The AMEB Aftermath

A couple of weeks ago fourteen students I teach took part in completing practical examinations on clarinet, and alto and tenor saxophone. The grade of these examinations ranged from third through to seventh.

The results have come in with 2 As, 2 B+s, 4 Bs, 1 C+, 4 Cs, and 1 D. In general I was quite happy with the results, especially with over half of the students scoring a B or higher. The examiners were fair and justified in their feedback giving both the students and myself some things to think over and improve.

Technical work again placed high on the priority list. While there was an improvement on paper, there was still crucial feedback to show that mastering this aspect is still vital. It wasn't only the crosses next to some of the technical work, but comments such as "hesitant" and "under tempo" showed that further work is required. Another year, and I am hoping that there will be fewer of these comments made as different strategies are used to approach this from both teacher and student.

There was only a minor gripe I had. Some of the comments and feedback made by the examiners during the whole ordeal can be at times subjective and potentially throw a student off their game or have them feel completely self-conscious about what they are doing. And then to not see any of this feedback written down on paper leaves both the teacher and student to wonder if this has had any bearing on the final grading. Apart from this, I was happy with how the examinations were conducted.

The second part of my eisteddfod recap should hopefully be coming soon. I've put this off for the moment because of the ongoing discussions with the teaching profession, and this other part of the recap will be what I hope will provide some further discussion in terms of how the teaching profession could be approached.

Anyways, that is my break done. Not bad for an entry that's taken 30 minutes. ;-)

Teaching/Learning - 20 years ago, and later...

During the term break I was fortunate enough to have some extra funds to purchase a wireless modem for my laptop. This has not only been a huge relief in being able to communicate and work while travelling, but also being able to use the internet to assist students in their lessons.

For the first week of this term I decided to use this piece of technology to show a video to my students. From my point of view, this is one of the most brilliant videos I have ever seen. For others this may not be the case, and this was certainly apparent with the wide variety of reactions ranging from amazement to complete disgust.

The following video footage was taken by a doctor, about 5 1/2 years ago, during his first couple of weeks learning the clarinet. The doctor, being an ear/nose/throat specialist, decided to fit one of his wire-cameras through the side of his mouth along with the clarinet. Using a couple of different settings to view what would be occurring on the inside the following footage was produced.

The concept of being able to film inside a person’s mouth while playing is remarkable. I think back to when I was learning in primary and secondary school, even at university, and my teachers would comment about technique and delivering the air through the instrument. That accompanied with the wish of being able to see inside someone’s mouth to know what to adjust. The idea of being able to see what was occurring inside a single-reed player’s mouth was something that always boggled my mind. Of course the answer would be to use a camera, but how to get one to work for you and be of sufficient size was another matter. But to take the concept further by slowing down the footage in relation to the frequency of sound to see what is taking place takes things to a new level. For some students this assisted them in understanding the process of producing single-reed notes/sounds.

This was what I told each one of my students prior to showing them this video...

“Twenty years ago I began learning the clarinet. Twenty years ago the technology to provide and share new information was nothing like what it is now. Three years after I began learning the internet started to become commercially available for people to use. Another ten years later the video sharing website YouTube was made available for people to utilise in terms of sharing a wide variety of videos.”

Smartboards weren’t in existence when I was in secondary school. Back in primary school the switch from blackboards to whiteboards was seen as the cool thing, especially when people were asked to write an answer with a marker on one. 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 inch floppy disks were being phased out as CDs were being used a lot more to install software. The progression of computers went from the Apple ii/e, to the LC series, and then the bubble-gum colours of iMacs. I still reflect back on some of my earlier school times and remember how some people would comment on how much easier we were getting things than they were. Now my generation is starting to pass that same comment on to the current generation.

I posed the following question to my primary, and some of my secondary, students; “In twenty years, how do you think technology is going to change as a part of teaching?” It’s a fascinating, and at times scary, question that continues to intrigue. It certainly caused a lot of more students to think upon the idea of how technology could advance further as some gave interesting ideas as a part of their response. In twenty years, will the children of the next generation be told the same thing by children of this generation that they have it easier through the aid of technology?

It’s something we can all think about.

Back into the swing of things.

With the commencement of Term 3 cometh the re-commencement of teaching. The period of a two week break where students regain at least 30 hours per week of not having to attend school will bring about a realisation of whether or not students have used the time to practice and keep up their skills. Especially since there are some who have examinations in just under four weeks!

But what about their teacher? How exactly have I spent my holidays?

First of all, the time off has been well spent with my own son. Bennett is now crawling and really starting to interact now with Emelia (my wife) and I. And not only are we starting to be terrorised by the crawling and having to make sure things are out of reach, but Bennett has started to do some clapping now. It's simply amazing how much babies are quickly capable of learning and how curious and keen they are that they simply want to explore.

My sister-in-law, Eloise, and her fiancee Simon tied the knot in a heart-warming ceremony located at the top of a scenic, yet at times freezing, mountain top. Very interesting times for our family as we had to adapt with Emelia being around Bennett less often since she was involved with being in the wedding party. That meant I had to contain the young son, keep him entertained, and make sure he wasn't as vocal during the ceremony. For some families moving between the wedding ceremony and dealing with children, we all did rather well.

Downstairs is finally being sorted as we work out what to keep and throw away. This is quite exciting for us because not only will we sort out some boxes that haven't been touched for six years, but also it means I have some space to sort out the piano to finally take some footage of it in its reconditioned state.

On the teaching front I wasn't contacted much for lessons in the holidays. I'm hoping students have practiced hard and are feeling extremely confident of achieving very good marks. This meant I could work on some projects of my own. Recordings are becoming an integral part of student learning these days as more people take to video and sound web sites. For my own students I've had the opportunity to make some of my own recordings of their technical or solo pieces. With the technology we have these days more students should be looking at recording themselves and listening to how they play their music.

A few compositions are in the mix at the moment. I still have some works I commenced many years ago that I am revisiting every now and then. Main works I'm working on currently include...

• ...a five movement program work for one of my students for alto sax and piano. The storyline is based around someone taking a bus ride, and then find that their trip is hijacked resulting in a "bus chase". And no, it isn't based off or related to any past movie where my doppleganger is involved (some people will get this joke).
• ...a study for bass clarinet with dubstep influence. This was commenced last year, and I am hoping to pick up on it further with a bit more time and inspiration up my sleeve.
• ...a duet for alto sax and marimba in a similar style to serial composition. I am currently aiming to make this as complex as possible yet feasible for an audience to listen to.

And finally, the constant research and development of furthering teaching technique and strategies. You always learn new strategies whether it is through research, discussion, or even by chance through conversation with other people.

Now it's time for me to get back on the road and keep students on track.

58 and not looking good for 60…

58 years old and not looking in the best of shape. If anything, they are looking quite thin and frail and there isn’t much support to help them on through. At first you may be thinking I’m talking about my dad, but for starters he’s not quite 58 and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a thin or frail appearance.

What I am talking about though is an event 18 years senior than then one held in Coffs Harbour, and that is the eisteddfod of the city of Grafton. For an event that saw talent travelling from the north of Yamba to as far south as Coffs Harbour, the music component of the eisteddfod is now in a sorry state. In the space of two days, the piano, vocal, and instrumental (woodwind, brass, strings and percussion) eisteddfods will be over and done with. Piano will be held in two sessions on the Thursday morning and afternoon, instrumental on the Thursday evening, and then the vocals Friday morning.

For an event that would hold strong competition and rivalries back in the 90s, the Grafton Eisteddfod brought the communities of surrounding towns to one place to celebrate making music. Over the last five years the participation numbers have gradually dwindled down. Out of all of the musical sections of the eisteddfod we will only see one musician take part for an open-age championship. Very few musicians 16 years and over will take part, and the number of people taking part in younger sections are very few and far. The majority of sections will contain either one or two competitors.

So why the massive fall from grace? For a community that is sometimes referred to as being “hockey mad”, the musical side of things has been on the rise over the last few years. Yesterday (18/6), the Clarence Valley Con held an enormous workshop for four of the primary schools in the Clarence region. The primary schools music programs have grown considerably with students continuing on with private or further music studies in high schools. There certainly isn't a wane in musical interest, but to lose a community-based musical opportunity

For the Coffs Harbour Instrumental Eisteddfod, this was a problem being faced in previous years before a dramatic turnaround of events. While there were fantastic musicians that had emerged, there weren’t so many coming through at the time in the junior ranks. Numbers were thin, and there was little community support at the time. With a new organiser for this component of the eisteddfod, they immediately sought after ideas as to how not only to increase numbers but make the event more interesting. By no means was the organiser clueless, but in fact what they did was branch out to the musical community for support, suggestions and establish a basis of communication. When the lines of communication are open, things are bound to happen and not remain stagnant. The first couple of years were slow, but there was a gradual change in events as not only did numbers lift but sections could start being separated (a common problem when strings would be against wind instruments). Strings could break away from the combination of woodwind and brass instruments in different sections, and AMEB grade sections were established for students preparing for examinations (traditionally held a couple of months after the eisteddfod) to name a couple of changes. 2012 would be the first year a championship would separate into strings only, and wind instruments only. For where the Coffs Instrumental Eisteddfod is up to now, you can read my previous entry.

Some people from Grafton visited the Coffs Instrumental Eisteddfod this year and remarked at not only how well it was run, but thoroughly enjoyed the performances from these musicians located on the mid-north coast. One audience member felt guilty having paid only four dollars to be treated to high standard performances by these young musicians. Already there have been expressions of interest from some Grafton students to travel down for the Coffs Eisteddfod next year after hearing about this festival of music. And in its first year, the Lower Clarence Eisteddfod is looking at establishing a place within the Grafton community.

Will there still be a place for the Grafton Eisteddfod? The chips may be down, but can the diamond be produced under this pressure?

Coffs Instrumental Eisteddfod 2012 Wrap Part 1

It’s been a long time since I last put in a blog entry. A lack of motivation to write, combined with a busy teaching schedule is not the best combination I have found. After the Coffs Harbour Instrumental Eisteddfod I do feel the urge that I should write since this was not only the annual event for student instrumentalists in the region, but it was also a special occasion. The 40^th anniversary of the event was to be made something special, and it ended up being an extraordinary gala of music. Quite easily the best eisteddfod I have ever attended, regardless of whether I was a student, audience member, or teacher.

I have decided to write this up in two parts. The first part in regard to the event, and the second in relation to a discussion I had with the adjudicator afterwards.

The 40^th Coffs Harbour Eisteddfod was as it should truly be, and that is a music festival. For the first time it didn’t feel like there was a strong competitive spirit in the air, but more like an enjoyment of going up to perform and to be inspired by each other. I feel this has been something partly educated to the students, but a strong part of this was encouraged by the adjudicator for the event, Louise King. From the Thursday morning when the secondary schools performed right through to the Saturday evening with the concluding championships, the whole event was a festival of a wide variety of music spanning different eras, genres, and stylistic playing.

Good consistent playing was rewarded in different sections, regardless of ability or favouritism. Over the last few years I have felt adjudicators for this eisteddfod have been pressured into giving away first places to those who attempt a higher standard work but don’t necessarily play well, let alone perform stylistically correct. This year saw a dramatic change to that standard. To think a saxophone would win a baroque section over instruments from (or closer to) that era, or even 3^rd Grade AMEB instrumentalists winning sections due to more consistent playing than 7^th to 8^th Grade AMEB standard performers. Every section felt like anybody could win, with nothing presumed. From an audience perspective it really made you think about each of the performances and what were the highs and lows of each item presented.

After every section, all performers would be brought forward and a small discussion of the section would be conducted. Louise would share some of her thoughts, perhaps pose some questions to the performers, maybe even discuss some aspects of the era or genre of music depending. Not only was this enlightening for students, but also informative for the teachers present. At times, some of the things addressed by the adjudicator would reaffirm what teachers had previously been saying to their students (surprise, surprise… lol). A lot of the students felt encouraged and comfortable with performing as a result of this technique used by Louise, some even taking on board advice from previous sections and putting it to work.

There were very few criticisms I’d have of this eisteddfod since it ran so efficiently. The major disappointment was the lack of audience for the championships. A lot of families and friends were prepared to be present for their children/students and see them perform in the small-medium sized ensemble sections, but not hang around to see high-standard performances in both the Junior and Open championships. These championships certainly could have been done justice by having a larger audience present, especially with the fired-up performances of Ciesla’s klezmer music, a Brahms Hungarian Dance, a Piazzolla tango, and a movement of a Rimsky-Korsakov concerto to name a few.

There are two ideas that come to mind to solve this problem. The first is to lock the doors once everyone has entered, perhaps giving a warning to “enter at their own risk”. While this idea would not be taken too kindly, I would go for option two of holding the championships prior to the ensemble sections of four or more members. The performers have a larger, more responsive audience and they would feel more inspired and encouraged to step up the playing. It’s almost the equivalent of the Melbourne Cup where the grand event is held in the middle of the afternoon, but not at the end of the racing day.

Ten years ago I had wrapped up my second open championship of the Coffs eisteddfod. There was no acknowledgement or celebration of the eisteddfod being held for the 30^th year, and by no means did it feel festive in any way. Not as many people performed that year, and we had quite some talent emerging through the ranks (especially in the junior sections). In ten years, how will we reflect on the 40^th edition of the eisteddfod? And what will the 50^th celebration be like? My hope is that this event may remain and establish a tradition of being festive and enjoyable, and not of the view that eisteddfods are purely “competition” where only the best are acknowledged, but rather music and the diversity of musical ability at different stages can be appreciated.