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IMPLEMENTINGNEWORLEANSBRASSBANDPLAYINGINTOATUBAAND
EUPHONIUMAPPLIEDLESSONSCOURSE
by
JustinRifkind
_____________________________________
Copyright©JustinRifkind2016
ADocumentSubmittedtotheFacultyofthe
FREDFOXSCHOOLOFMUSIC
InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements
FortheDegreeof
DOCTOROFMUSICALARTS
IntheGraduateCollege
THEUNIVERSITYOFARIZONA
2016
2
THEUNIVERSITYOFARIZONA
GRADUATECOLLEGE
AsmembersoftheDocumentCommittee,wecertifythatwehavereadthe
documentpreparedbyJustinRifkind,titled“ImplementingNewOrleansBrass
PlayingIntoaTubaandEuphoniumAppliedLessonsCourse”andrecommendthatit
beacceptedasfulfillingthedocumentrequirementfortheDegreeofDoctorof
MusicalArts.
_______________________________________________________________________
MattTropman
_______________________________________________________________________
MoisésPaiewonsky
Date:7/20/2016
Date:7/20/2016
Date:7/20/2016
EdwardReid
Finalapprovalandacceptanceofthisdocumentiscontingentuponthecandidate’s
submissionofthefinalcopiesofthedocumenttotheGraduateCollege.
IherebycertifythatIhavereadthisdocumentpreparedundermydirectionand
recommendthatitbeacceptedasfulfillingthedocumentrequirement.
________________________________________________Date:7/20/2016
DocumentDirector:MattTropman
_______________________________________________________________________
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STATEMENTBYAUTHOR
Thisdocumenthasbeensubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements
foranadvanceddegreeattheUniversityofArizonaandisdepositedinthe
UniversityLibrarytobemadeavailabletoborrowersunderrulesoftheLibrary.
Briefquotationsfromthisdocumentareallowablewithoutspecial
permission,providedthatanaccurateacknowledgementofthesourceismade.
Requestsforpermissionforextendedquotationfromorreproductionofthis
manuscriptinwholeorinpartmaybegrantedbythecopyrightholder.
SIGNED:JustinSidneyRifkind
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TherearenumerouspeoplethatIwouldliketothank:
ToRexMartinatNorthwesternUniversity,thankyouforagreatfoundationand
teachingmetheartofstorytellingthroughmusic.
ToJohnStevensattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison,thankyoufordaringmeto
takerisksandjustbemyself.
ToDr.KellyThomas,thankyouforbringingmetotheUniversityofArizonaandfor
yourmentorship.Imissyoueveryday.
ToDr.MattTropman,thankyouforsteppingupinatoughsituationandhelpingto
guidemeforthefinaleofmydegree.
ToProfessorMoisésPaiewonsky,thankyouforyourguidanceandyourextensive
musicalknowledge.
ToProfessorEdwardReid,thankyouforbeingsupportiveandkind.
Tomyparents,Icouldneverhavedonethiswithoutyou.Yourunwaveringsupport
andguidancethroughoutmylifehasledmetowhereIamtoday.Allofthosetrips
whenIwasyoungerpaidoff.Iloveyou!
ToCasey,Youaremyrock.Ithasn’talwaysbeeneasy,butwedidit.Thankyou.I
loveyou!
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DEDICATION
ToDr.KellyThomasforbeingamentor,ateacher,andafriend.Weallmissyou
downhere.
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
LISTOFMUSICALEXAMPLES...............................................................................................................7
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................9
IntentandScopeofStudy.................................................................................................................................9
ReviewoftheScholarlyLiterature............................................................................................................14
HistoryofNewOrleansBrassBands........................................................................................................17
Thesis......................................................................................................................................................................23
CHAPTER2:IMPLEMENTATION.....................................................................................................24
CreationoftheSupplement..........................................................................................................................27
LearningGoals....................................................................................................................................................29
TeachingandLearningActivities...............................................................................................................30
FeedbackandAssessment.............................................................................................................................34
HowComponentsAreConnectedandIntegrated...............................................................................37
CHAPTER3:EXERCISESANDASSIGNMENTS............................................................................39
Exercises................................................................................................................................................................39
MethodBooks.....................................................................................................................................................47
ListeningAssignments....................................................................................................................................48
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................53
APPENDIX:NEWORLEANSBRASSBANDSUPPLEMENT.....................................................57
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................................64
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LISTOFMUSICALEXAMPLES
MusicalExample1.I-ii-V-IArpeggios............................................................................................41
MusicalExample2.i-iio-V-iChordProgression........................................................................42
MusicalExample3.SyncopatedBassLinefrom“DoWatchaWanna”.............................43
MusicalExample4.SousaphoneGroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp”........................44
MusicalExample5.“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”BassLine.....................................45
MusicalExample6.TwelveBarBlues............................................................................................46
LISTOFMUSICALEXAMPLES
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ABSTRACT
Thefocusofthisprojectistoexaminecurrenttubaandeuphoniumapplied
lessonssyllabiandtocreateaNewOrleansbrassbandcurriculumsupplementto
enhancethoseexistingcourses.Throughtheadditionofnewmethodbooks,
exercises,historicaltextsandarticles,listeningassignments,andperforming
experiences,collegiatetubaandeuphoniumstudentswillbeabletoapplythe
knowledgegainedincoreacademicmusiccourses,suchasmusictheoryandmusic
history,tomasteringanewstyleofmusic.Emphasishasbeenplacedonlearning
chordprogressions,stylizations,andhowtoimproviseandwalkabassline.
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CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION
IntentandScopeofStudy
“Forsuchalargeinstrumentthetubaisperhapsmoreagilethanmightbe
expected.Thoughtherearedefinitelimitstothespeedandcomplexityofthepartsit
canplay,double-andtriple-tonguingareentirelyfeasible.”1Thissentiment,which
primarilyhastodowithorchestration,putslimitationsontheagilityandtechnical
facilityofthetuba.Itisnotonlythefoundationofmanyinstrumentalensembles,but
alsohasthecapabilityofvirtuosicplayingwhilestillmaintainingmuchofits
foundationalrole.Therearecomposersandperformersbringingmusicalinnovation
tothetuba,includingNatMcIntosh,whoisthesousaphonistwiththeYoungblood
BrassBandandformerlywiththeDallasBrass.NewOrleanssousaphonists,suchas
KirkJosephofDirtyDozenBrassBandandPhilipFrazierIIIofRebirthBrassBand,
aredazzlinglistenerswithbasslinegroovesandmelodies.Thereisagreatdealthat
collegetubaandeuphoniumstudentscanlearnfromthesegreatNewOrleansbrass
bandmusicians.
Thewords“sousaphone”and“tuba”willbeusedinterchangeablythroughout
thisdocument.Thoughthesousaphoneisconstructeddifferentlythanthe
contrabasstuba,itisstillamemberofthetubafamilyandhasanidenticalrangeto
1DonaldGranthamandKentKennan,TheTechniqueofOrchestration,6thed.(UpperSaddle
River,NewJersey:PrenticeHall,2002),157.
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theBBb concertcontrabasstuba.Thesousaphonewrapsaroundthemusician’sbody
andhasafront-facingbellthatisdetachable.Thisdesignallowsforgreatermobility
fortheplayer,especiallyduringmarchingbandorsecondlinesituations.Itshould
alsobenotedthattherearethreetypesoftubas:contrabasstubas,basstubas,and
tenortubas.Thisdocumentwillonlybedealingwiththecontrabassandbasstubas.
Thecontrabasstubahaslongertubingandhasalowerfundamentalpitchthanthe
basstuba.ContrabasstubasareinthekeysofCCorBBbandhaveacousticlengths
of16and18feet,respectively.BasstubasaregenerallypitchedinForEEbwith
acousticlengthsof12and14feetrespectivelyContrabasstubasareusually
consideredlargeensembleinstruments,whilebasstubasaregenerallyusedassolo
instrumentsoriftherangeofapieceisnotwellsuitedtothecontrabasstuba.2
When“NewOrleansbrassbands”ismentionedinthisdocument,“second
line”brassbandsaremostoftentheintendedsubjects.The“secondline”tradition
“referstopeoplefromtheneighborhoodwhowouldjoininthecelebrationasthe
bandmarchedaway.”3NatMcIntoshdescribesthetraditionalinstrumentationof
NewOrleansbrassbandsas“’…trumpets,trombones,saxophones,drums,and
tubas…’”4Thesebrassbandshavebeenassociatedwithparadesandfuneral
2BartonCummings,“ThoughtsOnTuba,”http://www.dwerden.com/tu-articles-thoughts.cfm
(accessedJuly9,2015).
3MatthewThomasDriscoll,“NewOrleansBrassBandTraditionsandPopularMusic:Elements
ofStyleintheMusicofMamaDigdown’sBrassBandandYoungbloodBrassBand”(DMAdiss.,
UniversityofIowa,2012),20.
4Ibid.
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marches,butthegenrehasexpandedandnowincludesmanygroupsthatfuse
differentstylesofmusictogether,suchasjazz,hiphop,andR&B.
TheNewOrleansbrassbandtraditionemergedfromtheearlybrassband
traditioninnineteenth-centuryAmerica.WilliamJ.Schafersays,“Againstthe
backgroundofthedevelopmentofthebrassbandorsilvercornetbandof
nineteenth-centuryAmericaistheparallelhistoryofbrassbandsinNewOrleans,
withtheirAfro-Americanadaptationofthetradition.”5Thereisalinkbetweenthis
earlyhistoryofthebrassbandandtheearlydevelopmentofjazz,butthetwoare
notnecessarilythesame.Manyofthebrassbandmusiciansattheturnofthe
centuryinNewOrleansmovedtodancebandsorjazzbands,but“thebrassband
servedasthetraininggroundformanyblackmusicians,andmanyofthesemen
preferredparadeworktoanyother.”6ThoughtheNewOrleansbrassbandsuse
someofthesametechniquesasjazzbands,suchasimprovisation,thetwotraditions
arenotoneandthesame.
TheNewOrleansbrassbandidiomfeaturesthetubaasitslowendinsteadof
theelectricordoublebassfoundinotherpopularstyles.InaNationalPublicRadio
articleof2011,GeoffreyHimesstatesthat,“becauseit’sawindinstrumentrather
thanastringinstrument,thetubagivesNewOrleansmusicabottomthatbubbles
5Driscoll,7.
6Schafer,32.
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ratherthantwangs.”7Thesousaphoneaddsdepthandpowerthatonedoesnot
alwaysexperiencewiththestringbass.Theroleofthesousaphoneinthebrassband
istogenerateabasslinetoserveasaharmonicandrhythmicfoundationforthe
group.Anthony“TubaFats”Lacen,aNewOrleanssousaphonelegend,saidinan
interviewinOctober2002,“Iknowhowtoplayrhythmandblueschanges,aswell
astraditionalchanges…Iusedtolistentostringbassplayers–thatwasmything.”8
Thoughtheytakeontheroleofthestringbass,tubistsinNewOrleansbrassbands
maintainadifferentsoundconceptfromthebass,whichstemsfromthesheer
volumethatisproducedbyasousaphone.Thesoundthatiscreatedisgenerally
brightintimbre,whichisdifferentthanthewide,darksoundthatiscustomaryin
thewindbandorsymphonyorchestra.Thedirectnesscomesfromthebellfacing
forward,asopposedtothetraditionalconcertbandtubathatfacesskyward.Many
NewOrleansbrassbandsmarchinsecondlineparadesandjazzfunerals,sousinga
sousaphoneisthebestoption.
Overthepast10to15years,therehasbeenanemergenceofbrassbands
thatblendtheNewOrleansstylewithothermusicalstyles,suchaship-hop,rock,
andsoul.AccordingtoMickBurns,thereweremorebrassbandsinNewOrleansin
7GeoffreyHimes,“WhereTheTubaLives:5NewOrleansSongsFeaturingtheFatHorn,”ABlog
SupremefromNPRJazz,entrypostedApril,26,2011,
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2011/04/29/135709278/where-the-tuba-lives-5-neworleans-songs-featuring-the-fat-horn(accessedJanuary15,2015).
8MickBurns,KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:TheNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance(Baton
Rouge,Louisiana:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,2006),33.
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2006thaneverbefore.9SousaphonistNatMcIntosh’s“masteryofnumerous
extendedtechniquesandtheinfusionofthesewithsimulatedD.J.cutsand
scratches,pseudo-electroniceffectsandtheimitationofinstrumentsrangingfrom
anelectricguitartoadidgeridoocreatedanentirelynewandinimitableapproachto
the(tuba).”10PhilipFrazierIIIandKirkJosepharealsowell-respectedtubaplayers
fromtheNewOrleansbrassbandstyle.
TheincorporationofdifferentstylesintoNewOrleansbrassbandmusiccan
befoundinthemusicofRebirthBrassBand,whichisledbyitssousaphoneplayer
PhillipFrazierIII,andTheDirtyDozenBrassBand.ReBirthBrassBandwasfounded
intheearly1980sbyNewOrleansnativesPhillipFrazierIII,KeithFrazier,andJohn
Gilbert.TheywereinspiredbythemusicofTheDirtyDozenBrassBand,generally
regardedasoneofthefirstNewOrleansbrassbandstointegratedifferentmusical
stylesintotheirsongs.RebirthBrassBandhada“fierceblendofhardsecondline
beats,‘70’sR&B/funkgroovesandgo-goswing…”11Thetubaisaprominentvoicein
bothgroups,andtheoverallbalanceofthetubawithinthegroupismirroredby
YoungbloodBrassBand.
Itisimportantforteacherstoinstructstudentsonthefundamentalsof
playing,butitisalsoimportantforteacherstopreparetheirstudentsforthehighly
9Ibid.,4.
10Miraphone,“NatMcIntosh,”http://www.miraphone.de/en/artists/articles/nat-mcintosh457.html(accessedOctober2,2015).
11TomTerrell,“ReBirthBrassBand,”JazzTimes,October1997,
http://jazztimes.com/articles/24768-rebirth-brass-band(accessedJuly30,2015).
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competitivejobmarket,whereversatilityandtheabilitytoperformindifferent
stylesarevaluable.LearningtheNewOrleansbrassbandstyleofplayingwouldadd
acompletelynewskillsetforstudentsinatubaandeuphoniumstudio.Knowing
howtowalkabasslineandplayinauniquestyleaddstostudents’technicalstudies
andhelpsthemtobebetteroverallmusicians.
ThisdocumentwillexplorehowNewOrleansbrassbandplayingcanbe
integratedintoatubaandeuphoniumstudiocurriculuminordertodevelop
essentialskillsontheinstrumentandtoaddanentirelynewskill-setforcollegiate
musicstudents.
ReviewoftheScholarlyLiterature
Primarysourcesaredesirablewhenonewantstogetatrueperspectiveona
timeperiodorevent.Severalsourceswerefoundthatcontaininterviewsandstories
toldbymusicianspertainingtotheNewOrleansbrassbandtradition.Thesesources
giveinsightintohowthebrassbandsfunctionandhowthemodernbandsformed
anddevelopedtheirsignaturesounds.Interviewsinthesesourcesarewith
membersoffamousbands,likeRebirthBrassBand,DirtyDozenBrassBand,andthe
TreméBrassBand.
RiverofSongbyElijahWaldandJohnJunkermancontainsprimarysources
fromculturalandmusicalleadersfromtheareaalongtheMississippiRiver.Wald
wasarootsmusicwriterfortheBostonGlobeformanyyears,inadditiontobeingan
avidbluesmusicianandmusichistorian.HealsowonaGrammyAwardin2002for
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thelinernotestoArhoolieRecords:40thAnniversaryBox.12JohnJunkermanisa
noteddocumentaryfilmmakerwhohasbeennominatedforanAcademyAwardfor
“BestDocumentaryFeature.”13Thisresourceprovidesprecisehistorical
backgroundonbrassbandmusicofNewOrleans.
KeepingtheBeatontheStreetsbyMickBurnsisanotherbookofprimary
accounts,anditalsocontainsaseriesofinterviewswithseveralprominentfigures
intheNewOrleansbrassbandscene,includinglegendarytubistAnthony“Tuba
Fats”Lacen.MickBurnswasanEnglish-bornjazzmusicianwhoisnotedforhis
expertiseintheNewOrleansstyleofjazz.Hemadeappearancesontromboneand
tubawithsuchfamousNewOrleansmusiciansas:TubaFats,MiltonBatiste,and
Dejan’sOlympiaBrassBand.14ThissourcegivesinsightintohowtheNewOrleans
brassbandsoperateandhowmusiciansperceivetheirrolewithintheensemble.
Therearefewscholarlyresourcesavailableaboutthenewerbrassbands,
suchasYoungbloodBrassBandandtheDirtyDozenBrassBand.Severalarticles
andblogpostshavebeenwrittenaboutthenewwaveofNewOrleans-inspired
brassbands,buttherearenobooksorpeer-reviewedarticlesonthesubjectmatter.
MatthewThomasDriscollwroteaDMAdissertationaboutthemodernAmerican
NewOrleansbrassbandmovement,butthereislittlementionofthetubaoritsrole
12ElijahWald,“Biography,”http://www.elijahwald.com/bio.html(accessedFebruary15,
2015).
13ElijahWaldandJohnJunkerman,RiverofSong:AMusicalJourneyDowntheMississippi(New
York:SaintMartin’sPress,1998),352.
14MickBurns,“MickBurns(17thFeb1942-13thFeb
2007),”http://www.mickburns.co.uk/home.htm”(accessedFebruary13,2015).
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withinthesebands.Thispaucityofscholarlyorotherresourcesdiscussingtherole
ofthetubainNewOrleansbrassbandsisperhapsareasonthatthestudyofthis
stylehasnotfounditswayintocollegetubaandeuphoniumstudiosalready.While
thestudyofthisstylecanhavemanybenefitsfortubists,itisastylethathasnot
beenwidelystudied,withmanytubistspossessingonlyavaguegeneralawareness
ofbrassbands.Musicologistsandotherscholarshavelargelyignoredspecific
investigationanddiscussionoftheroleofthetuba.
TherearemultiplesourcesusedinthisdocumentwrittenbyDr.Matt
Sakakeeny,aprofessorofmusicologyatTulaneUniversityinNewOrleanswho
specializesinNewOrleansmusic.HisbookRollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsof
NewOrleanscontainsgreatinsightintothecontemporarybrassbandsceneinNew
Orleansandthecontinuationofthesecondlinetradition.Italsocontainsgood
detainabouttheroleofmemberswithinthebrassbandsandthestyleofmusicthat
theyplay.
Thereareafewvitallyimportantmusicbooksthatwillbediscussedinthis
project.ThefirstbookisbyJonSass,anAmericanjazztubaplayerandvirtuosowho
livesinVienna,Austria.Hisintroductorybook,TheJonSassBassLineBookforTuba,
couldplayanintegralpartinteachingatubaandeuphoniumstudiothebasicsof
playingajazzbassline.Thebookincludesaplay-alongC.D.
Afewjazzbassresourceshavebeenconsideredforuseinthestudio
curriculum.DavidBakerwasDistinguishedProfessorofMusic(JazzStudies)and
DirectorEmeritusoftheDepartmentofJazzStudiesatIndianaUniversity-
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Bloomington.HisbookJazzBassClefExpressionsandExplorations:ANewand
InnovativeSystemforLearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCellois
anexcellentstep-by-stepresourceforanyinstrumentsthatplayinthebassclef.It
takesthestudentthrougheverykeyusingchordandscalestudiestohelpthe
studentbecomeintimatelyfamiliarwitheachkey.Thisresourcecanhelpto
strengthenstudents’musictheoryknowledge,aswellastheirabilitytoplayany
scaleorkeythattheycouldbecalledupontoplay.
HistoryofNewOrleansBrassBands
ThebeginningsofNewOrleansmusichasbeentracedbacktotheslave
cultureoftheDeepSouth.ManyareasoftheDeepSouthduringthetimeofslavery
didnotletslavescongregateduetoconcernsaboutapotentialrevoltagainstthe
slaveowners.Thiswasarealconcernduetotheoverwhelmingnumberofenslaved
peoplecomparedtothesmallnumberofplantationowners.NewOrleans,however,
tookadifferentapproach.MattSakakeenyexplains,“TheEuropeanCatholicswho
initiallygovernedNewOrleansestablishedaslavesocietythatwasdistinctfromthe
Anglo-ProtestantmodelthatprevailedelsewhereintheUnitedStates.Alarge
numberofslaveswereimportedfromasinglesource,Senegambia,andsharedan
unusuallyhighdegreeofculturalandlinguisticcommonalities.”15Scholarslinkthe
15MattSakakeeny,“NewOrleansMusicasaCirculatorySystem,”BlackMusicResearchJournal
31,no.2(Fall2011):6.
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percussive,polyrhythmicmusicmadein“CongoSquare”tothefuturejazzandbrass
bandtraditions.16
The“shoutring”usedatthefuneralsofAfricanslaveshasalsobeenlinkedto
thesecondlinetraditionthatiscarriedonbybrassbandsinNewOrleans.Thisform
ofgrievingalsoemployedcallandresponse,whichisfeaturedprevalentlyinNew
Orleansbrassbandmusic.Inasense,themournerswereescortingthesoulsofthe
deadtotheafterlife.SamuelA.Floyd,Jr.,inhisarticle“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,
HistoricalStudies,andBlackMusicInquiry,”describesthelinkofthe“ringshout”to
secondlinemusicinNewOrleans:
[F]romtheseburialceremonies,theringstraighteneditselftobecomethe
SecondLineofjazzfunerals,inwhichthemovementsoftheparticipantswere
identicaltothoseoftheparticipantsinthering---eventothepointofindividual
counterclockwisemovementsbySecondLineparticipants,wheretheringwas
absentbecauseofthenecessityoftheparticipantstomovetoaparticular
remotedestination(thereturntothetownfromtheburialground).Andthe
dirge-to-jazzstructureofthejazzfuneralparallelsthewalk-to-shoutstructure
oftheringshout17
ManyoftheNewOrleansbrassbandsoftodaywereformedthroughthetraditionof
secondlineparades.
TheNewOrleansbrassbandtraditionalsoemergedfromtheAmericanbrass
bandtraditionofthenineteenthcenturyandmilitarybandtraditionofthe
16MaryEllison,“Dr.MichaelWhiteandNewOrleansJazz:PushingBackBoundariesWhile
MaintainingtheTradition,”PopularMusicandSociety28,no.5(December2005):619.
17SamuelA.FloydJr.,“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,HistoricalStudies,andBlackMusic
Inquiry,”BlackMusicResearchJournal22,Supplement(2002):51.
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nineteenthandtwentiethcenturies.ThebrassbandtraditioninNewOrleansdates
backtothetimeoftheCivilWar.MaryEllisonwrites:
AfricanAmericanSoldiershelpedtousherthebrassbandmovementintoNew
Orleans…TheExcelsiorBrassBandandmostoftheCivilWareraNewOrleans
brassbandswereascomfortablewithsyncopationandimprovisationasthey
werewiththemoreconventionallystructuredmarches…Everypublicritualor
ceremonywasusuallyaccompaniedbyabrassband…Alongwiththattradition
wentoneofthequintessentialhallmarksofNewOrleansmusic–thesecond
line.Justasalternativerhythmswereseatupbythosewhofollowedthe
mournersatafuneral,somusicalyouthsfollowedthearmybandsand
establishedharmoniouslydiscordantsecondlinerhythmsoftheirown.18
ThetraditionsoftheseCivilWarbrassbandshaveevolved,butthebrassband
traditioninpresentdayNewOrleansmirrorsmuchoftheolder,traditionalsecond
lineplaying.
ThedevelopmentofmilitarybandmusicintheUnitedStatesalsocoincided
withthedevelopmentoftheNewOrleansbrassbandscene.Manyoftheprominent
brassbandmusiciansinNewOrleansgottheirstartplayingmilitarybandmusic.
PhilipFrazierIII,tubaplayerandleaderofRebirthBrassBand,says,“Iplayedthe
usualhighschoolstuff.MarchinginMardiGrasparades,footballgames,stufflike
that.Wewouldplayregularmilitarymarchesforthemostpart.”19Countlessother
brassbandmusiciansgottheirstartinschoolbandsorwerebanddirectors
themselves.
18MaryEllison,“African-AmericanMusicandMusketsinCivilWarNewOrleans,”Louisiana
History:TheJournaloftheLouisianaHistoricalAssociation35,no.3(July1994):316–317.
19Burns,KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:TheNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance,108.
20
SecondlineparadesinNewOrleanshaveoccurredregularlythroughoutthe
cityforthebetterpartofthelastonehundredyears.Atraditionalparadeisbroken
upintotwodifferentlines:“Thebandandclubmembersmakeupwhatisknownas
thefirstline,whiletherestofusmarchingbehind,andalongthesides,makeupthe
secondline.”20Peopleonthestreetjointhesecondlineduringjazzfuneralstodance
andcelebratethelifeofthepersonwhohasdied.Thepeoplepartakinginthe
paradearecelebratingthesoulofthedeadmovingontotheafterlife.WilliamJ.
SchafersetsthesceneofanearlyNewOrleansparade:
ToenvisionaNewOrleansparade,onadayinanyyearfrom1900–1960,
imagineasunnyforenooninNewOrleans,aholiday.Onasidestreetaband
formsforaparade.Thebandsmenareblack;mostareintheirfiftiesorsixties.
Dressedinwhiteshirts,darktiesandtrousers,blackshoes,eachwearsadark
uniformcap,likeapoliceman’sorbusdriver’s,withagrandnamestitched
acrossitingoldthread…Thereareacoupleoftrombones,aclarinetist…analto
sax,atenorsax,abulkysousaphone,abassdrumwithonesmallcymbal
mountedatopitandtheband’snamepaintedinboldblocklettersonthelefthandhead.Thereisasnaredrummer,withashallowdance-banddrum
hitchedhighonhisbelly,andtherearethreetrumpets.21
Thisvividdescriptionpaintsapictureofwhatanearly,traditionalsecondlineNew
Orleansbrassbandwouldhavebeenlike.BandslikeRebirthBrassBand,Dirty
DozenBrassBand,andtheHot8BrassBandhavestrayedsomewhatfromthestrict
traditionthatwascommoninthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.
Brassbandsoverthepast30yearshavebeguntoincorporateR&B,hip-hop,
funk,andotherpopularmusicintotheirrepertoire.BandslikeDirtyDozenBrass
20MattSakakeeny,RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans(Durham:Duke
UniversityPress,2013),x.
21Schafer,52.
21
Band,RebirthBrassBand,andHot8BrassBandhavestrayedsomewhatfromthe
traditionalNewOrleansbrassbandsoundandparadestyle.Forexample,Hot8
BrassBandreleasedaversionof“SexualHealing”byMarvinGaye.22Theirnew
versionblendstheirownNewOrleansstylewiththeR&Bstyleoftheoriginalartist.
MattSakakeenydescribesastarklydifferentsecondlineparadefromtheone
mentionedbySchafer:
Myeyesarefixedoneightmenintheirtwentiesandthirtiesleaningagainst
thebrickwalloftheRockBottom,inastripofshadeunderneaththeroof
overhang.Theymillabout,innoparticularhurry,untilthetallestofthempicks
upastreet-worntubafromthesidewalkandtheothersgatheraroundhim
withtheirinstruments:twotrumpets,twotrombones,asaxophone,bassdrum
andsnaredrum…Togetherwemovethroughthebackstreets,maneuvering
throughparkedcars.Rovingvendorswheelicechestsandyell“Icecoldbeer.
Getyourwater,”whileotherssetup“carbars”ontheroofsofpickuptrucks
parkedatdesignatedstops.Plumesofmarijuanasmokefilltheair.23
Thedressed-up,properbandsmenoftheearlieraccounthave,forthemostpart,
givenwaytodressed-down,lessformalperformances.Bandsarenowplayingin
clubsandatticketedevents.SometraditionalbrassbandsstilloperateinNew
Orleans,suchastheTreméBrassBandandtheLibertyBrassBand.
TheinfluenceofNewOrleansbrassbandshasbeenfeltfaroutsideofthecity
limitsofNewOrleans.InMadison,Wisconsin,agroupofhighschoolstudents
formedabrassbandthateventuallybecameknownasYoungbloodBrassBand.Nat
McIntosh,thesousaphonistofthegroup,says,“Thebandstartedduringmy
sophomoreyearofhighschoolatOregonHigh.MybrotherandIwereitchingtoput
22Hot8BrassBand,RockWiththeHot8,TruThoughtsRecordsTRUCD141,2007,CD.
23Sakakeeny,RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans,x.
22
togethersomekindofgroupandwe’dbothbeenlisteningtoalotofDirtyDozenand
Rebirth,soabrassbandseemedtheobviouswaytogo.”24Nathasbecome
somewhatofacultherotomanyyoungtubaplayers.Hehasevenperformedasa
soloistwiththeUniversityofWisconsin-Madison’s(hisalmamater)marching
band.25Hehasshownyoungtubaplayersawholenewworldofpossibilities.
OnecannotdiscussthehistoryofanymusicinNewOrleanswithout
discussingtheimpactofHurricaneKatrinain2005.Whenthestormhit,New
OrleansmusiciansweresentscatteringacrosstheUnitedStates.Inthewakeofthe
storm,manypeoplewereconcernedthatthecitywouldloseitsidentitybecauseof
themassivenumbersofpeoplethatwereunabletoreturntotheirhomesduetothe
devastatingdamagethestormleftinitswake.JohnAutin,pianistandownerof
RabadashRecords,vocalizedthesefears:
Theblackneighborhoodsaretheincubatorneighborhoods.That’swherethere
areneighborhoodbandsandneighborhoodbars.That’swherethechurches
are.Thosearetheplaceswherethefeelofthemusicistaughtfromgeneration
togeneration.That’swherethebrassbandsandtherappersandtheR&B
singerscomefrominNewOrleans.Greatmusicianswhoreallyhaveagroove
andafeelkeepcomingoutofNewOrleans.26
Manyfearedthatthetraditionwouldnotsurvivethestorm,duetomanymusicians
fleeingthecityaheadofthestorm.Thiswaschronicledinthe2006documentary
24Driscoll,106.
25David,“UWVarsityBandSpringConcert:WatchtheExcitement”
http://wptschedule.org/bemoretunedin/uw-varsity-band-spring-concert-watch-the-excitement/
(accessedJanuary,192016).
26GarthAlper,“NewOrleansMusicandKatrina,”PopularMusicandSociety29,no.4
(10/2006):461.
23
entitledNewOrleansMusicinExile,whichincludesfootageofNewOrleans
musiciansinvariouscitiesacrossthecountrydirectlyafterthestorm.Luckily,the
musichassurvivedandisthriving.
Thesis
IncorporatingNewOrleansbrassbandmusiccancomplementtheclassical
tubaandeuphoniumcurriculumfoundinmanyuniversities.Throughstudyofits
stylisticapproaches,improvisatorynature,andbasslineconstruction,tubaand
euphoniumplayerscanacquireskills,includinggreatermusictheoryandhistory
knowledge,theabilitytowalkabassline,andanunderstandingofastyleofmusic
theywouldnotbeexposedtoinanappliedlessonscurriculum.
24
CHAPTER2:IMPLEMENTATION
Constructingacurriculumisalengthyanddetailedprocess.Instructors
spendhourscarefullycraftingtheirsyllabiandcoursematerials,whichtheychange
andrefineovermanyyearsusingnewtechniques,scholarship,andinsightintheir
respectivefieldstocreateaclassthatwillhelpstudentstobesuccessful.Upon
analysisofcurrenttubaandeuphoniumsyllabi,ithasbeenrevealedthattheyshare
muchincommon.Thefocusoftheappliedtubaandeuphoniumcoursestendstobe
onsymphonicmusicstyle,whichturnsouttobemostlyEuropeanandAmerican
music.ThisprojectissettingforthasupplementforstudyingNewOrleansbrass
bandmusicthatcanbeaddedtoacurriculumthatiscurrentlyinuseandcanbe
easilyadaptedtoanyschoolsetting.Itdoesnotmatteriftheinstructorteachesata
communitycollegeorafour-yearuniversity;thesupplementalmaterialcanhelpan
instructortoaddanewdimensiontowhattheirstudentsarelearning.Thismaterial
canbeusedbyinstructorsthatdonothaveexperienceplayinginaNewOrleans
stylebrassband.NewOrleansbrassbandmusicemploysskillsthatcanbeused
acrossmanydifferentareas,suchaslearningtocreateabassline,improvisingover
chordchanges,andmusictheoryknowledge.
Severalappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonssyllabiweresurveyedinthe
processofthecreationofthissupplement.Studiosofvarioussizesandpedigree
wereinvestigatedinordertocoverawidespectrumoftubaandeuphoniumcourses
25
offeredthroughouttheUnitedStates.ThesyllabusofProfessorDavidZerkel,
ProfessorofTubaandEuphoniumattheUniversityofGeorgia,wasusedbasedon
thesuccessfulstudentshehastaughtsincehejoinedthefacultyin2000.27TheFall
2014syllabusofDr.DeannaSwoboda,AssistantProfessorofTubaandEuphonium
atArizonaStateUniversity,wasusedduetoheroutputofcommerciallyreleased
soloalbumsandhertenurewiththeDallasBrass.Dr.SwobodaisalsoaPast
PresidentoftheInternationalTubaandEuphoniumAssociation(ITEA).28The
syllabusofDr.ChrisDickey,ClinicalAssistantProfessorofMusic,Tuba,Euphonium,
andMusicTheoryatWashingtonStateUniversity,waschosenbecauseheteaches
musictheoryinadditiontoappliedlessons.Dr.ChristianCarichner,Assistant
DirectorofBandsandInstructorofTubaandEuphoniumatIowaStateUniversity,
bringsanotherperspectivethatisunique.Alargepartofhisjobisasanassistant
banddirector.ThesyllabusofProfessorFritzKaenzig,ArthurF.ThurnauProfessor
ofTubaandEuphoniumattheUniversityofMichigan,wasalsoused.
InordertointegrateNewOrleansbrassbandmusicintoanappliedtubaand
euphoniumlessonscurriculum,itisimportanttodiscusswhatisincludedin
existingcourses.Manyprofessorsinthecountry,includingProfessorDavidZerkel
oftheUniversityofGeorgiaandDr.DeannaSwobodaofArizonaStateUniversity,
27UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,“AbouttheStudio,”“Student
Accomplishments,”http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!about-the-studio(accessedMarch27,2016).
28DeannaSwoboda,“AboutMe,”http://deannaswoboda.com/about-me/(accessedJuly12,
2016).
26
includemanysimilarelementsintheirsyllabi.InhisFall2015syllabus,David
Zerkeldescribeshiscourseasthefollowing:
Thebasicprinciplebehindappliedlessonsistoteachyouasmuchaboutthe
performanceofyourinstrumentthatthetimewehavetogetherwillpermit.
WhileIwillstrivetoteachyouallaspectsofmusicperformancetoinclude
technique,toneproduction,tonguing,articulation,andphrasing,myemphasis
inteachingwillbebasedlargelyoncoaxingthemostmusicalperformanceout
ofyouaspossible.Musicisacommunicativeartform,notjustnotesand
technique.Sincemanyofyouwillgooutintothebigwideworldtoteach
youngerstudentsaboutmusic,itismygoaltoincorporateconceptsthatwe
discussintosituationsthatyouwillundoubtedlyencounterasaband
director.29
Whilethestudiosdiscussedhaveproducedmanystudentsemployedinthefieldof
tubaandeuphonium,thesyllabidonotmakereferencetonon-classicalstyles.This
projectwillseektoinjectNewOrleansbrassbandmusicintocoursenarrativesin
ordertoenhanceacoursethatisalreadyimpactful.
Dr.ChristianCarichnerlistshis“coursetopics,”whichincludemanystandard
topicscoveredinprivatetubaandeuphoniumlessons:
Allmajorandminor(allforms)scalesaswellasallarpeggiosintwooctaves.
Developmentofbreathing,embouchure,toneproduction,dailyroutine,
tonguingtechnique,sight-reading,flexibility,intonation,legatostudy,technical
facility,phrasing,interpretation,performanceskills,rhythm,andvibrato.
Requiredlisteningthroughoutentirecourseofstudytoestablishfamiliarity
withstandardtubaliteratureinallmediaandrepresentativeperformers.A
proportionalamountofstandardliteraturewillbechoseninaccordancewith
eachstudent(‘)scurrentlevelofachievement.Thedevelopmentofevaluative
skillswillbestressedsoawarenessofself-improvementwillleadtowardsselfteaching.30
29UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,“DocumentLibrary,”“SyllabusF15,”
http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!document-library(accessedJanuary23,2016).
30IowaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic,“TubaEuphSyllabus,”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf(accessedJanuary
31,2016).
27
Asetofcoursetopics,suchastheonessetforthbyDr.Carichner,canbereadily
adaptedtoincludeaNewOrleansbrassbandsupplement.Thenewsetofskills,such
aswalkingabasslineorimprovisingabassgroove,willbeaddedtothelonglistof
technicalandmusicalskillsgainedthroughprivatelessonswithoutchangingthe
overallobjectivesofthecourse.
CreationoftheSupplement
Itisimportanttousemodernscholarlymaterialswhenattemptingto
determinehowcertainsupplementscanfitintoanexistingcurriculum.Thereare
twosourcesthathavebeenusedinthisprojecttoidentifyhowcertainmaterialscan
beusedwithinacourse.ToolsforTeachingbyBarbaraGrossDaviscontainsa
valuablesectiononwritingasyllabusandwhatsortsofareasitshouldaddress.She
describesthesyllabus:
Expertshaveidentifiedvariouspurposesasyllabuscanserve:animplicit
teaching-learningcontract,outlining,thereciprocalrolesandresponsibilities
ofstudentsandtheinstructor;adiagnostictool,helpingstudentsassesstheir
readinessforacoursebyidentifyingprerequisitesandrequiredlevelsof
academicpreparationanddescribingworkloadandcoursechallenges;and
unambiguoussourceofpoliciesandproceduresofcourseoperations;a
learningtool,piquingstudents’interestandprovidingthemwiththe
information,resources,andlinkstheywillneedtosucceedinthecourse;anda
setofpromises–whattheinstructorpromisesstudentswilllearnandthe
activitiesstudentswillundertaketofulfillthesepromises.31
31BarbaraGrossDavis,ToolsforTeaching(SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass,2009),21.
28
Thoughthisprojectisnotseekingtocompletelyrewritecoursesyllabi,itis
importanttoknowhowsyllabiareconstructedtoseehowaNewOrleansbrass
bandsupplementcanbeinsertedintoanexistingcoursesyllabus.
CreatingSignificantLearningExperiences:AnIntegratedApproachtoDesigning
CollegeCoursesbyL.DeeFinkproposesfivequestionsthatcanbeaddressedwhen
craftingacourse.Fink’sworkiswidelyusedinhighereducationasaguidetocourse
design.Hisfivequestionsinclude:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Whatarethesituationalfactorsinaparticularcourseorlearningsituation?
Whatshouldourfullsetoflearninggoalsbe?
Whatkindsoffeedbackandassessmentshouldweprovide?
Whatkindsofteachingandlearningactivitieswillsuffice,intermsof
achievingthefullsetoflearninggoalsweset?
5. Areallthecomponentsconnectedandintegrated,thatis,arethey
consistentwithandsupportiveofeachother?32
FourofthesequestionsareespeciallypertinenttotheNewOrleansbrassband
supplement.Theorderofthequestionshasbeenrearrangedandadaptedtofitthe
purposesofthisproject.Thefollowingorderwillbeused:
1. Whatshouldourfullsetoflearninggoalsbe?
2. Whatkindsofteachingandlearningactivitieswillsuffice,intermsof
achievingthefullsetoflearninggoalsweset?
3. Whatkindsoffeedbackandassessmentshouldweprovide?
4. Areallthecomponentsconnectedandintegrated,thatis,arethey
consistentandsupportiveofeachother?
Thesequestionswillbeappliedtocurrentsyllabiwrittenbytubaandeuphonium
instructorsacrossthecountry.TheywillbeexaminedtoshowhowNewOrleans
32L.DeeFink,SignificantLearningExperiences:AnIntegratedApproachtoDesigningCollege
Courses(SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass,2013),67.
29
brassbandplayingcanbeaddedasasupplementinallofdifferentareasofacourse
curriculum.
LearningGoals
L.DeeFink’ssecondquestionfromhisIntegratedCourseDesignModelasks
aboutthelearninggoalsforthecourse.DavidZerkellaysoutobjectivesforhis
studentsthattakehisappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonsclass.UponreadingDr.
DeannaSwoboda’sFall2014syllabus,manyoftheirobjectivesreflectsimilar
expectations.Shelaysoutwhatshethinkseachstudentshouldbeableto
demonstrateattheendofthecourse:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Anevolvingtechnicalabilityontheinstrument.
Knowledgeandfacilitationofallmajorandminorscaleforms.
Anunderstandingofmusicalphrasingandartisticinterpretation.
Theabilitytoevaluateperformancescriticallyandcoherently–verbal
andwrittenformat.
Takeanactiveinterestintheircraft(readaboutit,listentorecordings,
attendrelatedevents,etc.)
Developapositiveattitudeandacommitmenttowardimprovement
andexcellence.
Supportyourpeersandcolleaguesinanactivelearningenvironment,
includingattendingpeerrecitals.33
ItiswithinsimilarobjectivesthatinstructorscanaddNewOrleansbrassband
playingintotheircourses.Addinganewelementintoanexistingcurriculumdoes
notchangetheexistingobjectives.Itservestoenhancetheobjectivesofthecourse
thatalreadyexistandallowsinstructorstoaddnewdimensionstothelearning
33ArizonaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic,“Tuba/EuphoniumStudioAppliedLessons
SyllabusFall2014,”http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASUsyllabus-applied-fall-20141.pdf(accessedFebruary20,2016).
30
experiencesoftheirstudents.Thepurposeofthisprojectistoenhancecurrent
curriculaandisnotmeanttobeacritiqueoradialogueonshortcomingsor
shortfallsofexistingcurricula.
LearningobjectivescanbeadaptedtoincludeNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
Someoftheseobjectivescaninclude:
•
•
•
Applymusictheoryandeartrainingknowledgetolearningtowalka
basslineandimproviseabassgroove.
GainknowledgeofcommonchordprogressionsinNewOrleansbrass
bandmusic.
ListentorecordingstogainabetterunderstandingofNewOrleans
BrassBandmusic.
Thespecificsoftheimplementationoftheseobjectiveswillbeincludedinthe
attachedsupplementarymaterial.
TeachingandLearningActivities
Fink’sfourthquestiondealswithwhatteachingandlearningactivitieswillbe
includedinacourse.Numerousteachingandlearningactivitiesareusedby
instructorsacrosstheUnitedStatestohelptheirstudentsreachtheobjectivesthat
aresetforthfortheirappliedlessonscourses.
LearninghowtoplayNewOrleansbrassbandmusicwillbecarriedoverinto
privatelessons.Instructorscanassigncertainexercisesforaweeklylessonthatwill
begiveninadditiontoetudes,technicalexercises,orsolosthataregenerallygiven
onaweeklybasis.Theseexercisescantakemereminutestocoverandwillnot
sacrificetimethatisalreadybeingusedforotherareasoftechnicalandmusical
proficiency.Thespecificsoftheseexerciseswillbecoveredintheexercisessection.
31
Allappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscurriculasurveyedinthisproject
includeexclusivelycomposedmusic,whichisatermfor“worksbyasingularmind,
fixedandpromulgatedinwrittenform.”34ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplement
willincludeactivitiesthattakestudentsawayfromtraditionaletudebooksor
methodbooks.Forinstance,anactivitythatwouldbebeneficialforstudentsisto
havethemlistentoabrassbandrecordingandinstructthemtoplaythebassline
backtotheinstructor.Thekeyandgeneralformwouldbegiven,buttheeartraining
aspectoftheassignmentwillbeleftuptothestudent.AlthoughaNewOrleansbrass
supplementincludesmanywrittenexercisesandbooks,animportantfeatureofitis
activitiesthatarenotwrittendowninmusicnotation.
Manycurriculaincludeetudeandmethodbooksthatarestylisticallysimilar.
Thesetextsareused,generally,tohelpstudentstodevelopbasicphrasing,musical,
andtechnicalskills.However,aNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementwilladdanew
dimensiontothataspectoftheprivatelessonsprocess.Thereareafewbooksthat
canhelpinstructorsteachtheirstudentsaboutchordprogressions,walkingbass
lines,andimprovisation.AlthoughtheyarenotspecificallytailoredtoNewOrleans
brassbandmusic,theycanbereadilyadaptedtothatstyleofplaying.Agood
exampleofalistofrequiredmaterialsincludesmanyofthebooksrequiredbyDr.
ChrisDickeyofWashingtonStateUniversity:
Arban’sCompleteMethodforTromboneandEuphoniumeditedbyAlessiand
Bowman
34CraigHavighurst,Medium,https://medium.com/cuepoint/classical-music-needs-a-new-name2e07b084f4a3#.4gbuepk6m(accessedMay2,2016).
32
MelodiousEtudesforTrombonebyRochut,volume1
TechnicalStudiesforBassClefInstrumentsbyClarke
ParesScalesforTromboneorEuphoniumbyPares
36StudiesforTrombonebyBlume
40ProgressiveStudiesbyTyrell
SelectedStudieseditedbyVoxman
AdvancedBandMethodbyHalLeonard(withSpecialStudiesbyArnoldJacobs)
66BasicStudiesbySlama
43BelCantoStudiesbyBordogni
60SelectedStudiesbyKopprasch
EuphoniumExcerptsfromtheStandardBandandOrchestraLibrarybyPayne
70StudiesbyBlazhevich
DailyDrillsandTechnicalStudiesforTrumpetbySchlossberg
SixSuitesbyJ.S.Bach
LegatoEtudesforTubaeditedbyW.Jacobs
TheOneHundredbyW.Jacobs35
TheNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementincludesmaterialsthatarenotseeninany
ofthesyllabithatweresurveyed.Theobjectiveofthecourseisstillthesame,but
thenewmaterialspullthestudentsawayfromtheEuropeanmethodandetude
booksthatdominatethebookslistsformanyappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessons
courses.
Inadditiontocommonlyusedetudeandmethodbooksthatareusedintuba
andeuphoniumstudios,thisprojectproposesthatthereareadditionaltextsthat
willbeaddedtoasyllabusthatcanhelpstudentsworkonskillsthatareusedby
musiciansinNewOrleansbrassbands.TheJonSassBassLineBookisavaluable
resourcethatisutilizedbystudentsandinstructorstoimprovetheirskillsfor
improvisingbasslines.Itisagoalofthisprojecttohelpprofessorstoenhancetheir
curriculawithwaystodiscoverhowtubascanbeusedasafunctionalbassinaNew
35Dr.ChrisDickey,“Spring2016Tuba-EuphoniumStudioSyllabus,”WashingtonState
UniversitySchoolofMusic.
33
Orleansbrassbandsetting.Thisinvolvesusingsourcesthatmayalsobecategorized
as“jazz”sourcestohelpstudentsachievethedesiredskillsetforplayingNew
Orleansbrassbandmusic.
DavidBakerwasaDistinguishedProfessorofMusic(JazzStudies)intheJacobs
SchoolofMusicatIndianaUniversityinBloomington.36HisJazzBassClef
ExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovativeSystemforLearningtoImprovise
forBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCelloisalsoagreateducationaltoolforteaching
studentshowtoimprovisebasslinesandimprovisationingeneral.Bakerdescribes
theuseofhisbook:
Whiletheinformationinthisbook–ifunderstood,useddiligentlyand
intelligently,andappliedpractically–guaranteestheprospectiveplayera
certainmeasureofsuccess,itisbynomeansintendedtoreplacethewealthof
excellentavailablestringmaterialsaimedprimarilyatproducingaclassical
player.Thematerialsfromclassicalstudiesshouldworkinconjunctionwith
thematerialsandinformationpresentedinthisbook.37
Baker’ssentimentechoesthatoftheauthorofthisproject.TheadditionofNew
Orleansbrassbandmusicismeanttoaccenttheexistingappliedcurriculaandnot
toreplaceit.Eachsectionofthebookgoesthroughadifferentscaleandallowsthe
studenttomasterthescaletheyaretryingtoimprovisethrough.Thebookalso
offersashortindexofjazzsymbolsandterms.
36DavidBaker,“Faculty,”“DavidBaker,”
http://info.music.indiana.edu/faculty/current/baker-david-n.shtml(accessedFebruary22,2016).
37DavidN.Baker,JazzBassClefExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovativeSystemfor
LearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCello(NewAlbany,IN:JameyAebersoldJazz,
Inc.,1995),Preface.
34
FeedbackandAssessment
ThethirdquestionproposedbyFinkpertainstothetypesoffeedbackand
assessmentthattheinstructorcanuse.Thisquestiondealswithhowstudentswill
beevaluatedandgradedbasedontheirknowledgeofthesubject.Tubaand
euphoniumstudiosusedifferentformsofgrading,withdifferentareasofstudy
weightedatdifferentpercentages.Forinstance,atIowaStateUniversity,theweekly
lessongradeaccountsfor70%ofthefinalgrade,whilereading
discussions/participation/assignmentsaccountsfor20%.Afinaljuryaccountsfor
10%ofthefinalgrade.38TheArizonaStateUniversitytubaandeuphoniumstudio
syllabuslistsweeklylessonpreparationat60%ofthefinalgrade,Studioclassis
20%,andASUTubaEuphoniumEnsembleis20%.39Althoughprivatelessonsmake
upamajorityofthefinalgrade,thereareotherareasthatvaryfromstudiotostudio
thatareasmallerpercentageofthegrade.
Thereareseveraldifferentapproachestoassessingthelearningofstudents
indifferentcourses.Appliedlessonscoursestendnottousethetraditionalmidterm
andfinalexaminfavorofweeklyassessmentsinprivatelessonsandmasterclasses,
whichfallsintowhatFinkcalls“educativeassessment.”Finkidentifiesfourbasic
components:
38IowaStateUniversitySchoolofMusic,“TubaEuphSyllabus,”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf(accessedJanuary
31,2016).
39ArizonaStateUniversityTuba-EuphoniumFaculty,“SyllabusAppliedFall2015,”
http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASU-syllabus-applied-fall2015-1.pdf(accessedJanuary31,2016).
35
•
•
•
•
Createforward-lookingassessmentquestionsandproblems.
Developclearandappropriatecriteriaandstandardsforevaluating
studentperformance.
Createopportunitiesforstudentstoengageinself-assessment.
ProvideFIDeLityfeedback:feedbackthatisfrequent,immediate,
discriminating,anddonelovingly.40
Thisapproachstandsinstarkcontrasttowhatisknownasabackward-looking
assessment,whichstrictlytestswhatislearnedinclass.Forward-looking
assessmentservestofindwaysforstudentstoapplyknowledgethattheyhave
learnedinclasstonewactivities.ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplementwillbe
utilizedbyinstructorsinaforward-lookingmannerbycreatinghelpfulassignments
sothatstudentswillapplytheirskillsinawaythatdoesnotinvolvejusttakinga
test.
“EducativeAssessment”iseasilymanipulatedtoincludeanassessmentof
howstudentsaredevelopingtheirskillsforNewOrleansbrassbandplaying.For
instance,theinstructorhastheoptiontoaddalinediscussingimprovementofthe
student’sabilitytowalkabasslineoverasimplechordchangeonaweeklyor
biweeklybasis.Thegoalistocreateastandardofimprovementinallareasfortuba
andeuphoniumstudents.Thissupplementwillnotoutlinestandardsforgradesfor
privatelessonsandotherassignments.Itisbestthatthisaspectbeleftupto
individualinstructors.
40Fink,111.
36
ProfessorDavidZerkelrequireshisstudentstocompleteaweeklyassignment
titled“TuneoftheWeek.”Hegivesathoroughdescriptionoftheassignmentinhis
syllabus:
Youwillberequiredtolistentotenofthefollowingpiecesthissemester.
Followingyourlistening,youarerequiredtowriteacritiqueoftheworkand
theperformance.Whatdidyoulikeaboutit?Whatdidn’tyoulikeaboutit?
Thisisstrictlyanopinion/observationassignment.Yourcritiquedoesnot
necessarilyneedtobescholarly;howeveritdoesneedtobeintelligentand
thoughtful.Inyourcritiquebesuretoincludethenameoftheorchestraand
theconductoroftherecordingthatyoulistenedto.41
Thisassignmentservestofulfillhisobjectivepertainingtotheabilitytoevaluate
performancescriticallyandcoherently.Similarassignmentswillhelpother
instructorswhohavealearningobjectivethatconcernscriticallistening.Developing
aneducatedearformusicisessentialforallmusicstudentsandcanbeutilizedin
anyappliedtubaandeuphoniumstudiocurriculum.
AlisteningactivitycanbeeasilyadaptedtoincludeNewOrleansbrassband
music.Aninstructorcanincludeimportanttunes,albums,orbrassbandsthatwill
helpstudentstobetterunderstandthestyle.Appliedlessonsteachersalreadyhave
studentsreferencerecordingsforcertainsolosororchestralandbandmusicthat
theymaybeworkingon.Ifaninstructoralreadyhaslisteningassignmentsbuiltinto
theirsyllabus,theycanaddasmallnumberofrecordingsofNewOrleansbrass
bandstohelpstudentsacclimatethemselvestohowthebrassbandssound.Those
recordingscanrangefromthetraditionaltothemorefunkandhip-hopbands.
TreméBrassBandandtheLibertyBrassBandaregoodexamplesofmore
41UniversityofGeorgiaTuba/EuphoniumStudio,Fall2015Syllabus.
37
traditionalbrassbands,whilebandssuchasRebirthBrassBandandDirtyDozen
BrassBandaregoodexamplesoffunkierbrassbands.
HowComponentsAreConnectedandIntegrated
Thefinalquestionthathasbeenproposeddealswithhowallofthedifferentaspects
ofacurriculumworktogether.Finksays,“Thelearninggoals,theteachingand
learningactivities,andthefeedbackandassessmentproceduresallneedtosupport
eachother.”42Inthecaseofthesyllabithathavebeeninvestigatedoverthecourse
ofthisproject,allofthemhavecomponentsthatsupportthemainobjectivesoftheir
courses.Forinstance,manyofthesyllabidiscussoneoftheirmainobjectivesas
beingfortheirstudentstolearntheirmajorandminorscales.Inordertoachieve
thisobjective,theyhavescaletestsand/orincludescalesontheirjuriesattheendof
eachsemesterand/orschoolyear.Similaractivitiescanbeaddedtoacurriculumto
reinforcetheNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementalmaterial.
AllofthequestionssetforthbyFinkarelinked.Thefeedbackandassessment
isbaseduponthelearningactivities,whicharegenerallydictatedbytheobjectives
ofthecourselaidoutbytheinstructor.Therefore,professorsdeterminetheweight
ofcertainassignmentsbasedupontheirimportancetotheoveralllearning
objectives.Forinstance,ChristianCarichnerofIowaStateUniversityplaces70%of
thefinalgradeinweeklylessons.Thattellsthereaderofhissyllabusthatheplacesa
greatdealofimportanceontimespentinlessons.
42Fink,139.
38
ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplementcanbeincorporatedintocurrenttuba
andeuphoniumstudioteachingusingthemethodsdiscussedabove.Thespecificsof
thesupplement’scontentsaredescribedinthefollowingsection,whichfeatures
musicalexamplesandspecificideasforlearningactivities.
39
CHAPTER3:EXERCISESANDASSIGNMENTS
Animportantpartofthisprojectistoofferexercisesandassignmentsfor
instructorstoaddintotheirrespectivecurriculatoincludeNewOrleansbrassband
playing.Theexercisesincludeavarietyofdifferentdrillsdesignedtoteachcollege
tubaandeuphoniumstudentsaboutplayinginaNewOrleansbrassband.Thiswill
includeimprovisingabassline,improvisingsolos,andlearningcommonchord
progressionsfoundinNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Listeningassignmentsare
designedtohelpstudentslearnthestyleandpossibleoptionsforbasslinesthat
theycanincludeintheirownplaying.Thisprojectwillshowpossiblepathsthat
instructorscantakewiththeseassignments,includingpromptsandfocused
questionsforstudentstoconsider.
Exercises
Thereareawidevarietyofexercisesthatinstructorsofappliedtubaand
euphoniumcanassigntohelptheirstudentslearnskillsthatwouldbeneededwhen
playingNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Professorsatschoolsaroundthecountry
alreadyassigndailydrillsandtechnicalexercisesthatcanbereadilyadaptedfor
brassbandplaying.Forexample,arpeggiosandscalesinallkeysaredesignatedas
partofessentialdrillsinmanyappliedlessonscurricula.Manyexercisesthatcanbe
addedtoincludeNewOrleansbrassbandplayingcanalsohelpstudentstoapply
40
theirmusictheoryandmusichistoryknowledgethattheyhavelearnedseparately
intheircoremusicclasses.Inadditiontobeingexplainedinthissection,the
exercisessetforthbythisprojectwillbeincludedinthesupplementwritteninthe
appendixofthisdocument.
Arpeggiatedexercisescanbemanipulatedbyhavingstudentsplaychord
progressionsthatarecommoninNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Aninstructor
couldhaveastudentprepareaI-ii-V-Ichordprogression,whichiscommoninNew
Orleansmusic,andhavethemplaythroughitineverykey.Thesamecouldbedone
inaminorkey,aswell.TheauthorbecameawareofthisexercisebyTomHoltz,
formertubistintheUnitedStatesMarineBandandcurrentfreelanceheliconplayer
inWashingtonD.C.Theheliconissimilartoasousaphone,butthebellfacesoverthe
musician’sleftshoulderratherthanforwardandcannotberemoved.Musical
Examples1and2demonstratethearpeggioexercisethatwasdiscussedbyTom
HoltzinamasterclassatArizonaStateUniversityinNovemberof2015.Example1
takesthestudentthroughallofthemajorkeysinacircleof4thsprogression
beginninginthekeyofCMajor.Theseexercisesaretobepracticedinavarietyof
articulationsandtempi.Astudent,forexample,couldbeaskedbytheinstructorto
playallofthearpeggiosinalonger,legatostyle,ortheycouldbeaskedtoplayina
moredetachedstyle.Thestudentcaninitiallyplaytheexerciseatafairlyslow
tempoandgraduallyincreasethebeatsperminuteastheybegintomasterthe
progression.
41
MusicalExample1.I-ii-V-IArpeggios
42
MusicalExample2.i-iio-V-iChordProgression
43
Thesameexercisecanbedoneinnaturalminorkeys.Thiswillhelpstudentsto
becomefamiliarwiththesekeyssotheywillbeabletoplaymusicandchord
progressionsinminor.
AcommontrendinmanyNewOrleansbrassbandstunesistheuseof
syncopationinthebassline.Anexampleofthisis“DoWatchaWanna”byRebirth
BrassBand,whichisdemonstratedinMusicalExample3.Thesongbeginswitha
syncopatedbasslinethatservesasthefoundationalgrooveofthewholetuneandis
inthekeyofEb Major.“TheTreméSong,”performedbyTreméBrassBandstarts
withamoretraditionaldrumintroduction,butthebasslinethroughoutisa
syncopatedrhythmicgroovealternatingbetweenIandIV.ItisalsointhekeyofEb
Major.Thiscouldbepracticedineverymajorandminorkeytopreparestudentsto
playstandardNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
MusicalExample3.SyncopatedBassLinefrom“DoWatchaWanna”
Students,inmanycases,donotstrayfromwhattheyreadonthepagewhen
theyperformorpracticethroughouttheircollegiatemusiccareer.Animportant
partofthefunkandhip-hopNewOrleansbrassbandsisthetubagroovethatbegins
thesongtosetupthestructureofthesong.Therearenumerousexamplesofthis,
including“NewOrleans(AftertheCity)”butHot8BrassBandand“FeelLike
Funkin’ItUp”byRebirthBrassBand.MusicalExample4isadictationofthebass
linegroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp.”Althoughitissyncopatedlike“DoWatcha
44
Wanna,”ithasamuchmorefunkgroovefeel.Anassignmentthataninstructorof
appliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscouldgivetoastudentistohavethemwrite
and/orcreatetheirownbasslinegroove.Thestudentcandrawinspirationfromthe
albumsandsongthattheylistentoaspartofthelisteningassignmentspartofthe
coursecurriculum.
MusicalExample4.SousaphoneGroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp”
Thesamesyncopatedrhythmsthatarefeaturedintheexercisethatmimics
thepatternof“DoWatchaWanna”and“TheTreméSong”canbeusedasan
auxiliaryclappingorsingingexercise,aswell.Brassbandsplaythesetunesina
varietyoftempi,sohavingthestudentsclaporsingthroughthesyncopated
rhythmscouldhelpthemtofeelthegroovebeforeplayingthesamethingontheir
instrumentwithchordchanges.Anotherstepbeforeaddingthechordchangescould
alsoincludethestudentplayingastringofsyncopatedrhythmsonthesamenote.
SyncopatedrhythmsareabigpartofNewOrleansbrassbandmusic,sothisstudy
shouldbeanessentialpartofaninstructor’sbrassbandcurriculum.
AstandardoftheNewOrleansbrassbandrepertoireis“WhentheSaintsGo
MarchingIn.”Thechordstructureisfairlysimpleandstraightforward,makingitan
idealchartforbeginnerstobeabletofollow.Itisalsohelpfulthatthetuneiswell
knownandcanhelpguidethestudentsthroughthechordstructureofthesong.An
assignmentforatubaoreuphoniumstudentwouldbetohavethemtranscribea
45
basslinethatwillbeusedwhenplayingthetune.Hereisanexampleofapossible
basslineforthechorusof“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”:
MusicalExample5.“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”BassLine
Thisassignmentwillbeassignedinconjunctionwiththelisteningassignmentsthat
thestudentscompleteduringthecourse.Itistheintentofthissupplementthat
studentsbecomeexposedtodifferentapproachestothesamesongssothattheycan
developtheirownideasforplayingeachtune.Theycantakebitsandpiecesofbass
linesfromrecordingsthattheyheartocrafttheirowninterpretation.
AcommonchordprogressionthataNewOrleansbrassbandmusicianmay
encounteristwelvebarblues.Althoughatwelvebarbluesvaries,thestandard
progressionis:I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-V.RebirthBrassBandplaysatunecalled“You
Can’tFlyIfYou’reTooHigh,”which,uponlisteningtoit,isinatraditionaltwelvebar
46
blues.Afterasurveyofseveralrecordingsoftheprogression,anexercisewas
createdthatcanbeadaptedtoallkeysthatwillhelpstudentsbecomemore
acquaintedwiththechordsandstyle.MusicalExample6isapossiblebasslineina
twelvebarbluesprogression.
MusicalExample6.TwelveBarBlues
Anotherdailydrillthatiscommoninteachingthroughoutthecountryisthe
practiceofscales.Majorandminorscalesserveasmajorcomponentsofmany
appliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscurricula.FritzKaenzig,theArthurF.Thurnau
ProfessorofTubaandEuphoniumattheUniversityofMichigan,includes
“Satisfactionofthescalerequirementsduringanylessonchosenbyeachindividual
student.”43asthethirditemonhisstudiosyllabus.Manymusicprograms
throughoutthecountryhaveendofthesemesterand/orendoftheyearjuriesthat
commonlyincludethesescales.Scalescanbeusedinpracticalapplicationinmany
43UniversityofMichiganTubaandEuphoniumStudio,“Syllabus”,http://wwwpersonal.umich.edu/~fak/syllabus.html(accessedMarch19,2016).
47
musicalareas,buttheyareespeciallyhelpfulwhenplayingNewOrleansbrassband
music.Itisimportanttoknowscaleswellinordertowalkabassline.Awaytomake
thestudyofscalesrelatabletobrassbandmusicistoaddjazzscalesandchurch
modes.DavidBaker’sJazzExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovative
SystemforLearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCellooffersa
comprehensivemethodforlearningscalesthatmaynotbelearnedbymostcollege
musicstudents.
MethodBooks
Inadditiontocommonlyusedetudeandmethodbooksthatareutilizedintuba
andeuphoniumstudios,thisprojectproposesthatthereareadditionaltextsthat
canbeaddedtoasyllabusthatwillhelpstudentsworkonskillsthatareusedby
musiciansinNewOrleansbrassbands.TheJonSassBassLineBookisavaluable
resourcethatcanbeutilizedbystudentsandinstructorstoimprovetheirskillsfor
improvisingbasslines.Intheintroductiontohisbasslinebook,JonSassassertsthe
following:
Outsideoforchestral,classicalchambermusicandsoloplaying,therearemany
otherpossibilitiesforlowbrassmusicians.Oneoftheseisusingtheir
instrumentasafunctionalbassinrock,jazz,funkandotherpopularmusic
genres.Thetubaisabassinstrumentanditsabilitytosustain,articulateand
colorsoundisdifferentfromstring,electricorkeyboardbass.Thesound
characteristicsoflowbrassinstrumentsgiveacuttingedgeadvantage
alongsidethesearchfornewsounds.44
44JonSass,TheJonSassBassLineBookforTuba(orEuphonium,Sousaphone,BassTrombone)
(Vuarmarens,Switzerland:EditionsBim,2007),2.
48
Itisagoalofthisprojecttohelpprofessorstoenhancetheircurriculawithwaysto
discoverhowtubascanbeusedasafunctionalbassinaNewOrleansbrassband
setting.
Studentsalsoneedtohaveabasicknowledgeofstandardsignsandsymbols
thatareusedinNewOrleansbrassbandmusicinordertoreadachartifitisplaced
infrontofthem.JonSass,inTheJonSassBassLineBook,listssignsandsymbolsthat
areusedfrequentlyinthenotationofjazzchartsthatarealsocommonlyusedby
NewOrleansbrassbands.Thesesymbolsincludethoseformajor,minor,dominant
seventh,andthesymbolforaraisedhalfstep.45ThesamesectionofSass’bookalso
discussescommonlyfoundchords,scales,andmodesthatarefoundfrequently.His
bookalsocontainsaC.D.,whichisahelpfultoolforstudentstousewhenlearningto
playNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Eachexerciseallowsthestudenttoreadabass
lineexamplegivenbySass,afterwhichtheyareencouragedtowritetheirownand
playitalongwiththerecording.Creatingabasslineisanimportantpartofplaying
brassbandmusic,andaddingsongsfromSass’booktotheotheretudesandsolos
thatareassignedforprivatelessonsbycollegiatetubaandeuphoniuminstructors
wouldallowthemtopracticethisimportantskill.
ListeningAssignments
Thegoaloflisteningassignmentsistohelpstudentstolistencriticallyto
musicandtoencouragestudentstoputwhattheyhearintowords.Benefitsof
45Ibid.,9.
49
listeningassignmentsincludelearningtoevaluatethequalityofarecording,gaining
knowledgeofacertainstyleorgenre,andtheabilitytoformulatecoherentthoughts
onwhatthestudenthearsinarecording.Therearemanyformsthatlistening
assignmentscantake.Manyappliedlessonscoursesalreadyincludesomesortof
listeningcurriculum.Insomecases,listeningassignmentscanbeinformal
suggestionsgivenduringprivatelessons,whileinothercasestheycanbemadea
formalassignmentthataccumulatesintoacertainpercentageofthefinalgrade.For
instance,Dr.ChrisDickey,ClinicalAssistantProfessorofMusic,Tuba,Euphonium,
andMusicTheory,assignsapieceperweekforhisstudentstoassessandmakesit
tenpercentofthestudents’finalgrade.46Thisprojectproposesamoreformal
approachthatissimilartothatofDr.Dickey,whereitcanfactorasapercentageofa
finalgradeandwillrequireawrittensubmission.Aninstructorcanputfortha
seriesofquestionsforstudentstoanswerortheycansimplyaskthestudenttogive
ageneralreactiontotherecording.
Therearemanypromptsthatteacherscanuseforlisteningassignments
dependingontheirgoalsforthehomework.Ifaninstructorwouldlikeforstudents
tousethelisteningassignmentasawayforstudentstodevelopanearforthesound
conceptsofaNewOrleansbrassband,theymayask:
•
HowwouldyoudescribethesoundofthesousaphonewithintheNew
Orleansbrassbandcontextinthisrecording?Isitbright?Isitdark?
46Dr.ChrisDickey,“Spring2016Tuba-EuphoniumStudioSyllabus,”WashingtonState
UniversitySchoolofMusic.
50
Whatistheroleofthesousaphonewithinthegroup?Isitsimilaror
differenttoitsrolewithinanorchestraorconcertband?
• Howwouldyoudescribethestylethatthegroupplaysin?
• Whatrhythmicinflectionsandornamentsdidthesousaphonistadd?
Howcouldyoucreatesimilarstylizationsinyourownplaying?
Thesearemerelysuggestions,butasimilarlineofquestioningwouldbebeneficial
•
withinthelisteningassignmentspartoftheappliedlessonscurriculum.
Thesameapproachcanbeusedforlisteningassignmentsrelatedtofinding
historicalcontextofdifferentrecordings.Amoretraditionalbrassband,suchas
TreméBrassBandorLibertyBrassBand,wouldhaveaslightlydifferentoverall
sound,andtherepertoirewouldbesomewhatdifferentfromamorefunk/pop/hiphopstylebrassband.GroupslikeDirtyDozenBrassBandandRebirthBrassBand,
thoughtheydoplaytraditionalsecondlinetunes,aregoingtohaveaudible
differencesfromthemoretraditionalbands,suchasTreméBrassBandorLiberty
BrassBand.MattSakakeenywrites:
ManyoftheDirtyDozen’stransformationsoftraditionaredetectableontheir
debutrecording,a45rpmrecordreleasedin1981…In‘FeetCan’tFailMeNow’
andothernew-schoolbrassstandards,thetubaplaysacompact,virtuosicriff
thatrepeatstheentiresong.ItwasKirkJoseph,alongwithAnthony‘TubaFats’
Lacen,whosetthisnewstandardofcyclicaltubamelodies,supplantingthe
tuba’spreviousroleofprovidingtheharmonicfoundationbyoutliningthe
changingchordprogressions.47
Thisisn’ttosaythatthose“new-schoolbrassband”tubaplayersdonotplayakey
harmonicfunction,butitisimportantforstudentstobeabletodifferentiate
betweenthetwostylesofbrassbandplaying.Itisalsoimportanttonotethatmany
47Sakakeeny,RollWithIt:BrassBandsintheStreetsofNewOrleans,120.
51
ofthetraditionaltunesstartwithadrumrhythm,whilethenewerbrassband
groupsusuallybeginwithatubagroove.
Aninstructorcanmakeuphis/herownchoiceofwhatsongsoralbumsthey
canusefortheirlisteningassignments.Theycanassignaspecificrecording,orthey
canassignacertaintuneandaskthestudenttoseekoutcertainrecordingsofsongs.
Ateachercanaskastudenttofindandlistentoacertainnumberofrecordingsofa
certaintuneandaskthestudenttowritethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetween
them.Thiswillhelppupilstobegintoformulatetheirideasaboutwhattheylikeand
dislikeaboutcertainapproachestoplayingNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
Developingacriticalearwhenlisteningtomusicisimportanttodevelopinan
appliedlessonscurriculum.
Anotherpossiblelisteningassignmentinvolveshavingstudentslistento
recordingsandhavethemidentifythechordprogression.Itisimportantwhen
playingNewOrleansbrassbandthatthetubistknowsthekeyofthetuneandupon
whatchordsthebasslineshouldbebased.Studentscouldpossiblytranscribeabass
linebasedonarecordingtoenhancehowtheylistentorecordingsandtopractice
developingaprocessforthemimprovisingtheirownbasslines.Studentscould,for
example,listentoarecordingof“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”andidentifythe
chordprogression.Aftertheyhaveidentifiedthechordprogression,theycan
transcribethebasslinethatthetubaplayerintherecordingimprovisesonapiece
ofmanuscriptpaperorinacomputernotationprogram,suchasSibeliusorFinale.
PhilipFrazierofRebirthBrassBandwilllikelyplayaslightlydifferentbasslineon
52
“WhentheSaintsGoMarchingIn”thanJonGrossofTreméBrassBand.Thiswould
alsoserveasasupplementtotheirmusictheoryandeartrainingcourses.
Exercisesandassignmentsareanessentialpartofanycollegecourse.They
aremeanttohelpinstructorsguidetheirstudentsandhelpthemtoachievethe
greatestsuccesstheycanwithinthecourseandbeyond.Itisthegoalofthisproject
tohelpinstructorsofappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonsthroughoutthecountry
tosupplementtheircurrentcurriculumwithNewOrleansbrassbandmusicin
ordertoenhancetheircurrentcourses.
53
CONCLUSION
ANewOrleansbrassbandsupplementwilladdanewskillsetforstudentsto
utilize.Althoughcoursesinmusictheoryandmusichistoryarecoreelementsofa
schoolofmusiccurriculum,itisimportantthatwhatislearnedinthosecoursesis
appliedinprivatelessons,masterclasses,performances,andchambermusicstudies.
Astudent’sbasicmusictheoryknowledgecanbeputtousewithinthecontextof
NewOrleansbrassbandplaying.Thechordprogressionsusedinthatstyleare
comparabletothesimplechordprogressionstaughtinacollegefreshmantheory
class,suchasaI-IV-V-IorI-ii-V-Iprogression.ThedevelopmentoftheNewOrleans
brassbandalsofollowsasimilarchronologytothebrassbandmovementinthe
UnitedStates,aswellastheearlyjazzpioneersoftheearlytwentiethcentury.
Helpingtoputtunesandfacestotopicsthatmayhavebeenonlydiscussedbrieflyin
amusichistorysurveycoursecanhelptoenhanceastudent’soverallmusical
knowledge.
ThesupplementisimportanttothesuccessofintegratingNewOrleansbrass
bandmusicintoanappliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonscurriculum.Itallows
instructorstohavearesourcethatisalreadyconstructedforthemandisadaptable
totheirindividualneeds.Thesupplementisnotrendereduselessifitisnotusedin
itsentirety.Itisappropriateforaninstructortopickcertainsectionsofitto
highlightwiththeirownstudentswithoutsacrificingtheoverallbenefitsofthe
54
supplement.Instructorswillbemoresuitedtopreparetheirstudentsforan
evolvingmusicalworldthatawaitsthemupongraduation.
ANewOrleansbrassbandcurriculumsupplementwillhelpinstructorsof
appliedtubaandeuphoniumlessonstoteachtheirstudentstheskillsneededtoplay
inabrassbandandwillintroducethemtorecordingsandmaterialsthatwillallow
studentstointegrateanewdimensionintotheirprofessionalprofile.Onenever
knowswhentheywillreceiveacallforaNewOrleansbrassbandorDixielandgig.If
themusiciandoesnothavetheskillsnecessarytoperformthatmusicoris
uncomfortablewithimprovisatorymusic,theymissanopportunitytoaddnew
experiencestotheirresumé.Ifanothergigcomesupthatneedsatubaplayertoplay
thatstyleofmusic,itisimportantforthemusiciantobethoughtofinapositive
light.
Themusicindustryisbecomingmoreandmorecompetitiveeveryyear.The
DepartmentofLabor’sprojectionformusiciansandsingersfor2016–2017seems
fairlygrim.Underthesectionentitled“JobProspects,”theemploymentforecastwas
wordedthusly:“Therewillbetoughcompetitionforjobsbecauseofthelarge
numberofpeoplewhoareinterestedinbecomingmusiciansandsingers.Many
musiciansandsingersexperienceperiodsofunemployment,andtherewilllikelybe
considerablecompetitionforfull-timepositions.”48Full-timepositions,suchas
tenuredorchestralpositionsoruniversityteachingpositions,mentionedinthis
48BureauofLaborStatistics,U.S.DepartmentofLabor,OccupationalOutlookHandbook,2016–
17Edition,MusiciansandSingers,http://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/musiciansand-singers.htm#tab-6(accessedApril6,2016).
55
projectionaredifficulttoobtain.Itisusefulforstudentsgraduatingfromcollegiate
musicprogramstodemonstrateawidearrayofskillstoaidetheirpursuitofmaking
alivingasamusicperformer.Theaimofthesupplementputforthbythisprojectis
tohelpstudentstoaddasetofskillstomakethemabettermusicianand
professionalinthefuture,butitalsohasthesidebenefitofhelpingtomakethem
moremarketableinthefieldofmusic.
Anexampleofagroupofclassmatesformingtheirowngroupis“JonBatiste
andStayHuman.”Theirleaderandnamesake,apianistandnativeofNewOrleans,
describeshowheviewedhiseducation:
Batistewantedtoexploreamusicalcareerbeyondsharpeninghischopsat
school.‘Ialwaysthought,man,ifwe’reworkingonallthisstuff,weshould
actuallyputitintopracticeandgooutthere.Ineverforgetthedeanofthejazz
department(atJuilliard)toldmebeforeIleft,oncethingshadbecomemore
clearthatIwasn’tjustsomecrazykidwhodismissedmyauthority,theywere
like.‘Ohmanyoualwayshadaplandidn’tyou?’Itwaskindatrue,youknow.I
reallydidhaveaplanforgoingtoschool–itwasn’tjusttogotoschool.49
Batisteandhisbandmatestookwhattheylearnedinschoolandformeditintotheir
ownstyle.TheNewOrleansbrassbandsupplementsetforthbythisprojecthasthe
intentionofprovidingcollegiatetubaandeuphoniumplayerswiththeskillsto
createtheirownbrassbandsandtocreatetheirownperformanceexperiences.
Learningorchestralandbandexcerptsiscriticalforcollegiatemusic
students,butitisalsoimportanttosupplementthatwithotherstylesofmusicto
49ChristopherR.Weingarten,RollingStone,“MeetJonBatiste,StephenColbert’sCrowd-
ThrillingRebelBandLeader,”August5,2015,http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/meet-jonbatiste-stephen-colberts-crowd-thrilling-rebel-bandleader-20150805(accessedApril6,2016).
56
roundoutwhattheyareabletoplay.AngelaMylesBeechingputsforthaninsightful
ideaaboutnon-traditionalmusiccareers:
[T]hesehighlycompetitivetraditionaljobsareonlyafractionofthework
actuallyavailabletomusicians.TheU.S.musicindustryisvastandincludesa
hugevarietyofworkopportunities.Andbecausemusiciansaregenerally
multi-talented,theyoftenhavemarketableskillsinmorethanonearea.The
majorityoftoday’sprofessionalmusicianscreatesatisfying‘portfolio’careers,
braidingtogetherpart-timeworkandentrepreneurialventurestocapitalizeon
theirtalents,interests,andexperiences.50
StudentswillhavetheopportunitytoaddNewOrleansbrassbandplayingtotheir
“portfolio”tohelpthemtobuildcareerskillsthatwillhelpthembesuccessfulinthe
competitiveprofessionalmusicmarket.Creatingdiverseteachingandlearning
experiencesinthestudioenvironmenthelpsstudentsseetheoptionsopentothem
beyondtraditionalcareerpaths.
50AngelaMylesBeeching,BeyondTalent:CreatingaSuccessfulCareerInMusic,2nded.
(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2010),7.
57
APPENDIX:NEWORLEANSBRASSBANDSUPPLEMENT
NewOrleansBrassBandSupplementaryMaterial
TubaandEuphoniumAppliedLessons
Thegoalofthissupplementistoallowinstructorsofappliedtubaand
euphoniumlessonscoursestointroducetheirstudentstotheskillsandstyles
associatedwithNewOrleansbrassbandmusictoimprovetheoverallmusicianship
andtechniqueleveloftheirstudiomembers.Thismaterialisintendedtobe
adaptabletotheneedsoftheinstructor.
SuggestedMethodBooks:
JonSass:TheJonSassBassLineBookforTubaorOtherLowBrassInstruments,
Vuarmarens,Switzerland:EditionsBim,2007.
Sass’textoffersstep-by-stepinstructionabouthowtoconstructabasslinethrough
theuseofdifferentscalesthatarecommonlyfoundinimprovisatorymusic,suchas
jazzorNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.Thebookcomeswithaplay-alongCDthat
allowsthestudenttolearnbyplayingalongwithabackingtrack.Eachetudeallows
thestudenttolearnarhythmicexercise,aharmonicstudy,performwithaplayalongtrack,andthereisaspaceforthestudenttocomposetheirownbasslineand
playitalongwiththetrack.Thisbookwillprovideagoodfoundationforthe
improvisatoryskillsnecessaryforplayingNewOrleansbrassbandmusic.
DavidN.Baker:JazzBassClefExpressionsandExplorations:ANewandInnovative
SystemforLearningtoImproviseforBassClefInstrumentsandJazzCello,New
Albany,IN:JameyAebersoldJazz,Inc.,1995.
DavidN.Baker,formerDistinguishedProfessorofJazzStudiesintheJacobsSchool
ofMusicatIndianaUniversity,wasaninternationallyregardedjazzpedagoguewho
contributedanumberoftextsfortheeducationofstudentsofalllevels.Thisspecific
textwalksthereaderthroughbuildingbasslinesthroughtheuseofscales.There
areseparatesectionsthatdealwithaspecifickeyorscale.Thereisalsoanindex
thatteachescommonjazzsymbolsthatproveinvaluable.
58
SuggestedArticlesandBooks:
MattSakakeeny:RollWithIt:BrassBandsontheStreetsofNewOrleans,Durham:
DukeUniversityPress,2013.
Sakakeenyhaswrittenmanyarticlesandbooksonthesubjectofbrassbandsin
NewOrleans.Thisbook,afirsthandaccountofRebirthBrassBand,SoulRebels
BrassBand,andHot8BrassBand,givesinsightintothedailylivesofprofessional
musiciansinNewOrleans.Hegoesintogreatdepthaboutwhathappensduringa
jazzfuneralandsecondlineparade,whicharealargepartofwhatbrassbandsare
paidtodoinNewOrleans.Thethreegroupsthataredocumentedalsohave
extensivediscographies,whicharealsodiscussed.
ArticlesbyMattSakakeeny:
“NewOrleansMusicasaCirculatorySystem,”BlackMusicResearchJournal31,no.2
(Fall2011):291–325.
“’UndertheBridge’:AnOrientationtoSoundscapesInNewOrleans,”
Ethnomusicology54,no.1(Winter2010):1–27.
MickBurns:KeepingtheBeatontheStreet:TheNewOrleansBrassBandRenaissance,
BatonRouge:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,2006.
Thistextcontainsnumerousfirsthandaccountsfromsomeofthebiggestnamesin
NewOrleansbrassbandhistory,includingAnthony“TubaFats”Lacen,Philip
FrazierIIIofRebirthBrassBand,and“Uncle”LionelBatisteofTreméBrassBand.
Eachmusicianthatisprofileddiscusseshowtheywereexposedtobrassbandmusic
andhowtheybecameeducatedinthestyle.
SamuelA.FloydJr.:“RingShout!LiteraryStudies,HistoricalStudies,andBlack
MusicInquiry,”BlackMusicResearchJournal22,Supplement(2002),51.
Floyd’sarticlegivehistoricalcontexttohowthesecondlineandjazzfuneralscame
tobeandtracestheirheritagetothe“ringshout”ceremoniesperformedbyslavesin
thedeepsouth.Itgivesstudentsalookintomusichistorythattheymaynotlearn
aboutinatraditionalmusichistorysurveycourseandwillgivethemabetter
understandingofthemodernNewOrleansbrassbands.
WilliamJ.SchaferandRichardB.Allen:BrassBandsandNewOrleansJazz,Baton
Rouge:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,1977.
SchaferandAllen’sbooktracesthehistoryofthebrassbandstomilitaryand
traditionalbrassbandsthatexistedattheendofthenineteenthcenturyand
discusseshowthestyleevolvedovertimeintothemusicthatitisknownforinthe
59
present.TheauthorsdoanexcellentjobofdifferentiatingNewOrleansbrassband
musicfromthegeneralizedtermof“jazz.”Thisbookishighlyregardedasa
historicalreferenceforbrassbandmusicinNewOrleans
Exercises:
SomebasicexerciseshavebeenincludedinthisNewOrleansbrassband
supplement.Theyareintendedtoexposestudentstocommonchordprogressions
andstylesthatarefoundinbrassbandmusic.
Exercise1:I-ii-V-IArpeggios
Thisexerciseisintendedtohelpstudentsfindtheirwaythroughabasicchord
progression.Avarietyofarticulationscanbeused,includingstaccato,legato,and
marcato,toemulatedifferentstylesthatcanbefoundinNewOrleansbrassband
music.ThisandthefollowingexerciseweresuggestedbyTomHoltz,formertubist
withtheUnitedStatesMarineBandandcurrentfreelancetubaplayerinthe
Washington,D.C.area.
Exercise2:i-iio-V-IArpeggios
ThisexercisesisthesameasExercise1,butitiswrittenoutinaminorkey.A
varietyofarticulationsshouldalsobeusedwhenpracticingthistechnique.
Exercise3:TwelveBarBlues
Thisexerciseisintendedtoallowthestudenttolearntoplayabasslineforatwelve
barbluesprogression.Itshouldbedoneinasmanykeysaspossibleandwitha
varietyofarticulations.Thewrittenexampleisoneofmanywaysthatatubaplayer
couldstylizethebassline.Therecanalsobesyncopationinthebasslineifthe
musiciandesiresthat.
Exercise4:CreatingaBassGroove
Thisexercisewillallowastudenttoseeorhearachordprogressionandcreatea
basslinegroovethatwillmatchthatprogression.Twoexampleshavebeenincluded
asademonstrationforwhatabassgroovecouldlooklike.
60
EXERCISE1:
61
EXERCISE2:
62
Exercise3Example:
Exercise4,ExampleA:
BassGroovefrom“DoWatchaWanna”byRebirthBrassBand
Exercise4,ExampleB:
BassGroovefrom“FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp”byRebirthBrassBand
SelectedDiscography:
ThislistisnotmeanttobeadefinitiveNewOrleansbrassbanddiscography.Itis
meanttosuggestrecordingsthatinstructorscangivetheirstudentstodemonstrate
differentNewOrleansbrassbandsandtheirvaryingstyles.Theserecommended
recordingsserveasareferencelistforinstructorstoaddtoanypreviouslistening
assignmentliststhattheymayhave.
TraditionalNewOrleansBrassBands:
Dejan’sOlympiaBrassBand:
HereComeDaGreatOlympiaBand
SmithsonianFolkways:
ClassicSoundsofNewOrleansfromSmithsonianFolkways
NewOrleansBrassBands:ThroughtheStreetsoftheCity
TreméBrassBand:
TheTreméBrassBand
IGotABigFatWoman
PaulBarbarin’sOnwardBrassBand:
PaulBarbarin’sOnwardBrassBandinConcert1968
ModernNewOrleansBrassBands:
DirtyDozenBrassBand:
MyFeetCan’tFailMeNow
FuneralforaFriend
What’sGoingOn
Hot8BrassBand:
RockWiththeHot8
RebirthBrassBand:
DoWatchaWanna
HotVenom
FeelLikeFunkin’ItUp
YoungbloodBrassBand:
center.level.roar.
PaxVolumi
63
64
REFERENCES
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