacesskyward.Many
NewOrleansbrassbandsmarchinsecondlineparadesandjazzfunerals,sousinga
sousaphoneisthebestoption.
Overthepast10to15years,therehasbeenanemergenceofbrassbands
thatblendtheNewOrleansstylewithothermusicalstyles,suchaship-hop,rock,
andsoul.AccordingtoMickBurns,thereweremorebrassbandsinNewOrleansin
7GeoffreyHimes,“WhereTheTubaLives:5NewOrleansSongsFeaturingtheFatHorn,”ABlog
SupremefromNPRJazz,entrypostedApril,26,2011,http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2011/04/29/135709278/where-the-tuba-lives-5-new-orleans-songs-featuring-the-fat-horn(accessedJanuary15,2015).
8MickBurns,KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:TheNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance(Baton
Rouge,Louisiana:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,2006),33.
13
2006thaneverbefore.9SousaphonistNatMcIntosh’s“masteryofnumerous
extendedtechniquesandtheinfusionofthesewithsimulatedD.J.cutsand
scratches,pseudo-electroniceffectsandtheimitationofinstrumentsrangingfrom
anelectricguitartoadidgeridoocreatedanentirelynewandinimitableapproachto
the(tuba).”10PhilipFrazierIIIandKirkJosepharealsowell-respectedtubaplayers
fromtheNewOrleansbrassbandstyle.
TheincorporationofdifferentstylesintoNewOrleansbrassbandmusiccan
befoundinthemusicofRebirthBrassBand,whichisledbyitssousaphoneplayer
PhillipFrazierIII,andTheDirtyDozenBrassBand.ReBirthBrassBandwasfounded
intheearly1980sbyNewOrleansnativesPhillipFrazierIII,KeithFrazier,andJohn
Gilbert.TheywereinspiredbythemusicofTheDirtyDozenBrassBand,generally
regardedasoneofthefirstNewOrleansbrassbandstointegratedifferentmusical
stylesintotheirsongs.RebirthBrassBandhada“fierceblendofhardsecondline
beats,‘70’sR&B/funkgroovesandgo-goswing…”11Thetubaisaprominentvoicein
bothgroups,andtheoverallbalanceofthetubawithinthegroupismirroredby
YoungbloodBrassBand.
Itisimportantforteacherstoinstructstudentsonthefundamentalsof
playing,butitisalsoimportantforteacherstopreparetheirstudentsforthehighly
9Ibid.,4.10Miraphone,“NatMcIntosh,”http://www.miraphone.de/en/artists/articles/nat-mcintosh-
457.html(accessedOctober2,2015).11TomTerrell,“ReBirthBrassBand,”JazzTimes,October1997,
http://jazztimes.com/articles/24768-rebirth-brass-band(accessedJuly30,2015).
14
competitivejobmarket,whereversatilityandtheabilitytoperformindifferent
stylesarevaluable.LearningtheNewOrleansbrassbandstyleofplayingwouldadd
acompletelynewskillsetforstudentsinatubaandeuphoniumstudio.Knowing
howtowalkabasslineandplayinauniquestyleaddstostudents’technicalstudies
andhelpsthemtobebetteroverallmusicians.
ThisdocumentwillexplorehowNewOrleansbrassbandplayingcanbe
integratedintoatubaandeuphoniumstudiocurriculuminordertodevelop
essentialskillsontheinstrumentandtoaddanentirelynewskill-setforcollegiate
musicstudents.
ReviewoftheScholarlyLiterature
Primarysourcesaredesirablewhenonewantstogetatrueperspectiveona
timeperiodorevent.Severalsourceswerefoundthatcontaininterviewsandstories
toldbymusicianspertainingtotheNewOrleansbrassbandtradition.Thesesources
giveinsightintohowthebrassbandsfunctionandhowthemodernbandsformed
anddevelopedtheirsignaturesounds.Interviewsinthesesourcesarewith
membersoffamousbands,likeRebirthBrassBand,DirtyDozenBrassBand,andthe
TreméBrassBand.
RiverofSongbyElijahWaldandJohnJunkermancontainsprimarysources
fromculturalandmusicalleadersfromtheareaalongtheMississippiRiver.Wald
wasarootsmusicwriterfortheBostonGlobeformanyyears,inadditiontobeingan
avidbluesmusicianandmusichistorian.HealsowonaGrammyAwardin2002for
15
thelinernotestoArhoolieRecords:40thAnniversaryBox.12JohnJunkermanisa
noteddocumentaryfilmmakerwhohasbeennominatedforanAcademyAwardfor
“BestDocumentaryFeature.”13Thisresourceprovidesprecisehistorical
backgroundonbrassbandmusicofNewOrleans.
KeepingtheBeatontheStreetsbyMickBurnsisanotherbookofprimary
accounts,anditalsocontainsaseriesofinterviewswithseveralprominentfigures
intheNewOrleansbrassbandscene,includinglegendarytubistAnthony“Tuba
Fats”Lacen.MickBurnswasanEnglish-bornjazzmusicianwhoisnotedforhis
expertiseintheNewOrleansstyleofjazz.Hemadeappearancesontromboneand
tubawithsuchfamousNewOrleansmusiciansas:TubaFats,MiltonBatiste,and
Dejan’sOlympiaBrassBand.14ThissourcegivesinsightintohowtheNewOrleans
brassbandsoperateandhowmusiciansperceivetheirrolewithintheensemble.
Therearefewscholarlyresourcesavailableaboutthenewerbrassbands,
suchasYoungbloodBrassBandandtheDirtyDozenBrassBand.Severalarticles
andblogpostshavebeenwrittenaboutthenewwaveofNewOrleans-inspired
brassbands,buttherearenobooksorpeer-reviewedarticlesonthesubjectmatter.
MatthewThomasDriscollwroteaDMAdissertationaboutthemodernAmerican
NewOrleansbrassbandmovement,butthereislittlementionofthetubaoritsrole
12ElijahWald,“Biography,”http://www.elijahwald.com/bio.html(accessedFebruary15,2015).
13ElijahWaldandJohnJunkerman,RiverofSong:AMusicalJourneyDowntheMississippi(New
York:SaintMartin’sPress,1998),352.14MickBurns,“MickBurns(17thFeb1942-13thFeb
2007),”http://www.mickburns.co.uk/home.htm”(accessedFebruary13,2015).
16
withinthesebands.Thispaucityofscholarlyorotherresourcesdiscussingtherole
ofthetubainNewOrleansbrassbandsisperhapsareasonthatthestudyofthis
stylehasnotfounditswayintocollegetubaandeuphoniumstudiosalready.While
thestudyofthisstylecanhavemanybenefitsfortubists,itisastylethathasnot
beenwidelystudied,withmanytubistspossessingonlyavaguegeneralawareness
ofbrassbands.Musicologistsandotherscholarshavelargelyignoredspecific
investigationanddiscussionoftheroleofthetuba.
TherearemultiplesourcesusedinthisdocumentwrittenbyDr.Matt
Sakakeeny,aprofessorofmusicologyatTulaneUniversityinNewOrleanswho
specializesinNewOrleansmusic.HisbookRollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsof
NewOrleanscontainsgreatinsightintothecontemporarybrassbandsceneinNew
Orleansandthecontinuationofthesecondlinetradition.Italsocontainsgood
detainabouttheroleofmemberswithinthebrassbandsandthestyleofmusicthat
theyplay.
Thereareafewvitallyimportantmusicbooksthatwillbediscussedinthis
project.ThefirstbookisbyJonSass,anAmericanjazztubaplayerandvirtuosowho
livesinVienna,Austria.Hisintroductorybook,TheJonSassBassLineBookforTuba,
couldplayanintegralpartinteachingatubaandeuphoniumstudiothebasicsof
playingajazzbassline.Thebookincludesaplay-alongC.D.
Afewjazzbassresourceshavebeenconsideredforuseinthestudio
curriculum.DavidBakerwasDistinguishedProfessorofMusic(JazzStudies)and
DirectorEmeritusoftheDepartmentofJazzStudiesatIndianaUniversity-
17
Bloomington.HisbookJazzBassClefExpressionsandExplorations:ANewand
InnovativeSystemforLearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCellois
anexcellentstep-by-stepresourceforanyinstrumentsthatplayinthebassclef.It
takesthestudentthrougheverykeyusingchordandscalestudiestohelpthe
studentbecomeintimatelyfamiliarwitheachkey.Thisresourcecanhelpto
strengthenstudents’musictheoryknowledge,aswellastheirabilitytoplayany
scaleorkeythattheycouldbecalledupontoplay.
HistoryofNewOrleansBrassBands
ThebeginningsofNewOrleansmusichasbeentracedbacktotheslave
cultureoftheDeepSouth.ManyareasoftheDeepSouthduringthetimeofslavery
didnotletslavescongregateduetoconcernsaboutapotentialrevoltagainstthe
slaveowners.Thiswasarealconcernduetotheoverwhelmingnumberofenslaved
peoplecomparedtothesmallnumberofplantationowners.NewOrleans,however,
tookadifferentapproach.MattSakakeenyexplains,“TheEuropeanCatholicswho
initiallygovernedNewOrleansestablishedaslavesocietythatwasdistinctfromthe
Anglo-ProtestantmodelthatprevailedelsewhereintheUnitedStates.Alarge
numberofslaveswereimportedfromasinglesource,Senegambia,andsharedan
unusuallyhighdegreeofculturalandlinguisticcommonalities.”15Scholarslinkthe
15MattSakakeeny,“NewOrleansMusicasaCirculatorySystem,”BlackMusicResearchJournal
31,no.2(Fall2011):6.
18
percussive,polyrhythmicmusicmadein“CongoSquare”tothefuturejazzandbrass
bandtraditions.16
The“shoutring”usedatthefuneralsofAfricanslaveshasalsobeenlinkedto
thesecondlinetraditionthatiscarriedonbybrassbandsinNewOrleans.Thisform
ofgrievingalsoemployedcallandresponse,whichisfeaturedprevalentlyinNew
Orleansbrassbandmusic.Inasense,themournerswereescortingthesoulsofthe
deadtotheafterlife.SamuelA.Floyd,Jr.,inhisarticle“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,
HistoricalStudies,andBlackMusicInquiry,”describesthelinkofthe“ringshout”to
secondlinemusicinNewOrleans:
[F]romtheseburialceremonies,theringstraighteneditselftobecometheSecondLineofjazzfunerals,inwhichthemovementsoftheparticipantswereidenticaltothoseoftheparticipantsinthering---eventothepointofindividualcounterclockwisemovementsbySecondLineparticipants,wheretheringwasabsentbecauseofthenecessityoftheparticipantstomovetoaparticularremotedestination(thereturntothetownfromtheburialground).Andthedirge-to-jazzstructureofthejazzfuneralparallelsthewalk-to-shoutstructureoftheringshout17
ManyoftheNewOrleansbrassbandsoftodaywereformedthroughthetraditionof
secondlineparades.
TheNewOrleansbrassbandtraditionalsoemergedfromtheAmericanbrass
bandtraditionofthenineteenthcenturyandmilitarybandtraditionofthe
16MaryEllison,“Dr.MichaelWhiteandNewOrleansJazz:PushingBackBoundariesWhile
MaintainingtheTradition,”PopularMusicandSociety28,no.5(December2005):619.17SamuelA.FloydJr.,“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,HistoricalStudies,andBlackMusic
Inquiry,”BlackMusicResearchJournal22,Supplement(2002):51.
19
nineteenthandtwentiethcenturies.ThebrassbandtraditioninNewOrleansdates
backtothetimeoftheCivilWar.MaryEllisonwrites:
AfricanAmericanSoldiershelpedtousherthebrassbandmovementintoNewOrleans…TheExcelsiorBrassBandandmostoftheCivilWareraNewOrleansbrassbandswereascomfortablewithsyncopationandimprovisationastheywerewiththemoreconventionallystructuredmarches…Everypublicritualorceremonywasusuallyaccompaniedbyabrassband…AlongwiththattraditionwentoneofthequintessentialhallmarksofNewOrleansmusic–thesecondline.Justasalternativerhythmswereseatupbythosewhofollowedthemournersatafuneral,somusicalyouthsfollowedthearmybandsandestablishedharmoniouslydiscordantsecondlinerhythmsoftheirown.18
ThetraditionsoftheseCivilWarbrassbandshaveevolved,butthebrassband
traditioninpresentdayNewOrleansmirrorsmuchoftheolder,traditionalsecond
lineplaying.
ThedevelopmentofmilitarybandmusicintheUnitedStatesalsocoincided
withthedevelopmentoftheNewOrleansbrassbandscene.Manyoftheprominent
brassbandmusiciansinNewOrleansgottheirstartplayingmilitarybandmusic.
PhilipFrazierIII,tubaplayerandleaderofRebirthBrassBand,says,“Iplayedthe
usualhighschoolstuff.MarchinginMardiGrasparades,footballgames,stufflike
that.Wewouldplayregularmilitarymarchesforthemostpart.”19Countlessother
brassbandmusiciansgottheirstartinschoolbandsorwerebanddirectors
themselves.
18MaryEllison,“African-AmericanMusicandMusketsinCivilWarNewOrleans,”Louisiana
History:TheJournaloftheLouisianaHistoricalAssociation35,no.3(July1994):316–317.19Burns,KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:TheNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance,108.
20
SecondlineparadesinNewOrleanshaveoccurredregularlythroughoutthe
cityforthebetterpartofthelastonehundredyears.Atraditionalparadeisbroken
upintotwodifferentlines:“Thebandandclubmembersmakeupwhatisknownas
thefirstline,whiletherestofusmarchingbehind,andalongthesides,makeupthe
secondline.”20Peopleonthestreetjointhesecondlineduringjazzfuneralstodance
andcelebratethelifeofthepersonwhohasdied.Thepeoplepartakinginthe
paradearecelebratingthesoulofthedeadmovingontotheafterlife.WilliamJ.
SchafersetsthesceneofanearlyNewOrleansparade:
ToenvisionaNewOrleansparade,onadayinanyyearfrom1900–1960,imagineasunnyforenooninNewOrleans,aholiday.Onasidestreetabandformsforaparade.Thebandsmenareblack;mostareintheirfiftiesorsixties.Dressedinwhiteshirts,darktiesandtrousers,blackshoes,eachwearsadarkuniformcap,likeapoliceman’sorbusdriver’s,withagrandnamestitchedacrossitingoldthread…Thereareacoupleoftrombones,aclarinetist…analtosax,atenorsax,abulkysousaphone,abassdrumwithonesmallcymbalmountedatopitandtheband’snamepaintedinboldblocklettersontheleft-handhead.Thereisasnaredrummer,withashallowdance-banddrumhitchedhighonhisbelly,andtherearethreetrumpets.21
Thisvividdescriptionpaintsapictureofwhatanearly,traditionalsecondlineNew
Orleansbrassbandwouldhavebeenlike.BandslikeRebirthBrassBand,Dirty
DozenBrassBand,andtheHot8BrassBandhavestrayedsomewhatfromthestrict
traditionthatwascommoninthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.
Brassbandsoverthepast30yearshavebeguntoincorporateR&B,hip-hop,
funk,andotherpopularmusicintotheirrepertoire.BandslikeDirtyDozenBrass
20MattSakakeeny,RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans(Durham:Duke
UniversityPress,2013),x.21Schafer,52.
21
Band,RebirthBrassBand,andHot8BrassBandhavestrayedsomewhatfromthe
traditionalNewOrleansbrassbandsoundandparadestyle.Forexample,Hot8
BrassBandreleasedaversionof“SexualHealing”byMarvinGaye.22Theirnew
versionblendstheirownNewOrleansstylewiththeR&Bstyleoftheoriginalartist.
MattSakakeenydescribesastarklydifferentsecondlineparadefromtheone
mentionedbySchafer:
MyeyesarefixedoneightmenintheirtwentiesandthirtiesleaningagainstthebrickwalloftheRockBottom,inastripofshadeunderneaththeroofoverhang.Theymillabout,innoparticularhurry,untilthetallestofthempicksupastreet-worntubafromthesidewalkandtheothersgatheraroundhimwiththeirinstruments:twotrumpets,twotrombones,asaxophone,bassdrumandsnaredrum…Togetherwemovethroughthebackstreets,maneuveringthroughparkedcars.Rovingvendorswheelicechestsandyell“Icecoldbeer.Getyourwater,”whileotherssetup“carbars”ontheroofsofpickuptrucksparkedatdesignatedstops.Plumesofmarijuanasmokefilltheair.23
Thedressed-up,properbandsmenoftheearlieraccounthave,forthemostpart,
givenwaytodressed-down,lessformalperformances.Bandsarenowplayingin
clubsandatticketedevents.SometraditionalbrassbandsstilloperateinNew
Orleans,suchastheTreméBrassBandandtheLibertyBrassBand.
TheinfluenceofNewOrleansbrassbandshasbeenfeltfaroutsideofthecity
limitsofNewOrleans.InMadison,Wisconsin,agroupofhighschoolstudents
formedabrassbandthateventuallybecameknownasYoungbloodBrassBand.Nat
McIntosh,thesousaphonistofthegroup,says,“Thebandstartedduringmy
sophomoreyearofhighschoolatOregonHigh.MybrotherandIwereitchingtoput
22Hot8BrassBand,RockWiththeHot8,TruThoughtsRecordsTRUCD141,2007,CD.23Sakakeeny,RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans,x.
22
togethersomekindofgroupandwe’dbothbeenlisteningtoalotofDirtyDozenand
Rebirth,soabrassbandseemedtheobviouswaytogo.”24Nathasbecome
somewhatofacultherotomanyyoungtubaplayers.Hehasevenperformedasa
soloistwiththeUniversityofWisconsin-Madison’s(hisalmamater)marching
band.25Hehasshownyoungtubaplayersawholenewworldofpossibilities.
OnecannotdiscussthehistoryofanymusicinNewOrleanswithout
discussingtheimpactofHurricaneKatrinain2005.Whenthestormhit,New
OrleansmusiciansweresentscatteringacrosstheUnitedStates.Inthewakeofthe
storm,manypeoplewereconcernedthatthecitywouldloseitsidentitybecauseof
themassivenumbersofpeoplethatwereunabletoreturntotheirhomesduetothe
devastatingdamagethestormleftinitswake.JohnAutin,pianistandownerof
RabadashRecords,vocalizedthesefears:
Theblackneighborhoodsaretheincubatorneighborhoods.That’swherethereareneighborhoodbandsandneighborhoodbars.That’swherethechurchesare.Thosearetheplaceswherethefeelofthemusicistaughtfromgenerationtogeneration.That’swherethebrassbandsandtherappersandtheR&BsingerscomefrominNewOrleans.GreatmusicianswhoreallyhaveagrooveandafeelkeepcomingoutofNewOrleans.26
Manyfearedthatthetraditionwouldnotsurvivethestorm,duetomanymusicians
fleeingthecityaheadofthestorm.Thiswaschronicledinthe2006documentary
24Driscoll,106.25David,“UWVarsityBandSpringConcert:WatchtheExcitement”
http://wptschedule.org/bemoretunedin/uw-varsity-band-spring-concert-watch-the-excitement/(accessedJanuary,192016).
26GarthAlper,“NewOrleansMusicandKatrina,”PopularMusicandSociety29,no.4
(10/2006):461.
23
entitledNewOrleansMusicinExile,whichincludesfootageofNewOrleans
musiciansinvariouscitiesacrossthecountrydirectlyafterthestorm.Luckily,the
musichassurvivedandisthriving.
Thesis
IncorporatingNewOrleansbrassbandmusiccancomplementtheclassical
tubaandeuphoniumcurriculumfoundinmanyuniversities.Throughstudyofits
stylisticapproaches,improvisatorynature,andbasslineconstruction,tubaand
euphoniumplayerscanacquireskills,includinggreatermusictheoryandhistory
knowledge,theabilitytowalkabassline,andanunderstandingofastyleofmusic
theywouldnotbeexposedtoinanappliedlessonscurriculum.
24
CHAPTER2:IMPLEMENTATION
Constructingacurriculumisalengthyanddetailedprocess.Instructors
spendhourscarefullycraftingtheirsyllabiandcoursematerials,whichtheychange
andrefineovermanyyearsusingnewtechniques,scholarship,andinsightintheir
respectivefieldstocreateaclassthatwillhelpstudentstobesuccessful.Upon
analysisofcurrenttubaandeuphoniumsyllabi,ithasbeenrevealedthattheyshare
muchincommon.Thefocusoftheappliedtubaandeuphoniumcoursestendstobe
onsymphonicmusicstyle,whichturnsouttobemostlyEuropeanandAmerican
music.ThisprojectissettingforthasupplementforstudyingNewOrleansbrass
bandmusicthatcanbeaddedtoacurriculumthatiscurrentlyinuseandcanbe
easilyadaptedtoanyschoolsetting.Itdoesnotmatteriftheinstructorteachesata
communitycollegeorafour-yearuniversity;thesupplementalmaterialcanhelpan
instructortoaddanewdimensiontowhattheirstudentsarelearning.Thismaterial
canbeusedbyinstructorsthatdonothaveexperienceplayinginaNewOrleans
stylebrassband.NewOrleansbrassbandmusicemploysskillsthatcanbeused
acrossmanydifferentareas,suchaslearningtocreateabassline,improvisingover
chordchanges,andmusictheoryknowledge.
Severalappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonssyllabiweresurveyedinthe
processofthecreationofthissupplement.Studiosofvarioussizesandpedigree
wereinvestigatedinordertocoverawidespectrumoftubaandeuphoniumcourses
25
offeredthroughouttheUnitedStates.ThesyllabusofProfessorDavidZerkel,
ProfessorofTubaandEuphoniumattheUniversityofGeorgia,wasusedbasedon
thesuccessfulstudentshehastaughtsincehejoinedthefacultyin2000.27TheFall
2014syllabusofDr.DeannaSwoboda,AssistantProfessorofTubaandEuphonium
atArizonaStateUniversity,wasusedduetoheroutputofcommerciallyreleased
soloalbumsandhertenurewiththeDallasBrass.Dr.SwobodaisalsoaPast
PresidentoftheInternationalTubaandEuphoniumAssociation(ITEA).28The
syllabusofDr.ChrisDickey,ClinicalAssistantProfessorofMusic,Tuba,Euphonium,
andMusicTheoryatWashingtonStateUniversity,waschosenbecauseheteaches
musictheoryinadditiontoappliedlessons.Dr.ChristianCarichner,Assistant
DirectorofBandsandInstructorofTubaandEuphoniumatIowaStateUniversity,
bringsanotherperspectivethatisunique.Alargepartofhisjobisasanassistant
banddirector.ThesyllabusofProfessorFritzKaenzig,ArthurF.ThurnauProfessor
ofTubaandEuphoniumattheUniversityofMichigan,wasalsoused.
InordertointegrateNewOrleansbrassbandmusicintoanappliedtubaand
euphoniumlessonscurriculum,itisimportanttodiscusswhatisincludedin
existingcourses.Manyprofessorsinthecountry,includingProfessorDavidZerkel
oftheUniversityofGeorgiaandDr.DeannaSwobodaofArizonaStateUniversity,
27UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,“AbouttheStudio,”“Student
Accomplishments,”http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!about-the-studio(accessedMarch27,2016).
28DeannaSwoboda,“AboutMe,”http://deannaswoboda.com/about-me/(accessedJuly12,2016).
26
includemanysimilarelementsintheirsyllabi.InhisFall2015syllabus,David
Zerkeldescribeshiscourseasthefollowing:
Thebasicprinciplebehindappliedlessonsistoteachyouasmuchabouttheperformanceofyourinstrumentthatthetimewehavetogetherwillpermit.WhileIwillstrivetoteachyouallaspectsofmusicperformancetoincludetechnique,toneproduction,tonguing,articulation,andphrasing,myemphasisinteachingwillbebasedlargelyoncoaxingthemostmusicalperformanceoutofyouaspossible.Musicisacommunicativeartform,notjustnotesandtechnique.Sincemanyofyouwillgooutintothebigwideworldtoteachyoungerstudentsaboutmusic,itismygoaltoincorporateconceptsthatwediscussintosituationsthatyouwillundoubtedlyencounterasabanddirector.29
Whilethestudiosdiscussedhaveproducedmanystudentsemployedinthefieldof
tubaandeuphonium,thesyllabidonotmakereferencetonon-classicalstyles.This
projectwillseektoinjectNewOrleansbrassbandmusicintocoursenarrativesin
ordertoenhanceacoursethatisalreadyimpactful.
Dr.ChristianCarichnerlistshis“coursetopics,”whichincludemanystandard
topicscoveredinprivatetubaandeuphoniumlessons:
Allmajorandminor(allforms)scalesaswellasallarpeggiosintwooctaves.Developmentofbreathing,embouchure,toneproduction,dailyroutine,tonguingtechnique,sight-reading,flexibility,intonation,legatostudy,technicalfacility,phrasing,interpretation,performanceskills,rhythm,andvibrato.Requiredlisteningthroughoutentirecourseofstudytoestablishfamiliaritywithstandardtubaliteratureinallmediaandrepresentativeperformers.Aproportionalamountofstandardliteraturewillbechoseninaccordancewitheachstudent(‘)scurrentlevelofachievement.Thedevelopmentofevaluativeskillswillbestressedsoawarenessofself-improvementwillleadtowardsself-teaching.30
29UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,“DocumentLibrary,”“SyllabusF15,”
http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!document-library(accessedJanuary23,2016).30IowaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic,“TubaEuphSyllabus,”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf(accessedJanuary31,2016).
27
Asetofcoursetopics,suchastheonessetforthbyDr.Carichner,canbereadily
adaptedtoincludeaNewOrleansbrassbandsupplement.Thenewsetofskills,such
aswalkingabasslineorimprovisingabassgroove,willbeaddedtothelonglistof
technicalandmusicalskillsgainedthroughprivatelessonswithoutchangingthe
overallobjectivesofthecourse.
CreationoftheSupplement
Itisimportanttousemodernscholarlymaterialswhenattemptingto
determinehowcertainsupplementscanfitintoanexistingcurriculum.Thereare
twosourcesthathavebeenusedinthisprojecttoidentifyhowcertainmaterialscan
beusedwithinacourse.ToolsforTeachingbyBarbaraGrossDaviscontainsa
valuablesectiononwritingasyllabusandwhatsortsofareasitshouldaddress.She
describesthesyllabus:
Expertshaveidentifiedvariouspurposesasyllabuscanserve:animplicitteaching-learningcontract,outlining,thereciprocalrolesandresponsibilitiesofstudentsandtheinstructor;adiagnostictool,helpingstudentsassesstheirreadinessforacoursebyidentifyingprerequisitesandrequiredlevelsofacademicpreparationanddescribingworkloadandcoursechallenges;andunambiguoussourceofpoliciesandproceduresofcourseoperations;alearningtool,piquingstudents’interestandprovidingthemwiththeinformation,resources,andlinkstheywillneedtosucceedinthecourse;andasetofpromises–whattheinstructorpromisesstudentswilllearnandtheactivitiesstudentswillundertaketofulfillthesepromises.31
31BarbaraGrossDavis,ToolsforTeaching(SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass,2009),21.
28
Thoughthisprojectisnotseekingtocompletelyrewritecoursesyllabi,itis
importanttoknowhowsyllabiareconstructedtoseehowaNewOrleansbrass
bandsupplementcanbeinsertedintoanexistingcoursesyllabus.
CreatingSignificantLearningExperiences:AnIntegratedApproachtoDesigning
CollegeCoursesbyL.DeeFinkproposesfivequestionsthatcanbeaddressedwhen
craftingacourse.Fink’sworkiswidelyusedinhighereducationasaguidetocourse
design.Hisfivequestionsinclude:
1. Whatarethesituationalfactorsinaparticularcourseorlearningsituation?2. Whatshouldourfullsetoflearninggoalsbe?3. Whatkindsoffeedbackandassessmentshouldweprovide?4. Whatkindsofteachingandlearningactivitieswillsuffice,intermsof
achievingthefullsetoflearninggoalsweset?5. Areallthecomponentsconnectedandintegrated,thatis,arethey
consistentwithandsupportiveofeachother?32FourofthesequestionsareespeciallypertinenttotheNewOrleansbrassband
supplement.Theorderofthequestionshasbeenrearrangedandadaptedtofitthe
purposesofthisproject.Thefollowingorderwillbeused:
1. Whatshouldourfullsetoflearninggoalsbe?2. Whatkindsofteachingandlearningactivitieswillsuffice,intermsof
achievingthefullsetoflearninggoalsweset?3. Whatkindsoffeedbackandassessmentshouldweprovide?4. Areallthecomponentsconnectedandintegrated,thatis,arethey
consistentandsupportiveofeachother?Thesequestionswillbeappliedtocurrentsyllabiwrittenbytubaandeuphonium
instructorsacrossthecountry.TheywillbeexaminedtoshowhowNewOrleans
32L.DeeFink,SignificantLearningExperiences:AnIntegratedApproachtoDesigningCollege
Courses(SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass,2013),67.
29
brassbandplayingcanbeaddedasasupplementinallofdifferentareasofacourse
curriculum.
LearningGoals
L.DeeFink’ssecondquestionfromhisIntegratedCourseDesignModelasks
aboutthelearninggoalsforthecourse.DavidZerkellaysoutobjectivesforhis
studentsthattakehisappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonsclass.UponreadingDr.
DeannaSwoboda’sFall2014syllabus,manyoftheirobjectivesreflectsimilar
expectations.Shelaysoutwhatshethinkseachstudentshouldbeableto
demonstrateattheendofthecourse:
• Anevolvingtechnicalabilityontheinstrument.• Knowledgeandfacilitationofallmajorandminorscaleforms.• Anunderstandingofmusicalphrasingandartisticinterpretation.• Theabilitytoevaluateperformancescriticallyandcoherently–verbal
andwrittenformat.• Takeanactiveinterestintheircraft(readaboutit,listentorecordings,
attendrelatedevents,etc.)• Developapositiveattitudeandacommitmenttowardimprovement
andexcellence.• Supportyourpeersandcolleaguesinanactivelearningenvironment,
includingattendingpeerrecitals.33ItiswithinsimilarobjectivesthatinstructorscanaddNewOrleansbrassband
playingintotheircourses.Addinganewelementintoanexistingcurriculumdoes
notchangetheexistingobjectives.Itservestoenhancetheobjectivesofthecourse
thatalreadyexistandallowsinstructorstoaddnewdimensionstothelearning
33ArizonaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic,“Tuba/EuphoniumStudioAppliedLessons
SyllabusFall2014,”http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASU-syllabus-applied-fall-20141.pdf(accessedFebruary20,2016).
30
experiencesoftheirstudents.Thepurposeofthisprojectistoenhancecurrent
curriculaandisnotmeanttobeacritiqueoradialogueonshortcomingsor
shortfallsofexistingcurricula.
LearningobjectivescanbeadaptedtoincludeNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
Someoftheseobjectivescaninclude:
• Applymusictheoryandeartrainingknowledgetolearningtowalkabasslineandimproviseabassgroove.
• GainknowledgeofcommonchordprogressionsinNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
• ListentorecordingstogainabetterunderstandingofNewOrleansBrassBandmusic.
Thespecificsoftheimplementationoftheseobjectiveswillbeincludedinthe
attachedsupplementarymaterial.
TeachingandLearningActivities
Fink’sfourthquestiondealswithwhatteachingandlearningactivitieswillbe
includedinacourse.Numerousteachingandlearningactivitiesareusedby
instructorsacrosstheUnitedStatestohelptheirstudentsreachtheobjectivesthat
aresetforthfortheirappliedlessonscourses.
LearninghowtoplayNewOrleansbrassbandmusicwillbecarriedoverinto
privatelessons.Instructorscanassigncertainexercisesforaweeklylessonthatwill
begiveninadditiontoetudes,technicalexercises,orsolosthataregenerallygiven
onaweeklybasis.Theseexercisescantakemereminutestocoverandwillnot
sacrificetimethatisalreadybeingusedforotherareasoftechnicalandmusical
proficiency.Thespecificsoftheseexerciseswillbecoveredintheexercisessection.
31
Allappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscurriculasurveyedinthisproject
includeexclusivelycomposedmusic,whichisatermfor“worksbyasingularmind,
fixedandpromulgatedinwrittenform.”34ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplement
willincludeactivitiesthattakestudentsawayfromtraditionaletudebooksor
methodbooks.Forinstance,anactivitythatwouldbebeneficialforstudentsisto
havethemlistentoabrassbandrecordingandinstructthemtoplaythebassline
backtotheinstructor.Thekeyandgeneralformwouldbegiven,buttheeartraining
aspectoftheassignmentwillbeleftuptothestudent.AlthoughaNewOrleansbrass
supplementincludesmanywrittenexercisesandbooks,animportantfeatureofitis
activitiesthatarenotwrittendowninmusicnotation.
Manycurriculaincludeetudeandmethodbooksthatarestylisticallysimilar.
Thesetextsareused,generally,tohelpstudentstodevelopbasicphrasing,musical,
andtechnicalskills.However,aNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementwilladdanew
dimensiontothataspectoftheprivatelessonsprocess.Thereareafewbooksthat
canhelpinstructorsteachtheirstudentsaboutchordprogressions,walkingbass
lines,andimprovisation.AlthoughtheyarenotspecificallytailoredtoNewOrleans
brassbandmusic,theycanbereadilyadaptedtothatstyleofplaying.Agood
exampleofalistofrequiredmaterialsincludesmanyofthebooksrequiredbyDr.
ChrisDickeyofWashingtonStateUniversity:
Arban’sCompleteMethodforTromboneandEuphoniumeditedbyAlessiandBowman
34CraigHavighurst,Medium,https://medium.com/cuepoint/classical-music-needs-a-new-name-
2e07b084f4a3#.4gbuepk6m(accessedMay2,2016).
32
MelodiousEtudesforTrombonebyRochut,volume1TechnicalStudiesforBassClefInstrumentsbyClarkeParesScalesforTromboneorEuphoniumbyPares36StudiesforTrombonebyBlume40ProgressiveStudiesbyTyrellSelectedStudieseditedbyVoxmanAdvancedBandMethodbyHalLeonard(withSpecialStudiesbyArnoldJacobs)66BasicStudiesbySlama43BelCantoStudiesbyBordogni60SelectedStudiesbyKoppraschEuphoniumExcerptsfromtheStandardBandandOrchestraLibrarybyPayne70StudiesbyBlazhevichDailyDrillsandTechnicalStudiesforTrumpetbySchlossbergSixSuitesbyJ.S.BachLegatoEtudesforTubaeditedbyW.JacobsTheOneHundredbyW.Jacobs35
TheNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementincludesmaterialsthatarenotseeninany
ofthesyllabithatweresurveyed.Theobjectiveofthecourseisstillthesame,but
thenewmaterialspullthestudentsawayfromtheEuropeanmethodandetude
booksthatdominatethebookslistsformanyappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessons
courses.
Inadditiontocommonlyusedetudeandmethodbooksthatareusedintuba
andeuphoniumstudios,thisprojectproposesthatthereareadditionaltextsthat
willbeaddedtoasyllabusthatcanhelpstudentsworkonskillsthatareusedby
musiciansinNewOrleansbrassbands.TheJonSassBassLineBookisavaluable
resourcethatisutilizedbystudentsandinstructorstoimprovetheirskillsfor
improvisingbasslines.Itisagoalofthisprojecttohelpprofessorstoenhancetheir
curriculawithwaystodiscoverhowtubascanbeusedasafunctionalbassinaNew
35Dr.ChrisDickey,“Spring2016Tuba-EuphoniumStudioSyllabus,”WashingtonState
UniversitySchoolofMusic.
33
Orleansbrassbandsetting.Thisinvolvesusingsourcesthatmayalsobecategorized
as“jazz”sourcestohelpstudentsachievethedesiredskillsetforplayingNew
Orleansbrassbandmusic.
DavidBakerwasaDistinguishedProfessorofMusic(JazzStudies)intheJacobs
SchoolofMusicatIndianaUniversityinBloomington.36HisJazzBassClef
ExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovativeSystemforLearningtoImprovise
forBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCelloisalsoagreateducationaltoolforteaching
studentshowtoimprovisebasslinesandimprovisationingeneral.Bakerdescribes
theuseofhisbook:
Whiletheinformationinthisbook–ifunderstood,useddiligentlyandintelligently,andappliedpractically–guaranteestheprospectiveplayeracertainmeasureofsuccess,itisbynomeansintendedtoreplacethewealthofexcellentavailablestringmaterialsaimedprimarilyatproducingaclassicalplayer.Thematerialsfromclassicalstudiesshouldworkinconjunctionwiththematerialsandinformationpresentedinthisbook.37
Baker’ssentimentechoesthatoftheauthorofthisproject.TheadditionofNew
Orleansbrassbandmusicismeanttoaccenttheexistingappliedcurriculaandnot
toreplaceit.Eachsectionofthebookgoesthroughadifferentscaleandallowsthe
studenttomasterthescaletheyaretryingtoimprovisethrough.Thebookalso
offersashortindexofjazzsymbolsandterms.
36DavidBaker,“Faculty,”“DavidBaker,”
http://info.music.indiana.edu/faculty/current/baker-david-n.shtml(accessedFebruary22,2016).37DavidN.Baker,JazzBassClefExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovativeSystemfor
LearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCello(NewAlbany,IN:JameyAebersoldJazz,Inc.,1995),Preface.
34
FeedbackandAssessment
ThethirdquestionproposedbyFinkpertainstothetypesoffeedbackand
assessmentthattheinstructorcanuse.Thisquestiondealswithhowstudentswill
beevaluatedandgradedbasedontheirknowledgeofthesubject.Tubaand
euphoniumstudiosusedifferentformsofgrading,withdifferentareasofstudy
weightedatdifferentpercentages.Forinstance,atIowaStateUniversity,theweekly
lessongradeaccountsfor70%ofthefinalgrade,whilereading
discussions/participation/assignmentsaccountsfor20%.Afinaljuryaccountsfor
10%ofthefinalgrade.38TheArizonaStateUniversitytubaandeuphoniumstudio
syllabuslistsweeklylessonpreparationat60%ofthefinalgrade,Studioclassis
20%,andASUTubaEuphoniumEnsembleis20%.39Althoughprivatelessonsmake
upamajorityofthefinalgrade,thereareotherareasthatvaryfromstudiotostudio
thatareasmallerpercentageofthegrade.
Thereareseveraldifferentapproachestoassessingthelearningofstudents
indifferentcourses.Appliedlessonscoursestendnottousethetraditionalmidterm
andfinalexaminfavorofweeklyassessmentsinprivatelessonsandmasterclasses,
whichfallsintowhatFinkcalls“educativeassessment.”Finkidentifiesfourbasic
components:
38IowaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic,“TubaEuphSyllabus,”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf(accessedJanuary31,2016).
39ArizonaStateUniversityTuba-EuphoniumFaculty,“SyllabusAppliedFall2015,”
http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASU-syllabus-applied-fall-2015-1.pdf(accessedJanuary31,2016).
35
• Createforward-lookingassessmentquestionsandproblems.• Developclearandappropriatecriteriaandstandardsforevaluating
studentperformance.• Createopportunitiesforstudentstoengageinself-assessment.• ProvideFIDeLityfeedback:feedbackthatisfrequent,immediate,
discriminating,anddonelovingly.40Thisapproachstandsinstarkcontrasttowhatisknownasabackward-looking
assessment,whichstrictlytestswhatislearnedinclass.Forward-looking
assessmentservestofindwaysforstudentstoapplyknowledgethattheyhave
learnedinclasstonewactivities.ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplementwillbe
utilizedbyinstructorsinaforward-lookingmannerbycreatinghelpfulassignments
sothatstudentswillapplytheirskillsinawaythatdoesnotinvolvejusttakinga
test.
“EducativeAssessment”iseasilymanipulatedtoincludeanassessmentof
howstudentsaredevelopingtheirskillsforNewOrleansbrassbandplaying.For
instance,theinstructorhastheoptiontoaddalinediscussingimprovementofthe
student’sabilitytowalkabasslineoverasimplechordchangeonaweeklyor
biweeklybasis.Thegoalistocreateastandardofimprovementinallareasfortuba
andeuphoniumstudents.Thissupplementwillnotoutlinestandardsforgradesfor
privatelessonsandotherassignments.Itisbestthatthisaspectbeleftupto
individualinstructors.
40Fink,111.
36
ProfessorDavidZerkelrequireshisstudentstocompleteaweeklyassignment
titled“TuneoftheWeek.”Hegivesathoroughdescriptionoftheassignmentinhis
syllabus:
Youwillberequiredtolistentotenofthefollowingpiecesthissemester.Followingyourlistening,youarerequiredtowriteacritiqueoftheworkandtheperformance.Whatdidyoulikeaboutit?Whatdidn’tyoulikeaboutit?Thisisstrictlyanopinion/observationassignment.Yourcritiquedoesnotnecessarilyneedtobescholarly;howeveritdoesneedtobeintelligentandthoughtful.Inyourcritiquebesuretoincludethenameoftheorchestraandtheconductoroftherecordingthatyoulistenedto.41
Thisassignmentservestofulfillhisobjectivepertainingtotheabilitytoevaluate
performancescriticallyandcoherently.Similarassignmentswillhelpother
instructorswhohavealearningobjectivethatconcernscriticallistening.Developing
aneducatedearformusicisessentialforallmusicstudentsandcanbeutilizedin
anyappliedtubaandeuphoniumstudiocurriculum.
AlisteningactivitycanbeeasilyadaptedtoincludeNewOrleansbrassband
music.Aninstructorcanincludeimportanttunes,albums,orbrassbandsthatwill
helpstudentstobetterunderstandthestyle.Appliedlessonsteachersalreadyhave
studentsreferencerecordingsforcertainsolosororchestralandbandmusicthat
theymaybeworkingon.Ifaninstructoralreadyhaslisteningassignmentsbuiltinto
theirsyllabus,theycanaddasmallnumberofrecordingsofNewOrleansbrass
bandstohelpstudentsacclimatethemselvestohowthebrassbandssound.Those
recordingscanrangefromthetraditionaltothemorefunkandhip-hopbands.
TreméBrassBandandtheLibertyBrassBandaregoodexamplesofmore
41UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,Fall2015Syllabus.
37
traditionalbrassbands,whilebandssuchasRebirthBrassBandandDirtyDozen
BrassBandaregoodexamplesoffunkierbrassbands.
HowComponentsAreConnectedandIntegrated
Thefinalquestionthathasbeenproposeddealswithhowallofthedifferentaspects
ofacurriculumworktogether.Finksays,“Thelearninggoals,theteachingand
learningactivities,andthefeedbackandassessmentproceduresallneedtosupport
eachother.”42Inthecaseofthesyllabithathavebeeninvestigatedoverthecourse
ofthisproject,allofthemhavecomponentsthatsupportthemainobjectivesoftheir
courses.Forinstance,manyofthesyllabidiscussoneoftheirmainobjectivesas
beingfortheirstudentstolearntheirmajorandminorscales.Inordertoachieve
thisobjective,theyhavescaletestsand/orincludescalesontheirjuriesattheendof
eachsemesterand/orschoolyear.Similaractivitiescanbeaddedtoacurriculumto
reinforcetheNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementalmaterial.
AllofthequestionssetforthbyFinkarelinked.Thefeedbackandassessment
isbaseduponthelearningactivities,whicharegenerallydictatedbytheobjectives
ofthecourselaidoutbytheinstructor.Therefore,professorsdeterminetheweight
ofcertainassignmentsbasedupontheirimportancetotheoveralllearning
objectives.Forinstance,ChristianCarichnerofIowaStateUniversityplaces70%of
thefinalgradeinweeklylessons.Thattellsthereaderofhissyllabusthatheplacesa
greatdealofimportanceontimespentinlessons.
42Fink,139.
38
ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplementcanbeincorporatedintocurrenttuba
andeuphoniumstudioteachingusingthemethodsdiscussedabove.Thespecificsof
thesupplement’scontentsaredescribedinthefollowingsection,whichfeatures
musicalexamplesandspecificideasforlearningactivities.
39
CHAPTER3:EXERCISESANDASSIGNMENTS
Animportantpartofthisprojectistoofferexercisesandassignmentsfor
instructorstoaddintotheirrespectivecurriculatoincludeNewOrleansbrassband
playing.Theexercisesincludeavarietyofdifferentdrillsdesignedtoteachcollege
tubaandeuphoniumstudentsaboutplayinginaNewOrleansbrassband.Thiswill
includeimprovisingabassline,improvisingsolos,andlearningcommonchord
progressionsfoundinNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Listeningassignmentsare
designedtohelpstudentslearnthestyleandpossibleoptionsforbasslinesthat
theycanincludeintheirownplaying.Thisprojectwillshowpossiblepathsthat
instructorscantakewiththeseassignments,includingpromptsandfocused
questionsforstudentstoconsider.
Exercises
Thereareawidevarietyofexercisesthatinstructorsofappliedtubaand
euphoniumcanassigntohelptheirstudentslearnskillsthatwouldbeneededwhen
playingNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Professorsatschoolsaroundthecountry
alreadyassigndailydrillsandtechnicalexercisesthatcanbereadilyadaptedfor
brassbandplaying.Forexample,arpeggiosandscalesinallkeysaredesignatedas
partofessentialdrillsinmanyappliedlessonscurricula.Manyexercisesthatcanbe
addedtoincludeNewOrleansbrassbandplayingcanalsohelpstudentstoapply
40
theirmusictheoryandmusichistoryknowledgethattheyhavelearnedseparately
intheircoremusicclasses.Inadditiontobeingexplainedinthissection,the
exercisessetforthbythisprojectwillbeincludedinthesupplementwritteninthe
appendixofthisdocument.
Arpeggiatedexercisescanbemanipulatedbyhavingstudentsplaychord
progressionsthatarecommoninNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Aninstructor
couldhaveastudentprepareaI-ii-V-Ichordprogression,whichiscommoninNew
Orleansmusic,andhavethemplaythroughitineverykey.Thesamecouldbedone
inaminorkey,aswell.TheauthorbecameawareofthisexercisebyTomHoltz,
formertubistintheUnitedStatesMarineBandandcurrentfreelanceheliconplayer
inWashingtonD.C.Theheliconissimilartoasousaphone,butthebellfacesoverthe
musician’sleftshoulderratherthanforwardandcannotberemoved.Musical
Examples1and2demonstratethearpeggioexercisethatwasdiscussedbyTom
HoltzinamasterclassatArizonaStateUniversityinNovemberof2015.Example1
takesthestudentthroughallofthemajorkeysinacircleof4thsprogression
beginninginthekeyofCMajor.Theseexercisesaretobepracticedinavarietyof
articulationsandtempi.Astudent,forexample,couldbeaskedbytheinstructorto
playallofthearpeggiosinalonger,legatostyle,ortheycouldbeaskedtoplayina
moredetachedstyle.Thestudentcaninitiallyplaytheexerciseatafairlyslow
tempoandgraduallyincreasethebeatsperminuteastheybegintomasterthe
progression.
41
MusicalExample1.I-ii-V-IArpeggios
42
MusicalExample2.i-iio-V-iChordProgression
43
Thesameexercisecanbedoneinnaturalminorkeys.Thiswillhelpstudentsto
becomefamiliarwiththesekeyssotheywillbeabletoplaymusicandchord
progressionsinminor.
AcommontrendinmanyNewOrleansbrassbandstunesistheuseof
syncopationinthebassline.Anexampleofthisis“DoWatchaWanna”byRebirth
BrassBand,whichisdemonstratedinMusicalExample3.Thesongbeginswitha
syncopatedbasslinethatservesasthefoundationalgrooveofthewholetuneandis
inthekeyofEb Major.“TheTreméSong,”performedbyTreméBrassBandstarts
withamoretraditionaldrumintroduction,butthebasslinethroughoutisa
syncopatedrhythmicgroovealternatingbetweenIandIV.ItisalsointhekeyofEb
Major.Thiscouldbepracticedineverymajorandminorkeytopreparestudentsto
playstandardNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
MusicalExample3.SyncopatedBassLinefrom“DoWatchaWanna”
Students,inmanycases,donotstrayfromwhattheyreadonthepagewhen
theyperformorpracticethroughouttheircollegiatemusiccareer.Animportant
partofthefunkandhip-hopNewOrleansbrassbandsisthetubagroovethatbegins
thesongtosetupthestructureofthesong.Therearenumerousexamplesofthis,
including“NewOrleans(AftertheCity)”butHot8BrassBandand“FeelLike
Funkin’ItUp”byRebirthBrassBand.MusicalExample4isadictationofthebass
linegroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp.”Althoughitissyncopatedlike“DoWatcha
44
Wanna,”ithasamuchmorefunkgroovefeel.Anassignmentthataninstructorof
appliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscouldgivetoastudentistohavethemwrite
and/orcreatetheirownbasslinegroove.Thestudentcandrawinspirationfromthe
albumsandsongthattheylistentoaspartofthelisteningassignmentspartofthe
coursecurriculum.
MusicalExample4.SousaphoneGroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp”
Thesamesyncopatedrhythmsthatarefeaturedintheexercisethatmimics
thepatternof“DoWatchaWanna”and“TheTreméSong”canbeusedasan
auxiliaryclappingorsingingexercise,aswell.Brassbandsplaythesetunesina
varietyoftempi,sohavingthestudentsclaporsingthroughthesyncopated
rhythmscouldhelpthemtofeelthegroovebeforeplayingthesamethingontheir
instrumentwithchordchanges.Anotherstepbeforeaddingthechordchangescould
alsoincludethestudentplayingastringofsyncopatedrhythmsonthesamenote.
SyncopatedrhythmsareabigpartofNewOrleansbrassbandmusic,sothisstudy
shouldbeanessentialpartofaninstructor’sbrassbandcurriculum.
AstandardoftheNewOrleansbrassbandrepertoireis“WhentheSaintsGo
MarchingIn.”Thechordstructureisfairlysimpleandstraightforward,makingitan
idealchartforbeginnerstobeabletofollow.Itisalsohelpfulthatthetuneiswell
knownandcanhelpguidethestudentsthroughthechordstructureofthesong.An
assignmentforatubaoreuphoniumstudentwouldbetohavethemtranscribea
45
basslinethatwillbeusedwhenplayingthetune.Hereisanexampleofapossible
basslineforthechorusof“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”:
MusicalExample5.“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”BassLine
Thisassignmentwillbeassignedinconjunctionwiththelisteningassignmentsthat
thestudentscompleteduringthecourse.Itistheintentofthissupplementthat
studentsbecomeexposedtodifferentapproachestothesamesongssothattheycan
developtheirownideasforplayingeachtune.Theycantakebitsandpiecesofbass
linesfromrecordingsthattheyheartocrafttheirowninterpretation.
AcommonchordprogressionthataNewOrleansbrassbandmusicianmay
encounteristwelvebarblues.Althoughatwelvebarbluesvaries,thestandard
progressionis:I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-V.RebirthBrassBandplaysatunecalled“You
Can’tFlyIfYou’reTooHigh,”which,uponlisteningtoit,isinatraditionaltwelvebar
46
blues.Afterasurveyofseveralrecordingsoftheprogression,anexercisewas
createdthatcanbeadaptedtoallkeysthatwillhelpstudentsbecomemore
acquaintedwiththechordsandstyle.MusicalExample6isapossiblebasslineina
twelvebarbluesprogression.
MusicalExample6.TwelveBarBlues
Anotherdailydrillthatiscommoninteachingthroughoutthecountryisthe
practiceofscales.Majorandminorscalesserveasmajorcomponentsofmany
appliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscurricula.FritzKaenzig,theArthurF.Thurnau
ProfessorofTubaandEuphoniumattheUniversityofMichigan,includes
“Satisfactionofthescalerequirementsduringanylessonchosenbyeachindividual
student.”43asthethirditemonhisstudiosyllabus.Manymusicprograms
throughoutthecountryhaveendofthesemesterand/orendoftheyearjuriesthat
commonlyincludethesescales.Scalescanbeusedinpracticalapplicationinmany
43UniversityofMichiganTubaandEuphoniumStudio,“Syllabus”,http://www-
personal.umich.edu/~fak/syllabus.html(accessedMarch19,2016).
47
musicalareas,buttheyareespeciallyhelpfulwhenplayingNewOrleansbrassband
music.Itisimportanttoknowscaleswellinordertowalkabassline.Awaytomake
thestudyofscalesrelatabletobrassbandmusicistoaddjazzscalesandchurch
modes.DavidBaker’sJazzExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovative
SystemforLearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCellooffersa
comprehensivemethodforlearningscalesthatmaynotbelearnedbymostcollege
musicstudents.
MethodBooks
Inadditiontocommonlyusedetudeandmethodbooksthatareutilizedintuba
andeuphoniumstudios,thisprojectproposesthatthereareadditionaltextsthat
canbeaddedtoasyllabusthatwillhelpstudentsworkonskillsthatareusedby
musiciansinNewOrleansbrassbands.TheJonSassBassLineBookisavaluable
resourcethatcanbeutilizedbystudentsandinstructorstoimprovetheirskillsfor
improvisingbasslines.Intheintroductiontohisbasslinebook,JonSassassertsthe
following:
Outsideoforchestral,classicalchambermusicandsoloplaying,therearemanyotherpossibilitiesforlowbrassmusicians.Oneoftheseisusingtheirinstrumentasafunctionalbassinrock,jazz,funkandotherpopularmusicgenres.Thetubaisabassinstrumentanditsabilitytosustain,articulateandcolorsoundisdifferentfromstring,electricorkeyboardbass.Thesoundcharacteristicsoflowbrassinstrumentsgiveacuttingedgeadvantagealongsidethesearchfornewsounds.44
44JonSass,TheJonSassBassLineBookforTuba(orEuphonium,Sousaphone,BassTrombone)
(Vuarmarens,Switzerland:EditionsBim,2007),2.
48
Itisagoalofthisprojecttohelpprofessorstoenhancetheircurriculawithwaysto
discoverhowtubascanbeusedasafunctionalbassinaNewOrleansbrassband
setting.
Studentsalsoneedtohaveabasicknowledgeofstandardsignsandsymbols
thatareusedinNewOrleansbrassbandmusicinordertoreadachartifitisplaced
infrontofthem.JonSass,inTheJonSassBassLineBook,listssignsandsymbolsthat
areusedfrequentlyinthenotationofjazzchartsthatarealsocommonlyusedby
NewOrleansbrassbands.Thesesymbolsincludethoseformajor,minor,dominant
seventh,andthesymbolforaraisedhalfstep.45ThesamesectionofSass’bookalso
discussescommonlyfoundchords,scales,andmodesthatarefoundfrequently.His
bookalsocontainsaC.D.,whichisahelpfultoolforstudentstousewhenlearningto
playNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Eachexerciseallowsthestudenttoreadabass
lineexamplegivenbySass,afterwhichtheyareencouragedtowritetheirownand
playitalongwiththerecording.Creatingabasslineisanimportantpartofplaying
brassbandmusic,andaddingsongsfromSass’booktotheotheretudesandsolos
thatareassignedforprivatelessonsbycollegiatetubaandeuphoniuminstructors
wouldallowthemtopracticethisimportantskill.
ListeningAssignments
Thegoaloflisteningassignmentsistohelpstudentstolistencriticallyto
musicandtoencouragestudentstoputwhattheyhearintowords.Benefitsof
45Ibid.,9.
49
listeningassignmentsincludelearningtoevaluatethequalityofarecording,gaining
knowledgeofacertainstyleorgenre,andtheabilitytoformulatecoherentthoughts
onwhatthestudenthearsinarecording.Therearemanyformsthatlistening
assignmentscantake.Manyappliedlessonscoursesalreadyincludesomesortof
listeningcurriculum.Insomecases,listeningassignmentscanbeinformal
suggestionsgivenduringprivatelessons,whileinothercasestheycanbemadea
formalassignmentthataccumulatesintoacertainpercentageofthefinalgrade.For
instance,Dr.ChrisDickey,ClinicalAssistantProfessorofMusic,Tuba,Euphonium,
andMusicTheory,assignsapieceperweekforhisstudentstoassessandmakesit
tenpercentofthestudents’finalgrade.46Thisprojectproposesamoreformal
approachthatissimilartothatofDr.Dickey,whereitcanfactorasapercentageofa
finalgradeandwillrequireawrittensubmission.Aninstructorcanputfortha
seriesofquestionsforstudentstoanswerortheycansimplyaskthestudenttogive
ageneralreactiontotherecording.
Therearemanypromptsthatteacherscanuseforlisteningassignments
dependingontheirgoalsforthehomework.Ifaninstructorwouldlikeforstudents
tousethelisteningassignmentasawayforstudentstodevelopanearforthesound
conceptsofaNewOrleansbrassband,theymayask:
• HowwouldyoudescribethesoundofthesousaphonewithintheNewOrleansbrassbandcontextinthisrecording?Isitbright?Isitdark?
46Dr.ChrisDickey,“Spring2016Tuba-EuphoniumStudioSyllabus,”WashingtonState
UniversitySchoolofMusic.
50
• Whatistheroleofthesousaphonewithinthegroup?Isitsimilarordifferenttoitsrolewithinanorchestraorconcertband?
• Howwouldyoudescribethestylethatthegroupplaysin?• Whatrhythmicinflectionsandornamentsdidthesousaphonistadd?
Howcouldyoucreatesimilarstylizationsinyourownplaying?
Thesearemerelysuggestions,butasimilarlineofquestioningwouldbebeneficial
withinthelisteningassignmentspartoftheappliedlessonscurriculum.
Thesameapproachcanbeusedforlisteningassignmentsrelatedtofinding
historicalcontextofdifferentrecordings.Amoretraditionalbrassband,suchas
TreméBrassBandorLibertyBrassBand,wouldhaveaslightlydifferentoverall
sound,andtherepertoirewouldbesomewhatdifferentfromamorefunk/pop/hip-
hopstylebrassband.GroupslikeDirtyDozenBrassBandandRebirthBrassBand,
thoughtheydoplaytraditionalsecondlinetunes,aregoingtohaveaudible
differencesfromthemoretraditionalbands,suchasTreméBrassBandorLiberty
BrassBand.MattSakakeenywrites:
ManyoftheDirtyDozen’stransformationsoftraditionaredetectableontheirdebutrecording,a45rpmrecordreleasedin1981…In‘FeetCan’tFailMeNow’andothernew-schoolbrassstandards,thetubaplaysacompact,virtuosicriffthatrepeatstheentiresong.ItwasKirkJoseph,alongwithAnthony‘TubaFats’Lacen,whosetthisnewstandardofcyclicaltubamelodies,supplantingthetuba’spreviousroleofprovidingtheharmonicfoundationbyoutliningthechangingchordprogressions.47
Thisisn’ttosaythatthose“new-schoolbrassband”tubaplayersdonotplayakey
harmonicfunction,butitisimportantforstudentstobeabletodifferentiate
betweenthetwostylesofbrassbandplaying.Itisalsoimportanttonotethatmany
47Sakakeeny,RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans,120.
51
ofthetraditionaltunesstartwithadrumrhythm,whilethenewerbrassband
groupsusuallybeginwithatubagroove.
Aninstructorcanmakeuphis/herownchoiceofwhatsongsoralbumsthey
canusefortheirlisteningassignments.Theycanassignaspecificrecording,orthey
canassignacertaintuneandaskthestudenttoseekoutcertainrecordingsofsongs.
Ateachercanaskastudenttofindandlistentoacertainnumberofrecordingsofa
certaintuneandaskthestudenttowritethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetween
them.Thiswillhelppupilstobegintoformulatetheirideasaboutwhattheylikeand
dislikeaboutcertainapproachestoplayingNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
Developingacriticalearwhenlisteningtomusicisimportanttodevelopinan
appliedlessonscurriculum.
Anotherpossiblelisteningassignmentinvolveshavingstudentslistento
recordingsandhavethemidentifythechordprogression.Itisimportantwhen
playingNewOrleansbrassbandthatthetubistknowsthekeyofthetuneandupon
whatchordsthebasslineshouldbebased.Studentscouldpossiblytranscribeabass
linebasedonarecordingtoenhancehowtheylistentorecordingsandtopractice
developingaprocessforthemimprovisingtheirownbasslines.Studentscould,for
example,listentoarecordingof“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”andidentifythe
chordprogression.Aftertheyhaveidentifiedthechordprogression,theycan
transcribethebasslinethatthetubaplayerintherecordingimprovisesonapiece
ofmanuscriptpaperorinacomputernotationprogram,suchasSibeliusorFinale.
PhilipFrazierofRebirthBrassBandwilllikelyplayaslightlydifferentbasslineon
52
“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”thanJonGrossofTreméBrassBand.Thiswould
alsoserveasasupplementtotheirmusictheoryandeartrainingcourses.
Exercisesandassignmentsareanessentialpartofanycollegecourse.They
aremeanttohelpinstructorsguidetheirstudentsandhelpthemtoachievethe
greatestsuccesstheycanwithinthecourseandbeyond.Itisthegoalofthisproject
tohelpinstructorsofappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonsthroughoutthecountry
tosupplementtheircurrentcurriculumwithNewOrleansbrassbandmusicin
ordertoenhancetheircurrentcourses.
53
CONCLUSION
ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplementwilladdanewskillsetforstudentsto
utilize.Althoughcoursesinmusictheoryandmusichistoryarecoreelementsofa
schoolofmusiccurriculum,itisimportantthatwhatislearnedinthosecoursesis
appliedinprivatelessons,masterclasses,performances,andchambermusicstudies.
Astudent’sbasicmusictheoryknowledgecanbeputtousewithinthecontextof
NewOrleansbrassbandplaying.Thechordprogressionsusedinthatstyleare
comparabletothesimplechordprogressionstaughtinacollegefreshmantheory
class,suchasaI-IV-V-IorI-ii-V-Iprogression.ThedevelopmentoftheNewOrleans
brassbandalsofollowsasimilarchronologytothebrassbandmovementinthe
UnitedStates,aswellastheearlyjazzpioneersoftheearlytwentiethcentury.
Helpingtoputtunesandfacestotopicsthatmayhavebeenonlydiscussedbrieflyin
amusichistorysurveycoursecanhelptoenhanceastudent’soverallmusical
knowledge.
ThesupplementisimportanttothesuccessofintegratingNewOrleansbrass
bandmusicintoanappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscurriculum.Itallows
instructorstohavearesourcethatisalreadyconstructedforthemandisadaptable
totheirindividualneeds.Thesupplementisnotrendereduselessifitisnotusedin
itsentirety.Itisappropriateforaninstructortopickcertainsectionsofitto
highlightwiththeirownstudentswithoutsacrificingtheoverallbenefitsofthe
54
supplement.Instructorswillbemoresuitedtopreparetheirstudentsforan
evolvingmusicalworldthatawaitsthemupongraduation.
ANewOrleansbrassbandcurriculumsupplementwillhelpinstructorsof
appliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonstoteachtheirstudentstheskillsneededtoplay
inabrassbandandwillintroducethemtorecordingsandmaterialsthatwillallow
studentstointegrateanewdimensionintotheirprofessionalprofile.Onenever
knowswhentheywillreceiveacallforaNewOrleansbrassbandorDixielandgig.If
themusiciandoesnothavetheskillsnecessarytoperformthatmusicoris
uncomfortablewithimprovisatorymusic,theymissanopportunitytoaddnew
experiencestotheirresumé.Ifanothergigcomesupthatneedsatubaplayertoplay
thatstyleofmusic,itisimportantforthemusiciantobethoughtofinapositive
light.
Themusicindustryisbecomingmoreandmorecompetitiveeveryyear.The
DepartmentofLabor’sprojectionformusiciansandsingersfor2016–2017seems
fairlygrim.Underthesectionentitled“JobProspects,”theemploymentforecastwas
wordedthusly:“Therewillbetoughcompetitionforjobsbecauseofthelarge
numberofpeoplewhoareinterestedinbecomingmusiciansandsingers.Many
musiciansandsingersexperienceperiodsofunemployment,andtherewilllikelybe
considerablecompetitionforfull-timepositions.”48Full-timepositions,suchas
tenuredorchestralpositionsoruniversityteachingpositions,mentionedinthis
48BureauofLaborStatistics,U.S.DepartmentofLabor,OccupationalOutlookHandbook,2016–
17Edition,MusiciansandSingers,http://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/musicians-and-singers.htm#tab-6(accessedApril6,2016).
55
projectionaredifficulttoobtain.Itisusefulforstudentsgraduatingfromcollegiate
musicprogramstodemonstrateawidearrayofskillstoaidetheirpursuitofmaking
alivingasamusicperformer.Theaimofthesupplementputforthbythisprojectis
tohelpstudentstoaddasetofskillstomakethemabettermusicianand
professionalinthefuture,butitalsohasthesidebenefitofhelpingtomakethem
moremarketableinthefieldofmusic.
Anexampleofagroupofclassmatesformingtheirowngroupis“JonBatiste
andStayHuman.”Theirleaderandnamesake,apianistandnativeofNewOrleans,
describeshowheviewedhiseducation:
Batistewantedtoexploreamusicalcareerbeyondsharpeninghischopsatschool.‘Ialwaysthought,man,ifwe’reworkingonallthisstuff,weshouldactuallyputitintopracticeandgooutthere.Ineverforgetthedeanofthejazzdepartment(atJuilliard)toldmebeforeIleft,oncethingshadbecomemoreclearthatIwasn’tjustsomecrazykidwhodismissedmyauthority,theywerelike.‘Ohmanyoualwayshadaplandidn’tyou?’Itwaskindatrue,youknow.Ireallydidhaveaplanforgoingtoschool–itwasn’tjusttogotoschool.49
Batisteandhisbandmatestookwhattheylearnedinschoolandformeditintotheir
ownstyle.TheNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementsetforthbythisprojecthasthe
intentionofprovidingcollegiatetubaandeuphoniumplayerswiththeskillsto
createtheirownbrassbandsandtocreatetheirownperformanceexperiences.
Learningorchestralandbandexcerptsiscriticalforcollegiatemusic
students,butitisalsoimportanttosupplementthatwithotherstylesofmusicto
49ChristopherR.Weingarten,RollingStone,“MeetJonBatiste,StephenColbert’sCrowd-
ThrillingRebelBandLeader,”August5,2015,http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/meet-jon-batiste-stephen-colberts-crowd-thrilling-rebel-bandleader-20150805(accessedApril6,2016).
56
roundoutwhattheyareabletoplay.AngelaMylesBeechingputsforthaninsightful
ideaaboutnon-traditionalmusiccareers:
[T]hesehighlycompetitivetraditionaljobsareonlyafractionoftheworkactuallyavailabletomusicians.TheU.S.musicindustryisvastandincludesahugevarietyofworkopportunities.Andbecausemusiciansaregenerallymulti-talented,theyoftenhavemarketableskillsinmorethanonearea.Themajorityoftoday’sprofessionalmusicianscreatesatisfying‘portfolio’careers,braidingtogetherpart-timeworkandentrepreneurialventurestocapitalizeontheirtalents,interests,andexperiences.50
StudentswillhavetheopportunitytoaddNewOrleansbrassbandplayingtotheir
“portfolio”tohelpthemtobuildcareerskillsthatwillhelpthembesuccessfulinthe
competitiveprofessionalmusicmarket.Creatingdiverseteachingandlearning
experiencesinthestudioenvironmenthelpsstudentsseetheoptionsopentothem
beyondtraditionalcareerpaths.
50AngelaMylesBeeching,BeyondTalent:CreatingaSuccessfulCareerInMusic,2nded.
(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2010),7.
57
APPENDIX:NEWORLEANSBRASSBANDSUPPLEMENT
NewOrleansBrassBandSupplementaryMaterialTubaandEuphoniumAppliedLessons
ThegoalofthissupplementistoallowinstructorsofappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscoursestointroducetheirstudentstotheskillsandstylesassociatedwithNewOrleansbrassbandmusictoimprovetheoverallmusicianshipandtechniqueleveloftheirstudiomembers.Thismaterialisintendedtobeadaptabletotheneedsoftheinstructor.SuggestedMethodBooks:JonSass:TheJonSassBassLineBookforTubaorOtherLowBrassInstruments,Vuarmarens,Switzerland:EditionsBim,2007.Sass’textoffersstep-by-stepinstructionabouthowtoconstructabasslinethroughtheuseofdifferentscalesthatarecommonlyfoundinimprovisatorymusic,suchasjazzorNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Thebookcomeswithaplay-alongCDthatallowsthestudenttolearnbyplayingalongwithabackingtrack.Eachetudeallowsthestudenttolearnarhythmicexercise,aharmonicstudy,performwithaplay-alongtrack,andthereisaspaceforthestudenttocomposetheirownbasslineandplayitalongwiththetrack.ThisbookwillprovideagoodfoundationfortheimprovisatoryskillsnecessaryforplayingNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.DavidN.Baker:JazzBassClefExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovativeSystemforLearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCello,NewAlbany,IN:JameyAebersoldJazz,Inc.,1995.DavidN.Baker,formerDistinguishedProfessorofJazzStudiesintheJacobsSchoolofMusicatIndianaUniversity,wasaninternationallyregardedjazzpedagoguewhocontributedanumberoftextsfortheeducationofstudentsofalllevels.Thisspecifictextwalksthereaderthroughbuildingbasslinesthroughtheuseofscales.Thereareseparatesectionsthatdealwithaspecifickeyorscale.Thereisalsoanindexthatteachescommonjazzsymbolsthatproveinvaluable.
58
SuggestedArticlesandBooks:MattSakakeeny:RollWithIt:BrassBandsontheStreetsofNewOrleans,Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2013.SakakeenyhaswrittenmanyarticlesandbooksonthesubjectofbrassbandsinNewOrleans.Thisbook,afirsthandaccountofRebirthBrassBand,SoulRebelsBrassBand,andHot8BrassBand,givesinsightintothedailylivesofprofessionalmusiciansinNewOrleans.Hegoesintogreatdepthaboutwhathappensduringajazzfuneralandsecondlineparade,whicharealargepartofwhatbrassbandsarepaidtodoinNewOrleans.Thethreegroupsthataredocumentedalsohaveextensivediscographies,whicharealsodiscussed.ArticlesbyMattSakakeeny:“NewOrleansMusicasaCirculatorySystem,”BlackMusicResearchJournal31,no.2(Fall2011):291–325.“’UndertheBridge’:AnOrientationtoSoundscapesInNewOrleans,”Ethnomusicology54,no.1(Winter2010):1–27.MickBurns:KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:TheNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance,BatonRouge:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,2006.ThistextcontainsnumerousfirsthandaccountsfromsomeofthebiggestnamesinNewOrleansbrassbandhistory,includingAnthony“TubaFats”Lacen,PhilipFrazierIIIofRebirthBrassBand,and“Uncle”LionelBatisteofTreméBrassBand.Eachmusicianthatisprofileddiscusseshowtheywereexposedtobrassbandmusicandhowtheybecameeducatedinthestyle.SamuelA.FloydJr.:“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,HistoricalStudies,andBlackMusicInquiry,”BlackMusicResearchJournal22,Supplement(2002),51.Floyd’sarticlegivehistoricalcontexttohowthesecondlineandjazzfuneralscametobeandtracestheirheritagetothe“ringshout”ceremoniesperformedbyslavesinthedeepsouth.ItgivesstudentsalookintomusichistorythattheymaynotlearnaboutinatraditionalmusichistorysurveycourseandwillgivethemabetterunderstandingofthemodernNewOrleansbrassbands.WilliamJ.SchaferandRichardB.Allen:BrassBandsandNewOrleansJazz,BatonRouge:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,1977.SchaferandAllen’sbooktracesthehistoryofthebrassbandstomilitaryandtraditionalbrassbandsthatexistedattheendofthenineteenthcenturyanddiscusseshowthestyleevolvedovertimeintothemusicthatitisknownforinthe
59
present.TheauthorsdoanexcellentjobofdifferentiatingNewOrleansbrassbandmusicfromthegeneralizedtermof“jazz.”ThisbookishighlyregardedasahistoricalreferenceforbrassbandmusicinNewOrleansExercises:SomebasicexerciseshavebeenincludedinthisNewOrleansbrassbandsupplement.Theyareintendedtoexposestudentstocommonchordprogressionsandstylesthatarefoundinbrassbandmusic.Exercise1:I-ii-V-IArpeggiosThisexerciseisintendedtohelpstudentsfindtheirwaythroughabasicchordprogression.Avarietyofarticulationscanbeused,includingstaccato,legato,andmarcato,toemulatedifferentstylesthatcanbefoundinNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.ThisandthefollowingexerciseweresuggestedbyTomHoltz,formertubistwiththeUnitedStatesMarineBandandcurrentfreelancetubaplayerintheWashington,D.C.area.Exercise2:i-iio-V-IArpeggiosThisexercisesisthesameasExercise1,butitiswrittenoutinaminorkey.Avarietyofarticulationsshouldalsobeusedwhenpracticingthistechnique.Exercise3:TwelveBarBluesThisexerciseisintendedtoallowthestudenttolearntoplayabasslineforatwelvebarbluesprogression.Itshouldbedoneinasmanykeysaspossibleandwithavarietyofarticulations.Thewrittenexampleisoneofmanywaysthatatubaplayercouldstylizethebassline.Therecanalsobesyncopationinthebasslineifthemusiciandesiresthat.Exercise4:CreatingaBassGrooveThisexercisewillallowastudenttoseeorhearachordprogressionandcreateabasslinegroovethatwillmatchthatprogression.Twoexampleshavebeenincludedasademonstrationforwhatabassgroovecouldlooklike.
60
EXERCISE1:
61
EXERCISE2:
62
Exercise3Example:
Exercise4,ExampleA:BassGroovefrom“DoWatchaWanna”byRebirthBrassBand
Exercise4,ExampleB:BassGroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp”byRebirthBrassBand
SelectedDiscography:ThislistisnotmeanttobeadefinitiveNewOrleansbrassbanddiscography.ItismeanttosuggestrecordingsthatinstructorscangivetheirstudentstodemonstratedifferentNewOrleansbrassbandsandtheirvaryingstyles.Theserecommendedrecordingsserveasareferencelistforinstructorstoaddtoanypreviouslisteningassignmentliststhattheymayhave.
63
TraditionalNewOrleansBrassBands:Dejan’sOlympiaBrassBand:HereComeDaGreatOlympiaBandSmithsonianFolkways:ClassicSoundsofNewOrleansfromSmithsonianFolkwaysNewOrleansBrassBands:ThroughtheStreetsoftheCityTreméBrassBand:TheTreméBrassBandIGotABigFatWomanPaulBarbarin’sOnwardBrassBand:PaulBarbarin’sOnwardBrassBandinConcert1968ModernNewOrleansBrassBands:DirtyDozenBrassBand:MyFeetCan’tFailMeNowFuneralforaFriendWhat’sGoingOnHot8BrassBand:RockWiththeHot8RebirthBrassBand:DoWatchaWannaHotVenomFeelLikeFunkin’ItUp YoungbloodBrassBand:center.level.roar.PaxVolumi
64
REFERENCES
Alper,Garth.“NewOrleansMusicandKatrina.”PopularMusicandSociety29,no.4
(10/2006):461.ArizonaStateUniversitySchoolofMusicTuba/EuphoniumStudio.“AppliedLessons
SyllabusFall2014,http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASU-syllabus-applied-fall-20141.pdf(accessedFebruary20,2016).
Baker,DavidN.JazzBassClefExplorations:ANewandInnovativeSystemfor
LearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCello.NewAlbany,IN:JameyAebersoldJazz,Inc.,1995.
Battisti,Frank.TheWindsofChange:TheEvolutionoftheContemporaryAmerican
WindBand/EnsembleanditsConductor.Galesville,Maryland:MeredithMusicPublications,2002.
Beeching,AngelaMyles.BeyondTalent:CreatingaSuccessfulCareerinMusic.2nded.
Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2010.Burns,Mick.KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:theNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance.
BatonRouge:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,2006.Chase,Claire.EntrepeneursinMusic–andDon’tForgetAboutMozart!
Polyphonic.org:TheOrchestraMusicianForum,March24,2008.http://www.polyphonic.org/discussion_panel/entrepreneurs-in-music-and-dont-forget-about-mozart-4/(accessedApril6,2016).
Chinen,Nate.“Jazzfest:TubasOutnumberRappers.”ArtsBeatfromTheNewYork
Times,entrypostedMay4,2008,http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/jazzfest-tubas-outnumber-rappers/?_r=1(accessedJanuary16,2015).
Cummings,Barton.“ThoughtsonTuba.”http://www.dwerden.com/tu-articles-
thoughts.cfm(accessedJuly9,2015).Davis,BarbaraGross.ToolsforTeaching.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass,2009.
65
Dickey,Dr.Chris.“Spring2016Tuba-EuphoniumStudioSyllabus.”WashingtonStateUniversitySchoolofMusic.
DirtyDozenBrassBand.FuneralforaFriend.RopeadopeRecordsRCD16050.CD.
2004._____________.MyFeetCan’tFailMeNow.BuffaloRecordsBUF-512.CD.2009.Driscoll,MatthewThomas.“NewOrleansBrassBandTraditionsandPopularMusic
ElementsofStyleintheMusicofMamaDigdown’sBrassBandandYoungbloodBrassBand.”DMAdiss.,UniversityofIowa,2012.
Ellison,Mary.“African-AmericanMusicandMusketsInCivilwarNewOrleans.”
LouisianaHistory:TheJournaloftheLouisianaHistoricalAssociation35,no.3(July1994):316–317.
_____________.“Dr.MichaelWhiteandNewOrleansJazz:PushingBackBoundaries
WhileMaintainingtheTradition.”PopularMusicandSociety28,no.5(December2005):619.
EurekaBrassBand.NewOrleansFuneralandParade:TheOriginal1951Session.
AmericanMusicRecordsAMCD-70.CD.1992.Fink,L.Dee.SignificantLearningExperiences:AnIntegratedApproachtoDesigning
CollegeCourses.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass,2013.FloydJr.,SamuelA.“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,HistoricalStudies,andBlackMusic
Inquiry.”BlackMusicResearchJournal22,Supplement(2002):51.Grantham,Donald,andKentKennan.TheTechniqueofOrchestration.6thed.Upper
SaddleRiver,NewJersey:PrenticeHall,2006.Himes,Geoffrey.“WhereTheTubaLives:5NewOrleansSongsFeaturingtheFat
Horn,”ABlogSupremefromNPRJazz,entrypostedApril,26,2011,http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2011/04/29/135709278/where-the-tuba-lives-5-new-orleans-songs-featuring-the-fat-horn(accessedJanuary15,2015).
IowaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic.“TubaEuphSyllabus.”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf(accessedJanuary31,2016).
66
Macdonald,Hugh.Berlioz’sOrchestrationTreatise:ATranslationandCommentary.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2004.
MeschiyaLakeandtheLittleBigHorns.Fooler’sGold.ContinentalCoastCOCO3008.
CD.2013.Miraphone.“NatMcIntosh.”http://www.miraphone.de/en/artists/articles/nat-
mcintosh-457.html(accessedOctober2,2015).NewOrleansNightcrawlers.NewOrleansNightcrawlers.RounderRecordsCD2147.
CD.1996.OlympiaBrassBand,The.TheOlympiaBrassBandofNewOrleans.GHBRecords.CD.
2005.Putnam,Lindsay.“TheHottestThingInNYCMusicIsTheseSubwayBuskers.”New
YorkPost,April17,2014.(http://nypost.com/2014/04/17/nyc-buskers-too-many-zooz-become-latest-internet-sensation/(accessedApril6,2016).
RebirthBrassBand.DoWatchaWanna.MardiGrasRecords,CD-1003.Reckdahl,Katy.“FeelingHisSpirit:Hot8BrassBandSerenadesSchoolStillGrieving
forSlainBandDirector.”Times-Picayune,January10,2007.Sakakeeny,Matt.“NewOrleansMusicasaCirculatorySystem.”BlackMusicResearch
Journal31,no.2(Fall2011):291–325.______________andWillieBurch.RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans.
Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2013._______________.“‘UndertheBridge’:AnOrientationtoSoundscapesinNewOrleans.”
Ethnomusicology54,no.1(Winter2010):1–27.Sass,Jon.TheJonSassBassLineBookforTuba(orEuphonium,Sousaphone,Bass
Trombone).Vuarmarens,Switzerland:EditionsBim,2007.Schafer,WilliamJ.,andwithassistancefromRichardB.Allen.BrassBandsandNew
OrleansJazz.BatonRouge:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,1977.UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,“DocumentLibrary,”“SyllabusF15,”
http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!document-library(accessedJanuary23,2016).
67
UniversityofMichiganTubaandEuphoniumStudio.“Syllabus.”http://www-personal.umich.edu/~fak/syllabus.html(accessedMarch19,2016).
VariousArtists.ClassicSoundsofNewOrleansfromSmithsonianFolkways.
SmithsonianFolkwaysSFW40183.CD.2010._____________.NewOrleansBrassBands:ThroughtheStreetsoftheCity.Smithsonian
FolkwaysSFW40212.CD.2015.Wald,Elijah,andJohnJunkerman.RiverofSong:AMusicalJourneyDownthe
Mississippi.NewYork:St.Martin'sPress,1998.Weiner,HowardT.,ed.EarlyTwentieth-CenturyBrassIdioms:Art,Jazz,andOther
PopularTraditions:ProceedingsoftheInternationalConferencePresentedbytheInstituteofJazzStudiesofRutgersUniversityandtheHistoricBrassSociety,November4-5,2005.Lanham,MD:ScarecrowPress,2009.
Weingarten,ChristopherR.“MeetJonBatiste,StephenColbert’sCrowd-Thrilling
RebelBandLeader.”RollingStone,August5,2015.http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/meet-jon-batiste-stephen-colberts-crowd-thrilling-rebel-bandleader-20150805(accessedApril6,2016).
YoungbloodBrassBand.center.level.roar.OzoneMusicOZO902.CD.2003._____________.PaxVolumi.TruThoughtsTRUCD278.CD.2013.
Related Documents
