| Articles August 2011 |
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Interview:
Building a High-Tech Band, An Interview with Chris Harper
An empty rehearsal space led high school director Chris Harper to develop an exciting music technology program. “I have always been a big fan of electronic music, everything from Karlheinz Stockhausen to Trent Reznor. I asked the principal and received approval to begin a music tech program. At the first class we started with just a microphone, a Macbook, and some old PCs I rescued.”
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Marching Clinic:
Marching Without Competing
A Drum Corps veteran adjusts to leading a non-competitive marching band. “One advantage of this program is the flexibility to tailor shows to what the community will enjoy. As a result our shows include more rock and pop music than others because those work well on our halftime performances. Competitive bands play more serious music on the field.”
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Advice for New Teachers:
Off to a Great Start, Advice from Veteran Directors
“Never put your car keys on the same key ring as your school keys. If you do, you will be walking home the day your tuba players borrows your keys to look for his music in the auditorium and forgets to return them to you.”
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Woodwind Clinic:
Tips for Clarinetists
“A good way to find the correct pressure on the reed is to play on the mouthpiece and reed while using a tuner. The correct amount of pressure should produce a concert C that is a bit sharp.”
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Instrument Repair:
The Nuts and Bolts of Instrument Maintenance
“Someone once brought a baritone for repair that had a valve stuck down. When I unscrewed the bottom cap, I found a screwdriver-shaped hole in the bottom of the piston from a failed attempt to loosen the valve. Instead of paying to repair a stuck valve, that director had to buy a new piston.”
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Life of Reely:
The Other Side
Trey joins a community band as a euphonium player and gets a reminder of how it feels to be a player instead of a conductor.
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