McCormick Place, Chicago

Jeff Girard and M-R Music present

The Wind Band Report

2014 Midwest Preview #1

Reference Materials

Vol. 2, No. 7 December 2014

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It's that time year again when the air turns cold, schools prepare to close, and thoughts turn to the hustle and bustle that is the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. I've had a whole year to prepare this time, so I'm a little ahead of the game in my preparations this time. I might not have to work until midnight every night this week. That would be nice.

In any event, we'll be in the same spot as before with a huge display of wind band scores, wind band sets, DVD, CDs, and related reference materials for you to peruse through. You can bill to your school or pay by credit card (except American Express - sorry). As before, if you aren't able to put your purchases in your suitcase for your return flight, we'll ship your items to you for free after the holidays.

We will also be working directly with Hal Leonard so that you can purchase items directly from their booth and have them billed to your school or credit card through us, without having to take the item over to our booth. Just ask to have it charged to M-R Music when you want to buy something there.

Also, don't forget your smart phone. In addition to needing it to access the Midwest Program this year (I believe they are not printing books this time), you can use it to scan the QR Code labels on many of our band works and DVDs to listen and/or watch a preview of the item. Test it out on the QR code up above.

I'll be putting out about 2-3 more previews this week, so check your inbox and whitelist our email address (instrumental@mrmusicinc.com) to make sure you receive them. Today I'll talk about some new reference resources, including a major new book which we will be presenting a special offer on the floor during the conference, so read on and stop by next week. Be seeing you soon!

Reference Materials

Midwest Floor Special: $̶2̶4̶.̶9̶9̶

(see booth for price)

Sourcebook

for Wind Band and

Instrumental Music

Frank Battisti

William Berz

Russ Girsberger

This is one of the most comprehensive collection of wind band related resource material and information that I have ever seen. It was created to aid directors and teachers in finding the information they need and expand their general knowledge, and it does just that in spades. It's essentially a huge bibliography of information from published books, articles, and online resources categorized into various topics. The information covers a wide range of topics, from general resources about music (Basic resources books, conducting workshops, websites for band directors, music companies and schools, etc) to more specific resources (Biographies, composer's websites, orchestration, conducting, instrumental methods, lists of literature, etc). If you want to research something dealing with the wind band medium, this book is one of the best places to start.

As a special Midwest promotion, and only on the floor at Midwest, we'll be offering this book at a special price which we'll announce at the show. This price is only for books picked up and purchased at Midwest. Also, Frank Battisti will be signing copies of the book in the Hal Leonard booth at some point during the convention. So stop by the booth and pick up a copy, maybe pick up another of the various Battisti resources we'll have on hand, and then swing by the Hal Leonard booth to get them signed by the icon himself.

Music for Concert Band

Joseph Kreines, Robert Hansborough

Here's a resource every band director should have on their shelf, whether you're a first year teacher or an experienced director. It's an annotated guide to wind band literature, a reworking and extension of the original "Band Music Handbook" published back in 1971.

This second edition of Music for Concert Band is a new and comprehensive anthology of meticulously selected and graded literature for wind band. It contains hundreds of outstanding works appropriate for elementary through professional-level ensembles and will acquaint directors with a wide spectrum of quality literature both standard and new. Each recommended work contains a description of the work including pedagogical, stylistic and form indicators. In addition, the book contains a section on stylistic categories (Waltzes, Latin, Overtures, Folk Songs, etc), and recommended marches. It's a great way to start your search for an established piece of music to fill out your concert program.

Book: $29.95

In Search of the Wind Band: An International Expedition

Dan Rager

This first-of-a-kind, interactive encyclopedic E-Book, uses text, video, mp3 and pdf files to bring the history and development of the wind-band to life. From Europe through North and South America, sixteen countries are explored, surveying the wind band from the Classical Period through present day.

Included in this collection are areas of history not generally covered in other resources, such as industrial, railroad, prison, police, and hospital and Native American Indian bands. Just insert the DVD into your computer and start reading or perusing, clicking links that lead to examples, pdf scores, and relevant websites.

I haven't seen anything quite like this before, it can be a great resource for a music or band history class, or just a useful reference to discover historical information you never knew about.

DVD-ROM: $30.95

Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, Vol. 10

Continuing the tradition, the next book in the well established series compiled by Richard Miles is now ready. Featuring 100 new works from grades 2-6 and articles by leaders of the wind band profession on a wide range of critical topics, this is another must have for the school or personal library.

Chapters in this book include "Context and Conviction" by Larry Blocher, "Goals-A Relentless Pursuit Learning to Identify, Attain and Appreciate Achievement" by Ray Cramer, "It's About Time! The What, How and Why of Student Leadership" by Tim Lautzenheiser, and others by Eugene Corporon, Edward Lisk, and Richard Miles. Also includes an index to all 1000 songs and 60 articles in the entire collection.

Book: $59.95

3CD Set (Grade 2-3): 39.50

Teaching Music Through Performance in Middle School Band

This volume fills a gap in the acclaimed Teaching Music through Performance series, providing critical information on creating an effective wind band program in Grades 6 through 8, from recruitment, rehearsal, repertoire, to concert.

Seven articles by leading middle school band directors talk about a variety of issues relevant to Middle School band programs. Following that is the identification and analysis of 100 core works for middle school ensembles, organized by difficulty level, from middle school grade 1 to 3.5. A separate section is devoted entirely to analyzing marches, also organized by difficulty level.

A 5CD set is also available with recordings of all 100 works.

Book: 59.95

5 CD Set: $59.50

Guides to Band Masterworks,

Volumes 4 & 5

(Click image for a youtube preview)

Continuing the series, these volumes provide band directors with a ready-made curriculum developed to incorporate comprehensive-musicianship training through quality band literature.

When incorporating unit studies as a regular part of the band curriculum, students move beyond simply rehearsing pieces for a concert. They develop long-lasting benefits, growing as musicians and learning to love the music they perform. Every unit study integrates technical skills, musical knowledge and creative projects that lead student musicians to an enlightened and expressive performance.

Volume 4 includes study on Yorkshire Ballad, Lux Aurumque, and Dusk. Volume 5 includes Courtly Airs and Dances, Albanian Dances, and Shortcut Home.

Book (Vol. 4 or 5): $24.99

Quality of Life Habits for a Successful Band Director

How does a band director sustain a happy and healthy career? How best to balance work life and family life? Who should band directors turn to for support and guidance?

Written by two veteran music educators, this book is for anyone who struggles in dealing with the hazards of the profession, be it a first-year teacher or a seasoned veteran of more than 25 years. This book can also be especially valuable for music education students, and can help solve many problems before they start.

Topics include: early career strategies; perspectives from the masters Ray Cramer and Frank Battisti; balancing family, spouse, workplace, and personal needs; motherhood and band directing; and transferring theory to practice through the development of action steps and professional strategies.

Book: $21.95


Baton Basics: Communicating Music Through Gestures Diane Wittry Diane explains the concept of conveying weight, resistance, and energy in order to communicate a better concept of musical sound to the musicians. It guides conductors away from simply marking beat patterns, and towards a nuanced and phrased musicality you can communicate to your musicians. Book - $29.95	Conducting for a New Era Edwin Roxburgh This book offers guidance and practical advice for conducting twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire. It looks at the development of conducting through the modern era, technical resources to help with coimplex rhythmic patterns, interviews with distinguished musicians, and specific score examples with a DVD to practice conducting with. Book - $45.00	Conducting: The Art of Communication Second Edition Wayne Bailey, Brandt Payne This book provides a comprehensive treatment of all the instrumental conducting aspects: technical, analytical, and expressive. New to this second edition is expanded coverage on areas of score preparation, expanded discussion of conducting issues, longer and transposed exercises, and other new materials. Book - $69.95