Tip for Teaching Young String Groups to Play “In Tune” by Jacquelyn Dillon
 
Without a doubt, the most important and most difficult task facing the string teacher is teaching students to play “in tune.” Orchestral educators need to understand the (1) Good pitch never just happens; it is very carefully taught, (2) Poor pitch never gets better on its own; in fact, it usually gets worse, and (3) Concern for playing with good pitch is a never-ending quest-that has to be stressed daily with every group.
 
A beginner group, playing even the simplest music, should be expected to play with good pitch (first fingers in correct place, whole steps and half-steps obvious, etc.). “All purpose” second fingers (neither high enough nor low enough), so often heard, are simply unacceptable. In other words, there is absolutely no excuse for groups at any level to play out of tune.
 
If students are trained to be concerned about pitch from the very beginning, and then never allowed to play out of tune in rehearsals, they will play in tune under pressure at concerts. My beliefs and ideas on teaching young students to play in tune follow:
 
1.Poor pitch should never be allowed to start. The teaching of pitch starts the first day of the beginning class.
2.Students can play in tune but won’t unless they are made to. They have to be convinced that the teacher simply will not allow them to play out of tune.
3.All students “hear” something; however, some are better or worse than others. All students get better with help.  Even the students with the poorest ears seem to know when the teacher plays a wrong note!
4.Students with good ears get most discouraged playing in an out-of-tune group. Many times they drop out or simply turn off their ears in desperation.
5.Groups that are well disciplined are easier to teach to play in tune. Students should not be allowed to play individually or talk unless called upon by the teacher.
6.Students can hear themselves better if they are seated far apart. I prefer beginners to be seated in rows with each student having his own stand and music so that he can hear himself easily.
7.Telling students to listen is useless unless they have been taught how to listen.
8.Singing unison pitches (later, intervals) before playing helps to develop the ability to hear. A good idea is to have the students hum or sing open string pitches as the teacher tunes. Late, they can sing a whole line with letter names of note before playing.
9.The concepts of “high” and “low” should be established the first day when teaching students the open strings. As the teacher play them, ask questions such as: “Which one is higher? Which is lower?”
10.A good left-hand position is a requirement for playing in tune. Good pitch is impossible with “broken” wrists and “sagging” elbows.
11.Strong, curved fingers, placed on the tips, are crucial to “clear” pitch. “Soggy” fingers (barely pressing down the strings) give an unidentifiable sound.
12.Marks on the fingerboard (at least for first finger) give the student a better chance of developing good pitch earlier. These markers help avoid the “seek-and-ye-shall-find” situation which happens even with those who have exceptional ears. Markers will not hurt as long as students understand that “the marker is merely a place where we think that the finger goes – a place to begin.” If it sounds wrong, they are expected to move the finger until the pitch is corrected.
13.From the first day, students need to be taught which way to move on the fingerboard to make notes higher and lower. Have each put first finger down in first positions and then slide the whole hand and arm as far as possible towards the bridge. Then go the other direction. Ask: “Which way made noted higher? Which way,lower?” They must understand that toward the bridge= HIGHER and toward the scroll= LOWER.
14.Talk about the crucial notes in a piece before playing. Ask where the half steps and whole steps are in the key and what finger pattern should be used on each string. Ask the students to “show” you those notes (put fingers down only). Tell them that if it doesn’t look right, it can’t sound right.
15.Students should be expected to keep the finger down on a string once it is played. This helps develop strong fingers as well as a “feeling” of how far it is fro one finger to the next. That first whole step between fingers is crucial to good pitch. Be sure it is large enough.
16.Play new material pizzicato until rhythm and pitch are correct. Tell students that when it is correct you will listen to them with the bow. They will work very hard to get it right the first time so they can play with the bow. The bow is a reward for playing in tune. Pizzicato allows the students to be able to concentrate more on finger placement and lets the teacher talk to students as they play.
17.Repetition will be needed to master difficult lines, especially with the bow. A line should be repeated, without stopping, until it is perfected. A drill routine of having one group play with the bow while the rest play pizzicato works very well.
18.Play slower on difficult passages to allow students to think about correct finger placement. Hold occasionally on a long note and expect them to tune up as a group. Be sure to remind students to play softly; otherwise, no one hears anything.
 
I believe very strongly that we should work toward the goal of students being able to correct pitch as a group, from the first day. It is easier to do this in the beginning than to try to teach this concept later when the music is more involved. If students are emphatically told from Day One that “until all have the right pitch, the pitch is still wrong”, they will understand the concept. Each student must feel that they could be wrong; otherwise no one will change anything.
 
Students also need to understand that the teacher often doesn’t know WHO it is that is wrong, but simply that the group is not together on the pitch. So, when a note is being held, all students are expected to test pitches by adjusting a little each way until the pitch of the group is corrected. When they can no longer hear themselves individually, they are probably in tune and thus are blending in. Once students understand the concept of high and low, I try not to tell them again when they are flat or sharp, but rather simply that it is wrong. After all, they have a 50/50 chance of getting it right no matter which way they go! I find that if we continue to tell them what is wrong, they rely on the teacher rather than using their own ears – not a good situation at the concert!
 
In conclusion, I do hope that this article will give you the needed courage, stamina, and patience to use at least five minutes each day of rehearsal being very “picky” about pitch. Perhaps play a scale and hold each note until it is perfect before moving on to rehearse music when you will work on, among other things, pitch-but perhaps not as intensely. Like medicine, the students will take only a little of this at a time. After all, they deserve to end all rehearsal on a piece that they enjoy and feel successful playing.

Once overall group pitch is improved, the Students will begin to notice how “clear” the group’s tone is, as well as how loud they seem. They will like this sound and from then on will not enjoy playing in a group where pitch I inaccurate. Students have told me that when the group plays in tune it sounds like a “sunshiny day” and out of tune like a “rainy day” – a good description, I think.

Good luck in this challenging, yet noble pursuit. May all your days be filled with SUNSHINE!!

Jacquelyn Dillon is Director of String Studies and professor of music education and string pedagogy at Wichita State University. She also is conductor of the Wichita Youth Chamber Players, a board member of The Midwest Clinic, and an educational consultant for Scherl & Roth. Early in her career, she founded orchestral programs in Derby, Kansas and Norman, Oklahoma. Ms. Dillon is a co-author of the Strictly Strings series and formerly served as national president of the American String Teachers Association. She is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award from NSOA, a Medal of Honor winner from the Midwest Clinic, a Lifetime Achievement award from ASTA with NSOA, the Hall of Fame award from Kansas ASTA, and the “Music of the Heart” award from the Kansas Music Educators Association. As a cellist, she performed with symphonies in Wichita, Baton Rouge, and Oklahoma City. She is a frequent guest clinician and conductor with string festivals and state and national music educator events throughout the US. Ms. Dillon has presented guest professorships at nearly thirty-five universities during her tenure as a nationally known string pedagogue in the orchestra field.


 

WHY ATTENDING MUSIC SCHOOL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER by Andy Coscarelli

There is a terrible misconception that has permeated the learning community. It is the idea that if you aren’t in a “traditional” college, then what you are learning is not important. Traditional four-year universities typically take precedence in the minds of friends and family. But when it comes to a music school, the general public might view that as “fun” and more as a hobby than a career. They are wrong. Attending music school is more important than ever. Here’s why:

GREAT MUSIC CAREERS DO EXIST
We have to abolish the misconception that there is no “career” for music grads. There are many different ways to use your musical abilities -- music colleges will prepare you for several of these careers after graduating, while some - but not all of the non-performance-based fields such as music therapist and concert promoter, will require further study and experience. Either way, you will graduate with confidence, knowing your musical foundation is solid and will greatly enhance your musical pursuits. Such careers can take you anywhere; from performance and songwriting, production and engineering to audio engineer for videos and business management. There are also music careers with record labels, music publishing, touring/roadwork, film scoring, composition and of course, music education.

2,991,260 GUITARS
According to a MusicTrades.com report 2,991,260 guitars were sold to the general public in America in 2006. Now add in all the drums, bass guitars, and other instruments that were sold. That means there are a lot of “musicians” out there. Due to inexpensive labor and other factors, it has never been cheaper to become a musician. Unfortunately, with so many people out there playing music, you’ll need something that separates you from the crowd. A degree from a respected music college can often mean the difference between getting a job or not. 

THE SURGE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY
If you haven’t noticed, there has been a technological surge over the last 15 years, specifically low-cost digital desktop recording technology and social media (and Peer to Peer file sharing). More than anything else, this has shaped and changed the music industry, from making CDs close to obsolete, allowing any kid with a Mac Book to make a record, and social media allowing you to promote and release said record. You don’t want to be left behind as a musician by all this new technology. Luckily, music schools offer degrees in music production that teach you more than just using Pro Tools on your laptop. It will give you fundamentals that other people creating music don't have. Schools are also incorporating social media into music business coursework so students can grasp the importance of social media as it related to advancing their brand and careers via the Internet and smartphones.

JOB ECONOMY
If you haven’t noticed the economy and more specifically the job market has not been great. There has never been a better time to build up your knowledge (and resume) by going to music school and getting a degree. It is a traditional cycle that works out pretty well: go back to school and build up your credentials while the job market is in trouble, and graduate just in time to get in on the better economy.

IT’S WHO YOU KNOW
This has been a famous saying for a while but it’s even more true now. With the Internet, it is so easy to create false personas and identities that employers are putting way more stock in personal referrals and recommendations. This happens even more in music, where jobs open up very fast and are replaced just as quickly. So where do you make these connections? Music college of course. Faculty should include players in the music industry. Certain schools put strong emphasis on fostering the relationship between student and teacher as a mentor figure.  Music schools also feature guest lecturers, weekly concerts, and clinics from some of the biggest names of the music industry. Check out alumni updates from music schools to see where grads end up working or how they are sustaining a career in music.

MUSIC SCHOOL EXAMPLES
There are three major music schools in the United States that come to mind, and each serves a particular niche: Berklee College of Music in Boston; Musician’s Institute (MI) in Hollywood, CA and Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music (LAMA) in Pasadena, CA. While MI and Berklee have been around for decades, LAMA is the newest of the colleges and offers a superb  music education opportunity in an intimate and highly-specialized environment. Because it is a smaller campus, attending a school like LAMA means you will receive intensive training first-hand from a dedicated faculty of world-renowned professionals who have proven themselves with the biggest names in jazz, rock, pop and more. Music schools like LAMA maximize your improvement and the education you receive in the shortest possible time.

If you are interested in studying music and making music a career, it is best to get out there and visit each of the campuses. Take note of the location and surroundings and make contacts with the admissions folks. It’s especially important to do your own research about each music college.

Andy Coscarelli is a publicist and social media associate for Tellem Worldwide, a Los Angeles based PR firm. He is a regular contributor to Get to the Music, a music blog run by the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music. He previously worked at Shout! Factory.

Developing Leadership to Make Things Happen by Fran Kick

The best definition of leadership I can share is by way of an example. At a leadership conference before it began, one person saw that the room was kind of a mess. There were papers on the floor, a Coke® can in the corner, and other miscellaneous remnants indicating that an entire day of classes had occurred in this lecture hall. Before we started the session, one person got up out of his chair, picked up a piece of paper and the Coke® can, threw them out and sat back down. Not less than maybe 30-60 seconds later, two other people got up, went around and picked up trash near their chairs, threw it out and sat back down. That first person was leading by the most effective form of leadership possible, leading by example.

No one went up to that first person and said, “Hello, we’d like to appoint you the official room picker-upper and give you two assistant room picker-uppers.” They did not receive any special consideration, grandiose title, extra bonus points, cash incentive or reward. They took Nike’s® advice and just did it. No one even went up to the other two people who helped out and said, “Look at that! Did you see what that person did? Now if you were even half that responsible, aware, or caring, you’d help out too!” They didn’t get any that-a-boy’s, pats on the back, gold stars, happy face stickers or candy bar rewards. They saw someone take the lead and they followed.

Leaders do what needs to be done,
when it needs to be done,
whether they want to or not,
without being asked
…which in the words of Thomas Huxley is what it takes to be successful in this world. It’s about a different level of awareness more than anything else. Leaders see opportunities to make something happen and they act on it.

Leaders pay attention to more than appearances. They notice the small details as well as the big picture; things that others miss. Leaders take the initiative in making things happen because they see opportunities before others do. You’ve probably heard the saying, There are three types of people in the world, those who…

Make things happen,
watch things happen,
or wonder what’s happening!

Everyone has varying degrees of how well they pay attention to the world around them. If you’re the type of person who pays attention at a very high level, you’ll tend to see more opportunities and therefore make more things happen. If you’re the type of person who just pays attention to what they “have to” to “just get by,” then chances are you may notice a few opportunities, but for the most part you’ll tend to notice other people making things happen and then you’ll join in. If, however, you’re the type of person who doesn’t pay attention at all, you’re not going to even notice the opportunities. You’ll occasionally notice other people making things happen, but most of the time you’ll wonder what’s happening.

It’s your choice based on how well you pay attention. Are you going to make something happen and take the lead? Are you going to just watch things happen and follow? Or are you gong to wonder what’s happening? The first person at that leadership workshop was paying attention, saw an opportunity to make something happen and took the lead. The two other people who were watching what happened saw the first person’s example and followed. Everyone else in the room probably didn’t even notice what happened. Leaders pay attention, make things happen and KICK IT IN!

FRAN KICK has been inspiring students KICK IT IN® and TAKE THE LEAD since 1986. With a B.A. in Education, a M.A. in Educational Psychology, and three children of his own, Fran knows What Makes Kids KICK!

© 2006 Fran Kick. Used with permission. www.kickitin.com