Jason Fettig, President
Matt Temple, President-Elect
Elva Kaye Lance, Vice-President
Randall Coleman, Immediate Past President
Scott Tobias, Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Al & Gladys Wright Distinguished Legacy Award, Randall Coleman
Alfred Young Band Composition Contest, Audrey Murphy
AWAPA Commission, David Gregory
Citations & Awards, Heath Nails
Constitution & By-Laws, Matt Temple
Foster Project NBA Representative, Wolson Gustama
Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors Board of Electors, Thomas Fraschillo
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Awareness, Tremon Kizer
Marching Band Committee, Adam Dalton & Bobby Lambert
Merrill Jones Composition Contest, Matt Smith
National Programs of Excellence, Melinda Mackenzie-Hall
NBA Foundation, Susan Creasap
Nominating Committee, Randoll Coleman
Research Grants, Brian Silvey
Selective Music List – Concert, Arris Golden
Selective Music List - Jazz, Steve Shanley
Selective Music List – Marches, Col. Don Schofield
William D. Revelli Composition Contest, Matthew McCutchen
Young Composer Jazz Composition Contest, Richard Stichler
Young Composer Mentor Project, Frank Ticheli
Young Conductor Mentor Project, Linda R. Moorhouse
To promote and empower band performances throughout the world.
To encourage and promote the commissioning and performance of new wind band music.
To provide inclusive and authentic professional development opportunities and resources for everyone.
To acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of bands, educators, performers, and band support organizations.
To promote pride, commitment, and enthusiasm among band directors and performers.
To encourage lifelong involvement in music and to support interested students in pursuing musical careers.
To promote an inclusive community among directors, performers, the music industry, and all other band support organizations.
NBA Journal Editor, Matthew D. Talbert
NBA Journal Layout & Design, Nash P. McCutchen
Articles presented in the NBA Journal represent views, opinions, ideas and research by the authors and are selected for their general interest to the NBA members. Authors’ views do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Band Association, nor does their publication constitute an endorsement by the National Band Association.
Lately I am reminded of the quote from the great Leonard Bernstein after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”
When I wrote my last message to you this winter, I was thinking a lot about how music can change our society, and how we can all be better for having the arts and music in our lives, whether we do it for a living or not. Part of my motivation for sharing that message was my feeling that we are growing further apart in our communities than closer together. I’d like to dig a little deeper with you here with the caveat that these thoughts are my own, and not representative of the collective views of our National Band Association and its many members.
We are engaged in an unfamiliar time in our country right now, to put it as gently as I can. We are seeing escalated violence and conflict in our streets, sometimes perpetrated by our own citizens and protectors; we are absolutely inundated with especially heated rhetoric in our public sphere; and we are seeing an unfortunate encouragement by representatives of our nation to not only “pick a side,” but to then vilify the
opposition. While all of this affects each and every one of us as citizens, there is something else afoot that is particularly concerning: a process of reclassifying what the arts means in our nation, and a move toward monitoring what we are allowed to express as artistic creators and stewards of our collective identity as Americans.
It is, of course, dangerous in any situation to jump to conclusions when we are under stress, nor is it ever helpful to slip into dramatic hyperbole about the seriousness of any disagreement or policy change. That said, I am often reminded these days of the hardships that composers and artists all over the world experienced during the middle part of the twentieth century. Composers were told what to write in service of national pride, artists were instructed how and what to perform to remain supportive of an official “patriotic” narrative. Places of art and expression were closed if they did not present a type of “art” that was acceptable to the powerful. This is an era that is widely regarded by people from all political and social viewpoints today as antithetical to what art is, and what it is supposed to be for all people. Yet, it feels as though we are experiencing a trend toward this conditional creativity once again.
Band is, and has always been, the music of the people. Band has always embraced all music, from the patriotic to the experimental, from pop and jazz in America to the symphonic grandeur of the Classical masters.
President’s Message, Jason K. Fettig, cont.
This is where our band community comes in, my friends. I want to shout it out once again: Band is, and has always been, the music of the people. Band has always embraced all music, from the patriotic to the experimental, from pop and jazz in America to the symphonic grandeur of the Classical masters. It embraces cultures and music from all around the world and places them side by side with the proud traditions of our country. Band has always been the haven for new music and new ideas, and for notes that both celebrate AND protest our own history and our unique evolution as a nation—both the unparalleled good and the mistakes and atrocities that we learn never to repeat.
Band has also always been the place for all people to come to create together; to bring their disparate ideas, and lived experiences, and feelings to work to find common ground as human beings. Band has made space for the emotion and empathy that is required for us to get along, and to try to understand each other. Band and music are a refuge from anger, fear, abuse, judgement, and elitism.
And Band is an American treasure. Since the founding of the United States Marine Band in 1798, Band has been an everpresent central pillar in our view of the arts and creativity in this nation. We have the most prolific and advanced system of bands
in our military and in our civic communities, and in schools of any nation on the face of the earth. That should always be a point of deep pride in who we are. When we let artists express their feelings freely, we learn, we grow, and we empathize with our fellow humans—even when we can’t always agree. It is especially a good time to reflect on all of these values as we honor the 250th anniversary of this special nation.
Music must be part of the solution to our anxiety, our fear of the other, and our inclination to vilify those who are “not like us.” Music heals and music brings all people closer. Let’s band together now and celebrate the opportunity to live in harmony with one another. It has never been more important than it is right now.
With respect and admiration for each of you,
Jason K. Fettig President National Band Association
The National Band Association was founded on September 11, 1960. This new organization was the dream and brain child of Traugott Rohner, the editor and founder of The Instrumentalist magazine. Rohner set up a meeting with two of the most capable leaders among America’s band directors, Dr. Al G. Wright, who was at that time Director of Bands at Purdue University, and John Paynter, Director of Bands at Northwestern University, and these two very able leaders established a new, inclusive band organization which grew into the largest band organization in the world.
Al Wright was the NBA’s first president, and he soon became aware of a need to establish a special, high level award program to recognize excellence and exceptional service to bands. The result of this was the establishment of The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts (AWAPA). This award was established for the purpose of recognizing those individuals who have made truly significant and outstanding contributions to furthering the excellence of bands and of band music, and it was not to be limited to band directors, but to anyone who’s contributions were determined to be so outstanding that they deserved and warranted honor and recognition.
The nine-inch silver AWAPA figure is designed to be the “Oscar” of the band world. Elections to the academy are made from time to time by the Board of Directors acting upon nominations from the AWAPA Commission. Presentations of AWAPA awards are made at band performances or meetings of national significance. The new recipients of the award are announced at the annual National Band Association Membership Meeting at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago each December, and the honorees from the previous year are invited to attend that meeting for a formal presentation of the award.
If the recipient is not able to be present at that meeting, the award is presented at another prestigious band event where the recipient is properly honored and recognized. The award consists of a silver statuette, a silver medallion, and an engraved certificate. The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts represents the highest honor which the National Band Association can confer on any individual.
The NBA represents the best there is in a great, proud profession. When we honor our very best, we bring honor on our organization and on our profession. A list of the past recipients of the AWAPA Award is literally a “Who’s Who” list of some of the greatest leaders involved in the band movement during the past six decades. The list includes an international cross section of important individuals representing all aspects of the band world, who have rendered remarkable service to bands.
William D. Revelli
November 25, 1961
Karl L. King
November 10, 1962
Harold D. Bachman
January 9, 1965
Glenn Cliffe Bainum February 21, 1965
Al G. Wright March 7, 1969
Harry Guggenheim August 18, 1969
Paul V. Yoder December 18, 1969
Toshio Akiyama December 13, 1970
Richard Franko Goldman
July 23, 1971
John Paynter March 5, 1972
Roger A. Nixon
July 12, 1972
Traugott Rohner
February 11, 1973
Sir Vivian Dunn March 2, 1973
Jan Molenaar July 11, 1974
Frederick Fennell August 3, 1975
Harry Mortimer August 3, 1975
George S. Howard December 16, 1976
Mark Hindsley March 2, 1978
Howard Hanson December 13, 1978
James Neilson December 13, 1978
Vaclav Nelhybel December 13, 1978
Leonard Falcone December 12, 1979
Alfred Reed December 12, 1979
Arnald Gabriel December 16, 1980
Nilo Hovey
December 16, 1980
Trevor Ford December 16, 1981
Vincent Persichetti December 16, 1981
Clare Grundman December 15, 1982
Morton Gould December 15, 1982
Karel Husa December 15, 1982
Harry Begian December 14, 1983
Francis McBeth December 12, 1984
Normal Dello Joio December 12, 1984
J. Clifton Williams December 18, 1984
Frank W. Erickson December 17, 1986
Neil A. Kjos December 17, 1986
Evans
December 20, 1986
Hugh E. McMillen
December 17, 1986
Claude T. Smith December 16, 1987
Warren Benson December 14, 1988
John Bourgeois December 14, 1988
Donald Hunsberger December 19, 1990
Edgar Gangware December 19, 1991
W J Julian December 16, 1992
Geoffrey Brand December 20, 1995
Harvey Phillips December 21, 1995
Richard Strange December 20, 1995
L. Howard Nicar, Jr. October 16, 1996
Kenneth Bloomquist December 18, 1996
H. Robert Reynolds December 18, 1996
Elizabeth Ludwig Fennell December 17, 1997
Arthur Gurwitz December 17, 1997
Russell Hammond December 14, 1999
William F. Ludwig December 14, 1999
John M. Long December 20, 2001
Raoul Camus December 19, 2002
Paul Bierley
June 14, 2003
William J. Moody
December 18, 2003
Earl Dunn
December 16, 2004
Victor Zajec
December 16, 2004
James T. Rohner
December 15, 2005
Frank Battisti
December 21, 2006
David Whitwell December 20, 2007
Frank B. Wickes
December 18, 2008
Ray Cramer December 17, 2009
James Croft
April 16, 2011
Paula Crider
December 15, 2011
Mark Kelly
December 15, 2011
Bobby Adams
December 19, 2013
Richard Floyd December 18, 2014
Edward Lisk
December 17, 2015
Linda R. Moorhouse
December 15, 2016
Thomas V. Fraschillo
December 21, 2017
John Whitwell
December 20, 2018
Richard Crain
December 19, 2019
Loras John Schissel
December 15, 2020
Bruce Leek
December 16, 2021
Julie Giroux
December 20, 2022
Frank Ticheli
December 20, 2022
Gerald Guilbeaux
December 21, 2023
John Stoner
December 21, 2023
Tim Lautzenheiser
December 19, 2024
Eugene Migliaro
Corporon
December 19, 2025
The mission for directors of school bands is understood inherently by those who think of themselves more often as instrumental music teachers rather than simply as band directors. The basic objective of instrumental music education is that students will learn performance skills in order to understand musical language and to experience the joys of recreating music in the expressive medium of their choice. Music education should prepare students also for a fuller understanding and appreciation of the music they will be hearing the rest of their lives regardless of its style or venue. Efforts to address the National Standards for Music Education in band class by including music theory, music history, improvisation, and composition will help the students be better listeners in adulthood and will make better musicians of those who wish to pursue musical careers or practice music as an avocation in adult life.
The National Band Association would like school administrators, teachers, and parents to recognize that students elect to study instrumental music for a variety of reasons, including: as an outlet for creativity, a source of social interaction with like-minded peers, a possible career choice, gratification that comes from recognition by responsive audiences, discipline through study and practice, and service to school and community. The evaluation of instrumental music programs should be grounded in a review of the educationally and aesthetically justifiable objectives that are explicit in this mission statement.
The long-respected model for learning to play a musical instrument based on the role of artist-teacher with a studio of private students applies as well to school bands. Band class must provide these same foundations: a correct concept of characteristic tone quality, development of technique based on a graded course of study, a formal system for counting rhythms, practice in developing good intonation, and the sure goal of playing expressively.
An instrumental music program should offer a broad range of musical experiences: an extensive solo and chamber music repertory that provides subtle opportunities for nuance and other systems of expression; a school jazz ensemble that stresses rhythmic precision, understanding of harmonic progression, and creative improvisation; a concert band, the core of the program, where our musical heritage is transmitted through inspirational compositions by the most creative composers.
Service activities such as marching band are often important to the school and community, and students who participate gain social, educational, and musical values. Because evaluative competition can raise standards and motivate progress, NBA strongly recommends that all bands participate in festivals or contests sponsored by district and state music education associations, especially when a rating rather than a ranking is the goal. However, the integrity of the instructional program can be threatened by a disproportionate emphasis on competitions and servicerelated performances. Marching band activities that require extra rehearsals and travel time should be scheduled with concern for the many responsibilities that students have in addition to their musical studies, and must never be the focus of the instrumental music program. Excessive demands on students, parents, and community––financial and otherwise––bring about consequences harmful to the essence of the instrumental music program.
History demonstrates that those who cultivate a special intelligence in an area of personal interest make great contributions to the way we live. Efforts by legislators or educators to emphasize one area of study alone stifle the pluralism that has been one of this country's strengths. Rather, schools should provide a broad base of knowledge for students and also encourage development of the special abilities of those who demonstrate the capacity to excel. Instrumental music studies provide a laboratory of artistic and social opportunities for individual development that contributes to the collective good.
The arts provide unique forms of knowledge, present a basic means of communication, and produce lasting works that are the hallmarks of a civilization. President Abraham Lincoln reminded us that education is not for the purpose of learning to earn a living, but for learning what to do with a living after it has been earned. Whether in the arts or other areas of interest, students who are encouraged to develop their talents and interests participate in the continuous regeneration of our democratic ideals.
Al G. Wright 1960 - 1962
Honorary Life President
John Paynter 1962 - 1966
Honorary Life President
James Croft 1986 - 1988
Frank B. Wickes 1988 - 1990
Edward W. Volz 1966 - 1968
William J. Moody 1968 - 1970
Edward S. Lisk 1990 - 1992
George S. Howard 1970 - 1974
F. Earl Dunn 1974 - 1976
William D. Revelli 1976 - 1978
W J Julian 1978 - 1980
Kenneth Bloomquist 1980 - 1982
James Neilson 1982 - 1984
James K. Copenhaver 1984 - 1986
Robert E. Foster 1992 - 1994
John R. Bourgeois 1994 - 1996
James Keene 1996 - 1998
Thomas Fraschillo 1998 - 2000
Paula Crider 2000 - 2002
David Gregory 2002- 2004
Linda Moorhouse 2004- 2006
Bobby Adams 2006- 2008
Finley Hamilton 2008- 2009
John Culvahouse 2009- 2012
John M. Long 2010 Honorary President
Roy Holder 2012 - 2014
Richard Good 2014 - 2016
Scott Casagrande 2016 - 2018
Scott Tobias 2018 - 2020
Rebecca Phillips 2020 - 2022
Randall Coleman 2022 - 2024
NBA NEWS & 2025 AWARDS
All winners of the following awards are listed at NationalBandAssociation.org/Awards-Recognition
Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts (AWAPA) Award
Al & Gladys Wright Distinguished Legacy Award
NBA Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors
Programs of Excellence Blue Ribbon Award
The NBA/Alfred Music Young Band Composition Contest
The NBA/Merrill Jones Memorial Band Composition Contest
The NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest
The NBA Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest
Mentor Award
Citation of Excellence
Outstanding Jazz Educator
Citation of Merit for Marching Excellence
Outstanding Musician Award
Outstanding Jazz Musician Award
Music Camper Award
Band Booster Award
DAWSON HIGH SCHOOL (PEARLAND, TX)
Aaron Brown, Emelia Hedden, Dominique McCray, and Louis Boldrighini, Directors
GRISHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL (AUSTIN, TX)
Mason England and Eduardo Estrada, Directors
OCEAN SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL (OCEAN SPRINGS, MS)
Kevin Shira, John Taylor, Chancey Parker, and Cam Roberts, Directors
YOUTH PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL (LOUISVILLE, KY)
Todd Ebert, Samantha Liddle, and Katie Ebert, Directors
DAVENPORT CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (DAVENPORT, IA)
Alexander M. Wilga and David W. Nicholson, Directors
DELAND HIGH SCHOOL (DELAND, FL)
Monica Leimer, Director
TRAUGHBER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (OSWEGO, IL)
Rachel Maxwell, Director
With great pleasure I can report that the NBA’s William D. Revelli competition continues to thrive. In 2025 we received 66 submissions from across the United Stated, Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, Brazil, and Canada. Works were sent in from some of the most celebrated and often-performed composers in our field, as well as from those who are not currently well-known but show great promise. The Revelli Committee met at the Midwest Clinic and named Benjamin Horne’s Spiritual Symphony the winner of the 2025 Contest.
Benjamin Horne (pictured at right) is currently working on a doctorate in wind conducting and a master’s degree in composition at Michigan State University. He previously earned a master’s degree in music performance (euphonium) at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and bachelor’s degrees from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in music education, music
performance, and a certificate in music composition. In between degrees he served as a middle and high school assistant band director in Roswell, Georgia. He has worked as an instructor and clinician across the United States teaching sectionals, private lessons, masterclasses, and marching band at all levels from beginners to university students.
Horne has worked with and had music performed by musicians from the Chicago Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Houston Opera, and the President's Own US Marine Band. His music has a global following as is evidenced by performances in Europe, Asia, and South America, and in several prestigious conferences and festivals including the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the International Trombone Festival, the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference, the International Euphonium Tuba Festival, the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, the International
Trumpet Guild Conference, and the International Horn Society Symposium.
Spiritual Symphony is a fourmovement collection of settings of African American spirituals scored for standard wind band instrumentation. The piece requires six percussionists playing instruments that are commonly found in high schools and colleges band rooms. The only exceptions are wooden chimes (exactly as the name implies), chajcas (rattles made from goat or sheep hooves), and a shekere (beaded gourd).
Interestingly, this piece does not include a snare drum.
Played in entirety, the piece is just under 20 minutes long. However, each movement easily stands alone, so I will address them accordingly. The italicized paragraphs below are from Horne’s program notes.
The first movement is primarily based on "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd". Filled with many inferences and descriptions, there is belief that
Benjamin Horne's Spiritual Symphony..., Matthew McCutchen, cont.
the song may have been used as directions for slaves escaping along the Underground Railroad. The lore around this song also includes "Peg Leg Joe" as the "old man" referenced in the lyrics "comin' just to carry you to freedom". Joe was believed to have been a figure who would travel to plantations to deliver the "instructions". This work uses the melody from the chorus of the song as a strophic theme that gradually intensifies and recedes like Peg Leg Joe coming to teach one how to escape and then disappearing in the dead of night. "Wade in the Water", another spiritual believed to have been used for a similar purpose, is also interwoven throughout this movement.
Unlike many symphonic composers who open their pieces with a scherzo, Horne begins with a slow, mournful prayer. In fact, perhaps one of the greatest challenges of the first movement is to keep the tempi (60 for the first 19 measures and 76 for the rest) down as performers tend to push ahead. There are plenty of opportunities for expressive conducting throughout, but conductors are cautioned not to overdo the implied rubato as it is important that the movement maintain a somber, song-like quality.
There are important solos or soli for horn, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, and euphonium, but otherwise this movement does not have
many technical challenges for advanced players. While there are many 16th note runs in the woodwinds, piano, and marimba, the slow tempo and fact that they are mainly stepwise will cause them to fall under the fingers quickly. Interesting, perhaps the most challenging individual part is the two tom toms, which are included as a reference to West African talking drums. The toms seem to be commenting on the melodic material in a way that make them a character in the movement instead of just another timbre. This is a stunningly beautiful movement that can easily stand alone in a variety of settings.
"Motherless Child" is the musical bedrock for the second movement. The opening, scherzo-like material establishes a sense of anxiety and disorientation. The music here paints the scene of someone forcefully taken from their home and brought to a new country in chains - unaware of what is to become of them. The chorus of the traditional spiritual is then heard in its most resonant and hopeful form as a trombone chorale, but the agitated flute and xylophone mark consistent pings of pain and rage held within. The second half of the work is held together by a lament bass progression. All the while, inner anguish builds and seeps out through solos by the clarinet and alto saxophone before exploding into a visceral cry for help and deliverance. The work then closes
Matthew McCutchen is the Director of Bands at the University of South Florida. He is also the founder and conductor of the Bay Area Youth (BAY) Winds and the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Florida Wind Band. He is the chair of the National Band Association’s William D. Revelli Band Composition Contest, is on the John Philip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor Selection Committee and is a member of the American Bandmasters Association.
with introspection swallowing those untamed feelings. One's survival depends on it.
In what is surely a nod to David Biendenbender, Horne’s composition professor at Michigan State, the second movement utilizes a delayed echo technique that Beidenbender used in last year’s winner, Enigma. Horne uses this technique to open the movement and announce
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immediately that the mood has changed. The tempo is bumped to 124, the long, luscious lines of the opening movement are replaced by scampering, staccoto passages, as the first 32 bars set the stage for trombones to present the spiritual melody in bar 33.
This is by far the most technically challenging movement of the symphony. In the middle there is a lengthy, demanding clarinet solo that becomes a duet with alto saxophone, and at the end a similarly tricky duet between flute and bari-sax. All four players must be confident and strong or the movement will not work. One of the things that fascinates me about this symphony is that Horne has not simply reorchestrate the wellknown spirituals, but has in fact reconceived them. The rhythmic passages are unexpected, but at no point do they feel forced or contrived. It is as though Horne was imagining what they might sound like in the hands of great jazz artists, but used the colors of the wind band to make them dance and shine.
"Deep River", previously a standalone setting written for my friend Anthony Morris, now makes up the third movement. As the cornerstone of the Symphony, the song's placement here symbolizes a shift in the presentation and performance of spirituals. The
Benjamin Horne's Spiritual Symphony..., Matthew McCutchen, cont.
advent of jubilee singing groups in the late 1800s led to the adaptation of many spirituals for the concert hall. Inspired by Harry T. Burleigh's art song setting published in the 1910s, this movement expresses a sense of hope and a longing desire to "cross over" into a land of peace.
Arguably the most widely known spiritual in the symphony, Deep River has long been arranged for concert bands, orchestras, jazz bands, and choirs, but never before quite like this. Horne’s creation is reverent but playful, moving but solemn, joyous, and beautiful. Ensembles who wish to play this will need to have strong soloists on flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, and tuba, and there is a stunning soli section for the saxophone family in the middle that feels like you’ve landed in the middle of a revival.
Each time I listen to a recording of this movement I hear something different. At time it seems that Horne couldn’t decide whether he wanted it to channel the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Moses Hogan, or the Chicago Symphony so he did them all at once. There are numerous opportunities for expressive conducting, and this is a movement in which taking liberties would be appropriate. Ensembles that take the time to carefully and lovingly prepare it
will be deeply rewarded.
The final movement opens with "My Lord, What a Morning" as a chorale before an exuberant, gospel-influenced rendition of "Go Tell it on the Mountain". These songs together embody the theme of a new life or new age albeit from differing perspectives. As such, this movement aims to celebrate life both in this realm and the next.
The final movement opens with trombones and tubas playing My Lord, What a Morning in what is undoubtedly the most traditional setting of a spiritual in the entire symphony. This only last a few bars before the pianist breaks into a gospelswing rendition of Go Tell it on the Mountain, that is straight out of a saloon, and the party is on. I mentioned earlier that Horne like to play with rhythms, and in this movement he’s practically euphoric. Essentially he transforms the wind ensemble into a New Orleans funeral parade where the musicians all seem to be improvising around a well-known tune, except the improvisation is all written out. This movement is full of twist and turns, and while none of the individual parts are terribly difficult, putting it together will require that all the players are playing exactly what’s on the page so that simultaneous ideas don’t become chaotic. At the very end of the movement he brings back My Lord, What a Morning
Benjamin Horne's Spiritual Symphony..., Matthew McCutchen, cont.
and interposes it on top of Go Tell It, to create a deeply satisfying finale. This is the shortest movement of the symphony, lasting only about three and a half minutes. But as Sousa proved time and time again, music does not have to be long to be meaningful, important, and a lot of fun.
Spiritual Symphony is available to rent through Murphy Music Press where you can also view a perusal score and listen to a recording. There is also a video on YouTube of Horne conducting the Michigan State University on the premier performance that is a lot of fun to watch. In addition, the second and third movements – Motherless Child and Deep River, are available for purchase from Murphy Music. (Maybe if enough of us ask, he’ll make the first and fourth available as well…)
The contest’s mission statement includes “It is the desire of the National Band Association that the winning compositions from this contest reflect its mission in helping further the cause of quality literature for bands in America. The winning works should be those of not only of significant structural, analytical, and technical quality, but also of such nature that will allow bands to program them as part of their standard repertoire.” The members of the committee feel strongly that Spiritual
Symphony fits these criteria and is a piece that should be studied, performed, and enjoyed for many years to come.
The remaining finalists for the 2025 contest are listed below. Each of these are interesting and compelling pieces well-deserving of performance and academic study.
Symphony for Winds #1 (English), Michael Barry
Symphony #2, The Road is Life, James David
Fantasy of Colors, Paul Dooley
The Time Traveler, Patrick Harlin
In This Breath, Shuying Li
Brilliant Brushstrokes, Ryan Lindveit
A note of thanks to all who served on the screening and selection committees and to JW Pepper for sponsoring the $5,000 prize. It is tremendously exciting to hear the caliber of pieces that are being created for the wind band world.
Greetings, Fellow NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION Members:
First-and-foremost, WELCOME TO 2026. Here’s wishing you a grand launch to the NEW YEAR and the best of HEALTH and HAPPINESS to you and yours. I trust you will hit the ground running as we move forward in our collective mission and purpose.
Attitude Concepts, Inc. Conn-Selmer, Inc.
Please know I am deeply honored-and-humbled to receive the (NBA) AWAPA AWARD (Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts) presented by my colleagues at this year’s National Band Association meeting at The Midwest Clinic; I am filled with immense gratitude. THANKS are extended to all for your support (understatement!) in sharing this very special recognition. Rest assured, it resonates far beyond any personal achievement, and it also carries with it a sense of responsibility to uphold the highest standards the award represents.
As stated, following Colonel Jason Fettig’s most gracious introduction:
“The National Band Association is near-and-dear to my heart. My college band director, much-loved mentor, and surrogate parent (MR. F. EARL DUNN) was one of the founding members of the NBA. Mr. Dunn spoke often about the importance of the organization’s mission: TO STRENGTHEN THE ENTIRE BAND COMMUNITY THROUGH RESOURCES, RECOGNITION, AND A COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION OF ALL MEMBERS. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be part of his legacy were well-schooled concerning the importance of the NBA and how it embraced all those dedicated to promoting the musical and educational significance of bands and the attainment of exemplary excellence for bands and band music.”
Again, THANK YOU. This experience serves as a powerful inspiration to continue to give back to a community that has given so much to me.
Deeply in your debt, I remain,
Score study serves as the foundation of effective rehearsal pedagogy, much like lesson planning in formal educational contexts. Before stepping onto the podium, conductors must engage in deliberate analytical preparation that informs instructional priorities, rehearsal sequencing, and musical decision-making. Without this preparation, rehearsals often become reactive, addressing surface-level issues while overlooking deeper structural or harmonic causes. From a pedagogical standpoint, such rehearsals limit student learning and undermine musical coherence.
A central instructional outcome of thorough score study is the identification of critical moments, often called “harmonic landmines.” These are passages where tonal ambiguity, dense voicing, or complex harmonic motion may destabilize ensemble performance. Rather than treating these moments as potential failures, skilled conductors view them as
opportunities for targeted teaching. Anticipating these challenges allows conductors to design warm-ups, listening exercises, and rehearsal strategies that directly address the underlying musical issues before they emerge in performance.
The concept of “rehearsing the rehearsal” reflects a pedagogical commitment to intentional instructional design. This process involves mentally mapping rehearsal flow, anticipating common errors, and preparing concise corrective language. Effective conductors plan not only what to rehearse but also how and when to address specific musical objectives. Such preparation supports efficient use of rehearsal time and creates a learning environment where instruction is purposeful rather than improvisational.
Dr. Tyron Barnes serves as a music educator at Alexandria City Public Schools. He is an experienced music educator and conductor with a strong background in teaching middle and high school bands. He holds a Master’s in Music Education from Tarleton State University and a Doctorate in Music Education from Liberty University. His professional work reflects a deep commitment to instructional excellence and student growth across developmental levels.
Throughout his career, Dr. Barnes has led middle and high school band programs, emphasizing structured rehearsal design, comprehensive musicianship, and artistic integrity. His experience includes directing concert and marching bands, developing curriculum, and preparing ensembles for performances and competitive events. He is known for fostering disciplined, studentcentered learning environments that balance technical development with expressive performance.
From an educational perspective, rehearsing the rehearsal also supports
His professional affiliations include the Virginia Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Educators, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Continued on next page
differentiated instruction within the ensemble. Conductors can plan when to shift between fullensemble, sectional, and layered rehearsal approaches based on the score’s demands. This flexibility allows instruction to be responsive while remaining grounded in clear musical goals. Students benefit from consistent expectations, focused feedback, and an instructional narrative that connects individual contributions to collective musical outcomes.
Ultimately, score study as instructional design reinforces the conductor’s role as an educator rather than a mere facilitator of sound. Preparation becomes an ethical responsibility that shapes rehearsal culture, student engagement, and artistic growth. When conductors approach score study with pedagogical intention, rehearsals become sites of musical inquiry, critical listening, and shared understanding. In this way, rehearsing the rehearsal transforms preparation into a powerful tool for musical and educational leadership.
There is something thrilling about bringing our bands to concert assessment as a first-year teacher. Perhaps it’s the culmination of years of undergraduate preparation, the excitement that comes with the newness of teaching, or simply a strong desire to see the students succeed. Regardless, we all want our students to do well, and I certainly did in my first year. During the weeks leading up to contest, I called upon every lesson I learned in college to prepare for the stage performance and gave it my all. But it wasn’t the stage performance that proved to be the greatest challenge, it was the sightreading room. Aside from my own limited experiences as a middle and high schooler, I wasn’t sure how to prepare the students and had to learn on-the-go. I thoroughly read the rule book, talked with a few mentors, and prepared the students as best I could. Even though I was a first-year teacher making plenty of first-year teacher mistakes, the students rose to the occasion.
I’m proud of how they performed that day, but more importantly, of how they improved in the years that followed. Each year we discovered new approaches to sight-reading, grew more comfortable with the judging criteria, clarified individual responsibilities, and became more intentional in our preparation. What began as cautious optimism evolved into excitement and confidence. The goal of this article is to help you and your students create and refine a thoughtful approach to sightreading assessment that not only leads to success but evolves into a rewarding and integral part of your program.
Many colleagues have shared with me that they would like to see sight-reading removed from music assessment. I understand their frustration, because sightreading is one more thing for us to teach. It’s another duty amongst
Marc Decker is Associate Professor of Music and the Associate Director of Bands/ Director of Athletic Bands at Florida Atlantic University, where he directs the Marching Owls, “Parliament Sound” Pep Band, and Symphony Band. He holds a BME from the University of Illinois and both a MM and DMA from the University of Iowa. Dr. Decker is an active arranger, drill writer, guest conductor, and adjudicator, and has published and presented nationally on a variety of topics including music teacher preparation, conducting, and pedagogy. He is engaged in numerous professional organizations and is a Past-President of the Florida College Music Educators Association.
a sea of teaching expectations throughout the term; however, I can’t think of a more important skill. Sight-reading is invaluable to a comprehensive music program from jazz band through marching
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Striking the Right Notes ...,
Marc Decker, cont.
band. It builds confidence by providing every student with the tools to participate, improves ensemble musicianship by making students more attentive to the written page, expedites instruction, and creates independent musical learners. Ultimately, it is the ability to sight-read music effectively that sets students on the trajectory of becoming lifelong music makers. But, if that still hasn’t convinced you, imagine how much more fun and impactful music teaching can be when students are fully capable of reading their parts with true independence.
Sight-reading is an activity that each of us inevitability engages in whenever we distribute new music. It’s a process we already informally practice each concert cycle, and for every ensemble. It’s our job to explore and formalize this process so the students will better understand and improve this skill with regularity. How to best approach, teach, and reinforce sight-reading skills differs for every teacher and group of students, requiring some trial and error. A good starting place though is music literacy.
Most students I work with have developed competencies appropriate to their grade level on reading notes and can quickly recall note names, fingerings, and slide positions. Common pitfalls with note literacy include errors remembering key signature, the
second accidental in the same bar, challenges with large leaps and dissonant melodic intervals in the brass, ledger lines in the low reeds and upper trombone register, enharmonics, and alternative fingerings and slide positions. Most of these challenges relate to memory recall and by practicing regularly, and with frequent reminders from the director, students can quickly improve, resulting in faster note reading and appropriate fingerings.
The greatest challenge with sight-reading tends to be rhythm, because many students struggle to subdivide past the eighth note, and rhythm is more important to the flow and continuity of the process than note accuracy. A common example for your students to prove this point is to ask them to sing a simple tune like, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” with perfect rhythm, but all wrong notes. Even though it won’t sound great, they will probably be able to get through it. Next, have them sing the same tune, this time with perfect pitch, but whatever rhythms they want. Odds are it will fall apart. Rhythmic accuracy is the most important component of sight-reading continuity, and developing their understanding of rhythm brings immediate and impactful results.
When it comes to counting rhythms, there is no shortage of opinions about which method is best. I would argue that there is no single “best” approach, though
some are more effective than others. The success of any counting system depends largely on the instructor’s comfort and ability to teach the method with pedagogical clarity, and its application towards lifelong music-making. Choose a system that you can teach with both consistency and genuine enthusiasm. If you adopt a nontraditional approach, consider supplementing it by teaching a more widely used method so students can more easily transfer skills beyond your program to high school and college.
What really helped me teach rhythm better was not necessarily adopting a specific counting method but rather an approach that simplified the options down to eight primary rhythms. These [picture 1] are the most common eight rhythms we encounter, but with various subdivisions using different meter. Sure, there are infinitely more combinations than just these eight, but it serves as a starting place, representing a vast majority of what our students encounter.
If your students can read these eight rhythms, using whichever counting system you prefer, then all that remains are to address common pitfalls such as transposing them into triple and asymmetrical meters, and introducing hemiola. The students struggle with these metric phenomena because they are rarely
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exposed to them through pop culture music. Even so, students can quickly improve if we provide them with listening examples and create warm-ups exercises that go beyond duple time signatures.
There are several rehearsal strategies we can implement to assist our students with rhythm, and a good starting place is to help them establish a strong sense of pulse by hearing the physical placement of the 16th note subdivision using a metronome. I use a subdivided metronome early in the semester often for warm-ups, sight-reading, and when working on concert music, but eventually turn it off to pass ownership of the pulse and its subdivision to the students. This helps them gain confidence, place the 16th note with a higher degree of accuracy, hear hemiola and how it functions, and allows you as the director and conductor to focus your attention on more than just the beat.
1
Each of us needs to create our own process of what happens from the moment our students enter the sight-reading room to when they leave. This process is essential in helping students feel at ease because what is intimidating about sight-reading are the unknown variables. We can combat uneasiness by giving the students a clear understanding of what to expect and a process to adopt, leading to confidence and a better mindset for success. That process will vary for every director and program, but the most successful have clear expectations for student responsibility, and clear individual and collective goals.
When the timer starts and the students flip over the music, I have found success with at least a short period of time dedicated to quiet study, and as few as 30-seconds can be beneficial. This time should be used for the teacher to strategize and identify potential problem spots. It’s also an important time
Striking the Right Notes ..., Marc Decker, cont.
for students to look over their music and start fingering through; however, they will need specific objectives to focus their efforts. I had my students go through a series of directed questions, and once they discovered the answers on their own, they could finger through the piece. After the brief quiet study, I would ask them the exact same questions they were to answer on their own, but now we would address them as a group.
• What is the name of the piece?
• What is the time signature and does it change?
• What is the key signature and does it change?
• What is the tempo and does it change?
• Are there any repeats?
Each question serves a purpose. The name of the piece is for no other reason than to ensure they have the correct music in front of them. A few seconds confirming they are looking at the right music can save minutes later. The
questions on time signature, key signature, and tempo are about drawing the students’ attention to significant musical elements. The last question is about identifying repeats, multiple endings, and markings that can affect the students’ ability to sight-read with continuity. For my younger band, I would often assign a student to answer these questions in advance, and that might be a helpful approach if you have shy students.
The third step is to get them singing, clapping, or sizzling, to engage their minds and bodies. My favorite is singing because it forces them to think about pitch, balance, and blend, and allows for simultaneous fingering; however, sizzling is just as effective at getting air moving. Clapping can also be helpful, but be sure the students are utilizing good technique, keeping their hands near each other for the highest degree of accuracy. Whichever method you use, the next step is to chunk out the piece by starting at the beginning, jumping to the end, and then addressing the middle transitions. Just before the timer runs out put aside a few seconds for any important reminders, take a deep breath, look around the room for eyes… and go!
the students to have a superior performance while you provide a few gentle reminders than to have a lessor performance while you remain silent. Once it’s over, evaluate your process and write down a few notes for next year. Some things are bound to go well, while other components of your process can be improved.
The students should travel in an organized fashion to the sight-reading room, enter quietly, and sit down together. If you are unfamiliar with the space, it may be worthwhile to ask the organizer for a map so you can inform your students in advance. Once they enter, have the students stay standing until everyone has a chair and stand, sit down together, adjust stands, and as much as possible ensure they have the right music before flipping it over.
to attend. I know it can be scary to invite others into the room, but sight-reading shows your students best efforts, and any guests you invite will love seeing them focused and working hard.
When practicing sight-reading, schedule one 20-minute block each week. That’s just enough time to distribute the music, go through your sight-reading process, collect the music, and allow time for reflection at the end. Insist the students use excellent fundamentals when practicing and share the judging sheet with them. Fundamentals and musicianship are often significant portions of judging criteria, and the students can certainly multi-task by sightreading with correct articulations, dynamics, and expression. Finally, consider practicing this sightreading process year around with all your ensembles. Adopting a similar process for your jazz, marching, and pep bands provides valuable repetition that helps the students become comfortable with sight-reading.
While the band plays you are typically allowed to do quite a bit including shouting out reminders for key signature, rehearsal numbers, road map, dynamics, and much more. It’s better for
I recommend creating three sets of sight-reading music for your students to practice. The first should be filled with easy sightreading music, at least two grade levels below what they read on stage. The idea of the first folder is to teach the students your process and ensure they are successful right away. As they gain confidence
Percussion are often allowed to move equipment to a similar setup to what they are accustomed to. Check with the organizer in advance so you know what will be provided and how to assign parts. You may be allowed to tune timpani, warm-up, or tune the full band before time begins. This is particularly important if there is a long walk from the performance hall to the sight-reading room. If your state allows, ask the judge for time reminders, even if a clock is clearly visible, so you can best manage the allotted time. Finally, invite administrators and parents Continued on next page Striking the Right Notes ..., Marc Decker, cont.
and learn, they will progress to a second set of folders filled with slightly more challenging music. Finally, once they’re successful with the second set, move on to final folders which contain music that is equal to or more challenging than what they will encounter during assessment.
In many states it is possible to buy the previous years’ sightreading music and if you have the funding this may be worthwhile; however, I did not have that sort of budget when I taught. I made my sight-reading folders pulling music from my own high school band library and the nearby middle school, referencing the state and National Band Association’s select repertoire lists to ensure the repertoire was well-crafted and at the proper difficulty.
Transforming sight-reading into an enjoyable process for you and your students is all about creating, evaluating, and communicating a tangible process. Once students know what’s expected of them and understand the steps to follow, they gain confidence and purpose. It may take some trial-and-error, but through regular practice, reflection, and a willingness to adjust along the way, you can find success. Stick with it and sightreading can become an engaging and rewarding part of your ensemble’s development. Good luck!
Traditional approaches to score study in wind band conducting have prioritized harmonic reduction, Roman numeral analysis, and formal labeling as primary analytical tools. While these methods offer structural insight, they often treat harmony as an abstract entity divorced from its sonic realization. In wind ensembles, however, harmony is not perceived as a neutral vertical structure but as an orchestrated event shaped by timbre, register, and instrumental interaction. This disconnect underscores the need for analytical models that reflect how harmony is actually heard, taught, and rehearsed in ensemble contexts.
The Orchestration–Harmonic Matrix (OHM) addresses this gap by situating harmonic function within its orchestration context. The OHM reframes harmonic analysis as a multidimensional process, linking harmonic function to instrumentation, acoustic perception, and rehearsal strategy. Rather than analyzing chords in isolation, conductors are prompted
to consider how orchestration alters harmonic weight, clarity, and expressive intent. In this model, harmony is understood as a relationship among sound sources rather than a fixed theoretical object.
Pedagogically, the OHM encourages conductors to shift from symbol-based analysis to sound-based decision-making. A dominant harmony voiced in low brass carries different perceptual implications than the same function distributed among midrange woodwinds. Through the matrix, conductors anticipate these differences and plan accordingly, recognizing that the orchestration of any given composition often drives harmonic stability, tuning tendencies, and balance issues. This approach aligns score study with aural skills pedagogy, emphasizing prediction, listening, and diagnostic awareness.
The OHM also strengthens pedagogical content knowledge by linking analysis directly to rehearsal practice. When conductors analyze harmony
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Dr. Tyron Barnes serves as a music educator at Alexandria City Public Schools. He is an experienced music educator and conductor with a strong background in teaching middle and high school bands. He holds a Master’s in Music Education from Tarleton State University and a Doctorate in Music Education from Liberty University. His professional work reflects a deep commitment to instructional excellence and student growth across developmental levels.
Throughout his career, Dr. Barnes has led middle and high school band programs, emphasizing structured rehearsal design, comprehensive musicianship, and artistic integrity. His experience includes directing concert and marching bands, developing curriculum, and preparing ensembles for performances and competitive events. He is known for fostering disciplined, studentcentered learning environments that balance technical development with expressive performance.
His professional affiliations include the Virginia Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Educators, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
through orchestration, rehearsal strategies become intentional rather than reactive. Balance adjustments, sectional emphasis, and tuning strategies are grounded in analytical insight rather than trial and error. Students, in turn, learn to hear harmony as an ensemble construct, fostering deeper musical responsibility and analytical listening across the group.
Essentially, the Orchestration–Harmonic Matrix redefines score study as an integrated pedagogical process. By uniting harmonic function, orchestration, and rehearsal planning, the OHM provides conductors with a framework that reflects the lived sonic reality of wind ensemble performance. This approach ensures that analytical understanding translates into effective instruction, supporting both musical accuracy and expressive depth in the rehearsal environment.
As education evolves to embrace the holistic growth of students, band rooms are a powerful space to foster this call to action. Initiatives such as Social Emotional Learning, Growth Mindset, and individual state graduation standards emphasize the importance of nurturing the “whole” student. While ensembles are a group effort, it is important to remember the value of individual student growth. By embracing a framework that centers empowered ensembles and inspired individual growth, band directors can facilitate rehearsals that cultivate adaptable, collaborative, and reflective student musicians. This article provides practical strategies to help directors design rehearsals that foster both musical excellence and personal growth.
A core tenet for empowering students is adaptability. Consider implementing various assessments that are tailored to the ensemble’s
goals, while allowing for versatility. Provide students with differentiated rubrics that take into account individual skill levels and growth plans. One strategy is to create tiered or leveled rubrics for playing tests, sectionals, or performance evaluations. For example, a tone quality rubric might include differentiated expectations:
• Level 1: Produces consistent tone on long tones.
• Level 2: Demonstrates control across dynamic range and partials.
• Level 3: Shapes tone with musical expression and phrasing.
In application, students choose the level they are aiming for based on their current skill and growth goals. Self and peer reflections are additional strategies that empower the ensemble and enable individual students to give and receive specific feedback for musical growth, while
Dr. Kim Barclift is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education and supervises student teachers. A National Board Certified teacher with over 20 years of experience in middle and high school bands, Dr. Barclift has also served in universitylevel teaching and leadership roles across North Carolina. She holds degrees from East Carolina University (BM), Boston University (MM), and the University of North Carolina Greensboro (PhD), where she was a Minerva Scholar. Her research focuses on the skills and dispositions of effective music educators, reflective practice, and bridging the gap between pre- and in-service teachers. An active clinician and adjudicator, she maintains memberships in NAfME, The College Music Society, and several regional music education associations.
supporting adaptability. Guided reflection, framed by collective ensemble goals, empowers the group to identify areas of strength and areas for growth. Using predetermined checklists or agreed-upon rehearsal objectives, students can provide tangible
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feedback for themselves and their peers. Another adaptable option is portfolio-based assessment. When students create a digital portfolio, collecting recordings, reflections, and rehearsal artifacts over time, they can set long-term goals and document their progress. By doing this, the empowered ensemble emphasizes the importance of individual progress within the rehearsal process.
Adaptable band students build community through collaboration. Incorporating opportunities for peer feedback during rehearsals encourages collaboration while developing individual student ability to offer specific, kind, and actionable feedback. A possible strategy is to designate short, structured moments for peer feedback during or after rehearsal. Using a “Pause & Reflect” routine, one would run a section of the music and have students turn to a neighbor to share one specific strength and one area for improvement. Allowing a small amount of time for students to listen, objectively respond, and provide strategies for improvement for their peers not only encourages the growth of the peer but also increases the musical listening and awareness of the individual providing the feedback. The use of peer feedback also empowers the ensemble to inspire the growth of its members, resulting in a more cohesive and united band. An extension of this idea is student-led sectionals, which build ownership
Empowered Ensembles, Inspired Growth ..., Kim Barclift,
of collaborative ensemble goals. Sectionals enable students to make artistic decisions collaboratively while also fostering a sense of community.
Working within a community requires strengthening communication skills. MerriamWebster defines communication as the transmission of “information, thought, or feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood.” Non-verbal and verbal communication are common in a band rehearsal. The use of visual cues, conducting gestures, and body language are nonverbal strategies commonly employed in everyday rehearsals as a means of conveying information, thought, or feeling. Through the aforementioned opportunities for peer feedback, band directors create an environment where students learn to respectfully articulate musical ideas verbally. However, one may posit that the most effective form of communication in a band rehearsal is through listening. Strategies for this include the “Who’s Leading?” game, where students identify which section carries the melody, harmony, or rhythmic motor and adjust accordingly. Perhaps attempt the “Balance Challenge” when the director rehearses a passage with different sections removed, and follows up by asking, “What changed? What did you notice that you did not hear before?” Another option is to let students define what they should be listening for
in a piece or section. For example, when playing a chorale, students might set goals like “match the length of note releases with the flutes” or “listen across to the low brass for rhythmic clarity.” When using any of these strategies, it is essential to have students reflect on what they heard and how it affects their playing. Band directors who teach intentional listening skills and promote aural awareness within their students can intuitively empower and inspire ensemble members to develop a deeper communication of music elements, such as tone, balance, and intonation.
Everyone benefits from nurturing critical thinking through ensemble goal setting and reflection. Having students create daily or weekly ensemble goals, as well as identify individual improvement targets, promotes student ownership, autonomy, and motivates unity towards achieving rehearsal goals. In doing so, directors also facilitate critical thinking within the ensemble. The “Rehearsal Detective” activity is a strategy that tasks students with diagnosing rehearsal challenges using critical listening. After playing a section, ask, “Where did we lose rhythmic clarity?” or “What is contributing to the tuning issue?” Reflective questions like these increase the critical listening and thinking within the ensemble.
Another strategy to increase
Empowered Ensembles, Inspired Growth ..., Kim Barclift, cont.
critical thinking is collaborative score study projects, in which students are assigned excerpts of the concert repertoire to analyze. Responsibilities might include identifying the main theme, key transitions, or challenging rhythmic sections, as well as suggesting rehearsal strategies. This level of involvement in score study encourages the dissection of challenging passages and the development of strategies for enhanced musical growth, both individually and as an ensemble. Band directors should model empathetic music-making by actively listening and adjusting their instruction to support the individual needs of each student. Building musical flexibility and ensemble trust starts on the
podium. To encourage students to offer peer feedback and support, we must model and coach them on how to give constructive and kind feedback. For example, demonstrating how to say, “Your entrance was confident. Try matching the articulation to the clarinets for a smoother blend,” sets a tone of respect and musical purpose. Being servant leaders who aim to uplift others enables us to be exemplars of leading with empathy. In essence, we set the precedent for our students to mirror when encouraging them to take initiative in helping peers and assuming various leadership roles, whether in tuning a section mate, offering fingerings, or leading a warmup. Understand that everyone, regardless of musical ability or
personality, is a leader. They are capable of leading peers to mediocrity or excellence. Instilling a sense of shared empowerment within the ensemble and inspiring individual growth maximizes the potential of student ownership and ensemble unity.
By framing the ensemble as a learning community, directors can guide students to self-monitor their musical progress and help them set actionable goals for inspired growth. This might include asking students to identify one rehearsal focus, such as improving intonation in a specific passage, and tracking their progress through a journal or reflection log. Additionally, this team-based learning approach celebrates the
collective growth of the ensemble through highlighting a student who demonstrated improved rhythmic precision or leadership in sectionals. A fundamental element of the learner’s mindset is resilience. Building resilience in today’s students acknowledges that mistakes are not only expected but essential to learning. For instance, using language like “Thank you for taking a risk” or “That’s a good mistake to learn from” helps normalize the trial-and-error process. Destigmatizing mistakes encourages students to ask for help and reinforces their willingness to try again, thereby strengthening the learner’s mindset.
Although members of the band unify as one ensemble, the group relies on each individual’s attention to their musical responsibilities to make a positive contribution to the group’s musicianship. Directors
establish clear expectations and routines for rehearsal and performance readiness, including the preparation of skills, knowledge, and necessary materials. These structures help foster initiative and accountability by encouraging students to identify and solve musical challenges independently. For example, posting weekly rehearsal goals, assigning practice reflections, or using checklists for self-assessment allows students to monitor their progress. Additionally, systems such as practice journals, peer coaching, or student-led sectionals empower students to take charge of their own growth. By creating systems that enable students to take charge of their progress, we foster their ownership of learning.
In summary, an ensemble is not merely a collection of individual players, but a community with
a shared purpose. Empowering individual musicians to be adaptable, collaborative, and reflective inspires and strengthens the ensemble from within. Begin with one small shift of power within the ensemble, such as student self-assessment, peer feedback, or a reflection routine, to inspire ownership and agency. Growth flourishes in ensembles where students feel seen, heard, and responsible. Ultimately, empowered ensembles cultivate not only stronger musicians but also stronger human beings. When students are empowered as co-creators of their musical experience, the ensemble becomes more than a performance group; it becomes a space for personal transformation, musical growth, and lasting community.
Ilove working with teenagers and young adults. For more than 25 years, I have taught student leadership as both a high school and college band director. It is my professional life’s calling and my passion. Young people are full of hope and optimism as they dream and plan the future that they’d like to create for themselves. It is a privilege to accompany them during this season of life. Yet with those dreams comes lots of questions and uncertainties. At the top of the list of those questions is almost always “What do I want to do when I finish school?” This is a question that has faced each of us. But the current generation is facing a much different landscape.
People no longer keep the same job for their entire career like earlier generations did—interests change, lay-offs happen, loyalty to employees is less common which makes it difficult to climb the ladder in the same company in which you started. The Bureau
of Labor Statistics reports that the average person has nearly 13 jobs in their working life.1 For those in Gen Z, it is predicted that they will have 18 jobs.2 As a result, it is far more likely that “what” you do will change many times in your career. Because of the likelihood and volatility of changing jobs, a better question to ask instead of “What do I want to do?” is “Who do I want to become?” Removing the “what” allows us to consider deeper, more meaningful statements such as: “I want to become someone who does admirable work.” “I want to become someone who others can depend upon and look up to.” “I want to become a person who operates with honesty and integrity.” “I want to become a person who gives unselfishly and lives with gratitude.” “I want to help others succeed too.”
Those that are aspiring to leadership roles also have to ask, “Why do I want to be a leader?” “Do I need to be in control and
1Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Number of Jobs, Labor Market Experience, Marital Status, and Health for those born 1957-1964.” August 26, 2025, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy. pdf. Accessed September 15, 2025.
2Osorio, Carolyn. “Here’s How Many More Jobs Younger Generations Will Have in Their Lifetime.” Money Digest, August 17, 2024, https://www.moneydigest.com/1640035/how-manymore-jobs-millennials-gen-z-generations-will-work-in-lifetime/. Accessed June 27, 2025.
With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching student leaders at both the high school and college levels, Dr. David Montgomery is founder and director of Serviam Leadership Academy and the author of Serviam! The Three Pillars of Student Leadership: Leading, Teaching, Conducting available through GIA Publications. In addition, he is Associate Professor of Music Education at Baylor University in Waco, TX. At Baylor, he serves as Director of Music Education and teaches courses in music education, observes band student teachers, and guest conducts the Baylor concert bands. Prior to his appointment at Baylor, Dr. Montgomery was Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Bronco Marching Band at Western Michigan University where he also taught courses in conducting, music education, and directed the University Concert Band. Additionally, he serves the NBA as the state chair for Texas.
have things done my way?” “How important is being in charge to me?” “Do I need to be recognized for what I have done?” Or on the other hand, “Is my motivation to help people grow and succeed?”
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“Is it to make others feel like their contribution matters and that they belong?” “Do I enjoy mentoring others?” “Am I leader who inspires others to reach their potential and elicits their best?” These are deep questions, but they are essential in today’s landscape.
The answers to these questions are found in servant leadership. Other leadership approaches teach what to do in circumstances, but servant leadership is all about the kind of person you desire to be. It changes the question from “What will you do?” to “Who will you become?” This is a fundamental difference in leadership approaches—training vs formation. Many leadership development programs follow a training model (if this happens, do that), but servant leadership forms you into the kind of person who serves others and leads them to achieve their potential. Formation seeks to develop your leadership at a deeper level and helps form the philosophies, principles, and instincts that will guide you as a leader in the varying circumstances that arise. It seeks to form leaders at the core of “who” they are instead of “what” they do.
The focus of servant leadership is on character formation and people growing. It is a peoplecentric way of leading in which the leader’s primary responsibility is to help others become their best. Most importantly, it means leading with your personal example and
modeling the kind of attitude and work ethic that others should emulate. Yet it also means being willing to put in the extra time to help your director and others who need it, removing obstacles, and being a source of encouragement when things are difficult. On top of this, servant leadership means developing your soft skills so that you become a better listener and communicator, leading with humility and respect, and building community. It is valuing honesty, integrity, and trust so that others want to be in your radius because they know it is safe and good to be there. Servant leadership also includes providing vision and creating a culture where people can thrive and flourish.
Band directors who teach servant leadership to their students are giving them a great gift by helping them develop characteristics, philosophies, and skills that will transcend their current role and stage in life. In the twenty-first century, young people will need to make themselves as adaptable as possible. By working on “who” you want to become, you are set up to succeed in a life that might take some twists and turns. Better yet, you can create a life of meaning, purpose, joy, and peace that extends beyond the particular work you do along the way, and helps others do the same through servant leadership.
BY GARY BARTON
Beyond The Notes Thoughts on Meaningful Music Making
by Paula A. Crider
Chicago, Illinois: GIA Publications, Inc., 2024
ISBN-978-1-62277-780-8
US $29.95; 172 pages
Paula Crider’s Beyond the Notes is easily the most difficult book I have reviewed. Don’t be alarmed! My reason is positive in every way. My process is to read a book while penciling in notes and underlining things to highlight in my review but in this case, I found myself
underlining an estimate of eighty percent of the book. So, I’m tweaking my process a bit.
The atmosphere of Crider’s book is friendly, warm, conversational in a “helping hand” kind of way. That, coupled with the compact style, may encourage you to do a complete read through, but approaching the chapters one at a time may be more beneficial because you will find yourself revisiting them individually, as I already have.
Chapter one is the story of Crider’s journey through beginning her career in Mississippi. She hides nothing in revealing her high’s and low’s as a new, young band director. No, she did not start her career as director of the fabulous Crockett High School Band in Texas! Every young teacher, and veterans as well, will feel good after reading just this one chapter.
Gary Barton retired from the La Porte, Texas Independent School District after thirty-seven years of teaching in five states. He received the Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and the Master of Science in Education from Indiana University. A Past President of the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association and Past 2nd Vice-President of the National Band Association, he has written for numerous publications and has done clinics and presentations in sixteen states. He may be reached at bartonglp@gmail.com.
Chapters two through eight bring the nuts and bolts of music making and teaching; here is where my pencil was working overtime. In a genial yet pragmatic manner, Crider helps you through score study, your rehearsal, imagination
in music making, elevating performance at the technical, intellectual, and emotional level, and conducting. The final three chapters are Crider’s thoughts on a culture of caring, teacher self-maintenance, and praise for teachers. The appendix brings you a handout: Pathways to Productive Practice (worth the price of the book).
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Throughout the book there are references to writings that are invaluable, as well as quotes and wisdom from many significant musicians in all parts of the music world. Beyond the Notes will live on my cluttered dining table for the duration because it won’t be allowed to rest and collect dust. For your students as well as yourself, take advantage of this resource. Highly Recommended, Infinity.
A Music Teacher's Gratitude Journal
Creative Prompts to Nuture Joy, Reduce Stress, and Reflect on your Teaching
by Krista Hart
Van Nuys, California: Alfred Music, 2021
ISBN-10: 1-4706-4740-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-4706-4740-7
US $24.99; 152 pages
The title says it all, so I’ll tell why I think this book is valuable. It is an understatement to say that social media has become a massive part of our lives. I often wonder if other professions are networking on social media as much as music teachers, especially band directors. I join all the music teacher pages so that I can keep up with what is happening not only in Texas, but across the country. I have noticed that what was at first a platform for sharing pedagogical, musical, and administrative ideas has been overtaken a bit by posts that are basically venting about problems. The anonymous option has allowed people to present issues about parents, students, administration, and even colleagues. While there are many comments about good things at school and while seeking advice is a wonderful thing , angst has sneaked into many posts. Over forty-nine years, I have had many sticky situations and I have discovered that by looking at what is good, my problems are minimized.
Enter Krista Hart with a blueprint that helps us emphasize our good and makes our negatives seem small by comparison. Her Gratitude Journal is just that. There are thirty-six four-page sections that provide prompts to guide our journaling. Each begins with a quote from anyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Robert Frost to Gerald Ford to Muhammad Ali. Chosen randomly, a section with a lead from Duke
Book Reviews, Gary Barton, cont.
Ellington, “A problem is your chance to do your best” is followed by:
• I feel grateful for my career because ____________________
• Write about a time when things were difficult but you didn’t give up.
• Write about three pieces of music you listened to in the past month and why you are glad you did.
• Describe an unexpected student reaction that made you smile this week.
• Ample space for entering your thoughts is provided after each prompt.
Hart advises you to make this journal your own, you are not being graded! I advise you to be totally flexible and use a pencil because this will become an activity you will grow to enjoy and revise. She also encourages you to keep entries positive. This is not a journal of the day’s events. Follow the prompts and record the good things. I hope many of us will adopt Hart’s approach and learn how to maximize the good in our professional lives. Yes, the other issues will always be there, but maybe we can put them on the back row and move our blessings to front and center.
A FRESH TAKE
The first edition of this series took place in Spring of 2022, with an analysis of Fisher Tull’s Sketches on a Tudor Psalm to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its composition; what better way to continue this series than to acknowledge the 25 years that have passed since Donald Grantham’s Southern Harmony was selected as the winner of the William D. Revelli Composition Award, sponsored by the National Band Association. As mentioned in the previous article on Sketches on a Tudor Psalm, three unique studies regarding the evaluation of artistic merit in the wind band repertoire have been conducted: one by Acton Ostling, Jr. in 1978, by Jay Warren Gilbert in 1993, and by Clifford Towner in 2011. Southern Harmony was published in 2000, and as such was not present in the first two studies. In Clifford Towner’s 2011 study, Southern Harmony was evaluated by 181 esteemed wind band conductors, who rated this
piece using a Likert-type scale over the course of 10 specific criteria of “serious artistic merit”. Similar to the article on Sketches on a Tudor Psalm, this article aims to support the case of Southern Harmony with regard to its claims to serious artistic merit when compared to other esteemed works in the wind band repertoire. Donald Grantham (b. 1947) is an American composer, conductor and educator from Duncan, Oklahoma. Grantham’s studies included a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California. He then went on to study further at the American Conservatory in France with renowned composer, Nadia Boulanger.
A winner of several influential accolades, Grantham’s music has been lauded for its “…elegance, sensitivity, lucidity of thought, clarity of expression and fine lyricism,”2 in a citation he was awarded through the American
Joseph Leites has proudly served as Director of Bands at Satellite High School, in Satellite Beach, Florida since 2023. Under his direction, the SHS band program has maintained three concert band classes, two jazz bands, and a percussion ensemble; the Wind Symphony has been invited to several performance opportunities, such as the University of Florida in 2024, and Carnegie Hall in 2026. Joseph also directs all athletic band activities, including the Scorpion Sound Marching Band. Aside from his duties at Satellite, Joseph is active as a guest conductor and clinician.
Prior to his appointment at Satellite, Joseph served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Louisville, assisting in direction of university concert and athletic bands. Joseph holds a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Florida, and an M.M. in Wind Conducting from the University of Louisville.
Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. His catalogue is primarily focused on music for wind band, with over 45 contributions to the medium. In addition to his work
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as a composer, Grantham serves on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin as the Frank C. Erwin Centennial Professor of Music, teaching composition techniques.3
Much of Grantham’s compositional catalogue is influenced by American folk music, and he is still actively writing music for the wind band medium. Some of his other American folk inspired pieces outside of Southern Harmony include Baron Cimetière’s Mambo (2004), J'ai été au bal (1999), and Starry Crown (2007). He often goes beyond American folk tradition, with works like his Sol y Sombra (2014) or Phantasticke Spirites (2002), draw their muse from folk music of other countries like Spain or England. Still other parts of his category are linked to events or commissions from major universities. In fact, the majority of Grantham’s catalogue is likely intended for performance by university and high-level high school wind ensembles due to the rigorous demand.
The study of original American music may feel somewhat foreign to most modern scholars as a result of its reliance on modality in place of major or minor scales. Incorporation of American music into the wind band repertoire was not new in 1998 when Grantham finished this work – pieces such as William Schuman’s Chester Overture and Aaron Copland’s Emblems
were already established in the repertoire – but this was a new adaptation, a larger scale work that encompassed a large collection of hymns and songs from the American south: William “Singin’ Billy” Walker’s aptly titled Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Widely popular, this songbook is claimed to have sold over 500,000 copies prior to the Civil War, sold in general stores all over the American frontier.4
William Walker is credited as the compiler for the over 300 songs collected within his songbooks, Southern Harmony and Kentucky Harmony. By trade, he was an American Baptist song leader and a pioneer in the field of shape note music. This practice was developed during the Second Great Awakening, championed by Baptist and Methodist ministers as a way to teach young and amateur musicians ways to participate in service music. Walker, throughout his travels as a Baptist musician, collected the tunes he came across and put them into one place.
The shaped-note style of notation, also called “fasola notation”, includes the use of four different note syllables used during the time of the original anthology’s publication: a right triangle meaning fa, a circle meaning sol, a square meaning la, and a diamond meaning mi. 5 This collection of syllables is what made tunes like “Amazing Grace” and “Wondrous Love” more accessible to those
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who were not able to access regular education on a subject such as music at the turn of the 19th century.
What sets Grantham’s Southern Harmony apart from works like those from Schuman and Copland is the nature in which the sense of Americana in presented in the work. Emblems contains melodies consistent with “Amazing Grace”, but Copland himself said: “…the harmonies had been conceived without reference to the tune. It was only by a chance perusal of an anthology of tunes that I realized a connection between my harmonies and ʻAmazing Grace!’”6 Chester was intended to act originally as the third movement of Schuman’s New England Triptych for orchestra, interpreting and adapting the original William Billings Revolutionary War tune into a more academic overture for band. Grantham’s work is more dedicated to the original material, presenting more earnest interpretations of the hymn tunes as opposed to focusing on harmonic development and compositional tropes of the 1960s, making this material more accessible to students, conductors, and audiences alike. There are other works in the repertoire similar to Southern Harmony, like James Curnow’s Rhapsody on American Shaped Note Melodies (1996), but the work by Grantham is one of the more commonly programmed editions of the American canon that we have for
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the wind ensemble today.
The title of this piece, Southern Harmony, shares a name with the songbook it is modeled after; however, this version is specifically designed to “…realize the potential of the wind ensemble and the individual character of each song.”7 Grantham’s work of Southern Harmony consists of four distinct movements that feature five individual tunes from the songbook: “The Midnight Cry” for movement 1; “Wondrous Love” for movement 2; “Exhilaration” for movement 3; and “The Soldier’s Return” combined with “Thorny Desert” for the fourth and final movement.
“The Midnight Cry”
The original tune of “The Midnight Cry” serves as a brief yet repetitive tune, with the first set of lyrics reading8: When the midnight cry began, O what lamentation, Thousand sleeping in their sins, Neglecting their salvation. Lo the bridegroom is at hand, Who will kindly treat him? Surely all the waiting band Will now go forth to meet him.
The remaining 9 sets of lyrics set to the same tune all refer to salvation and the preparation to move into heaven as believed by their Baptist faith. It is meant to be sung in a call-and-response style, and Grantham’s scoring reflects the nature of the text and its original performance style in his band
version. The band score reflects three iterations of the verse: the initial call-and-response, a more sparse chamber-like section, and a full ensemble setting. The first four measures demonstrate the call-and-response nature of the beginning, as shown in Figure 19:
material. The majority of the melody is presented by the horns and trombones, mimicking the vocal range of a Baptist minister proudly belting out the opening line of the tune, and the wider range of higher and lower voices
Figure 1
The movement is entirely diatonic, using primarily pentatonic melodies with exciting woodwind runs that accompany fully scored brass choirs, which contrast with the other sections of the movement. The energy of the movement is intense throughout, which is representative of the strong religious meaning behind the lyrics of the original.
The opening statement of calland-response is repeated in mm. 1-4, followed by a continuation on the theme of the original while there are added woodwind scale figures that contribute to the musical development of the
sounds as if a whole congregation has joined the fray. At m. 17, the upper woodwinds begin to differ from the brass, with quick rhythmic scale runs that sound like elements of nature in the background of this outdoor setting where our hypothetical minister and congregation could be singing.
The music tapers off of the brass choir into a chamber setting as the oboes and English horn take over the melody and harmony with a humorous bassoon counter line beginning in m. 29, and the B-flat clarinets and flutes take over from that group in m. 33. The woodwind section slowly starts adding more
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and more of its members to the score up through m. 43, where the brass section starts to slowly enter the texture through m. 53. In m. 54, the brass has a full statement of the original theme as the woodwinds respond with flourishing runs until m. 65, in which the full ensemble makes a closing statement to the movement.
“Wondrous Love”
In order to examine this movement, it is again important to consider the original text of the hymn tune titled “What Wondrous Love Is This”, which states10: What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul .
The stylistic connection to be made here is an affect of grief; a relation to the religious context of the idea of sin and how that affects a person’s relationship with their spirituality and the inner conflict it can bring. It is a lament; it exemplifies an emotional outpouring. Grantham portrays this in a number of ways, all subtle yet effective. The movement begins with a tender, isolated B-flat clarinet solo that is then quickly accompanied by the flutes. The first example of this inner conflict is the seemingly inconsequential rhythmic interplay between the
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2
flutes and clarinets, seen in Figure 211.
Though the time is written in 6/4, the rhythm of the flutes is still meant to sound as a simple duple meter though the clarinets sound the melody in what feels like a compound duple time. This rhythmic dissonance is then exacerbated in m. 15 when the bass and contrabass clarinet, bassoons, euphonium, tuba, and double bass all enter in a 2/2 meter to introduce a new thematic element to the
movement, still supporting the main idea in the upper woodwinds. At m. 25, the first oboe echoes this 2/2 meter with a melodic fragment, but still returns to the 6/4 feel in m. 35 to finish out the phrase into a key change at m. 41. The trombones, however, have entered with a response to that oboe melodic fragment with a redirection of the melody entirely as it leads into the key change. This exchange begins in m. 37, as seen
3
in Figure 312
This creates a melodic germ that spreads further into the brass section and pushes forth up to m. 51. At this point, the entire ensemble combines in the 2/2 feeling introduced by the trombones. Following this climactic moment, the double reeds bring the listener back into a more vulnerable position, gradually roping in the low brass and low reeds to a grave ending that returns the original 6/4 melody to the B-flat clarinets and ends on a somber decrescendo, fading into nothing.
The text of the first movement is a statement of faith; it represents pride and excitement in personal belief, and exudes confidence on behalf of the singer in the call-andresponse group. Grantham’s setting can elicit feelings of energy and excitement, and yet this second movement sets such a different perspective when compared to the first movement. It is an entirely different use of metaphor through musical dissonance, most effectively used through rhythmic dissonance to display the intense emotion brought on by reflection of self in comparison to beliefs and the words of others. These intense personal fears, however, are soon to be quelled as the next movement takes an eccentric turn in emotional expression.
“Exhilaration”
This movement is based on a tune of the same name, similar to
the other movements of this work; however, it is more like the first movement in that it is intended to be evocative of participating in a group setting of celebration, really focusing of the literal idea of exhilaration and happiness. The unique nature of this movement is that it is scored specifically for all woodwinds and French horns; the rest of the ensemble is instructed to clap their hands in the rhythms printed in their parts. It is split into “stage right” and “stage left”, but this may differ depending on the setup of the ensemble.
With a tempo marked “Very
crisp”, this movement should be performed close to its written tempo of 84 beats per minute, providing some challenges for the upper woodwinds in the ensemble as they have quick, articulate passages requiring acute focus while in the key of G major. The French horns, the only brass instrument scored in this movement, serve as the final statement of each section of melodic development, as seen in Figure 413. The most technical passage of the movement belongs to the flutes and piccolo from m. 59 to the end, with quick sixteenth note runs closing out the
Figure 4
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movement with flash and zeal.
“The Soldier’s Return”
The final, most thematically complex movement of this work is where Grantham combines his use of rhythmic and harmonic dissonance into a climactic finish. In order to approach this movement, one should understand the full scope of thematic material and then assess the content from there. A thematic map of the movement appears as follows:
-mm. 1 – 10: “The Soldier’s Return” theme opens with woodwind foreshadowing/solo trumpet
-mm. 11 – 88: A 6/8 march-style presentation of melodic material in “The Soldier’s Return”
-mm. 89 – 98: The 6/8 march-style presentation is interrupted with transition material
-mm. 99 – 129: “The Thorny Desert” theme is presented, moving through the ensemble
-mm. 130 – 211: The marchstyle presentation returns, with variations on the original idea
-mm. 212 – 254: A 2/4 theme is introduced from the solo trumpet from the beginning
-mm. 255 – end: The 6/8 marchstyle returns with a presto tempo change pushing to the end
The opening section presents a lush, harmonically ambiguous background to a solo B-flat trumpet that signals the aforementioned
soldier’s return, and is followed by a 6/8 march that makes up most of the rest of the movement. It begins with a snare drum solo that is punctuated by brass interruptions. The B-flat clarinets present the march theme first, and it is developed further by the rest of the woodwinds. In the background in m. 78, new rhythmic material in the brass creates tension as they switch to a 3/4 feel that conflicts with the running eighth notes in the woodwinds and trumpets. This tension releases at m. 86, where the woodwinds return to a set of winding eighth note runs. This eventually completes a modulation to the key of E major.
The second hymn tune used in this movement, “The Thorny Desert”, is the only real interruption of the march as the time switches to 9/8 at the same time as the modulation to E major. The tempo remains the same, but the material seems more like a lullaby and serves as a reprieve from the previous section in terms of intensity. The new theme is first presented in the upper woodwinds at m. 99, running to m. 106 where the trumpets present a muted quasi-fanfare version of material similar to the previous section. The brass then takes over the “Thorny Desert” theme, and Grantham begins to weave material of both sections together until the march theme returns in m. 161. The soldier’s theme makes a triumphant return in m. 212 and brings back the key of A-flat major,
signaling an approach to the finish of the movement. The tempo advances to a presto feel at m. 255, driving the to an exciting climax that wraps up this large scale work.
The concept of serious artistic merit, as discussed in the previous entry of the “Fresh Take” series, has been a topic of discussion in the wind band medium for quite some time. The three published studies most commonly referenced in this discussion were completed by Dr. Acton Ostling, Jr. in 1978, Dr. Jay Warren Gilbert in 1993, and most recently by Dr. Clifford Towner in 2011. The process that the three of them have developed and replicated defines the three word phrase as such: serious is described “…as demanding earnest application, requiring considerable care and thought, sincerely motived, important and significant,”; artistic is explained as “…conformable to the standards of art, characterized by taste, discrimination, judgement and skill in execution, satisfying requirements – modern dictionaries still giving the preferred definition of aesthetic as relating to a sense of the beautiful,”; and merit defined as “…a claim to commendation, excellence in quality, and deserving esteem.”14 The ten criteria that these studies use for this judgement include: (1) form, reflecting balance between repetition and contrast, (2) shape
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and design, with the impression of conscious choice, (3) craftsmanship in orchestration, (4) sufficiently unpredictable, (5) not direct and obvious, (6) consistent in quality, (7) consistent in style, (8) ingenuity in development, (9) genuine in idiom, and (10) transcendence of historical importance.
According to the most recent study, “…a composition must attain a score…of 80% and be rated by at least ten members of the rating panel.”15 This composite score was attained through a rating process designed in the first evaluative study in which 20 reviewers used a 5-point Likert type scale. The total number score for each evaluator is added up, creating a total cumulative score that is averaged between all evaluators. Since Southern Harmony holds a relative sense of youth in comparison to some other long standing works of the repertoire, it was only included in the 2011 study, and not in the 1993 or 1978 studies of serious artistic merit. In this third study, Southern Harmony received a score of 75.6%16. These reviewers used a slightly altered version of the previously mentioned Likerttype scale that read as such: “…0— The composition is not familiar, 1—strongly disagree that the composition meets the criteria of serious artistic merit, 2—disagree that the composition meets the criteria of serious artistic merit, 3—undecided as to the serious artistic merit of this composition, 4—agree that the composition
meets the criteria of serious artistic merit, and 5—strongly agree that the composition meets the criteria of serious artistic merit.” For the sake of pedagogical validity, it is reasonable to present an argument in support of Southern Harmony in its standing as a work containing serious artistic merit.
The first criterion, musical form, does not pertain to a specific compositional process like the sonata allegro form. Rather, this implies the idea that there is an appropriate balance of material – lyrical, march-style, exciting fanfares, and more. This work contains four unique movements independent of one another: the call-and-response, prideful first movement emulating the shared experience of human interaction; the lyrical, song-like expressive qualities of the second movement that capture a sense of longing and nostalgia; the energetic third movement that captures the energy of a Baptist revival with clapping and exciting woodwind descants over a triumphant horn statement of passion; and a fourth movement with a march, a lullaby, and a finish with such verve that it feels that that movement could even stand on its own if so desired. The use of four individual movements, the final of which references the previous three movements in some ways, is evocative of the full scale form of a symphony. As mentioned before, the concept of “musical form” is not explicitly related to the employment of classically related
form. However, this similarity between a classical symphony and this work by Grantham shows a commitment to the connection of musical ideas in four movements that are hold enough merit to stand on their own. For these reasons, Southern Harmony meets this criteria of serious artistic merit.
The second criterion on the list is conscious shape and design. A significant amount of Grantham’s works are inspired by American folk music, and as such he uses skills developed in those compositions to construct a work that both celebrates the original folk music as well as the capabilities of the ensemble performing the work. As a conductor examines the score, they’ll find that any theme is never presented the same way twice in any movement; there are always slight changes or alterations made with the purpose of fulfilling the folk music from an artistic standpoint. In the previous “Fresh Take” article on Fisher Tull’s Sketches on a Tudor Psalm, a quote was included from the composer that reads:
In conclusion, I reassert my respect for all conductors who approach the score with the proper balance of scholarly intellect and musical instinct. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a single, definitive interpretation of any work; there is, rather, an ongoing collaboration between composer
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and conductor, both seeking a common goal. It is my hope that these comments encourage this objective.17
Grantham’s dedication to shaping each phrase in Southern Harmony and other works is a direct reflection of the words shared by Tull in this quote, as there is an element of fresh musical acumen applied in every measure rather than simply repeating phrases for the sake of adding time to the total performance. Because of this, Southern Harmony satisfies this criterion of serious artistic merit.
The next criterion –craftsmanship in orchestration – may seem unclear at first. The studies define this as “…the composer’s control over texture and color.”18 As discussed in the previous criterion, Grantham’s use of changing textures to present themes in new ways each time they appear is evidence of this concept in orchestration. Each movement features different sections of brass melodies and harmonies, woodwind flourishes, percussive exclamations, chamber music, and full ensemble moments that are all crafted in such a way to create a gratifying experience for the listener. As such, this work meets the orchestration criterion of serious artistic merit.
One of the challenges in adapting folk music for the wind band medium is its usual adherence to melodic simplicity.
The limitations brought on by the fasola notation create relatively short amounts of harmonic implication at face value; however, in one of the most famous quotes shared by composer Igor Stravinsky, one finds: “The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself. And the arbitrariness of the constraint serves only to obtain precision of execution.”19 Though the original material does not present a breadth of opportunities in harmonic development, Grantham uses strong compositional techniques in each movement to demonstrate command of this sense of unpredictability in the face of simplicity of melody. In the first movement, Grantham manipulates the call-and-response concept freely to include running chamber music lines in the woodwinds that complement the proud brass statements of theme in such a way that lend an insight to his development of source material. In the second movement, Grantham uses time signatures as a way to alter the material, with some players performing music in vastly different time feels at the same time. In the third, Grantham employs the use of clapping from the brass section (minus the horns) to really emulate the nature of the music. The fourth movement employs a much wider use of harmonic dissonances and key changes, as well as stylistic variation in the performance of two different songs. These different manipulations of musical style,
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tonality, time, and rhythm all satisfy this criterion.
The next tenet is labeled as “not direct and obvious”, which is a concept derived from another scholar’s work. To paraphrase his Music, the Arts and ideas: Patterns and Predictions in Twentieth-Century Culture, Leonard B. Meyer suggests that musical works of significant value establish tendencies that do not meet the most probable goals in the most direct ways. Grantham establishes this idea inasmuch that he does not present themes in repeated ways, and varies the style of the music in each movement. In a way, the work presents itself as a small symphony based on collected themes. Ideas become legitimized through their repetition, even though they may sound different each time. This concept allows for musical development without a direct and obvious motive. Grantham’s scoring and changes in time and tonality allow for the listener to believe something unique will happen in each phrase that has not yet been heard before. As a result of its culminating success in the previous criteria of unpredictability and orchestration, this criterion is now satisfied.
The sixth and seventh criteria deal with consistency, first in quality, and then in style. The concept of consistency in quality strives to determine whether a work has sections that could prove harmful or trivial to its end
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goal. This criterion is satisfied in that Grantham uses four separate movements with different source material, none of which present any inconsistencies of melodic interpretation or harmonic malfeasance. The following discussion on consistency in style describes the need for a composer to avoid passages that deviate significantly from a compositional goal and moves along practically in a musical sense. Once again, through the previously examined criteria, Grantham has shown dedicated interest in the celebration of American folk music in each movement while also highlighting the colors and abilities of the wind band, all of which demonstrate another satisfaction of a criterion of artistic merit.
The eighth criterion of artistic merit is the ingenuity of development. This implores evaluators to consider that this work does not copy or too closely imitate the works of other composers who use similar styles. Other popular works that rely on American folk music could be the previously mentioned Chester Overture of William Schuman or Emblems by Aaron Copland. The difference here is the motive of composition. Schuman’s works in the New England Triptych serve to compliment the works of William Billings, those of which were already existing fully scored choral works. In fact, the New England Triptych was originally a suite for symphony orchestra that
was eventually adapted for wind ensemble by the composer himself. Copland’s Emblems, as cited earlier, was not intentionally devised to be based on any folk music, but it presented itself as a musical opportunity that he took advantage of when noticed. Grantham’s work, however, is specifically designed for the purpose of the combination of honoring American history and the wind band medium. This work finds new ways to balance both of those concepts in each of its four movements. For that, this criterion is satisfied.
The second to last criterion requires a work to be genuine in its idiom. The definition provided by the authors of each study reads: “There is much windband music which is permeated with melodic, and particularly, harmonic clichés, exuding the sound of commercial music while attempting to parage under the banner of artistic respectability…”20 Though not explicitly stated in the title, Southern Harmony is, inand-of itself, an anthology for the wind band medium that reflects the original anthology of the same name. It is a collection of hymn tunes that have been adapted to fit the artistic nature of the modern wind ensemble, and as such fulfills the idea of genuineness in idiom.
The final criterion of evaluation is the historical transcendence of the work. The wind band repertoire, though not as old or extensive as the repertoire
for choirs or orchestras, has experienced several massive stages of development in its young life. It should be noticed that in its fulfillment of the first criteria, there should be a strong understanding of this work’s importance among other large scale works in the repertoire. The problem lies, however, in two places. First, it lies in the relative youth of the piece. Some of the top scoring works the studies include21:
-Paul Hindemith, Symphony in B-flat (1951)
-99.9, 99.0, 98.9
-Karel Husa, Music for Prague 1968 (1968)
-94.0, 100.0, 98.9
-Percy Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy (1937)
-95.6, 100.0, 99.0
-Michael Colgrass, Winds of Nagual (1985)
-N/A, 94.0, 98.9
-Ingolf Dahl, Sinfonietta for Band (1961)
-97.8, 99.0, 98.9
-Joseph Schwantner, …and the mountains rising nowhere (1977)
-N/A, 98.0, 97.8
-Gustav Holst, Hammersmith (Prelude and Scherzo) (1930)
-94.7, 99.0, 95.6
Though two of the aforementioned works – Winds of Nagual and …and the mountains rising nowhere - were not included in the original Ostling study due to either the collective
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knowledge in the repertoire or not existing yet, they have still proven to be strong contenders in the concept of serious artistic merit. This presents an issue to Southern Harmony, as it may now be held in higher contrast to works that are already well known in the repertoire relative to its mostly new existence when compared to those others.
Second, Southern Harmony is based on folk material, rather than existing as a work for band without any other basis. While this may seem harmless, a trend across the evaluative studies shows a consistent relative lower scoring in works based on other material rather than original works. Such lower scores include22:
-Ralph Vaughan Williams, English Folk Song Suite (1923)
-88.0, 87.0, 80.0
-William Schuman, New England Triptych (1956/1975)
-89.0, 91.0, 88.9
-Norman Dello Joio, Variants on a Medieval Tune (1963)
-87.4, 89.0, 84.7
-Morton Gould, American Salute (1943)
-N/A, N/A, 67.5
The strongest outlier in this argument for the folk music settings is Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, which was listed previously in the highest scoring works earlier. This work is widely considered a masterwork, with its large collection of folk songs
collected by Grainger and then set for the wind band. Grainger’s compositional mastery and intense application of complicated time and harmony are what set it apart, but that should not take away from the relative merit of other music set for wind band that has a basis in folk music. This is evident even in some of Grainger’s other folkbased works for band23:
-Percy Grainger, Irish Tune from County Derry (1918)
-85.0, 91.6, 82.2
-Percy Grainger, Hill Song No. 1 (1924)
-89.2, 77.1, 87.1
Those two works are still highly venerated works by a composer whose catalogue is almost entirely dedicated to the setting of folk music, not unlike Grantham, and yet their scores are consistently lower. This factor, as well as the large body of previously existing music for the wind band repertoire, are both struggles that Southern Harmony faces in fulfilling the concept of historical transcendence. However, one argument to support its potential as a potential higher scorer in a future study include the accolades it has received. For example, it was lauded as the winner of the William D. Revelli Composition award as sponsored by the National Band Association. A highly sought after award for new compositions, this highlighted the potential of this work. If the trend is to be followed in the idea that works of art can gain esteem over time, then it
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should be considered that Southern Harmony has strong potential to hold significant historical transcendence in the wind band repertoire moving forward.
This argument is in no way an effort to disparage the work, knowledge, and expertise of the evaluators in each study as presented above. This argument is more designed with the intent to be a case study regarding Southern Harmony in and of itself, a retrospective supportive argument to celebrate its 25th birthday this year. The material in this work is highly evident of serious artistic merit and is well worth keeping in the library of an exceptional high school or college level wind band group. It would certainly be beneficial in musical development for all parties involved in its preparation and performance.
1Towner, Clifford. An Evaluation of Compositions for Wind Band According to Specific Criteria of Serious Artistic Merit: A Second Update, Ph.D. diss., University of Nebraska, 2011.
2NAXOS Researchers, “Donald Grantham (1947)”, NAXOS Recording Library.
3Ibid.
4Eskew, Harry, “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion by William Walker (Review)”, Southern Cultures, October 30, 2023, https://www.southerncultures. org/article/southern-harmony-musicalcompanion-william-walker-review/.
5Stowman, William, “Southern Harmony –Donald Grantham”, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band: Volume 1
Continued on next page
A Fresh Take ..., Joseph Leites, cont.
6Aaron Copland Foundation, “Emblems,” Aaron Copland, July 23, 2019, https://www. aaroncopland.com/works/emblems/.
7WRP Admins, “Southern Harmony”, Wind Repertory Project.
8 “William Walker: Southern HarmonyChristian Classics Ethereal Library,” n.d., https://ccel.org/ccel/walker/harmony.H32. html.
9Donald Grantham, Score - Southern Harmony, condensed and reproduced for publication.
10“What Wondrous Love Is This,” Hymnary. org, n.d., https://hymnary.org/text/ what_wondrous_love_is_this_o_my_ soul_o_m#google_vignette.
11Donald Grantham, Score - Southern Harmony, condensed and reproduced for publication.
12Donald Grantham, Score - Southern Harmony, condensed and reproduced for publication.
13Ibid.
14Acton Ostling, Jr, An Evaluation of Compositions for Wind Band According to Specific Criteria of Serious Artistic Merit, Ph.D. diss., The University of Iowa, 1978, 12.
15Towner, 142.
16Ostling, 34.
17Fisher Tull, “Analysis of Sketches on a Tudor Psalm”, Journal of Band Research.
18Towner, 238.
19Will Meier, “Exploring the Power of Creative Constraints in 5 Examples,” Musicbed Blog, March 18, 2021, https:// www.musicbed.com/articles/filmmaking/ writing/exploring-the-power-of-creativeconstraints/#:~:text=Composer%20 Igor%20Stravinsky%20said%3A%20 %E2%80%9CThe,to%20obtain%20 precision%20of%20execution.%E2%80%9D.
20Towner, 19.
21Each work is accompanied by its three respective scores, listed in chronological order, from the three evaluative studies (Ostling in 1978, Gilbert in 1993, and Towner in 2011).
22Ibid.
23Ibid.
Ostling Jr., Acton. An Evaluation of Compositions for Wind Band According to Specific Criteria of Serious Artistic Merit, Ph.D. diss., The University of Iowa, 1978.
Towner, Clifford. An Evaluation of Compositions for Wind Band According to Specific Criteria of Serious Artistic Merit: A Second Update, Ph.D. diss., University of Nebraska, 2011.
Tull, Fisher. “Analysis of Sketches on a Tudor Psalm.” In Journal of Band Research, 13(1) (1977). 20-27. Edited by James Neilson. Troy, Alabama.
Will Meier, “Exploring the Power of Creative Constraints in 5 Examples,” Musicbed Blog, March 18, 2021, https://www. musicbed.com/articles/filmmaking/writing/ exploring-the-power-ofcreativeconstraints/ /#:~:text=Composer%20Igor%20 Stravinsky%20said%3A%20 %E2%80%9CThe,to%20obtain%20 precision%20of%20execution.%E2%80%9D
“What Wondrous Love Is This,” Hymnary. org, n.d., https://hymnary.org/text/ what_wondrous_love_is_this_o_my_ soul_o_m#google_vignette
“William Walker: Southern HarmonyChristian Classics Ethereal Library,” n.d., https://ccel.org/ccel/walker/harmony.H32. html.
Aaron Copland Foundation, “Emblems,” Aaron Copland, July 23, 2019, https://www. aaroncopland.com/works/emblems/
Stowman, William, “Southern Harmony –Donald Grantham”, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band: Volume 1
Eskew, Harry, “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion by William Walker (Review)”, Southern Cultures, October 30, 2023, https://www.southerncultures. org/article/southern-harmony-musicalcompanion-william-walker-review/
Edwin Franko Goldman (EFG) and his Goldman Band raised the standards of wind band performance to rival the artistic status of the orchestra in the minds of the American public. Goldman accomplished this by targeting improvement in the quality of wind band repertoire while encouraging preeminent composers of the day to write original works for concert bands.1 Research at the Special Collections in Performing Arts Library at the University of Maryland and exploring program books from the Goldman Band concerts and the American Bandmasters Association Convention Programs revealed the framework wherein his vision could be realized.
Subsequent research at the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan plus the examination of dissertations, journal articles, and personal correspondence suggest that many of the goals and principles that Goldman conceived earlier in his career created an atmosphere in which composers writing original music for the wind
band could flourish. The purpose of this study is to explore how Goldman and his relationship with significant composers created an environment in which wind band music could grow and become respected in American musical culture.
GOLDMAN’S VISION
Goldman wanted to elevate the programming of band concerts to include more than a collection of orchestral transcriptions, popular music, and marches to be performed for the public. Richard Franko Goldman summarized his father’s approach to this goal:
The practice of commissioning new works for band has proven a great stimulus to the broadening of the repertoire, as has that of instituting contests and competitions. Clinics, or meetings, for the reading and discussing of new works have also proven valuable.2
When Goldman first started his quest to create a professional
Leslie W. Hicken, Professor Emeritus and the Charles E. Daniel Professor of Music, taught on the faculty of Furman University from the fall of 1993 until his retirement in 2019. Within the music department, his responsibilities included the directorship of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble; professor of music education and instrumental conducting; and Assistant Director with the Marching Band. He was also the Director of the Furman Music by the Lake Concert Series and the Lakeside Concert Band. Dr. Hicken is Conductor Emeritus of the Carolina Youth Symphony. In 2002, he was elected into the American Bandmasters Association and in 2010, he was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame. Dr. Hicken received his Bachelor of Performance degree from the Eastman School of Music, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Doctorate in Music Education from Indiana University.
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
wind band that could maintain a sustainable existence through concerts created for public consumption, he wrote an article for the Musical Courier in 1924:
I believe that some day [sic] the band will be standardized and as soon as we take the good points of band formation from each country and mould [sic] them into a harmonious whole, all concert bands will be able to perform the same music, the general tonal effect will be improved, and I even go so as to believe that the great composers will begin to write some of their work directly for bands.3
He reiterated this point in a letter to his friend, Edward N. Waters, in 1946:
…if the band were to survive and be a worthwhile medium for the expression of music, it would have to acquire a repertoire of its own and not depend solely upon transcriptions and arrangements.4
To achieve this ambitious goal, Goldman began promoting ways to entice prominent composers to write for the wind band during the early years of the Goldman Band. His first project was to sponsor a Band Composition Contest in 1919 with the winner receiving a cash award for selection as the best composition written for wind
band that year.5 Goldman contacted two of his colleagues to act as the adjudicators for this event. Percy Grainger and Victor Herbert were composers whose compositions were performed by the Goldman Band and were held in high regard by Goldman. They studied scores from many composers who submitted works to be considered for this prize. Herbert wrote Goldman that:
…after having devoted considerable time to looking over the various band compositions submitted to me, I have no hesitation in saying that the work "A Chant from the Great Plains" deserves the prize.
It is the work of a splendid musician, and one who understands artistic band scoring thoroughly. The composer shows originality and ability in regard to form and thematic development.
Several other works were quite good and of superior quality.6
Grainger agreed with Herbert:
After having studied the assemblage of compositions for military band sent into your prize competition, I have no hesitation in considering the “A Chant from the Great Plains” (motto “Dum spiro, spero”) as outstandingly deserving of the prize, in my opinion, as this composition not only displays a
wider range of creative gifts and more emotional expressiveness than any of the others, but also treats the subtle tonal palette of the military band with a very sensitive appreciation of its varied possibilities..7
Grainger was also very impressed with the quality of the compositions submitted for the contest:
Not that “A Chant from the Great Plains” is the only work of outstanding merit submitted to your contest. The large number of compositions submitted cover, in several cases highly successfully, almost every type and form of music ranging from simple popular march style to complex symphonic poems, and not a few of the composers evince a grasp of military band scoring that is most laudatory.8
The winner of this competition cited by Grainger as the composer of A Chant from the Great Plains was Carl Busch. He was a teacher and conductor of local concert musical organizations and became active in the college and public school band movement in the thirties. At that time, Busch was also the conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. During his career he wrote many works for wind band that were performed by national and international ensembles.9
The story behind Busch’s
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creation of this piece is quite interesting. He began writing musical ideas for the composition in 1900. The project reflected his interest in the folklore and music of the American Indian. The composition is conceived around the Indian melody The Song of the Spirit. Unfortunately, the original score was lost in a Kansas City Studio Building fire that destroyed the manuscript in 1907. The musical ideas of this piece laid dormant until he was inspired to take up the project again in 1919 when he became aware of the Goldman Band Composition Contest.10
The work was premiered by the Goldman Band on July 5, 1920 with Goldman conducting.11 The composition attracted the interest of band directors around the country and became a required number for Class A bands at the National Band Contest in Chicago during December of 1929. In spite of the fact that the piece has dropped out of the standard band repertory, A Chant from the Great Plains holds a significant place in band repertoire history as the winner of the first composition competition for wind band music in the twentieth century.12
During the early years of the Goldman Band, Goldman was able to premiere new works for band written by many of his colleagues. The most significant
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
composer to write for the Goldman Band during this early period was Percy Aldridge Grainger. Grainger developed a friendship with Goldman that lasted until Goldman’s death in 1956. This relationship began in 1918 when Goldman programmed the premiere performances (for Goldman’s New York Military Band) of Grainger’s Gumsuckers March, Irish Tune from County Derry and Shepherd’s Hey. 13 Grainger remained active during the 1919 season conducting the premieres of Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away, and the band version of Colonial Song with Goldman’s New York Military Band on June 16, 1919.14 In fact, Goldman would program Irish Tune from County Derry for his concerts over one hundred times during his tenure with the Goldman Band.15 Grainger also premiered and conducted Molly on the Shore with the Goldman Band on June 18, 1920.16 Grainger continued to write significant literature for the Goldman Band throughout the rest of Goldman’s career. The fact that all of these pieces remain significant compositions in today’s repertoire is a testament to the unique vision that Goldman had for the future of the wind band movement in America.
In addition to Grainger, Goldman supported colleagues in the composition world by premiering many of their original pieces for band. Most have fallen from favor over time, but
a few still stand out from this period. Composer Henry Hadley premiered and conducted Flower Suite, June 13, 1919, with the New York Military Band;17 M. L. Lake’s Overture Americana was premiered by the Goldman Band on June 20, 1919;18 and Del Staiger premiered International Fantasie with the Goldman Band on July 16, 1929.19
Goldman himself contributed as an active composer during the beginning of his career. He began writing marches while he was still performing as a member of the trumpet section with the Metropolitan Opera House at the beginning of the twentieth century. Initially, Goldman reported that his first march, The Spirit of Peace, was written in 1909 and was premiered by the Seventh Regiment Band at a concert on August 14, 1909 in Central Park.20 However, there are documents which suggest that this was indeed not his first march. He also composed two marches during this time, The League and Commencement, which were performed before this date with his ad hoc orchestra.21 In addition, press releases dating from 18931912 suggest that four other marches were performed by his orchestra; Larchmont Yacht Club, Alma Mater, Blizzard, and Packard. It is interesting to note that these six unpublished manuscripts cannot be found on any listings of Goldman’s march compositions or in the Goldman Band Library. 22
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Franko
Goldman became active writing for the Goldman Band early in the development of the ensemble, premiering numerous marches for each season, some of which remain in the repertoire today. Among them are The Chimes of Liberty, 23 June 12, 1922; On the Go March, June 15, 1925;24 and The A. B. A. March, June 16, 1930.25
EFG’s most famous march, On the Mall, has an interesting history to share. Goldman was busy making plans in March 1923 for the first season of his concert series that was moving from Columbia University to Central Park. During this period, he hastily wrote two marches for the 1923 season. One was The Emblem of Freedom, dedicated to his friend Leo Doblin, and another was On the Mall, dedicated to the donor of the Central Park bandshell, Elkan Naumburg.26 Goldman read through On the Mall during rehearsals for the 1923 season and his first reaction to the march was that he did not like it at all. His distaste for the march was such that he did not program the composition into the first concert of the season on June 4, 1923.27
The Carl Fischer company had already designated the march for publication, and they were expecting the piece to be performed at this first concert. They contacted Goldman to ask him how the audience reacted to the march. Caught in his deception,
Goldman confessed that he had not performed the piece that evening. He promised the publisher that he would insert the march into their June 25 program and added it to the printed programs for the concert.28 By happenstance, Mr. Naumburg contacted Goldman letting him know that he indeed wanted to hear the march before he left for the countryside on June 18. Goldman relented and agreed to add the march as an extra number to their June 17 performance.29
On the evening of June 17, one of Naumburg’s nieces called Goldman to say that their uncle was not feeling well and would not be able to attend the concert. However, she and her sister would attend so they could report to their uncle about his march. Goldman saw this as an opportunity to avoid playing On the Mall. He switched into the program an untitled march manuscript and introduced that piece to the audience as On the Mall. The young ladies were pleased with the march and shared with their uncle that it was indeed a fine tribute to him. Goldman realized that he was not being honest with Naumburg’s nieces, but he disliked the piece so much, he could not bear to play it.30
In order to please his publisher, Goldman had to play the real On the Mall at his June 25, 1923 concert in spite of his distaste for the march. Apparently, Goldman actually held his nose while the band performed the march during the concert.31 Much to Goldman’s surprise, the
audience loved the piece: When we finished, however, I was the most astonished man in the world. The spontaneous applause and enthusiasm really overwhelmed me. I couldn’t believe it and I looked to some of my friends in the first rows in bewilderment. After acknowledging the applause with five or six bows we were compelled to play it again, and then even a third time.32
The popularity of the march caught fire and Goldman ended up performing the march at all of the remaining concerts during that season. Goldman noticed that after a while the audience began to whistle the melody of the trio along with the band. Goldman thought that was a great idea and added the singing of “La, La, La” as an extra verse. This tradition took root and audiences whistle and sing during the trio at every rendition of On the Mall that is played around the world.33
In the fall of 1923, Goldman was informed that the Naumburg Band Stand was completed and in condition to be formally dedicated. Mr. Naumburg requested that On the Mall be added to the program of Franz Kaltenborn’s Orchestra at the Band Stand and that Goldman should be invited to conduct the march. Goldman did attend the ceremony and conducted the piece for Mr. Naumburg. Goldman apologized to Naumburg for his
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earlier deception with his nieces, but Naumburg seemed to enjoy the story and “they both had a good laugh about it.”34
With the formation of the American Bandmasters Association in 1929, Goldman had another venue to pursue his goal of encouraging significant composers to write original music for the wind band. Each ABA convention featured concert performances by the best military and collegiate bands of the day. In a 1932 NBC radio address from Cleveland, OH, Goldman summarized one of his goals for this new organization:
The one greatest drawback to bands is that most of the music which they perform is music that was originally written for orchestra…Through the influence of the American Bandmasters Association – the great composers of the world are now writing original works directly for band.35
The next opportunity to monetarily support a composition for wind band occurred as a result of the first convention of the American Bandmasters Association held in Middleton, OH, March 13-16, 1930. The final program for the convention was a concert given by the American Rolling Mill Company (ARMCO) Concert Band, conducted by Frank Simon, which was recorded by a national
radio company.36 This concert netted $1,000 in profit for the ABA, which Goldman wanted to use to provide a prize for another band composition contest.37 The winner of this contest would have their composition premiered at the next ABA Convention in Boston along with winning the $1,000 cash award.
Based upon the success of the first convention in Middletown, OH, plans were made for the Second Annual Convention of the American Bandmasters Association to be held in Boston, MA, beginning on April 9, 1931. The convention was billed as a tribute to Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, one of the first successful professional bandmasters in American history.38 The last meeting of the convention was scheduled as a Gilmore Memorial Concert. Gilmore was famous for organizing huge peace jubilees that featured massed orchestra, band, and chorus members that could easily number up to over a thousand musicians for the performance. This concert featured over 400 professional musicians from the Boston area.39
Among the selections performed at this concert were several premiere performances of compositions by significant American composers of this time. The compositions were Youth Triumphant by Henry Hadley, conducted by Victor Grabel; American Rhapsody composed and conducted by Leo Sowerby;
Prelude composed and conducted by Carl Busch; and Through Night to Light composed and conducted by Richard B. Hayward. Grainger also conducted his compositions Blithe Bells and Handel in the Strand during this concert.40
The Hadley composition was written and dedicated to the American Bandmasters Association by request from Goldman. The program notes state that this was “one of the first outstanding compositions in the new and original band repertoire.”41 The Sowerby, Busch, and Hayward compositions were listed as premiere performances, but not linked specifically to the ABA. The two Grainger compositions were transcriptions for band that the composer wrote from his extant repertoire.42 Although it was not mentioned in the program notes, the fact that Goldman requested Hadley to write his composition for the ABA suggests that Hadley may have been the winner of the composition contest spawned by the $1,000 prize that was raised during the Middletown ABA Convention of 1930. However, there was no indication specifically in the Second Annual ABA Program of 1931 that Hadley was the winner of this prize.
The Third ABA Convention in Washington, DC, featured several important events to support Goldman’s crusade to improve the quality of literature written
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
for wind band. Days before the convention began on March 5, 1932 came the sad news that the Dean of American Bandmasters, John Philip Sousa, had died while on tour with his ensemble. This caused a complete restructuring of the events planned for the Convention that were to begin on April 14, 1932. The final concert became a tribute to the life and times of the acclaimed conductor and composer, featuring the performances of his most beloved marches conducted by many of the men who played under his baton.43
In preparation for this Convention, Goldman engaged significant international composers by sending them post cards encouraging them to write compositions for the wind band.44 Several of these contacts achieved results for this convention. Ottorino Respighi submitted Huntingtower Ballad to be performed at this concert as a tribute to the memory of John Philip Sousa. He dedicated the score “to Edwin Franko Goldman and the American Bandmasters Association.”45 However, it is not clear from the program notes that the piece was indeed commissioned by Goldman or the ABA. Captain Taylor Branson conducted the United States Marine Band in this performance. Gustav Holst submitted his original composition for wind band Prelude and Scherzo: Hammersmith for this performance as well. The piece was originally commissioned
by the British Broadcasting Company Military Band in 1930, but was actually premiered at this convention by Captain Branson and the U. S. Marine Band. Holst had intended to conduct the premiere, but was sidelined by illness before the performance.46 Goldman had also secured a proposal from Maurice Ravel to compose a wind band composition for the 1934 ABA Convention.47 Sadly, Ravel passed away before he could complete this work.
Goldman was immensely proud of the repertoire produced for this convention and shared his joy in his address to the 1932 Convention attendees:
In the past, the band was ignored by the great composers….
For our convention this year, Ottorino Respighi, Italy’s most famous composer, has written a special number, as has Gustav Holst, one of England’s greatest composers….For next year’s convention the great French composer, Maurice Ravel has promised to write a work for band. We can safely say now that the band will soon have a repertoire of its own.48
Many composers continued to respond in a positive manner. However, eminent composers Richard Strauss and Sir Edward Elgar declined the invitation since there was no offer of payment for their services. Goldman received a specific letter from
Elgar’s Secretary in 1932 stating Sir Edward was not interested in writing a piece for band if he was not going to be paid.
Sir, I am directed by Sir Edward Elgar to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st of November, 1931, and to say that as you do not mention any question of terms, the matter must be considered to be closed.49
Likewise, Goldman’s invitation to Strauss to write a composition for the wind band was rejected out of hand.
The reluctance of Elgar and Strauss to write for wind band is ironic with regard to Goldman’s treatment of their music in his programming with the Goldman Band. During the history of the Goldman Band Concerts, Goldman programmed transcriptions of Strauss thirty times during a period from 1923-195150 and Elgar on one hundred and sixty three performances from 1919-1955.51
It is obvious that Goldman did not hold a grudge against these famous composers despite their snub of his offer to write for wind band and despite these setbacks, Goldman was encouraged by the progress he was making in this venture.
The Eighth Convention of the American Bandmasters Association was the next important event that featured significant original compositions written for the wind band. The convention was held
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in Milwaukee, WI with the finale concert performed on March 7, 1937. There were numerous premieres that year that are of special consideration. The most notable of these was the first performance of Grainger’s defining opus, Lincolnshire Posy. 52 The piece was dedicated to Goldman and the American Bandmasters Association, but it is not clear if Goldman commissioned the piece, for this information is not included in the Annual Program of the Convention.53 Grainger conducted the premiere of his composition with the Milwaukee Symphonic Band. This ensemble consisted of members from various concert bands in the Milwaukee area (Blatz Brewery and the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer factory concert bands).54
For this performance, Grainger had only completed five of the eventual six movements. The Brisk Young Sailor was still being composed.55 The only rehearsal time for this performance was earlier in that day and things did not go well by Grainger’s estimation. It is imagined that Rufford Park Poachers and The Lost Lady Found were not performed due to the difficulty of the changing meters and intricate solo passages, so Grainger just performed Dublin Bay, Harkstow Grange, and The Brisk Young Sailor at the concert.56 Goldman was eventually able to perform all six movements with his Goldman Band (premiering movements Rufford Park Poachers, Lord Melbourne, and The Lost Lady
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
Found) in Central Park on June 21, 1937.57 In subsequent musical reviews and national polling, Lincolnshire Posy routinely surfaced within a top ten list of significant wind band repertoire voted on by prominent band directors worldwide.
Grainger also premiered The Lads of Wamphray during this performance. The piece was listed in the program as “New,” but the citation did not indicate if it was commissioned by Goldman and the ABA.58 Two other compositions were premiered at this convention. Henry Hadley premiered his Festival March at this concert. It was conducted by A. R. McAllister, band director at Joliet Township High School in Illinois. Erik Leidzen premiered his composition Holiday Overture, with Goldman conducting at this performance. This piece was listed in Belser’s dissertation on Commissions and Premieres by Goldman, but this was not indicated in the Annual Program for the 1937 Convention.59
The Goldman Band did the majority of their performances in New York City. However, they would be invited to perform from time to time at fairs and festivals that were in major metropolitan markets. Such was the case with the Golden Gate International Exposition that was held in San Francisco from March 19 through July 1, 1939. Goldman was offered
a contract to present 210 concerts during this time frame.60
Goldman arrived in San Francisco with great expectations of building a large audience of appreciative fans as he had in New York City. In preparation for the trip, Goldman offered to send publicity materials to help promote their concert series at the Exposition. He was dismayed to find on his arrival that there had been no advance publicity about the concerts distributed by the Exposition organizing committee.61 There were other aspects of the of the arrangements which upset Goldman greatly. The weather was typically cold, which required the musicians to perform in overcoats, and diminished the size of the audience. The band stand where they were originally to perform had no cover for the musicians and the acoustics were poor. Eventually, the committee erected a new band stand for them to perform at the Tower of the Sun, which was better than their original location, but still woefully inadequate.62 Also, the local newspapers did not publish any reviews on the concerts. All of these factors combined to make the audience size small throughout the length of the concert series. Goldman fulfilled his contractual obligations by performing all of the concerts, but he was bitterly disappointed by the results of the trip.63
However, one aspect of this
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Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
trip is noteworthy to Goldman’s purpose of building the composition of original works for wind band. Goldman’s contract stipulated that he also write an original march for the Exposition. Goldman complied by writing and premiering the Golden Gate March during their first performance on March 19, 1939.64 In his long career as conductor of the Goldman Band, Goldman performed this march nine times during his New York City concerts with the band.65 Goldman also premiered Erik Leidzen’s Band Virtuosities during this tour, which may have been commissioned through funds garnered during this trip.66 Overall, his experience in San Francisco was not what he had hoped for, but the trip did produce a march that is still performed to this day and a premiere for a work written for the wind band.
During this time Goldman continued pursuing the idea of encouraging prominent composers of the day to write music for the wind band. Percy Grainger premiered Handel in the Strand with the Goldman Band on July 16, 1940 and Roy Harris premiered his Cimarron Overture on July 3, 1941. However, neither of these pieces were listed as commissioned by Goldman.67
William Schuman challenged Goldman on his policy of inviting composers to write original compositions for his band, but not offering a fee for their work, in a
letter written in 1942:
My willingness to write you a piece without a commission has only to do with my personal feelings toward your organization and my long friendship with Dick (RFG). I think that composers should not be asked to write special works without definite offers of money.68
Goldman respected Schuman and welcomed his point of view. Goldman’s attitude toward commissioning composers to write for the wind band began to change at this point. Beginning in the summer series of 1942, more of the premieres that were performed by the Goldman Band were listed as commissioning projects (Canto Yoruba, Pedro Sanjuán, July 16, 1942; Festive Occasion, Henry Cowell, June 21, 1942; A Legend, Paul Creston, July 16, 1942).69
The onset of World War II made planning for the 1942 concert series difficult. Air raid warnings, blackouts, and civil defense procedures presented issues for Goldman to address while making arrangements for the summer season. However, the Mayor of New York, Fiorello La Guardia, agreeing with the sentiment shared by Florence Guggenheim during World War I, felt that “music was important, too”70 and encouraged Goldman to proceed with his planning. The season was billed as the Silver Jubilee, in celebration of
the 25th year of the Goldman Band. For the Silver Jubilee, Goldman programmed a unique concert event. On July 21, 1942 the Goldman Band performed the very first concert of music that was written specifically for the wind band. The program consisted of these compositions:
Christmas March: Edwin Franko Goldman
Spring Overture: Leo Sowerby
Canto Yoruba: Pedro Sanjuán
Jericho: Morton Gould
A Legend: Paul Creston
Newsreel in Five Shots: William Schuman
First Suite in Eb for Band: Gustav Holst
Festive Occasion: Henry Cowell
A Curtain Raiser and Country Dance: Richard Franko Goldman
The Lost Lady Found: Percy Aldridge Grainger
Folk Song Suite: Ralph Vaughan Williams71
Carl Buchman cited the accomplishments of the Silver Jubilee concerts in an article he wrote for Modern Music:
With the Silver Jubilee concerts of the Goldman Band this summer one sensed that an important and neglected medium had finally come of age. The occasion had inspired a dozen-odd American composers to write for the band
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cont.
with breadth of concept and dignity of utterance hitherto reserved almost entirely for the orchestra medium. For the most part it was as though men who had previously worked only oils were now essaying for the first time tempera or goache, with corresponding pleasures in the limitations and advantages as well as the novelty of the medium. The results were impressive.72
Goldman continued to encourage serious composers of national and international acclaim to write music for the wind band through letters and dozens of handwritten postcards.73 Richard Franko Goldman wrote about his father’s passionate pursuit of excellent original repertory for the wind band:
Dr. Goldman had vigorous ideas on band instrumentation, and on how the band should play, but others had just as strong convictions on these points. His greatest contribution lies unquestionably in the area of band repertoire. He saw clearly the change in the band’s status, and had the imagination to deal with it.74
The Silver Jubilee concert featured music of artistic gravity and significance. Noted composers of contemporary orchestral music (Gustav Holst, William Schuman, Morton Gould, and Ralph Vaughan Williams) had their wind band compositions performed at this
concert. In addition, there were four works on this performance that were premiered during earlier concerts that summer of 1942 in New York. They included Paul Creston’s A Legend on June 16, Henry Cowell’s Festive Occasion on June 21, Sowerby’s Spring Overture on June 27, and Sanjuán’s Canto Yoruba on July 16.75 Goldman subsidized these four pieces by commissioning projects, either through access to funding from the Guggenheim Foundation or utilizing his own personal funds.76 These compositions may have reflected Goldman’s change of heart, inspired by Schuman, regarding the commissioning of composers to write music for the wind band. Finally, Percy Grainger’s The Lost Lady Found was the last movement of his Lincolnshire Posy, which was premiered in its entirety by the Goldman Band in 1937.77
This performance became a monumental event in the development of wind band repertoire. This was the first public performance of a concert completely devoted to original wind literature. One can imagine the sense of pride and accomplishment that Goldman must have felt when he realized that his vision for the future of wind band music was being fulfilled through this concert.
The period during World War II saw Goldman remaining active with promoting and implementing
the concert series each summer. He also composed marches that reflected the country’s mood during this period. Hail Brooklyn was premiered on June 16, 1943 and the first performance of the Illinois March was on June 19, 1943.78 After the war, Goldman still attracted composers to write original compositions for the Goldman Band. Noted French composer Darius Milhaud premiered Suite Française on June 14, 1945.79 Milhaud also presented two marches, Gloria Victorius and In Memorium for the July 14, 1946 concert.80 Other noted composers contributed original works for band: Aram Khachaturian performed Armenian Dances on July 5, 1945;81 Morton Gould premiered Ballad for Band on June 20, 1946;82 and William Grant Still debuted From the Delta on June 13, 1947.83 During this period, Goldman also commissioned works by Philip James, E. F. G. Overture (July 5, 1945),84 and Dai-Keong Lee, Joyous Interlude (June 12, 1946) to be premiered by the Goldman Band.85 The financing for these two commissioning projects was most likely supported by funds from the Guggenheim Foundation.
Special events marked the coming of the 1948 New Year. Goldman turned 70 years old on January 1 and the League of Composers sponsored a celebratory concert in his honor on January 3 at Carnegie Hall.86
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Edward
Franko Goldman's Premiers
The League of Composers was established in 1923 with the express purpose of promoting contemporary music for all genres.87 The League’s contribution to this particular project highlighted their desire to support writing music specifically for the wind band and encouraging bands across America to support this movement by programming these compositions.
The Goldman Band, conducted by Walter Hendl and Percy Grainger, presented a unique concert of music written by significant composers for the wind band. This concert helped to validate the band repertory that Goldman had fostered during his career. The program consisted of the following selections:
Toccata Marziale: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Suite Française: Darius Milhaud
Shoonthree: Henry Cowell
Canto Yoruba: Pedro Sanjuán
The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart: Percy Aldridge Grainger
Commissioned by the League of Composers
Theme and Variations, Opus 43a: Arnold Schoenberg
Three Pieces written for “Le Quartorze Juillet”: Romain Rolland
La Marches sur la Bastille: Arthur Honegger
Prelude: Albert Roussel
La Palais Royal: George Auric
Symphony No. 19: Nicholas Miaskovsky88
Richard Franko Goldman commented on the significance of this concert for his father’s legacy:
The program is one which any musician or musical organization might well be proud, for the solidity and substance of the musical content.
Of the works presented, the Milhaud (Suite Française), Schoenberg (Theme and Variation for Wind Band, opus 43-a), Grainger (The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart), Cowell (Shoontree), and Sanjuán (Canto Yoruba), all had received their first performance by the Goldman Band. It is certainly not unjustified to assert that a program such as this one marks a new era in band music.89
Composer Virgil Thomson wrote a critique of the concert for the New York Herald Tribune. Thompson had been skeptical of the band movement up to this point in time, but wrote a glowing tribute to this performance:
This writer has long preferred band music in military vein to the ambitious efforts in that medium of orchestral composers. But last night revealed to him a justification for Dr. Goldman’s effort to found a more thoughtful repertory. When composers like Cowell and Roussel
and Schoenberg can express themselves as fully through the wind ensemble as they have done in these works, we have the beginnings of a new and noble repertory for what has always been a noble assemblage of instruments.90
The concert featured the premiere of Percy Grainger’s The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart. The piece was commissioned by the League of Composers specifically for this concert.91 Other significant works from Goldman’s summer concerts were Darius Milhaud’s Suite Française, which was premiered by the Goldman Band during the 1945 season.92 Pedro Sanjuán’s Canto Yoruba93 and Schoenberg’s Theme and Variations, opus 43a94 had both been commissioned and premiered by the Goldman Band.
This historic event was notable on several levels. The concert was significant in that it was performed during the winter months, as opposed to the normal series of band concerts performed during the summertime. The fact that it was staged indoors at venerable Carnegie Hall, the bastion of classical music performance, attached credence to the fact that the wind band was coming of age in the minds of serious lovers of classical music.
After the success of this concert, Goldman became more intentional
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about scheduling commissioning projects on a yearly basis. With the help of his son Richard, Goldman was able to utilize the League of Composers to support commissioning projects for works premiered from 1949 to 1952. The Goldman Band premiered A Solemn Music for Band by Virgil Thompson on June 17, 1949;95 Tunbridge Fair (which was originally titled Intermezzo for Symphonic Band) by Walter Piston with the composer conducting on June 16, 1950;96 Canzona for Band by Peter Menin on June 15, 1951;97 and Mademoiselle, A Ballet for Band by Robert Russell Bennett on June 18, 1952.98
Beginning in 1952, Goldman began to focus his commissioning projects through funds provided by the ABA. The first of these commissions was Singing Band by Henry Cowell. The composition was commissioned by the ABA for the 1952 convention in Columbus, OH.99 However, the piece was not premiered until presented by the Goldman Band on June 18, 1954 with the composer conducting.100 Pageant by Vincent Persichetti was premiered at the ABA convention in Miami, FL on March 7, 1953 by the University of Miami Band with Persichetti conducting.101 Chorale and Alleluia by Howard Hanson was premiered by the United States Military Academy Band for the ABA convention at West Point, NY on February 26, 1954 with Colonel William Santelman (director of the United States Marine Band)
conducting.102 Celebration Overture by Paul Creston was premiered at the 1955 ABA convention in Elkhart, IN.103 The Creston piece was also performed later that season with the Goldman Band on June 17, 1955.104 Santa Fe Saga by Morton Gould was premiered at the 1956 ABA convention in Santa Fe, NM.105
Beyond these commissioning projects, Goldman and the American Bandmasters Association looked for avenues to further encourage contemporary composers to write original music for wind bands. In order to do so, the ABA created a composition contest to recognize and promote the most significant work written for wind band each year. Composers were encouraged to submit their scores to a panel of adjudicators from the ABA to be considered for this award.
To finance this endeavor, the ABA enlisted the help of two associate members of the organization to fund an annual wind band composition prize to be awarded each year. Ernest and Adolph Ostwald, owners of the Uniform by Ostwald Company, had expressed a desire to ABA member Lt. Col. Williams F. Santelmann to help promote concert bands.106 They were subsequently encouraged by Edwin Franko Goldman to fund a band composition contest for the ABA.
The first winner of the Ostwald Competition was revealed at the ABA Convention in Santa Fe, NM in 1956. Clifton Williams was awarded the $500 prize for his composition Fanfare and Allegro, which was premiered at this convention.107
The Ostwalds continued to fund the competition until 1969 when they sold their company to the Macmillan Ward-Ostwald company. The competition continued under their financial support until 1981 when the Conn Company and the National Association of Band Instrument Manufacturers supported the funding responsibilities for the competition. Eventually the ABA endorsed the competition with funds generated by the newly established ABA Foundation in 1985. The Ostwald Competition has continued to recognize and reward excellence in wind band composition almost every year to the present time.108
The ABA convention of 1956 held in Santa Fe, NM was originally organized as a tribute to the career and accomplishments of Edwin Franko Goldman.109 However, in a circumstance eerily similar to the timing of Sousa’s death, Goldman died at age 78 on February 21, 1956, less than a month before the 1956 convention was to begin.
Upon Goldman’s death, Richard
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont. Continued on next page
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
Franko Goldman immediately began a series of Memorial Commissioning Projects in order to honor his father’s legacy.110 Richard established the project to acknowledge his father’s seminal contribution to the promotion of original compositions for wind bands during his career. These works were all premiered by the Goldman Band with Richard conducting: March With Trumpets by William Bergsma, June 19, 1957;111 Praeludium and Allegro by Vittorio Giannini, June 18, 1958;112 The People’s Choice by Douglas Moore, Junet 17, 1959;113 A Walt Whitman Overture by Norman Lloyd, June 15, 1960;114 and Night Fantasy Robert Ward, June 20, 1962.115
Edwin Franko Goldman began his career as a bandmaster when he was appointed as the conductor of the New York Military Band in 1911. His days as a trumpet player with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and as a professional musician performing in concert bands around New York City provided him with the opportunity to assess the quality of the ensembles making music during that time. He decided right from the beginning that he was going to make every effort to improve the quality of the band concerts that he conducted with his ensembles.116 In order for the quality of the repertoire to improve, he needed to enlist the help of preeminent composers to write original music
for the wind band so that it would have its own artistic voice.117
Early on, Goldman had help from friends in the music world who began to write music for the New York Military Band. He was fortunate to be friends with Percy Aldridge Grainger who wrote numerous compositions for Goldman from 1918 until Goldman’s death in 1956. During this time, a vast majority of these compositions were written for Goldman’s Band free of charge (Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away, Colonial Song, Gumsuckers March).118 As the Goldman Band grew in stature, he was also able to encourage notable composers such as Henry Hadley, Henry Cowell, and Darius Milhaud to write music for his ensemble gratis.119
Later on, Goldman found ways to fund competition and commissioning projects for composers to write original music for the wind band. Goldman’s 1920 Band Composition Contest awarded Carl Busch the prize for his composition A Chant from the Great Plains 120 The ABA (led by Goldman) commissioned Respighi’s Huntingtower Ballad, 121 Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, 122 and Hanson’s Chorale and Alleluia. 123 The Guggenheim Foundation provided funds for early commissioning projects with the Goldman Band, such as Hadley’s Flower Suite, 124 Roussel’s A Glorious Day, 125 and Creston’s A Legend. 126 The League of Composers commissioned
works for the Goldman Band such as Grainger’s Power of Rome and the Christian Heart, 127 Thomson’s A Solemn Music for Band, 128 and Piston’s Tunbridge Fair. 129 The ABA’s Ostwald Band Competition Contest rewarded composers of wind band music beginning in 1956 and has supported this competition to the present day.130 Even after his death in 1956, his son Richard preserved his father’s legacy by funding wind band composition projects through the Goldman Memorial Commissions.131
Goldman’s life-long pursuit of encouraging prominent composers to write music for the wind band has inspired many band organizations to continue this practice. The College Band Directors National Association has engaged contemporary composers to write original compositions for winds. Other organizations such as the National Band Association and the American School Band Directors Association have funded wind band composition contests and commissions. State public school band director organizations across the country are now active in commissioning composition projects for students who play in middle school and high school band programs. In addition, composers of wind band music are now seeking individual consortium projects to fund their pursuit of making a living writing music for the wind band.
Edwin Franko Goldman’s objective was to elevate the status of the concert band to be on an artistic level commensurate with the symphony orchestra. To reach this goal, Goldman created a musical identity for the wind band that remained true to its heritage, yet expanded to include the genre of original music written for the wind band. The music produced
1. H. W. Schwartz, Bands of America (New York: Double Day & Co., 1957): Richard Franko Goldman, The Wind Band: Its Literature and Technique (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1962), 85.
2. R. F. Goldman, The Wind Band, 236.
3. Edwin Franko Goldman, Musical Courier, (New York, October 18, 1924): quoted in Kirby R. Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band” (doctoral dissertation, New York University, 1971), 116.
4. Donald R. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest: A Pivotal Point in the Historical Evolution of Modern Wind Band Repertoire,” Journal of Band Research 14, no. 1, (Fall 1978): 16.
5. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 16.
6. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 17-18.
7. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 18.
8. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 18.
9. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 16.
10. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 17.
11. Goldman Band Program Book, 1920. (College Park, MD: Edwin Franko Goldman papers, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries).
12. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 20.
13. Robert Steven Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band Premiered or Commissioned by Edwin Franko Goldman, Richard Franko Goldman, and The Goldman Band 19191979” (doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, 1994), 22.
14. Goldman Band Program Book, 1919.
15. Douglas Frederic Stotter, “The Goldman Band Programs, 1919-1955” (doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, 1993), 174.
16. Goldman Band Program Book, 1920.
17. Goldman Band Program Book, 1919.
18. Goldman Band Program Book, 1919.
19. Goldman Band Program Book, 1929.
20. Donald Dean Ryder, “The March Compositions of the Goldman Library” (doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa 1999), 8.
21. Ryder, “The March Compositions of the Goldman Library,” 8.
22. Ryder, “The March Compositions of the Goldman Library,” 8.
23. Goldman Band Program Book, 1922.
24. Goldman Band Program Book, 1925.
25. Goldman Band Program Book, 1930.
26. Herbert N. Johnston, On the Go: The Life and Work of Edwin Franko Goldman (Unpublished Manuscript, 1980), 105.
27. Johnston, “On the Go,” 105.
28. Johnston, “On the Go,” 105.
29. Johnston, “On the Go,” 106.
30. Johnston, “On the Go,” 106.
31. Johnston, “On the Go,” 106.
32. Johnston, “On the Go,” 106.
33. Johnston, “On the Go,” 107.
34. Johnston, “On the Go,” 107-108.
35. Myron D. Welch, “The Goldman Band Library: Part I,” Journal of Band Research 19, no. 2, (Fall 1984): 28.
36. American Bandmasters Association First Annual Program (Middleton, OH: March 13-16, 1930).
37. Victor J. Grabel to Edwin Franko Goldman, March 26, 1930, (College Park, MD: Edwin Franko Goldman papers, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries).
38. Alan L. Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association” (doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University, 1987), 50.
39. Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 50-51.
40. American Bandmasters Association Second Annual Program, (Boston, MA: April 9-12, 1931).
41. American Bandmasters Association Second Annual Program, (Boston, MA: April 9-12, 1931).
42. American Bandmasters Association Second Annual Program, (Boston, MA: April 9-12, 1931).
43. American Bandmasters Association Third Annual Program,” (Washington, DC: April 14-17, 1932).
44. Goldman Post Cards, (Goldman Autograph Collection, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan).
45. American Bandmasters Association Third Annual Program,” (Washington, DC: April 14-17, 1932).
46. Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 52.
47. Edwin Franko Goldman, “Address to Members of American Bandmasters Association,” American Bandmasters Association Third Annual Program, (Washington, DC: April 14-17, 1932), 4.
48. E. F. Goldman, “Address to Members of American Bandmasters Association,” 4.
49. E. M. Clifford to Edwin Franko Goldman, October 12, 1931, (College Park, MD: Edwin Franko Goldman papers, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries).
50. Stotter, “The Goldman Band Programs,” 127.
51. Stotter, “The Goldman Band Programs,” 43.
52. Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 70.
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont. Continued on
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
53. Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 70.
54. Ward Miller, “Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy premiered on this date in 1937,” March 6, 2016, https://www.drwardmiller. com/articles-and-news/2015/03/graingerslincolnshire-posy-premiered-on-this-dayin-1937.
55. Miller, “Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy premiered,” March 6, 2016.
56. Miller, “Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy premiered,” March 6, 2016.
57. Goldman Band Program Book, 1937.
58. American Bandmasters Association Eighth Annual Program, (Milwaukee, WI: March 5-7, 1937).
59. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 80.
60. Johnston, “On the Go,” 148.
61. Johnston, “On the Go,” 148.
62. Kirby R. Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band” (doctoral dissertation, New York University, 1971), 110.
63. Johnston, “On the Go,” 150.
64. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 80.
65. Ryder, “The March Compositions of the Goldman Library,” 501.
66. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 78.
67. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 78-80.
68. Johnston, “On the Go,” 215.
69. Goldman Band Program Book, 1942.
70. Johnston, “On the Go,” 158.
71. Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band,” 145.
72. Carl Buchman, “Composers Dedicate Works to the Band,” Modern Music, XX (November-December, 1942), 46-48: quoted in Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band,” 146.
73. Goldman Post Cards, (Goldman Autograph Collection, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan).
74. R. F. Goldman, The Wind Band, 87: quoted in Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band,” 146.
75. Goldman Band Program Book, 1942.
76. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 51-52.
77. Goldman Band Program Book, 1937.
78. Goldman Band Program Book, 1943.
79. Goldman Band Program Book, 1945.
80. Goldman Band Program Book, 1946.
81. Goldman Band Program Book, 1945.
82. Goldman Band Program Book, 1946.
83. Goldman Band Program Book, 1947.
84. Goldman Band Program Book, 1945.
85. Goldman Band Program Book, 1946.
86. R. F. Goldman, The Wind Band, 89-92.
87. “A Legacy of Music,” The League of Composers, http://leagueofcomposers.org, accessed on September 11, 2025.
88. R. F. Goldman, The Wind Band, 93.
89. R. F. Goldman, The Wind Band, 92: quoted in Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band,” 149.
90. Virgil Thomson, “Music,” The New York Herald Tribune, January 5, 1948: quoted by Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band,” 150-151.
91. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 57-58.
92. Goldman Band Program Book, 1945.
93. Goldman Band Program Book, 1942.
94. Goldman Band Program Book, 1946.
95. Goldman Band Program Book, 1949.
96. Goldman Band Program Book, 1950.
97. Goldman Band Program Book, 1951.
98. Goldman Band Program Book, 1952.
99. American Bandmasters Association Eighteenth Annual Program, (Columbus, OH: March 7-9, 1952).
100. Goldman Band Program Book, 1954.
101. American Bandmasters Association Nineteenth Annual Program, (Coral Gables, FL: March 5-7, 1953).
102. American Bandmasters Association Twentieth Annual Program, (West Point, NY: February 25-27, 1954).
103. American Bandmasters Association Twenty-First Annual Program, (Elkhart, IN: February 16-19, 1955).
104. Goldman Band Program Book, 1955.
105. American Bandmasters Association Twenty-Second Annual Program, (Santa-Fe, NM: March 7-10, 1956).
106. ABA Ostwald Band Composition Contest, American Bandmasters Association, (unpublished, 1986): accessed through Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 101.
107. American Bandmasters Association Twenty-Second Annual Program, (Santa-Fe, NM: March 7-10, 1956).
108. ABA Ostwald Band Composition Contest, American Bandmasters Association, (unpublished, 1986): accessed through Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 102.
109. American Bandmasters Association Twenty-Second Annual Program, (Santa-Fe, NM: March 7-10, 1956).
110. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 59.
111. Goldman Band Program Book, 1957.
112. Goldman Band Program Book, 1958.
113. Goldman Band Program Book, 1959.
114. Goldman Band Program Book, 1960.
115. Goldman Band Program Book, 1962.
116. Johnston, “On the Go,” 64-65.
117. Edwin Franko Goldman, Musical Courier, (1924): quoted in Jolly, “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band, 116.
118. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 21-24.
119. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 78-79.
120. Lowe, “Carl Busch and the First
Continued on next page
Goldman Band Composition Contest,” 16.
121. American Bandmasters Association Third Annual Program,” (Washington, DC: April 14-17, 1932).
122. American Bandmasters Association Eighth Annual Program, (Milwaukee, WI: March 5-7, 1937).
123. American Bandmasters Association Twentieth Annual Program, (West Point, NY: February 25-27, 1954).
124. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 79.
125. Goldman Band Program Book, 1933.
126. Goldman Band Program Book, 1942.
127. R. F. Goldman, The Wind Band, 93.
128. Goldman Band Program Book, 1949.
129. Goldman Band Program Book, 1950.
130. ABA Ostwald Band Composition Contest, American Bandmasters Association, (unpublished, 1986): accessed through Davis, “A History of The American Bandmasters Association,” 102.
131. Belser, “Original Works for Concert Band,” 59.
“ABA Ostwald Band Composition Contest,” American Bandmasters Association, (unpublished, 1986).
Belser, Robert Steven. “Original Works for Concert Band Premiered or Commissioned by Edwin Franko Goldman, Richard Franko Goldman, and The Goldman Band 19191979.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, 1994.
Davis, Alan L. “A History of The American Bandmasters Association.” Doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University, 1987.
Clifford, E. M. Letter to Edwin Franko Goldman. College Park, MD: Edwin Franko Goldman papers, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries, October 12, 1931.
Goldman, Edwin Franko. “Address to Members of American Bandmasters Association,” American Bandmasters Association Third Annual Program, (Washington, DC: April 14-17, 1932).
Edward Franko Goldman's Premiers and Commissions ..., Les W. Hicken, cont.
____________________. Musical Courier, New York: NY, October 18, 1924. Goldman, Richard Franko. The Wind Band: Its Literature and Technique. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1962.
Grabel, Victor J. Letter to Edwin Franko Goldman. College Park, MD: Edwin Franko Goldman papers, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries, March 26, 1930.
Johnston, Herbert N. On the Go: The Life and Work of Edwin Franko Goldman. Unpublished manuscript, 1980.
Jolly, Kirby R. “Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band.” Doctoral dissertation, New York University, 1971.
“Legacy of Music, A.” The League of Composers, http://leagueofcomposers.org, accessed on September 11, 2025.
Lowe, Donald R. “Carl Busch and the First Goldman Band Composition Contest: A Pivotal Point in the Historical Evolution of Modern Wind Band Repertoire.” Journal of Band Research 14, no. 1, (Fall 1978): 16-21.
Miller, Ward. “Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy premiered on this date in 1937,” March 6, 2016, https://www.drwardmiller.com/ articles-and-news/2015/03/graingerslincolnshire-posy-premiered-on-this-dayin-1937.
Ryder, Donald Dean. “The March Compositions of the Goldman Library.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, 1999.
Schwartz, H. W. Bands of America. New York: Double Day & Co., 1957. Stotter, Douglas Frederic. “The Goldman Band Programs, 1919-1955.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, 1993).
Thomson, Virgil. “Music,” The New York Herald Tribune, January 5, 1948.
Welch, Myron D. “The Goldman Band Library: Part I.” Journal of Band Research 19, no. 2, (Fall 1984): 26-30.
BY MICHAEL
The history of community bands in the U.S. stretches back to the American Revolution, with community bands serving as a cultural mainstay and an important part of American tradition. That history continues today, thanks to community bands throughout the country, in Canada and overseas. Several organizations have stepped up to support this great musical tradition.
The Association of Concert Bands (ACB) is the largest organization dedicated to supporting community bands, with members throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. ACB has grown from 679 member bands in 2024 to 713 member bands at this writing, a clear indication that community bands are healthy and strong, and have completely rebounded from the Covid pandemic.
The Association provides ongoing support on social media, including Facebook, and a regular podcast, ACB Connects, focusing on issues common to community bands. The ACB Journal
is published three times a year, offering extensive information and updates of interest to community bands everywhere.
In June 2025 the Association hosted its annual convention in Fort Smith, Arkansas, featuring seven community band performances, and COL Tom Rotondi, USA (retired) conducting the Convention Band in concert. In 2026 the ACB convention will take place in Baltimore, Maryland (April 14-19), featuring ten regional bands and the Convention Band conducted by Alfred Watkins.
ACB will also sponsor a twoday Regional Connection event in Sequim, Washington in late July.
ACB also offers individual memberships, composer memberships and corporate memberships. At present 22 composers and 21 corporations are ACB members.
Michael Burch-Pesses is the President of the Association of Concert Bands and the conductor of the award-winning Oregon Symphonic Band, Oregon's premier adult band. Dr. Burch-Pesses is the author of “Canadian Band Music: A Qualitative Guide to Canadian Composers and Their Works for Band,” and is a regular contributor to the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series.
Dr. Burch-Pesses is Distinguished Professor of Music Emeritus at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where for 30 years he conducted the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, and taught courses in conducting and music education. He received two awards for excellence in teaching, and Pacific University named him a Distinguished University Professor. In 2018 the Oregon Music Educators Association gave him the John C. McManus Distinguished Teacher Award, the highest award Oregon bestows on a music educator. He enjoyed a storied career as a bandmaster in the United States Navy before arriving at Pacific University, working his way up the ranks from seaman recruit to commander. He served as Leader of the Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland, Assistant Leader of the Navy Band in Washington, DC, and Director of the Commodores.
The Association hosts a website at acbands.org and invites interested bands, musicians, composers, and corporations to visit.
His professional affiliations include the American Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, Northwest Band Directors Association, Oregon Music Educators Association, and NAfME. He is Past President of the CBDNA Northwest Division and the Oregon Band Directors Association. He is also a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician.
Founded in 1991 by Professor Roy Ernst at the Eastman School of Music, NHIMA is an international non-profit organization with the purpose of fostering a positive atmosphere for creating new adult bands, orchestras, choruses, and other music groups. They publish a semi-annual newsletter, New Horizons News, host a comprehensive website, and provide information on the more than 165 New Horizons groups in the U.S., Canada, and worldwide. 2025 was a successful year for NHIMA, spotlighting three successful in-person camps, in Rochester, NY, Lawrenceburg, IN, and Mont Tremblant near Montreal, QC. The Association hosted numerous online classes throughout the year, including the bi-weekly “Music Forever” podcast series.
Plans for 2026 include two inperson camps: one in Kingston, Ontario (April 19–24) and one in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (July 19–24). The Summer Strings Retreat also enjoyed a successful third year, and is planning a fall retreat on October 30, 2026. In partnership with American Music Abroad (AMA), New Horizons International is organizing a European concert tour in June, 2026.
I encourage the reader to visit the NHIMA website, www. newhorizonsmusic.org, for more information on the Association’s
activities and initiatives.
The Community Concert Band Network was formed to allow community concert bands to communicate more easily. The organization hosts an active Facebook page. Anyone looking for a band to play in, searching for members, trying to find a score, or wanting to advertise a concert or event, may visit facebook.com/ groups/concertbandnetwork.
The Sudler Silver Scroll is awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation to community bands that have shown superior musical performance and connection to their community. This year the award was given to The North Pittsburgh Symphonic Band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and their conductor, R. Tad Grieg, recognizing them as one of the truly outstanding community bands of 2025.
The American Prize continues to play a significant role in recognizing and rewarding talent in the performing arts across numerous categories. We offer our congratulations to the community bands that have been recognized by the American Prize this year: Winner: The Wichita Wind Symphony from Wichita, Kansas, Timothy Shade, conductor
Second Place: The Boulder Concert Band from Boulder, Colorado, Jon Borodach, conductor
Third Place: The Arizona Winds from Goodyear, Arizona, Rich Shelton, conductor
Congratulations as well to the community bands selected to perform at the 2025 Midwest Clinic:
The Desert Winds from Las Vegas, Nevada, Charles McGuire, conductor;
The Grand Rapids Symphonic Band from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Barry Martin, conductor;
The Louisville Winds from Louisville, Kentucky, Nan Moore, conductor;
The Northshore Concert Band from Evanston, Illinois, Mallory Thompson, conductor.
Their selection is a signal achievement for these fine bands and their conductors.
Research relevant to the field that you would like to share?
Professional advice or tips that might help other band directors?
Something to say?
The National Band Association welcomes and encourages members to submit articles for possible inclusion* in future editions of the NBA Journal. Peer-reviewed** and non-peer reviewed articles are accepted. The NBA Journal is published quarterly and deadlines/ instructions for submission are as follows:
Winter Edition (published in February)
Spring Edition (published in May)
Summer Edition (published in August)
Fall Edition (published in November)
*Articles are published at the discretion of the editor and may appear in a later journal edition or not at all.
**For guidance on how to submit a peer-reviewed article, please see page 67.
Please submit your article in Word document format to NBA Journal Editor Matthew Talbert: talbertm@ohio.edu.
BY MATTHEW TALBERT
The difference between a peerreviewed research article and the articles traditionally published in the NBA Journal is best described as a difference in the vetting process and source material. To have an article appear as “peer-reviewed” in the NBA Journal means recognized researchers and scholars in the field of music/music education will read, evaluate, and then recommend whether or not an article should be published, revised or rejected. This process is widely recognized as an indicator of quality scholarship in a particular discipline or field. Other names for these types of articles are “scholarly” or “refereed.”
A traditional NBA Journal article is most often written from the perspective of the author’s unique experiences in life, music, and/or the profession. These articles are of extraordinary value, as they often present a
number of ideas that have been effective for the author and may also be effective for the reader.
A research article is most often written as a continuation of ideas presented in previous articles, with the motivation drawn from combining the findings of those previous articles and the author’s own experiences, experiments, or observations. In building the article in this way, the validity of the information is heightened beyond the traditional article. These articles are also of extraordinary value as they may also impact the way the reader approaches the subject material in a potentially more generalizable way. When incorporating the peer-review process, the an author’s article now has a final layer of review (for accuracy) utilizing other experts within the same subject matter.
Dr. Russell Gavin, former chair
Matthew Talbert, Associate Professor of Music Education and Director of the School of Music, joined Ohio University in the fall of 2016. Talbert earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of South Carolina (2012), a Master of Music in Music Education from Appalachian State University (2005), and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Appalachian State University (2004).
of NBA’s Research (and Editorial) committees, shares his thoughts on the layout and value of these types of articles:
A number of peer-reviewed research articles may read like other articles found in the NBA Journal, with the author outlining their thoughts on a subject while using citations to support the premise of the issue being discussed. Other research articles will take on a bit more of a scientific approach. These articles
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begin with a review of literature summarizing the research on the topic that already exists, while simultaneously presenting the reader with the rationale driving the current article. A method section follows, describing what actually happened in the research, then a results and analysis section(s) describing what the researcher found, if anything. The article closes with a discussion of the findings and how they may relate to the world. The article concludes with a list of references from which the author drew information and ideas.
If you are inexperienced at reading research articles, you may want to read the discussion section first. This part of the article will explain how the information found in the rest of the article may impact you and others in the article subject community. Oftentimes this is the place where practical ideas will be most clearly expressed; however, taking in the entire article will always give a much clearer view of what the author was attempting to express.
As mentioned above, an ideal research article is adding to the research that came before it. This continuation and growth of knowledge is one of the defining characteristics of this kind of inquiry. At the end of the article, the reader is left with information that is not only new to them, but
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simultaneously new to the world. This level of investigation is of paramount importance in all areas of music and education, and the NBA is proud to present this new avenue for such exploration and thought.
for Submission of Peer-Review Research Articles
A. Submission Method: Manuscripts should be submitted as Microsoft Word attachments via email to the Editorial Committee Chair: silveyba@missouri.edu
B. Length: The manuscript should not exceed 25 pages and should include an abstract of 100-150 words in length on a separate page. We encourage the submission of short form articles (4-10 pages) as well as full-length articles.
C. Cover Page: To ensure anonymity in the review process, the manuscript should contain no clues as to the author’s institutional affiliation or identity. Author’s name(s), address, institution affiliations, and pertinent information should be listed on a separate cover page at the beginning of the submission. The cover page should also include up to five keywords/phrases that describe the contents of the manuscript.
D. Style Guide: Manuscripts should conform to one of the following style manuals:
How to Submit Peer-Reviewed Research to the NBA Journal, Matthew Talbert, cont.
How to Submit Peer-Reviewed Research to the NBA Journal, Matthew Talbert, cont.
(1) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2019), (2) The Chicago Manual of Style(17th edition, 2017), or
(3) A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (K. L. Turabian, 9th edition, revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, and the University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff, 2018). Note: Authors may not combine and/or mix styles within a single manuscript
E. Tables and Figures: Tables and figures may be included with the manuscript, however, these must be publishable
in black and white. It is the author’s responsibility to make sure any tables/figures are checked for accuracy before submission. Additionally, if any copyrighted materials are submitted, it is the author’s responsibility to provide documentation allowing the reproduction of these materials.
F. Ethical Requirements: It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that no copyright issues have been violated by the submission, including images, charts, etc. Manuscripts already published in other journals can be submitted for consideration in the NBA Journal providing the author has permission to do so.
Questions about submitting a peer- reviewed article? Email Research Chair Brian Silvey at silveyba@missouri.edu
