Welcome to the February NewsLink!

Dear Collegiate Members,

I hope the semester is treating you well!

This month’s feature article provides a method for teaching keys and scales that will help your students gain a full understanding of these concepts before they apply the knowledge to their instruments. You’ll also read about the top ten things future band directors should know and news about Collegiate members who are traveling to South Africa this month to teach music to children.

Be sure to register for the National Conference by the 15th of this month to receive the Early Bird discount! Also, Professional Achievement Award applications are due by February 28th! Read more by clicking here or downloading an application.

As always, if you have comments, questions, or would like to share your chapter’s activities or recruitment strategies with us for publication in a future issue, e-mail annew@menc.org.

A Cognitive Approach to Teaching Keys and Scales

Douglas R. Snapp is an associate professor of music at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

©2008

A problem I often encounter with young band students is how little they understand musical keys and scales. My experience has been that many secondary students don’t learn all of their keys, and they are often unable to apply their knowledge of a particular scale to perform in that key. Young students commonly learn finger patterns—from root to root of a scale—but don’t truly understand all of the keys.

To further complicate this problem, the common approach when teaching keys and scales to young students is to teach one or two keys at a time, and often not to venture into keys with more than four sharps or flats. For years I was baffled by this approach, since fourth- and fifth-grade students are routinely required to memorize their multiplication tables. If students at that age can easily memorize nine times nine and all the underlying combinations, why not ask music students who are the same age or older to memorize fifteen major keys—C major plus seven flat keys and seven sharp keys? Think about the years of missed sharps and flats during band practice that could be avoided if students just learned all their keys as soon as they were able to master a chromatic scale on their instruments.

To address this problem, I’ve developed an approach to teaching keys and scales that has been successful for me with students as young as fifth grade. Since this is a cognitive approach in which students learn the concepts mentally, they must still apply the knowledge to their instruments through repetitive practice to master all of the keys and scales—there are no shortcuts around practice!

This approach has three stages:

1. Memorize the order of sharps and flats used in key signatures
2. Memorize the order of sharp and flat keys
3. Apply the knowledge of keys to the alphabet, A through G

The Order of Sharps and Flats in Key Signatures

Many young students don’t realize that there is a set order for the sharps and flats in the key signature. When I’ve asked students to name the flats in the key of A♭, the typical response I receive is, “Let’s see, there’s an E♭, an A♭, I think there is a B♭, and I can’t remember the other one.” So, the first thing I teach students is that whether there is one flat, four flats, seven flats, or fifty flats, the first flat is always B♭, and the order is always the same.

Figure 1 above shows the table I use in teaching the order of sharps and flats in the key signature. We also use little mnemonic aids, such as memorizing the word “BEAD” and realizing that the order of the flats is the reverse order of the sharps. I also insist that my students say “B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭” and not “B E A D G C F,” because it’s conceptually important to think of the exact accidentals/pitches, e.g. distinguishing between a B and a B♭.

The students should not move on to stage two until they have completely memorized the order of sharps and flats in the key signature.

The Order of Sharp and Flat Keys

When teaching students to memorize the order of sharp and flat keys (see Figure 2 above), there are several useful aids.
 

• Flat keys 2–5 spell the word “BEAD” and sharp keys 2–5 spell “BEAD” backwards. That knowledge makes it easy for students to memorize keys with up to 5 sharps and flats.
• The key with 6 ♯s (F♯ major) and the key with 6 ♭s (G♭ major) are the same enharmonic pitch—this is also a good opportunity to teach the concept of enharmonics.
• The key with 7 sharps is C♯ major, and the key with 7 flats is C♭ major, so you can take the key of C major (no sharps or flats) and go up a half step to have the key with 7 sharps, or down a half step to have the key with 7 flats.

After the students have successfully memorized the order of sharps and flats in the key signature and the order of sharp and flat keys, I verbally quiz them to make sure they are secure in their knowledge. I ask them questions like, “Tell me about the key with 4 sharps” or “List the flats in order in the key of G♭ major.” Another useful suggestion that I give students at this stage is, “If there are 4 or more sharps or flats in a key, know which notes are not sharp or flat.” For example, the key of G♭ major has 6 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭. Rather than trying to remember and list all 6 flats, why not just realize that the only note that isn’t flatted in the key of G♭ major is F? That sure makes it a lot easier to play in that key.

Applying Knowledge of the Keys to the Alphabet A through G

Many students don’t realize that every major scale contains one of each letter A through G and just doubles up on the root. Any student can easily say “A B C D E F G,” and with a little bit of practice can say “G F E D C B A.” I present the letters A through G in a circle (Figure 3) to reinforce the concept that keys are ongoing rather than finite points from root to root. Unfortunately, this circle can cause confusion with the traditional circle of fifths, so I’ve found I need to take extra care to point out the difference—but I find it is an effective method of conceiving of keys.

When I ask students to apply their knowledge of keys and scales to the notes A through G, I have them tell me about a given key—the name of a key, number of sharps or flats, and so on. Then I usually write the above diagram (Figure 3) on a piece of paper, have the students write in the sharps or flats after the appropriate notes, and recite the scale forwards and backwards. It’s very easy to say letter names with sharps or flats after them. It’s also very easy to start on any given note—not just the root—and say the names of the notes in the key. You don’t need to get into discussions about things like modes; the students are simply learning the character of each of the keys.

Finally, the students are ready to apply their knowledge to their instruments. Rather than having students learn scales through trial and error with finger patterns, my philosophy here is that it’s better to learn something correctly the first time and then improve proficiency and speed through repetitive practice. I therefore have students go through their scales by first discussing the key—giving its name, stating the number of sharps or flats it has, and naming the sharps or flats in order. Then I have them play the scale through a process of saying a note and fingering it, then playing it; then saying the next note, fingering it, then playing it; and so on. While this is a slow process and many students are anxious just to play the scale, I’ve found that with this method students are able to play difficult keys/scales perfectly the very first time they attempt to play them. The next step is to think each note (without saying it aloud) in the scale before playing it. At this point, they know the key and the major scale and just have to practice until they have it mastered on their instrument.

Greater Understanding of Keys

One way that I test my students’ knowledge of keys is to have them play a very simple tune such as “Mary Had A Little Lamb.” First, we discuss the scale relationships of this tune: scale steps 3 2 1 2 3 3 3, 2 2 2, 3 5 5, and so on. Then, I have them play the tune in different keys without music. They quickly learn how to think in different keys, and they gain an understanding of the importance of learning their keys (not just root-to-root scales).

The advantage of this type of approach is that the students have a greater understanding of keys, and they learn all of the keys at once. They still have to go through the process of learning the finger patterns on their instrument until their playing becomes automatic, but with their full understanding of keys and scales and all the underlying relationships, the students become much more adept at playing music in different keys as they play in their ensembles. As I tell my students, this is one approach that you might try. There are many approaches and we all have to find the ones that work for us (and for our students). I hope this approach is useful to you!

The Top 10 Things Every First-Year Band Director Needs to Know

by John Pohland, Associate Director of Bands at Waconia High School in Waconia, MN

1. Kids like structure, and they need it too!
2. Knowledge of clarinet alternate fingerings is absolutely necessary.
3. Even if you are new and young, to the kids and their parents, you are the authority.
4. Know your scores inside and out before you try to sight-read them with your band.
5. Part assignments are a must.
6. Percussionists need to have a part assignment or have an assignment when they do not have a part.
7. Your budget is for you to use. Spend it to benefit your program!
8. Fund-raising might not be your favorite activity, but your kids better think it is!
9. Plan, plan, plan—and then plan some more. If you’re not prepared, you’re dead in the water.
10. Be passionate! Your kids will notice it and feed off your every word.

Coming next month: “The Top Ten Things Every First-Year Choral Director Needs to Know”

Chapter Corner

Elizabethtown Collegiate Member and Advisor to Teach Music in South Africa

by Karendra Devroop, Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Music Education,
and Collegiate Advisor at Elizabethtown College, and Kim Sandifer, Elizabethtown Collegiate Member

Hoping to return music to an underprivileged school in rural South Africa, two students and their professors from Elizabethtown College’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts (FAPA) will spend a week in South Africa training that country’s teachers, working directly with South African students, and conducting research on the impact of the music program.

The South African Music Program is being led by Elizabethtown College faculty member and MENC Collegiate advisor Karendra Devroop, assistant professor of music and director of music education, and Kim Sandifer, a senior music education student. The program, which will be completed in partnership with faculty from the University of Kwazulu-Natal and Pretoria University, both in South Africa, will involve the members of the school’s chapter of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Education Association. In addition to creating a sustainable instrumental program in South Africa, the program will lead to three separate psychology of music studies that will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals in the United States and in South Africa and will be presented at local and regional conferences by faculty and students.

According to Devroop, a native of South Africa and recent addition to Elizabethtown’s faculty, arts education in South Africa was eliminated from public schools in the aftermath of Apartheid. Today, there is little to no music education in the public school system, yet motivation to make music on the part of that country’s students is extraordinarily high. The current shortfalls in education—coupled with the devastating impact of AIDS, high unemployment, and crime in the country—make this project a beacon of hope for students wanting to study music. Plus, this is an excellent opportunity for Elizabethtown’s students to experience another culture and advance their own professional knowledge and skills.

Kim Sandifer is looking forward to traveling to South Africa at the end of this month. She said, “I was very excited to have the opportunity to organize this project. It has always been a desire of mine to share the means to create music with children who otherwise would not have the opportunity—whether it is near or far from my own community. The school in South Africa that receives our donation will have enough instruments, books, stands, and materials to begin and maintain an instrumental music program. I hope that this will be a gift that allows children to explore their own musical potential and continue to share this gift with their successors.

“During my travels to South Africa in March, I will also be exploring the students’ attitudes towards making music, as well as their informal music making at home. I am anxious to find out how Apartheid has affected music and the community, and what types of music making have survived. I hope they will be willing to share a part of their culture with me. My time spent in South Africa will surely be unique and beneficial. I will be able to use newly acquired skills while teaching beginning instruments to the students. Throughout our week in South Africa, I’ll be teaching beginning instrument sectionals as well as conducting beginning ensembles. This will be an amazing multicultural music experience.”

Southeastern Oklahoma State University Selects Collegiate Member
as One of Its “Top 10 Freshmen”

Last November, Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) honored its “Top 10 Freshmen” at an awards presentation and reception. One of the recipients of the award was Ashley Lewis, the historian for the school’s Collegiate MENC chapter. She is also the manager of the symphonic choir at SOSU.

*** Tell us what your chapter’s been up to! E-mail your stories and pictures to annew@menc.org or mail them to Collegiate NewsLink, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 

 
Member Benefit Spotlight

Free Online Publications

MENC provides over 30 online publications that provide resources for you and your classroom.

These resources include information on teaching preparation, national standards for music education, strategies for teaching, career guidance, and more.

You can also access MENC’s Teacher Success Kit online for additional help with planning, fundraising, managing your classroom, and developing professional relationships.

Help from MENC’s Mentors

Need ideas for multicultural music resources? MENC Mentor Ann Forman advises, “I think there is a lot of value in exposing music students to multicultural music, whether it be in general music class or a performance group. General music textbooks are a great resource for information regarding multicultural songs and lesson plans. Publishing companies like Silver-Burdett or McGraw-Hill would be good places to research.

“Yo Yo Ma started a multicultural project a few years ago—it’s called the Silk Road Project. He has a Web site, www.silkroadproject.org; I have been to a couple of the concerts he's presented and they’ve been awesome.

“For performance groups, there’s not a lot of existing literature out there, aside from pieces by Bela Bartok, which I would still consider Western classical music.

“As a music educator, I don’t feel especially equipped to teach multicultural pieces to my performance group, but I do feel equipped to delve into multicultural music as a unit or two in a general music class. I think, as music educators, we just need to utilize the resources available and learn how to bring them to our students. Even if it is out of our comfort zone.”

MENC offers mariachi education resources at www.menc.org/mariachi. To post your own teaching questions, visit www.menc.org/mentors.

Conn-Selmer Institute

An event for all present and future music educators

The Conn-Selmer Institute is an annual event for music educators to explore what it means to teach music, collaborate with other educators, and have fun! Visit www.csinstitute.org to learn more and register for the June 2008 event. Register by February 29th and bring a friend for free!

Here’s what some Collegiate students had to say about this event:

“Conn-Selmer Institute is a valuable, information-intensive experience that will help shape you as a musician, as an educator, as an advocate for the arts, as a leader, and as a lifelong student.”
- Katherine Reith, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI

“The CSI experience is one that all music education majors need! It’s insightful information from leaders in the industry who are helping bridge the gap between methods, practicum, student teaching, and real life.”
- Andrea Stewart, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

“I am inspired to go back to my friends, including my non music teachers, and tell them about the time I had.”
- Jamie Swope, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO

MENC is proud to partner with Conn-Selmer Institute (CSI) to offer essential training for our new and incoming music teachers. CSI’s unique four days of networking, training, and motivational offerings provide a one-of-a-kind experience that will help ensure a new teacher’s success in music education and pave a smooth transition to a lifetime of teaching.
- John J. Mahlmann, Executive Director, MENC

Current News and Announcements

MENC’s latest specials and news

February Member Special:  Stick ’em up!

The February MENC member monthly special features the 2008 MIOSM lapel stickers. Your students will love these 1–1/2” colorful stickers with the MIOSM logo for their clothes, books, bags, and more. In your students’ hands, these will be used all year to help raise awareness of music in your school!

In February only, MENC members can purchase the MIOSM stickers (500 per pack) for only $7.50—half off the regular price! No additional purchase is required. Item #6002R.

Call 800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org/specials to order. No additional purchase required. Special not available at state conference resource shops.

New Music Teaching Resources from MENC
 

MENC is pleased to announce several new resources that will be valuable as you prepare to teach music. As an MENC member, you’ll receive a 25% discount when ordering any of the books below—just use the discount code MENC25. The journals are provided at no cost to you as an MENC member.

Crowd Control: Classroom Management and Effective Teaching for Chorus, Band, and Orchestra
By Susan Haugland

This book is a “how-to” guide that provides middle- and high-school teachers with strategies for managing large performance-based classes. Along with a complete behavior plan, you’ll find concrete ideas for addressing the National Standards, assessment, advocacy, and ensemble team building. Visit www.rowmaneducation.com to learn more and order.

Model Music Programs: Ideas for Everyone

This book shares stories from 12 successful music programs selected by MENC in a nationwide search and showcases the programs in four categories: technology, interdisciplinary and multicultural learning, music for all, and standards-based learning. Learn how characteristics such as strong community ties, a clear creative vision, and adequate resources contributed to the success of these models. Visit www.rowmaneducation.com to learn more and order.

Fit as a Fiddle: The Musician’s Guide to Playing Healthy
By William Dawson

This book provides current and important health-related information for all instrumentalists, presented in an understandable and readable fashion. For more information, read the press release and listen to an interview with the author, William Dawson, in MENC’s latest podcast, “Notes from the Clef,” at www.menc.org/podcast. To order this book, visit www.rowmaneducation.com.

Update

Read about music performance anxiety, popular music in the public school music curriculum, preparing music teachers to teach students with special needs, and more. Find these articles online at www.menc.org/publication/articles/journals.html; use the e-mail address MENC has on file for you and your member ID number to log in. Then, post your comments on the research forum at www.menc.org/networks/rnc/openforum/wwwboard.htm.

Journal Of Music Teacher Education

Find the latest issue online at www.menc.org/publication/articles/journals.html; use your primary e-mail address and member ID number to log in. Post comments on the SMTE forum at www.menc.org/networks/mte/openforum/wwwboard.htm.

Professional Achievement Awards

Postmark Deadline: February 28, 2008

The MENC Collegiate Professional Achievement Award recognizes Collegiate members for their commitment and dedication to MENC and music education. This recognition is given to members who have served their Collegiate chapters in an exemplary manner. Selected students will receive a Certificate of Achievement and a specially designed lapel pin. Each senior nominee will be considered for a $500 grant from the Caitlin Merie Hurrey Memorial Scholarship.

For each eligible Collegiate member, chapter advisors should send a completed Professional Achievement application and a description of the eligible member's participation and involvement in chapter-related activities to MENC.
 

Question of the Month

February’s question covers two topics: technology in the music classroom and retired music educators. Visit www.menc.org/question to contribute.

Get Ready for Music In Our Schools Month!

Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) is the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. MIOSM began as a single statewide celebration in 1973, and has grown over the decades to become a month-long celebration of school music. The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music. Here are some ways you can celebrate in March.

Participate in music advocacy activities.
What better way to participate in MIOSM than by spreading awareness of the importance of music education on your campus and community? Visit www.menc.org/miosm for awareness items and advocacy ideas, including an MIOSM calendar that shows how teachers across the country are planning to showcase music education this March. You can also submit your own ideas!

The World’s Largest Concert (WLC) is back—get your campus singing!
The WLC is an event that has been the highlight of MIOSM since 1985. The WLC is a sing-along concert that links students around the world through music. It reaches about 6 million students, teachers, and music supporters. This year, the WLC will take place on Thursday, March 13, 2008, at 1 pm Eastern Time. The theme, which corresponds with the 2008 MIOSM theme, is “Music Touches Lives.” The WLC will not be broadcast on television this year, but it will be available on DVD—students and teachers are encouraged to participate on March 13th.

A teacher’s guide is now online featuring free lesson plans and sheet music for this year’s program. Visit www.menc.org/wlc to learn more, download the lesson plans, and purchase a DVD.

Learn more about MIOSM by visiting www.menc.org/miosm.
 

First-Ever U.S. Army All-American Marching Band

The first-ever U.S. Army All-American Marching Band debuted on January 5, 2008, as the nation's finest high school marching musicians performed at halftime of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

MENC would like to extend our gratitude for the contributions of our generous sponsors, who provided the student musicians with everything they needed to rehearse and perform at this event. Thanks to their support, students received an all-expenses-paid trip to San Antonio to perform. Without the sponsors’ support, this event would not have been possible. The sponsors included the U.S. Army, SportsLink, MENC, DCI, Playstation, DeMoulin, Conn-Selmer, Inc., Pyware, Singstar, Sabian, Dinkles, Vic Firth, GuardCloset, and Halftime Magazine.

If you keep in touch with your high school band director, or if you have friends in high school band programs, please encourage them to learn more and apply for the 2009 band. The application deadline is April 15, 2008. More information and application materials are available at www.menc.org/allamerican.

Why Music? PSAs

Get the word out about music education on your campus airwaves! MENC produces a series of public service announcements (PSAs) entitled Why Music? twice annually, to coincide with Music In Our Schools Month in March and with the traditional beginning of school in late August. The series features top country, pop, jazz, and classical artists talking about the value of music education. It’s made available to thousands of stations, including adult contemporary, classical, and jazz stations, and 30 radio networks. Visit www.menc.org/information/advocate/psa.html to learn more and access the PSAs.
 

Legislative Updates from MENC

Read about the latest news from Washington, such as the recent omnibus spending legislation and MENC’s trips to the Hill! It’s all in the Legislative Memo, which you can find each month at www.menc.org/legislativememo.

February Mentors

Do you have music education questions? MENC’s mentors have the answers!

Each month from September to May, the “Ask the Mentors” forum features a different mentor for band, orchestra, chorus, general music, and mariachi. The mentors are veteran teachers who provide advice in response to your teaching questions. Visit www.menc.org/mentors to post questions and read responses.

Meet the February mentors:

General Music mentor Jennifer Cook Langlotz has eleven years of teaching experience that includes general, vocal, and instrumental music with students of all grade levels. She currently teaches elementary general music at Trails West Elementary in the Cherry Creek School District in Centennial, Colorado. She has given workshops on arts integration and folk dance to fellow teachers and staff and has been active in many other school organizations and committees.
 

Band mentor Cecilia Cicco is in her second year as an assistant band director at McEachern High School in the Cobb County School District of metro Atlanta, Georgia. An avid percussion educator, adjudicator, and clinician, she has hosted the Annual Pittsburgh Day of Percussion since 1998. She performs with the Cobb Wind Symphony and the Georgia Brass Band.
 

Orchestra mentor Joyce Prichard has been a member of the music faculty at Villa Maria Academy High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, since 1989, and was named their director of music and fine arts chair in 1995. Her Tri-M chapter at Villa Maria has won numerous state and national awards presented by MENC. She has also been a guest conductor for several local and community orchestras. 
 

Mariachi mentor Sergio Alonso teaches at San Fernando High School and for the award-winning youth arts education program, the Mariachi Master Apprentice Program, in San Fernando, California. He began his professional career in 1997 as a member of the world-renowned Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano and has since performed with other internationally recognized groups and individuals.
 

Chorus mentor Elizabeth McAnally has worked with students in grades K–8 in the school district of Philadelphia for the past sixteen years. She is co-director of the school’s 200-voice choir and serves as lead teacher for her department. She is a contributing author of the recent MENC publication Teaching Music in the Urban Classroom.