OH THE SWING

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OH THE SWING
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Jarritt A. Sheel

• Florida Agricultural Mechanical University
  Tallahassee, FL
• Degree Earned B.S. Music August 2005
• Emphasis of Study Trumpet Performance, Jazz
• Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL
• Degree Earned M.M. Jazz Studies May 2008
• Emphasis of Study Jazz Performance/ Jazz
  Pedagogy
• Graduate Teaching Assistantship Jazz Studies
  Department
• Pi Kappa Lambda, John H. Clarke Honor Society,
  International Association of Jazz Educators NIU
  Chapter (Pres 2007/2008), Kappa Kappa Psi Delta
  Iota Kappa Nu Chapters (Pres 2002), Jazz
  Journalist Association, International Trumpet
  Guild, Black Graduate Student Association (Pres
  2006-08), NAACP
• Valencia Community College Orlando, FL 2009
  - Pres
• Adjunct Music Faculty/ Classes History of Rock
  Jazz, Music Appreciation, Music
• Theory
• Ocoee High School Ocoee, FL Aug. 2010 -
  Pres
• Assistant Band Director Jazz Band, Marching Band
• Valencia Community College Jazz Camp Orlando, FL
  2009 - Pres
• Jazz Camp Director

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COUNT BASIE Meets DUKE ELLINGTON
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TRAVELING MAN
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FMEAFlorida Music Educators Association
Convention Saturday January 15th, 20111000am

• OUTLINE
• Improvisation
• The reason why most students join the jazz band
• Benefiting from the Swing
• Understanding how you, your ensemble can
  benefit from performing swing era music (1930s
  -1940s)
• Dance Music Popular Music
• Dealing with that Swing
• Difference Between Basies and Ellingtons
  Rhythm Section
• Building Character Through Playing the Dynamics
  in the Music.
• Music Selection Programming/Rehearsing

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IMPROVISATION

• This is one of the main reasons why students
  join the jazz band, to explore the magical world
  of improvisation. Improvisation is not something
  that can be taught, but rather something that can
  be facilitated.
• The best way to teach students about
  improvisation in jazz, would be to start in the
  genre of Blues and learn the concepts of bended
  notes, blues intervals, patterns, and melodic
  lines.
• This is usually the hardest element to work on,
  but the element that has the potential to create
  the most enjoyment.

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IMPROVISATION cont.

• GREAT WAYS TO PROMOTE IMPROVISATION
• Listen Listen Listen (Great way to deal with
  form)
• Transcribing Solos
• Give them a recommended list of recordings,
  videos, and books
• Assign various legendary big band soloist,for
  your students to mimic their style from vibrato,
  note length, and note choice in improvisation.
• Practice Call Response exercises with your
  students daily. Begin with the blues form.

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BENEFITING FROM THE SWING

• The main focus of this presentation today, is to
  expose high school middle school band directors
  to the wonderful music/charts of Duke Ellington
  and Count Basie. These arent the only swing era
  big band leaders/composers BUT their music is
  the apex of this genre.
• The idea for this presentation came as an
  epiphany, after sitting through many high school
  and middle jazz band concerts. Witnessing the
  Swingless concerts that take place every month
  across the USA. Seeing the excitement that many
  children approach the study of jazz with,
  disappear after performing a variety of pop
  tunes during the one concert a year or the
  holiday season.
• There are soo many qualities, such as
  leadership, problem solving, creativeness, etc.
  that can be cultivated through performance of
  this great American art form.

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BENEFITING FROM THE SWING cont.

• Both student and teacher can benefit from
  performing this great music. Big Bang-Swing Era
  music was composed,developed and performed during
  the high point of Jazz Musics popularity the
  (1930-1940s). This alsocoincidentally was
  during the great Dance Era in America.
• So, in order to truly benefit from this music,
  you must explain to your students the importance
  of the dance element that is inextricably
  connected with this era of the music. As the
  instructor, you will benefit from this music as
  it develops your
• Metric Division (SWING)
• Cultural awareness (HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT)
• Impromptu creative development (IMPROVISATION)

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BENEFITING FROM THE SWING cont.

• Your students can also look forward to attaining
  development in each of these areas if study is
  taken seriously.
• Metric Division (SWING)
• Cultural Awareness (HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT)
• Impromptu Creative Development (IMPROVISATION)
• Now some of you are probably thinking how can I
  get students to take this serious when they cant
  take the study of classical music serious? Well
  my answer to that is you should explain to them
  how this is Americas first great classical
  music. This is one of the few music forms that
  was expressly a development of the dance era in
  America and a by-product of American Genius and
  know-how.

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DANCE MUSIC POPULAR MUSIC

• To understand Swing Music, you have to
  comprehend that the popular music of the day
  1930-1940s was swing music. We have to then
  realize almost all popular music, like todays
  music have dance moves associated with them.
• The historical development of particular swing
  dance styles was often in response to trends in
  popular music. For example, 1920s and solo
  Charleston was - and is - usually danced to 2/4
  ragtime music or traditional jazz, Lindy Hop was
  danced to swing music (a kind of swinging jazz),
  and Lindy Charleston to either traditional or
  swing jazz. West Coast Swing is usually danced to
  Pop, RB, Blues, or Funk. Western Swing and
  Push/Whip are usually danced to country and
  western or Blues music. There are local
  variations on these musical associations in each
  dance scene, often informed by local DJs, dance
  teachers and bands

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DANCE MUSIC POPULAR MUSIC cont.

• Lindy Hop
• Charleston (dance)
• Shag
• Balboa
• West Coast Swing
• East Coast Swing
• Hand Dancing
• Jive, Rock and Roll
• Modern Jive
• boogie woogie
• Rock'n'roll

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DEALING w/ the SWING

• As we get to the crux of the matter we deal
  with the difference between Count Basies Rhythm
  Section and Duke Ellingtons Rhythm Section.
• COUNT BASIE
• (4 Piece Rhythm Section) Guitar, Piano, Bass,
  and Drum Kit
• The Guitar, FREDDIE GREEN (g), functions as the
  main chordal instrument (middle) with the Piano
  playing a very minimal role. The drum kit,
  should always be able to switch between Ride
  cymbal and Hi-Hat, from cymbal to cymbal slowly
  introducing the various elements of the drum kit.
  
• In the Basie rhythm sections of the 1930s the
  drummer would place the quarter note pulse in the
  bass drum/kit drum which would emancipate the
  rest of the band.
• Piano - Minimal Role Guitar - Comping/Chordal
• Bass - Quarter Note Drums - Quarter Note

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DEALING w/ the SWING cont.

• DUKE ELLINGTON
• Piano, Bass, and Drum Kit
• (3 Piece Rhythm Section) Piano, Bass, and Drum
  Kit
• The Piano functions as the main chordal
  instrument with a wide range of tones. The piano
  plays a variety of roles ranging from the
  conductor to the comper. The drum kit, should
  always be able to switch between Ride cymbal and
  Hi-Hat, from cymbal to cymbal slowly introducing
  the various elements of the drum kit. The Bass is
  such an important element that helps lock in the
  swing and the harmonic foundation.
• The Elllington rhythm sections of the 1930s
  1940s were very classical oriented and worked to
  get a wide variety of tones, colors and perform a
  wide variety of genres. The drummer would place
  the quarter note pulse in the bass drum/kit drum
  which would emancipate the rest of the band,
  while locking in with the bassist to create a
  believable swing.
• Piano - Comping/Chordal
• Bass - Quarter Note Drums - Quarter Note
  SWING!!!

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DEALING w/ the SWING cont.

• In order to create a convincing SWING feel
  there are a couple of things that to consider.
  Listed below
• - Many rhythm sections are weak. The reasons for
  this are
• 1) students dont understand that jazz is dance
  music and rhythms should be danceable. If you
  cant dance to it then it aint swing.
• 2) most players on bass, drums, and piano have
  small and timid sounds i.e. drummers sound
  plastic and restricted bass players are not
  pulling sound out of their basses and pianist
  lack technical command
• When the rhythm section is weak the WHOLE BAND
  suffers!!!
• Solution
• Remind them that the rhythm section is the heart
  of the band. You have to direct them to artist
  who SWING and encourage/schedule sectionals.

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DEALING w/ the SWING cont.

• 3) Have students concentrate on rhythm. In jazz,
  every instrument is also a drum. Instruments most
  be played percussively..NOT LOUDLY.
• 4) HOLD GOAL ORIENTED SECTIONAL REHEARSALS!!!
• 5) Now-a-days, because we dont sing as a
  culture, kids have a problem singing through
  their horns. Every melody should be sung without
  ashame and with clarion soul.
• 6) Let every student find a thrill in the heel
  or count the sugar daddies aka triplet feel. in
  order to get everyone on the same beat. The
  common mistake that we all approach music withis
  that there are people with and without rhythm.
  Everyone has rhythm, or time the difference is,
  that everyones idea or feel of the quarter is
  different. SO, you have to get your students
  counting in order to create an all-around swing
  in your ensemble.

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BUILDING CHARACTER Through Playing Dynamics in
Swing Music

• This section is pretty self explanatory.
  Challenging students with really playing
  everything in the music really helps to reinforce
  character traits like dedication, discipline,
  courageous, logical, patient, humble, etc.
• In general, the pieces requiring swing get
  weaker and weaker as they go along because most
  modern music students arent used to
  concentrating for more than a couple of minutes.
  Even though its difficult, we should encourage
  them to reaffirm the rhythm the same way a coach
  begs his or her team to hustle in the final
  quarter of the game. We have to play with more
  rhythmic authority and verve. We have to use this
  great music form as a way to teach culture/
  history, children to be responsible, develop good
  character traits, and encourage problem solving.

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MUSIC SELECTION PROGRAMMING/REHEARSING

• I know many of you are thinking..this seems
  almost as hard as a figuring out how to get the
  band swinging, but it is rather easy. There is a
  tried and true method that we all can take
  advantage of. Here is a formula that can help you
  out.
• Formula for success
• Fast Slow Latin Medium Swing Ballad
  Fast Blues Great Concert
• Figuring out the selection can sometimes be as
  easy as selecting a particular composer of band
  and doing their songbook or doing a group of
  related artist. Many of the big band would
  interchange artist like Clark Terry, who was both
  in the Basie Band and Ellington Orchestra.

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RESOURCES

• LINCOLN CENTER ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON PROGRAM
• ELLINGTON 101, Essentially Ellington
  Competition, Jazz at Lincoln Center Podcast
• National Endowment of the Arts (NEA)
• Jazz in the Schools, Jazz Masters
• Charles Mingus
• Charles Mingus High School Competition
• Savannah Music Festival
• Swing Central High School Jazz Band?Competition
  Workshop
• University or College Jazz Bands
• it is a great way for them to recruit for their
  programs and a awesome way to get clinics and
  workshops for your band program
• Recordings
• Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
• Count Basie Orchestra
• Duke Ellington
• Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Orchestra
• Benny Goodman Orchestra
• Lionel Hampton

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RESOURCES cont.

• Additional Resources
• The Duke Ellington Society
• P.O. Box 15591
• Washington DC
• 20003-0787
• Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra
• Smithsonian Institution
• NMAH 4100, MRC 616
• P.O. Box 37012
• Washington, DC 20560
• National Endowment for the Arts
• 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW?
• Washington, DC 20506?
• Jazz at Lincoln Center
• 33 West 60 Street, Floor 11?
• New York, New York 10023

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RESOURCES cont.

• Videos
• Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
• Ken Burns Jazz (2000)
• On the Road with Duke Ellington (1967)
• Books
• Teaching Music through Performance in Jazz by
  Wynton Marsalis, Ronald Carter, Ron McCurdy,
  Reginald Thomas, and Ron Modell

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COUNT BASIE (August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1984)

• William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904 - April
  26, 1984)
• was an American jazz pianist, organist,
  bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz
  orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50
  years. He was closely

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COUNT BASIE

• Vital Statistics
• Rhythm Section
• As a leader he set new standards for the rhythm
  section in the swing style. His rhythm section
  could convey a relaxed feel, swinging without
  being heavy handed. Basies rhythm section became
  the model for the rhythm sections of Louis Jordan
  and other great early RB groups of the 1940s
  and 1950s.
• Piano Style
• His distinctive minimalist piano style made
  superb use of space, and his choice of notes was
  flawless.
• Use of Riffs
• His band pioneered the use of riffs in jazz.
  Originally a Kansas City jazz style, the practice
  later became common in bebop and RB.
• Influential Big Band Arrangements
• Basie was fortunate to work with talented
  arrangers such as Neal Hefti, Quincy Jones, Frank
  Foster, and Sammy Nestico. His band codified the
  big band style. Many Basie arrangements were
  published and widely distributed for high school,
  college , and professional big band ensembles.

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DUKE ELLINGTON (April 29, 1899 - May 24, 1974)

• Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 -
  May 24, 1974)
• A prominent figure in the history of jazz,
  Ellington's music stretched into various other
  genres, including blues, gospel, film scores,
  popular, and classical. His career spanned more
  than 50 years and included leading his orchestra,
  composing an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for
  movies, composing stage musicals, and world
  tours. Several of his instrumental works were
  adapted into songs that became standards. Due to
  his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band,
  and thanks to his eloquence and extraordinary
  charisma, he is generally considered to have
  elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on
  a par with other traditional genres of music. His
  reputation increased after his death, the
  Pulitzer Prize Board bestowing a special
  posthumous honor in 1999

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DUKE ELLINGTON cont.

• Vital Statistics
• One of the greatest composers of the 20th century
• Composed nearly 2,000 works, including
  three-minute instrumental pieces, popular
• songs, large-scale suites, scared music, film
  scores, and a nearly finished opera
• Developed an extraordinary group of musicians
  many of whom stayed with him for over
• 50 years
• Played more than 20,000 performances over the
  course of his career.
• Influenced generations of pianist with his
  distinctive style and beautiful sound
• Embraced the range of American music like no one
  else
• Extended the scope and sound of jazz
• Spread the language of jazz around the world.

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The 10 of the Most Common Mistakes That Jazz Band
Directors Make

• Why join JAZZ BAND if youre going to perform pop
  arrangements?
• LISTENING to recordings, is something you have to
  help foster
• What makes jazz band fun, is the fact that the
  music is fun, creative, and interesting getting
  the style totally correct is hard enough
• This is a team, highlight your strengths and
  weakness.. that is the only way to improve
• This is why most students join jazz band, to
  attempt something extraordinary

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The 10 Most Common Mistakes That Jazz Band
Directors Make cont.

• DUKE BASIE did it . so why wouldnt you
• Help them develop, give them responsibility and
  opportunity to achieve
• The kids arent working for you, rather you are
  both work together to achieve. So, pick
  achievable charts
• Stop being stubborn, there are always people who
  are better informed, use their expertise
• PERFORM, be more than just a band
  director/teacher?continue to perform

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Why join JAZZ BAND if youre going to perform pop
arrangements?

• 1) Playing only pop arrangements?
• In this case the director thinks that if his
  jazz ensemble only plays arrangements of current
  pop hits, that itll keep the kids interested.
  Many music publishers has a division that creates
  simple arrangements of simple popular music. In
  many ways you cant blame them since many
  educators purchase them yearly. They are in the
  business of making money. Most of these charts
  are played only in the first year that theyre
  purchased and are then quickly relegated to the
  dead music section of the music library.
  Directors must understand that publishers always
  offer the good, the bad, and the ugly when it
  comes to jazz band arrangements.
• Im not trashing pop music. Its just doesnt
  provide the best route for creating a good big
  band arrangement or teaching swing traditions.
  Tradition as well as practice has proven that the
  music we call jazz, as well as Standards, seems
  to work best as the source material for most big
  band music. What is sad is that we tend to
  underestimate what students will accept and will
  like. With a little time and understanding, most
  students will come to accept, love, and even
  demand this style of music

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LISTENING to recordings, is something you have to
help foster

• 2) Not playing recordings for students?
• If Directors wonder, How do I get my band to
  play Basie-style charts better? Logic says,
  Play some Basie recordings for them. Most
  directors expect some miraculous rehearsal
  technique but it is usually the simple and
  obvious that works the best. We all know that
  music is an imitative art form. Jazz, in
  particular, has a variety of musical elements
  that just cannot be accurately notated. Students
  must have frequent modeling from professional
  sources in order to fully develop as musicians.
  (GO FIND THESE SOURCES) Next to sight-reading,
  regularly playing quality recordings for your
  students is the most effective thing that you can
  do to improve your band. It may take some time
  for the style to be ingrained in their
  memoriesbut it does work. Playing your students
  recordings of a great professional band playing
  as students are they arrive into each rehearsal
  is an easy way of accomplishing this.

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What makes jazz band fun, is the fact that the
music is fun, creative, and interesting getting
the style totally correct is hard enough

• 3) Playing arrangements just because theyre
  hard?Weve all heard charts like these the brass
  play in the stratosphere through the entire
  piece, the saxes seem to have one technically
  impossible soli after another, the changes are
  unbelievably complex, it seems to hit every
  musical feel Swing, Rock, Ballad, Latin, the
  tempos are blistering, and it musically stinks!
  Music Educators everywhere call these charts
  DUMB.
• With the emphasis on competition, some directors
  reason that the tougher the chart, the more it
  will showcase their band. While this thinking may
  occasionally help win a competition, it does so
  at the expense of musically cheating the students
  involved of an successful, enjoyable experience.
  Its never musically or educationally sound to
  choose a any chart for your band just because it
  sounds (or looks) technically tough. You should
  choose a chart because youve heard it and it
  sounds like something that your students will
  enjoy and learn from. An arrangement should first
  and foremost always have some musical merit.
• Remember why waste any time playing bad (or
  even mediocre) charts when there are so many good
  charts available? Just because a chart exists
  doesnt mean that it deserves to be played!??

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This is a team, highlight your strengths and
weakness.. that is the only way to improve

• 4) Using the jazz ensemble like a super big
  combo
• This type of jazz ensemble suffers from a real
  identity crisis. These typically are groups that
  are made just to showcase the great young
  soloist, and neglects the development of the rest
  of the groups members. Often, the director will
  have a strong background in jazz improvisation,
  but lacks experience with (or appreciation of)
  the Big Band as an ensemble. They may believe
  that theyre actually doing the right thing by
  making jazz improvisation the primary focus of
  their group. In the Swing Era, the focus of the
  ensemblealways was making music that the
  audience could dance to.
• Directors must remember that the big band has
  always been an arrangers medium perhaps more
  than any other type of musical ensemble. The
  amazing sounds of bands like Stan Kenton, Count
  Basie, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Maynard
  Ferguson, and many others can all be faithfully
  recreated because of the wonderful arrangements
  that have been left behind. Today, arrangers are
  still forging great new charts for the medium.
  Yes, improvisation is an important part of the
  big band as we know it, but its just not the
  most important part. A good jazz ensemble should
  always be centered on playing quality
  arrangements that feature the entire ensemble
  first and the soloist second.

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This is why most students join jazz band, to
attempt something extraordinary

• 5) Never working on jazz improvisation?
• Never working on improvisation with your
  students can be just as bad as making it the only
  focus of your jazz ensemble program. Jazz solos
  are an important part of most big band
  arrangements. Unfortunately, most directors try
  winging it on the concert with little to no
  instruction or direction for the soloist. Most of
  the time this is because the director has had
  little or no experience with improvisation and
  feels less uncomfortable trying to teach it.
• The director in this case must either confront
  his or her lack of knowledge or bring in outside
  professional help to remedy the problem. Many
  colleges and universities offer summer courses
  and clinics dealing with jazz improvisation and
  how to teach it. For instance, Jazz at Lincoln
  Center has a band director workshop during the
  summer months. Although taking a course like this
  may require some time and humility, its usually
  well worth the effort, and can be subsidized by
  administration and/or band booster.. Like this
  clinic. The quickest (and perhaps best) way to
  deal with teaching improvisation is to bring in
  outside help. This outside person can be either a
  local professional musician or a qualified
  college instructor. However you choose to
  incorporate improvisation instruction into your
  program, it needs to be done on a regular basis.
  Unless you have a healthy jazz combo component as
  part of your overall program, you should probably
  work on improvisation at least a little bit at
  each jazz ensemble rehearsal.

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DUKE BASIE.. did it and why wouldnt you?

• 6) Not sight-reading with the jazz band?
• Unfortunately, this is a side effect of having
  great high school jazz competitions like Mingus,
  Swing Central, and Essentially Ellington. Many
  directors will then budget rehearsal times
  specifically for the 3 or 4 tunes theyve
  selected to play at competitions that year. They
  may feel that arranging time for anything else is
  a waste time.
• I believe that besides listening activities,..
  Sight-reading is the absolute best tool that a
  director can use to increase the strength and
  independence of their band. Teaching concepts
  should be job number one, notrote teaching of
  rhythms. We are here to facilitate mastery. A
  director who teaches his band to sight-read will
  find that they can learn tough literature faster
  than they previously did. Starting your
  rehearsals by sight-reading an easy to medium
  difficulty chart (grade 2-4) will quickly help
  improve any high school (or college) band. Most
  school libraries have many arrangements just
  sitting in mothballs that could easily be used
  for this purpose. Im always amazed and perplexed
  as to why more school groups dont use this easy,
  but incredibly effective program building tool.
  These are the same tactics used in wind ensembles
  across the world.

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Help them develop, give them responsibility and
opportunity to achieve

• 7) Using more than one student on each part?
• Sections will almost always have two students
  playing the lead part. This is totally taking
  away the students opportunity to grow. This
  typically is done to help strengthen the sound of
  the ensemble, but usually ends up doing the exact
  opposite for intonation.
• Big band charts are arranged specifically for
  one person per part, and it shouldnt be that
  surprising how much better they sound when played
  that way. When there is only one on a part it
  teaches young players to be stronger, more
  independent, and play better in-tune. If you
  absolutely must have an extra person (only one,
  that is) in a section, never double the lead
  part. Have the student double a lower part (4th
  Trumpet, 2nd Tenor, or 3rd Trombone).

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The kids arent working for you, you are both
work together to achieve. So, pick achievable
charts

• 8. Ruining your young lead trumpet player?
• This is another problem that is most common with
  high school bands that are usually pretty strong.
  Many of these bands are playing charts that are
  just way too ambitious for most high school lead
  trumpet players. Bands like these usually have a
  brave kid playing lead that is squealing and
  screeching like the devil just trying to cover
  the part. Because human beings are such adaptable
  creatures, a few young players actually learn to
  make it work
• Im deadly serious when I say that 99 of all
  high school trumpet players are just not
  physically prepared for extreme register work
  (above a written high D E or F). The problem
  arises when kids are forced to deal with these
  range expectations before theyve developed a
  full, mature sound. The irony here is not about
  the physical constraints but rather the style
  issues that are still inherent in the music.
  There are so many bad things, long lasting
  issues, that will arise if these young people are
  forced into this role too soon. A professional
  lead trumpet player, who also teaches, should
  first evaluate promising young lead players
  before introducing them to any extreme range work.

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Stop being stubborn, there are always people who
are better informed, use their expertise

• 9) Never using outside help
• This is the downfall of most directors, I know
  that high school and some middle school band
  directors tend to be rather independent, but this
  is crazy. All band programs, jazz and otherwise,
  should at least occasionally bring in outside
  specialized help a couple of times a year. To not
  do so is to depriving your students of new,
  fresh, and effective musical perspectives.
• Jazz ensemble is somewhat complex, and the
  varied and detailed requirements needed to make a
  great jazz ensemble demand at least some
  specialized aid. Dont be afraid. outside help
  may be free as air. There are many professional
  musicians and nearby college faculty that are
  willing to help high school programs for little,
  reasonable, or no compensation. Youll never know
  until you ask!!

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PERFORM, be more than just a band
director/teacher. Continue to perform

• 10)Directors not having a performance outlet for
  themselves?
• Believe it or not, some high school jazz
  ensemble directors have never been a member of
  jazz band themselves! This largely depends on
  whether or not the college they attended required
  it for teaching certification. I believe that to
  be truly effective, every jazz band director must
  have some experience as an adult player in such a
  group. If a director didnt get this experience
  in college, there are many outlets/ other ways to
  accomplish this. Summer college ensembles,
  reading bands, community groups, rehearsal bands,
  and even professional organizations (depending,
  of course, on personal ability) can all help
  provide the necessary experience.
• I believe that all scholastic band directors,
  regardless of past experience, must have a
  continuing personal performance outlet. All
  musicians (this includes directors) have an
  inherent need to perform. If not fulfilled, this
  need is often replaced by living vicariously
  through directed student ensembles. This can be
  an unhealthy and educationally destructive
  situation. I sincerely believe this is in large
  part behind the single-minded focus on
  competition that is present in many high school
  band directors.

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FAMOUS QUOTES

• It's like an act of murder you play with
  intent to commit something. - Duke Ellington
• Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions
  when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want
  it. - Duke Ellington
• If you play a tune and a person don't tap their
  feet, don't play the tune. - Count Basie
• Of course, there are a lot of ways you can
  treat the blues, but it will still be the blues.
  -Count Basie