Road Trip! Season 2, Episode 12

Well hello, everyone and welcome to this special, road-trip edition of my blog.  I am writing to you now from somewhere in the mountains of southern Virginia.

Aren't they pretty?

I'll come back to being on the road in a little bit.

You might recall from last week that I had been having trouble with Scherzo Without Instruments in Night Owls.  You might also recall that I was going to work on a new approach to teaching the piece.  (Wait, you don't remember?  You better start taking notes on your weekly reading; there will be a test at the end of the semester!)  Getting back on track: I had much more success this week with the piece in rehearsal.  I selected a manageable chunk - just the opening 21 measures - and made it my goal to be able to do just those measures with a high degree of rhythmic proficiency and clarity.  I announced that objective at the opening of my work with the piece so the group would be on board with it as well.  I started by having the group internalize the pulse of the music.  I had them tap their feet on the macrobeats and count the subdivisions.  I was aware that doing this might feel a little juvenile to some of the members, but I felt it the best course of action.  After we had established a steady and consistent tempo across the ensemble, I had them clap the major rhythms in their parts while tapping feet on the macrobeats and counting the subdivisions.  Then, once the individual parts felt secure, I had the ensemble layer the parts on top of each other.  By the time I was done working on it, the group was sounding a lot better!  I think I will continue this course of action as I work on the next section of the piece this week.

My statistics professor said some interesting, marginally-class-related things this week at the end of class.  The first was a research study he described that had been recently conducted at Temple University.  The study examined the difference in professor attitude toward their students as a function of their personal emphasis on research vs. teaching.  The study found that research-focused professors were very different from teaching-focused professors and professors that strive to strike a balance between research and teaching.  Research-focused professors tended to view their students as stupid and incompetent, and felt that the quality of student is dropping every year.  Teaching-focused professors reported loving their students and using assessment data to differentiate instruction and make adjustments to course curricula to meet the needs of the students.

After the professor told us that story, one of the students in the class asked him if he was research- or teaching-focused.  He told us that he doesn't do research anymore and, moreover, feels that research, in its current form, has no business in a university.  He said that studies like the one he quoted show that when professors are so research driven, the quality of education at the institution drops.  He went on to say that, with the amount of money parents and students are paying for college, they should be getting a quality service, grounded in good teaching, not a heavy research focus.

I had an assignment due this week in Measurement and Evaluation.  The assignment was to create a written quiz on the material in our text book and to use a variety of question types.  When I reminded Dr. B. that I would not be in class this week, he asked if he could show my work to the class in my absence.  He said that he has come to expect a really high level of work from me and didn't want my absence to negate me sharing my work with my classmates.  Well, I wasn't able to submit the assignment in time to have it shared in class (more on that later), but I guess I did turn in work of the kind of high standard Dr. B. was hoping for.

He does keep taking off points for my language.  But, learning to write is a constant journey.  I will keep working at it!

This week was the big Wind Symphony trip to Nashville, TN.  We performed at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) conference.

The university provided us with per diem money to cover food on the trip (I don't want to look at my receipts; I am pretty sure I went way over budget this trip!).  When I signed for the money, I was handed the cash in a sealed envelope.  I immediately opened the envelope to count it.  The person at the desk asked me, in a very insulted tone of voice, "You are going to count the money?"  I tried to explain to her that it wasn't that I didn't trust her, just that I know that human error happens.  I think she was insulted, nonetheless.  Regardless, it is good life protocol to read everything before you sign it and count money when it is handed to you!  The one time you don't do it will be the time it bites you in the ass.

I wanted to get a lot of work done this trip, so I decided to ride the front bus and sit all the way up front.  I figured this would be the most quiet and distraction-free environment for the trip. From what I was told about other bus seat locations, I made the right call.  I ended up getting a lot of things accomplished, though there are still some things unchecked on my to do list.  So far, I made a tentative schedule for myself for next year; I sent a nice, long email to a friend; I finished and submitted a research proposal; I cleaned out my email inboxes; I completed a couple course assignments; I did a little creativity reading; I looked for summer employment; and I wrote this blog.  I still have a long bus ride today to finish knocking things off of the list.

Because I was sitting at the front of the bus, I got to talk to the band directors and get to know them a little better.  Dr. T. was sitting across the isle from me on the way to Nashville and Dr. B. was sitting across the isle on the way home.  Among other things, I spoke with Dr. T. about my upcoming presentation at NAfME in October.  She gave me some great tips about preparing a presentation, and specifically about speaking to other band directors.  She said that as a relative youngster in a room full of accomplished teachers, it is important to not come off as "preachy."  She told me to speak as an authority on the topic, but to focus on process, not product.  She advised that I use my experience as an example of my topic, not as the end all solution.  She told me to pose questions that will prompt my audience to think about their own experiences in the light of the information I present.

Dr. B. and I had a nice conversation about teaching band, both in the public schools and in college.  He showed me how the iPad marching band drill programs function and shared a lot of his own experiences teaching band.  He offered to let me write a show for the Temple University Marching Band so I can put it in my CV, showing that I have done work with college bands.  I am definitely going to take him up on that offer.  I would like to try and find some way to incorporate work with the band department into my curriculum at Temple, either as part of my assistantship or as an independent study.  I think it would be good to get some experience working with the college bands as the jobs I will apply for after getting my degree may include band director responsibilities.

There were three Nashville miracles the first day in town.  

• Nashville Mircale #1: after being folded up and stuffed in my suitcase for two days, my tuxedo was not wrinkled and needed no ironing!
• Nashville Miracle #2: it is insanely difficult to catch a cab in Nashville.  We were trying to make an appointment and were going to miss it.  But, we hopped on the hotel shuttle and gave it a shot anyway.  The shuttle was going to have to drop us off at a spot that wasn't very close to where we were going.  But, there was traffic and the driver took an alternate route, a route which ran right by where we were going!  So, we made it on time!
• Nashville Miracle #3: the place we were going in Miracle #2 was a local distillery and we were trying to make it in time for the tour.  We did make it in time, but the tour was full!  In a last ditch effort, I asked if we could do the tasting anyway.  They said that normally they don't do that, but for us since we were only in town a short time, they would.  

 The CBDNA conference was not what I expected.  I was picturing something along the lines of the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, with tons of sessions, exhibits, and the like.  But, this conference was performance-heavy, with very little in the way of informational sessions.

The Temple University performance was very well received.  The group played extremely well and it is a testament to all the hard work put in by faculty, staff, and students on this project.  I will provide a link to the concert recording if it is made available to me.  I, however, did not have my best show.  I am not really sure what happened, but I was a little self-conscious about my sound.  I think I may have gotten a little star struck by the caliber of the audience, something that does not happen to me often.  I dialed back on my "turbo contra" sound, a sound that people keep complimenting me on, and played much more reserved.  Because of that reservedness, I wasn't supporting my sound with enough air and ended up cracking a note in my one little solo.  I doubt that anyone caught it, but I am disappointed in myself, nonetheless.  I did get to play in another major symphony hall: the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, where the Nashville Symphony plays.

A trip to Nashville is never complete without hat shopping.

Well, that is all for this week.  Hope you all have a wonderful week and Happy Passover to those of you who are celebrating.

Future Dr. Cowboy Mitch, out!

A Challenge Has Been Issued, A Line in the Sand Has Been Drawn, Season 2, Episode 11

Alright, folks.  Buckle your seat belts; this one is going to be a doozy.  (I don't know if it will show up on your screens, but Google has underlined "doozy" in that angry, red, wavy line it uses to denote a spelling error.  For the record, doozy is a real word.  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doozy)

I am going to start with a piece of social commentary.  Last week, I went to Matt's trombone recital.  This week, I went to Elizabeth's harp recital, and heard the orchestra and choir at the Kimmel Center Concert.  A thought occurs to me: when did classical music become uncool?  Seriously, how can everyone not love this stuff?  Let's be real.  Do I love every piece of music that tucks itself under the umbrella of classical music?  No.  But, do I love every jazz tune?  No.  Do I love every rock tune?  No.  See a pattern here?  It keeps on going.  (No, I am not going to list every genre.  Yes, I am sorry for not mentioning your favorite musical genre.  Fine: do I love every zydeco tune?  No.  Happy?)  (oh, some of you don't know what zydeco is?  Look it up.  Maybe go see a show!)  Anyway, getting back on track... Will the novice listener be able to digest, appreciate, and love every piece of classical music?  Possibly, possibly not.  But there are enough pieces with, what I feel is, mass appeal that there is classical music out there for everyone.  The only thing standing in the way of people enjoying what we do is themselves and their perception of what is "cool."  As I sat in the Kimmel Center Sunday evening, listening to the orchestra play Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony, I realized that recordings do not do our medium justice; you truly have to sit in the concert hall, hear the music live, and see the musicians to get the full, mult-sensory experience.  So, I issue a challenge.  If you think you do not like classical music, go to a concert.  Go with an open mind.  If you tell yourself you will hate it before you go, you most likely will.  Set yourself up to be moved.  Give the musicians the chance to convince you (of what, depends on the musician).  If you have been to a concert and didn't like it, go to another concert.  Just because the pieces on the last concert didn't speak to you doesn't mean others might not.  If you don't know where to start, what pieces you might like, or what ensembles are making amazing music, don't despair; there are musicians who walk among you!  We are more than happy to be your guide, to help you find the music that will change your life.  The last part of this challenge is for you musicians out there.  Find someone who claims to not like classical music, pick the right concert to take them to, and change their minds.  Well, there it is folks.  A challenge, issued; a line in the sand, drawn.  Let's make it cool again!  After all, if we don't do it, who will?

Well, if you read the last paragraph, and I hope you did, you saw the bit about the Kimmel Center concert.  That's right, folks, I played on stage at the Kimmel Center.  Here is the contra on stage:

I have now played in two major symphony halls (the other one was the Kennedy Center).  Where will be next?  I will get you guys the recording of the concert if it is made available to me.

I had some frustration in preparing for this concert, though.  There is a moment in the piece we played where there is a contrabassoon solo (yes, you read that right) which happens at a tempo change.  I have been having so much trouble catching the new tempo and I am completely exposed.  I had no idea what was going wrong.  I swear I was watching!  I ended up memorizing the solo so I could keep my eyes glued to the baton.  It worked.  I was (mostly) in tempo on that part at the concert.  I still have to figure out what is keeping me from picking up tempi as well as I should.  Experiences like this are really good for me, though.  It is a reminder of the frustrations students might be having while I am conducting.

Night Owls on Monday night was an interesting experience.  I am conducting a piece entitled Scherzo Without Instruments.  It is a piece written for body percussion (making sounds by striking parts of your body with other parts of your body).  The rhythms are quite intricate at times and the group is struggling with them.  What's more, I don't think I did a very good job teaching the piece this week.  I am struggling to find the best way to work through the piece because of the nature of the ensemble.  It is not a class, so I can't take time to teach the rhythms in an academic kind of way.  But, I don't think that teaching them by rote is the right answer either.  I stumbled my way through the rehearsal of the piece and, though the group improved over the course of the rehearsal, I don't feel as though I was at my best.  I am going to try a very different tactic as I work through it this coming rehearsal.  Hopefully, a fresh perspective will lead to bigger, quicker gains.

Dr. C. pulled a fast one on us this week in Teaching Music in Higher Education.  We were split into two teams and instructed to prepare for and engage in a debate over the merits (or lack there of) of the tenure system.  After the debate was over, and we settled in to discuss what had transpired, we spoke not about the content of the debate, but about the structure of the debate.  It turns out that the class wasn't about tenure at all.  It was about how to construct a convincing argument and converse with colleagues about issues which many are passionately attached to.  I didn't see it coming!  

On Wednesday, I gave a musical offering at the beginning of Measurement and Evaluation.  I played the first movement of Bass Nightingale, a piece for solo, unaccompanied contrabassoon (Julius took a video.  I might show it if it turned out well enough.  That is not a comment on his videography skills, but one of my contrabassooning skills).  Well, I must admit, I need to practice more!  So, I am going to start working up some solo rep and at some point, I will give an internet recital for you all.  Yes, you have to... I mean get to... watch and listen to some solo contrabassoon!

Remember that statistics paper and midterm that I was having such trouble with?

Midterm:

Bam!


Paper:

 

 Bam!

The sad thing is that I still have no idea what I am doing!

Temple Prep was a mixed bag this week.  I picked a piece to work on that I thought the kids would like it had a lot of extended technique and sound effects.  But, they ended up thinking it was hokey and stupid.  Literature choice: fail.  But, in musicianship class, we started working on tuning.  And at the end of class, the students all hung around the room trying to play in tune with each other.  Student motivation for musical growth: success!

I went to the gym!  Twice!  You know, it was so easy riding the stationary bike while I was reading.  I didn't even notice the time going by.  And I got some good reading done in the process.  This week's weight: 209 lbs (Week: -4 lbs, Total: -1 lb)  Let's keep this weight loss going!

Well, that is all for this week.  Hope you all enjoyed yourselves!

Future Dr. Mitch, out!

One Day I Will Be Able To Look Back On This Week And Laugh, Season 2, Episode 10

This was just one of those weeks!  I felt a bit like Wile E. Coyote, who despite being well intentioned (if you call trying to kill the Road Runner so he can eat a well-intentioned task), runs into adverse effects with every action he takes.

My time is at an absolute premium at this point.  It seems like I barely have time to breathe, let along get all the things done I need to.  I feel like I am working deadline to deadline, cranking out assignments just as they are due.  So much of my time this week was dedicated to the research study I am working on for Dr. C.  It just takes so much time to set up and break down for each treatment that all the time I was using to do schoolwork has become research study time.  By the end of the week, though, I was becoming much more efficient at the process.  I imagine that next week will be better now that I seem to have gotten a handle on how it all works.

Remember that Statistics paper I didn't do last week while I was on spring break and should have done while I had the time to do it?  Yeah... I banged my head against that assignment all week... So, the issue with it was that, in class, the professor talks at us about statistics, shows us stats read outs, and tells us how to interpret them.  But we don't actually calculate or report any statistics in class.  Guess what we had to do for the assignment?  That's right: calculate, report, and interpret statistics.  He gave us a set of data and asked us to figure out what statistical tests to run on it, run the tests, interpret the results, and present the results as if we were writing a dissertation.

• Problem #1: The language he uses in class is different than the language SPSS (the statistics software) uses.  So, I couldn't figure out what to do in the software!
• Problem #2: SPSS spits out more information than we need or have discussed what to do with in class.  So, I was lost in a sea of meaningless numbers.
• Problem #3: The professor does not like the tables SPSS provides and creates his own tables to display data in class.  So, I had no idea what to do with the information provided in the SPSS tables.
• Problem #4: We haven't actually talked about proper reporting language and format for use in scholarly writing.  So, I had no clue how to actually write this up.

I don't think this was a bad assignment.  But, the gap between what we learned in class and what was asked for on this assignment was just too large.  So, on Friday, when I realized I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and that there was no chance of me completing this assignment, I went to my professor for help.  Thankfully, he explained everything to me, showed me how to calculate the statistics in SPSS, and showed me which information was the important stuff and which I could ignore.  He also gave me an extension on the assignment.  Woo!  I am still not sure I really understand it all, but at least I was able to complete the assignment.

While I was meeting with my statistics professor, I asked him about the research project I am designing.  (Lionel, this is the one I want to talk with you about.)  (Someone tell Lionel I mentioned him in my blog.)  Anyway, my professor told me various ways I could analyze my potential data and I now have all the information I need to submit my research proposal.  Watch out, World.  Here I come!

So, while I was attempting to do the Statistics assignment, I came to the realization that school is not a conducive environment to do work.  I don't know what has happened recently, but for the benefit of everyone in the universe, here are Mitch's Rules for General Productivity in the Academic Environment.

• MRfGPitAE #1: Practice rooms have doors on them for a reason.  Close them when you are playing your instrument inside.  Nobody else in the building wants to hear you doing lip slurs.
• MRfGPitAE #2: It is a library.  SHHHHH!!!!

Seriously, people.  Shut your damn pie holes in the library.  It boggles my mind that the library has to have a designated "quiet area."  I am pretty sure the quiet area of a library is supposed to start at the front door and encompass the entire building.

• MRfGPitAE #3: Use your inside voice when you are inside.  Use your outside voice when you are outside.  I know that is a tough one; you should work on it.
• MRfGPitAE #4: When there are no free computers in the library, you should not be occupying one to play World of Warcraft or whatever other computer game you are playing so you can virtually dress like an elf with big boobs and barely any clothes, and swing a sword at other people.  I am pretty sure library computers at a school are for schoolwork.
• MRfGPitAE #5: The sign on the computer station that says, "no eating or drinking at the computer station" is for real.  Yeah, I saw you spill your drink on the keyboard.  Yeah, you are going to have to pay for that.
• More MRfGPitAEs to come...

 The humidity issue has not been resolved in the basement.  Moreover, we had a container of chocolate chip mini muffins in the office (which I had been stress eating as I failed at my Statistics work) which I noticed on Friday were growing mold.  No, they weren't old.  Yes, they were just subjected to a mold-growing environment.  My whole office is going to start growing mold soon!  But, I couldn't play on the school's contrabassoon any longer.  So, I brought mine back to school and am storing it up in the reed room, which is a tiny closet to which a lot of people have keys.  I hope she will be ok up there!

On Wednesday, I played a concert with the Wind Symphony at school.  The link to the concert is:

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/1927261/events/3770087

Granted, you should watch the whole show.  But, if you are into hearing some contrabassooning - and, really, I know you are that kind of person - I get on stage at 1:33:00 in the recording.  You will need to listen to the recording through real speakers.  The tiny speakers I know you have on your computer just wont produce pitches as low as I play.  I have a solo (yes, a contrabassoon solo) at 1:46:45.  Again, proper speakers are a must.  The tuba professor made it a point of telling me at the end of this week that I sounded good on the contra at the concert.  It is a good day for a contrabassoonist when people can actually hear you and when you sound good doing it!

I have come to the realization that I have some bad breathing habits.  I just don't fill up my lungs full enough when I play, so I cannot sustain phrases as long as I would like.  I am going to work on this.  Not sure how.  But, it will happen.  More to come on this topic.

On Tuesday, I was reminded what it is to be in a musical academic community.  I went to my friend Matt's trombone recital.  He was awesome.  It is such an incredible opportunity to be surrounded by such wonderful musicians.



It's official... I am on the NAfME website!
http://inserviceconference.nafme.org/sessions/ 
Let the freak out commence!

Ok, I have to be honest.  You know how I said I was going to go to the gym this week?  Yeah.... that didn't happen.  But, in keeping myself honest, this week's weight: 213lbs (+3lbs).  I am going to go to the gym this week!  I promise!

Well, this was a really long-winded entry.  Congratulations for making it all the way to the end!  Until next week,

Future Dr. Mitch, out!

Not the Week I Expected, Season 2, Episode 9

This week was not the week I expected it to be.  I did make some progress on my To Do List, but we will come back to that shortly.  Last week, one of my doctoral student friends asked me if I would be willing to host some of her brass quintet members at my house for the week.  The quintet members hailed from all over the country, were descending on Philadelphia for a week of music making, and needed a place to stay.  Since one of my roommates is no longer living at the house, I agreed that her quintet members could bunk in the empty room.   I rather enjoyed having them around this week.  Granted none of them live terribly close (the closest being Gaithersburg, MD), but I made some new music friends over the course of the week.  Now that they have all departed for their homes, the house feels a little empty.

I learned a new word this week in my reading.  Intimate (v.): to hint at something.

I had a giant success at Temple Prep this weekend.  I have a student there who rarely pays attention, has trouble reading music, and is often not dialed into the activity of the day (a percussionist, go figure).  This week, I did a lesson where we were writing music.  I had the students write their own rhythms and then gave them the opportunity to present the rhythm to the ensemble and conduct the ensemble as it played the students' rhythms.  Well, when I asked for volunteers, this percussion student was the first one to raise his hand.  It felt so good for me that he was actively participating and learning music.  Hopefully this continues as a trend in his progress!

Last week, I presented a Spring Break To Do List.  Let's see how I did.

• Write my Statistics midterm paper: didn't even read the instructions.  This is priority #1 for me this week!
• Write the outline for my NAfME session: I did some reading on my topic and developed a few materials I will use in the session, but I got no work done on the acutal outline.
• Do my taxes: sort of.  I did as much as I could.  I realized that PGCPS did not send me my W2.  I imagine it got lost in the address change.  And since it was snowing and PGCPS closed last week, I couldn't get in touch with them to request a new copy.  I will get that done this week.
• Finish reading the creativity book: I read half of a chapter.
• Write a research proposal for my research project: done!  I actually completed something!  I was unclear what statistical models to use to analyze my potential data.  But, I found 3 that look promising.  I will discuss them with my stats professor next week.
• Buy a tablet: I did this one too!  I found a very reasonably priced tablet that, while not powerful enough to do much serious work, will be just fine for reading scholarly journals online and checking my email.  It will be here on Tuesday... I hope.
• Sleep: Oh, you better believe I got this one done!

New for this week: I am getting my fat ass back in the gym!

 

I am going to take a lesson from my adviser, who does her reading and work on the treadmill.  I will take my reading with me to the gym, park myself on a bike or treadmill and read while I sweat.  Lets see how long I can keep this up!  Just to keep myself honest, today's body weight: 210 lbs.  I am going back to bringing my lunch and dinner every day.  That combined with the gym should get me back in shape in a jiffy!

I applied for a summer job at the Phialdelphia Zoo.  More on that if it develops into anything.  

Update: I will not be in Maryland on the 14th anymore.  The Category 5 Wind Ensemble concert has been moved to March 22nd.  I won't be able to play, but you should totally go hear the concert.  It will be awesome!

Important Dates:

• Wind Symphony Concert: March 11 at 7:30 pm at TPAC

• Wind Symphony Concert: March 22 at 7:30 pm at the Kimmel Center

• Mitch speaks at NAfME conference: October 25-28, 2015 in Nashville, TN

Well, sorry for the brevity of this week's blog.  I guess that is what happens over spring break.  This coming week is jam packed, so strap yourselves in for a monster post next week.

That is all for now.  Future Dr. Mitch, out!

Because My Favorite Spring Break Activity is Throwing Snowballs, Season 2, Episode 8

So, I have finally reached spring break.  I look out my window to take in the resplendent view of the arrival of spring...

(I know I took the picture in my car - no Mom, I wasn't driving when I took it - but go along with the whole waking up and looking out my window thing.  It makes for a better story.)

... wait a second, that doesn't look like spring!  At least it still being cold, grey, icy, miserable outside will force me to stay inside and do some reading and writing this week.  I have a long spring break "to do" list, but we will get to that in a bit.  Let me recap last week first.

Remember how I talked about how disgusting it is getting in my office?  How the humidity is so high that when I put on my jacket at the end of the day, the insides of the sleeves are wet?  Well, it is starting to smell mildewy in there and is getting worse.  So, I elected to take my contra home and use the school's contra until the conditions reach a point where I feel comfortable leaving my horn at school again.  I have to be honest; I didn't want to play the school's instruments because I didn't want to discover that their instruments were better than mine and want to play them instead of mine.  Well, this week I spent some time on the school's contra.  Holy crap, people.  I love my instrument more than ever now!  Aside from the fact that the school's contra has keywork in places that mine doesn't, causing me to play wrong notes and to not be able to play technical passages, the horn is in some serious need of repair.  It is missing screws, the bell is falling off, the peg doesn't reach the right height and slips on the floor, the bocals are bent, and more!  Additionally, it is so out of tune!  This week was the first time that Dr. T. gave me some critical feedback.  You know how I roll: contrabassoon awesomeness at all times.  But, I am fighting through this horn and am unable to be awesome.  So, she made comments about my volume, intonation, and articulation: things I never have issues with on my horn, but which I cannot seem to make work in my favor on the school horn.  I am sending emails to a variety of school employees to get the situation resolved because I shouldn't have to sacrifice my musical output because of poor environmental conditions in the building!

A couple weeks ago, when we had the incident with the screw on my contra, I toyed with the idea of taking my horn out to the Fox factory to be serviced, something I have not yet done and the horn is almost 10 years old!  I have been turning the idea over in my head for the past couple weeks and I have decided to make it happen.  So, I contacted Chip at Fox (he is the contrabassoon guy there) and am setting up a time at the beginning of May to drive my horn out for servicing.  It is going to cost $500.00, which is a lot of money, but they are going to treat all the wood, reseal all the joints, replace all the pads, shine the silver, and pretty much get it back to the condition it was in the day it left the factory.  I feel like I am willing to pay the money and take the time to drive to Indiana to have my horn worked on by people who work on contrabassons every day rather than give it to a local repairman, who might see a contrabassoon once or twice a year.  Since the school's contra is also a Fox, I offered to take their instrument out with me.  Temple offered to give me some money in exchange for the courier services!  The catch is that Chip told me that the Temple contra hasn't seen the factory since it was built in April, 1981 (yes, it is older than me!).  He said that, based on my assessment of the instrument and its age, it will probably be $1,800.00 to do a complete overhaul on the instrument.  I don't know if Temple will want to go in for all that money.  But, in my professional opinion, the horn needs it.  Either way, I will be heading out to South Bend, Indiana in May.  Anyone want to go on a road trip?

I got an email from Dr. C. early in the week.  It just said, "Are you in the building right now?  I have something I want to run by you."  So, I went down to her office to talk.  She told me that her schedule has become ridiculously busy and that she had to pull out of her speaking engagement at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association conference this spring.  She offered me the opportunity to present a session in her place.  Wow!  I felt really great that she had enough faith in me that she would offer me that kind of opportunity.  I really wanted to accept... except that the conference is the same weekend that I will be in Nashville with the Wind Symphony for the CBDNA performance.  Dammit!  Oh, well.  I hope that since I have reached this level with her that she will toss some more opportunities my way in the future.  Well, after I had to turn down the opportunity, we got to talking about the research study I am working on for her, my pending research, and future research we might do at Temple and she mentioned that she would like me to be her second author on some of the future research we will do at Temple.  The whole conversation with her that day made me really feel like she has taken me on as something of a protege.  I can't wait to see what future opportunities come my way!

I learned a new word this week that I really like.  Elucidate: to make something clear, or to explain something.

My midterm paper for Measurement and Evaluation in Music was due this week.  As you know, I have been interested in the issue of educational tracking and grouping of students by ability, and their implications on music education.  So, I wrote a paper on it.  I struggled with this paper a little bit.  It it such a wide topic that I had trouble finding a concise voice in the paper (5 page maximum) and I felt like my thoughts were a little schizophrenic and not as well organized or strung together as I would have liked.  Nevertheless, here is the paper.  You can read it for yourself!

Rethinking Seating Auditions: the Place of Norm-Referenced Rankings in Ensembles of Developing Musicians

Despite my not feeling super confident in this paper, my professor seemed to really like it!  He made a point of telling me how much he liked it when I saw him on Friday.

I lost two points for use of language.  Admittedly, I can be a little wordy.  I will continue to work on streamlining my use of language.

And now it is spring break.  Over the course of the week, I am going to:

• Write my Statistics midterm paper
• Write the outline for my NAfME session
• Do my taxes
• Finish reading the creativity book
• Write a research proposal for my research project
• Buy a tablet
• Sleep

Next week, I will let you know how I did!

Well, that is all for now.  Have a great week!

Future Doctor Mitch, out!

Don't Touch That Key; It's Hot! Season 2, Episode 7

I will start this week's account with an anecdote.  I was working in the Pet Shop on Thursday, as I do every Thursday.  Right at the end of my shift, an undergraduate student walked into the Pet Shop and announced that her saxophone was not working.  It turns out that she had a pad that had come unglued from the pad cup: a common occurrence in woodwind repair.  So, I jiggled the pad back into its cup, fired up my torch, heated up the cup to melt the glue, made sure the pad was refastened to the cup, and checked for leaks.  All good.  Now, here is the important part.  As I handed the saxophone back to the student, I made eye contact with her and I said, very slowly and well-enunciated, "don't touch that key; it's hot."  To which she replied, "I won't."  She took the saxophone from my hands and, as I turned away, I heard her shriek and then say, "I touched it."  I would like to say that I checked to make sure she was ok before I laughed at her.  But, that would be a lie.

 

Saturday, it snowed.  A lot.  So, I took the opportunity to do some work on the research paper that I have due on Wednesday and of which I had written a whopping two sentences.  I read a lot of articles on educational tracking, and specifically the effect of early teacher impressions of student ability on later student achievement as a self-fulfilling prophecy.  That is to say that if a teacher thinks a student will do well, that student is likely to do so; if a teacher thinks a student will do poorly, that student is also likely to do so.  I read and read until I realized that I was looking at words and not actually reading them, just looking at them.  It was time to stop for the day.  But, I will tell you about one article I read.

The author of the study observed ability-grouped reading lessons in a first grade classroom for an entire year.  The ability groups were formed based on the recommendations of the previous year's kindergarten teachers, who acknowledged considering both ability and maturity in their recommendations.  The study looked at student attention during reading lessons, the pervasiveness of classroom management techniques during lessons, the type and frequency of reading turn disruptions, and the self-fulfilling nature of the teacher's predictions of aptitude.  The author hypothesized that each reading group would have a different educational climate.  Lower-ability groups, because their assignment was made partially based on maturity, would have more inattentive behavior, which would lead to more classroom management actions, which would lead to more reading turn disruptions, all causing the lower-ability groups to have a lower quality of educational experience than the higher-achieving groups.  After analyzing the data, the author concluded that the lower-ability groups were significantly less attentive, encountered a significantly greater number of management acts, and had to endure a significantly higher number of reading turn disruptions.  The author surmises that this significant difference in learning context creates an atmosphere which is detrimental to the lower-ability groups' members chances of achievement.  Scores on a standardized reading test, taken by all students at the end of the year, were compared across ability groups and then to measures of teacher impressions of student reading ability.  Students assigned to the higher-ability groups did significantly better on the test than students assigned to the lower-ability groups.  There was also a significant, positive correlation between teacher impressions of reading ability and scores on the standardized test, indicating the presence of the self-fulfilling prophecy of achievement potential set in motion by the grouping of students by perceived ability.

Eder, D. (1981). Ability grouping as a self-fulfilling prophecy: a micro-analysis of student-teacher interaction. Sociology of Education, 54, pp.151-162.

So what?

Well, I think the implications on the school musical ensemble are quite large.  There seems to be a parallel between the ability grouping of students in reading class and the grouping of students that occurs in an ensemble as a result of seating auditions.  Assuming the ensemble director assigns parts within a section, in a top-down fashion, based on the results of a norm-referenced seating audition, the director may very well be making self-fulfilling prophecies regarding the musical achievement of the students.  Students who are at the bottom of the rank order are given the easiest parts, potentially leading to less engagement, more inattentiveness, more management actions coming their way, and more stoppage of playing music for them.  In essence, the director is handing these students the easy part and saying, "this is what I think you are capable of."  And the students need not reach any higher than that, regardless of whether or not they are actually capable of playing the harder parts.  Well, you have heard me say it countless times and I will say it again: this is why we should be employing rotating sections instead of rank-order, part-assigned sections.  More research on this topic to come.

Remember last week how the contra was broken?  It was such a sad moment.  Though, I have to admit that I got a little excited about driving the contra out to Indiana to have it serviced at the Fox factory.  Well, I took another look at it this week and, lo and behold, there was just a screw that had backed itself out.  I screwed that bad boy back in and, BAM!, working contra.  So, in Wind Symphony, we are playing a tune called Bells for Stokowski by Michael Doherty.  There is this cool little moment where the contrabassoon and some other low reeds (bassoons, bass clarinet, and such, but who is really listening to them when the contra is cranking?) have a really aggressive iteration of the melodic content.

 

(The passage in question happens around 5:44.  To be fair, the Marine Band could use more contra.  Come on, guys!)

Anyway, I must have been channeling my inner monster as we played it on Wednesday because Dr. T. turns to the low reed section and said something to the effect of, "let the contra take the lead here. We don't often have a contra player as talented as the one we do right now."  Turbo Contra, baby!

I didn't have a terribly great Night Owls rehearsal on Monday.  I really planned out what I wanted to do and had convinced myself that it would be a really weighty task to get through.  But, somehow, the group powered through my whole 15 minute plan in about 6 minutes and I was left unprepared with what to do next.  I lost my momentum and, even though we did get some good work done, I wasn't in complete control of the situation and I didn't feel that great about it as a result.  I let myself fall into one of the traps I keep reminding the undergrads of: always plan too much because you never know what will happen.  Silly, Mitch: practice what you preach!

I was super stoked for Temple Prep on Saturday.  Problem: Temple Prep was cancelled this Saturday due to school of music auditions and nobody told me about it.  So, I showed up and it took me longer than I would care to admit to realize there were no Temple Prep people milling about, and then went right back home.

Upcoming Events:

• Wind Symphony Concert: March 11 at 7:30 pm at TPAC

• Category 5 Wind Ensemble Concert (yes, I am playing again!): March 14, probably at 7 pm, I think at Laurel HS, Laurel, MD

• Wind Symphony Concert: March 22 at 7:30 pm at the Kimmel Center

• Mitch speaks at NAfME conference: October 25-28, 2015 in Nashville, TN

Well, that is all for this week.  Stay warm, my friends.

Future Doctor Mitch, out!

Blood Is Thicker Than Water, But the Air In My Office Is Thickest Of All! Season 2, Episode 6

In this episode, something mindblowingly amazing will be revealed about our hero (AKA: me).  But not in the next paragraph.  You have to wait.

So, I arrive at school on Monday morning, ready to get to work.  I open my office door, only to be met with the dankest, wettest, cringe-worthyest air quality every experienced by humankind.  I felt like I needed a knife, no a sword, no a light saber (because only the best of tools will suffice) to cut my way through the air and enter my office.  Apparently, there is a problem in the boiler room and everything in the basement of the building is now subjected to a moist environment because of it.  Just to paint you a picture of how bad it is: when I put on my coat at the end of the day on Friday, the insides of the sleeves were wet.  Yuck!  So, all of us are complaining and the answer we have been given is, "they are working on it.  In the meantime, get a fan."  Which really means, "you are grad students.  Who cares about your office conditions?"

On Tuesday, I was fixing a clarinet and dropped a pivot screw.  Pivot screws are tiny screws that hold the keys on the instrument as well as acting as pivot points so they can toggle up and down.  Well, I couldn't find the screw, which is not surprising since I often can't find things like my keys which are so much bigger than a pivot screw.  No biggie, though.  They are super cheap and I put a pack of pivot screws on my list of things to buy.  On Thursday, when I was in the Pet Shop (where I fix the instruments), I stepped on something sharp and it stuck through the sole of my shoe and poked the bottom of my foot.  Guess what it was...  You got it; it was the pivot screw!

The contra is broken.

So, when I play, some of the low notes vibrate at such a slow frequency that I actually experience my eyeballs shaking in their sockets.  It's neat to watch the world vibrate while I play.  So, I was playing and I thought, "how cool.  I can see my instrument vibrating when I play low b.  That's this note for anyone keeping track:

I know there is no sound file with that note.  Just imagine the lowest note you can think of and then think of a note lower than that note.  That note you are now thinking of is not quite this note.  This note is still one note lower than that.  Anyway, I digress.  As I was looking at my instrument shaking, which is usually just my eyeballs shaking, I realized that in this case, the instrument actually was shaking!  The low b key was not sealing properly and it was flapping open and closed on the very low notes.  Gaaaah!  So, now I have to take the contra to the shop.  I have gotten a name of someone very reputable up here.  But, I am very apprehensive about taking my horn to a repairman I have no prior experience with.  If you have some time, offer up a prayer to Hephaestus, the Greek god who smithed the weapons of the gods, of which the contrabassoon surely is one.

Ready for that big reveal?  Well, it is not quite time yet...

Remember that time Dan told me he and Rachel were pregnant with Baby Ben and I didn't realize I was the only one who knew and I blabbed to people?  I should just tell people when they meet me that if something is sensitive information, they need to be explicit about it to me.  One of my professors told me something this week about one of my other professors.  It came up in casual conversation, so I didn't think it was a big secret.  But it turns out it totally was!  And of course, I opened my mouth to someone about it, not maliciously, of course.  I was just hoping to get some more information about the scenario.  Luckily, the person I talked to was one of the very few people who knew the information already, so I didn't let the cat out of the bag.  But, the person I told went and told the professor that I now knew the sensitive information and all of a sudden, I was caught up in this rumor mill and unable to get out of it!  It felt like middle school all over again, that is if I had been popular enough in middle school to have been part of any big rumors.

Monday night, I played in a concert.  It wasn't uber fantastic, but I think it was decent.  Here is the link.  Check out the contrabassooning!  Even with the broken key!
https://drive.google.com/file/ d/ 0B0VsY8BzjTmWZ1N5b1A2ejdxWU0/ view?usp=sharing
The piece I am on starts around 1:04:00.

This week, I have been doing some more reading on auditions in school settings.  I ran across a master's degree thesis which looked at the effects on student musicians of auditions which result in ensemble and seating placements.  The study found that there were only brief negative impacts on motivation and self-esteem based on audition results.  The study also found that the overall motivation and self esteem of students with higher placements was not significantly better than any other group and that the overall motivation and self esteem levels of students with lower placements was not significantly lower than any other group.  The study concluded that ensemble directors need not be concerned with the negative effects of the audition process, because they seem to be short lived and not significant in the long run. 

Daniel, J. J. (2006). Effects of band and seating placement on the motivation and musical self-esteem of high school wind musicians (unpublished master's thesis). Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH.

As you know, I am concerning myself lately with the appropriateness of seating placements in ensembles of developing musicians.  My contention is that by assigning parts based on seating auditions, we essentially "track" certain players into the 3rd clarinet parts and out of the potential for being a life-long musician.  The results of this study concerned me because I expected to find a more detrimental effect to the psyche of high school musicians who do not do as well on the auditions.  But, after further thought, the results of this study actually jive with what I know about tracking.  Students who are tracked into any educational track, more often than not, do not switch tracks, especially in the upward direction.  If students' self-esteem and motivation remain unblemished by placement in poorer tracks, this may be part of the cause for students not actively trying to reach the upper tracks after poor placement.  However, I need to do much more reading before I can properly argue this position.
 
Ok.  Are you ready for the big reveal?  Move That Bus!


Remember back to the end of last semester and possibly the beginning of this semester when I was preparing that session proposal to speak at a conference and I told you that I was unable to reveal the contents of that proposal because it was still in the works?  Well, I have been invited to speak at the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME, formerly MENC) National In-Service Conference in October 2015 in Nashville, TN.  My session is entitled, Transcending the Notes and Rhythms: Fostering Creativity in Instrumental Ensembles.  Want to know what will be in the session?  Then you better get your butt to Nashville in the fall!

Well, folks, it was a jam packed week and I am sure you are done reading about it just as I am done living it.  Until next week,

Future Doctor Mitch, out!