Winds & Brass Class
2007-2008 Course Syllabus
School Name: The Greenville Fine Arts Center
Course Name: Winds & Brass Class
Instructor: Gary A. Robinson, D.M.A.
Office Room Number: Suite #126
Phone number and extension: 355-2568
Email Address: grobinso@greenville.k12.sc.us
Class Time/Room Number: 10:00-11:05 m-f
Course Description
Fine Arts Center Winds & Brass 2007-2008 is a class devoted to the rehearsal and development of chamber ensembles and the performance of music written or arranged for these ensembles. It is open to accomplished, motivated, and mature musicians who can successfully contribute to the development of a chamber ensemble (or ensembles). Individual study with a private teacher and training in music theory is strongly recommended. As class members you will explore music for ensembles and combinations that will include:
• Woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon)
• Woodwind quartet (flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon; oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon; other combinations)
• Flute trio
• Flute quartet
• “Ad hoc” combinations such as flutes and horn, duets, other trios, and the like
Chamber music is a democratic process that includes a gradual discovery of the music at hand and your role within it. Though your teacher will be on hand for coaching and guidance, you will rehearse and perform without a conductor. You will be encouraged to express yourself about the music you are rehearsing and also to respond creatively to the ideas of other members. Ultimately, our goal is to give you insight into your own artistic workings, to develop the means to articulate these ideas, and then to respond creatively to the ideas of other players in the process of building a musical consensus.
Major Assignments and Projects
1. Each term, you will rehearse four or more works on a rotating basis. On Friday, part of the class will be a seminar in which you demonstrate individual technical or musical accomplishment (fingering, dynamics, phrasings, etc.) with the music you are currently rehearsing. You will receive a quiz grade based on the quality of your presentation and performance. The schedule for an interrupted, five-day might look like this:
2. In terms #1, #3, and #4, you will design an essay, research paper, or Power Point presentation, covering some aspect of your current repertoire. Possible topics might include a history your instrument, biographical notes on a composer whose work you are playing, a structural or technical analysis of this work, and so on. You will present these projects to classmates at the end of the term, thereby generating a collective body of knowledge for the class. You will be given an exam grade based on the quality of your presentation. In Term #2 we will drop this project in lieu of preparation for All-County Band auditions, which are usually scheduled for mid-January.
3. At the end of term you will perform in either a Lecture Demonstration or a formal Recital. Successful participation in these performances will contribute a 100-point exam grade to your term average.
Tentative Course Outline
All repertoire is subject to change depending on the availability of music and the needs of the class.
Term I: August 20 through October 24
• Flute trio: Johann Quantz Allegro (Flute Sessions by Gearhardt and Wilkins)
• Flute trio: selection(s) from Romantic Flute Trios
• Woodwind quartet (oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon): Andante from Haydn Quartet Opus 18 (The Serenade)
• Flute quartet: Debussy Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Flute Sessions by Gearhardt and Wilkins)
• Woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon): Haydn Adagio in C major (Andraud anthology)
• Week of September 10: progress report on term projects
• Week of October 15: presentation of term projects
• Lecture-Demonstration No. 1 (informal recital); Thursday, October 25, 2007; FAC Recital Hall, 7:30 PM
Term II: October 25 through January 15
• Woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon): Adagio from Beethoven Quintet Opus. 71 (Andraud anthology)
• Flute trio: Mozart trio (Flute Sessions by Gearhardt and Wilkins)
• Flute trio: additional work(s) TBA
• Woodwind quartet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon): selections from Charles Jones’s Lyric Waltz Suite
• Woodwind quartet (three flutes and horn): selections from Haydn divertimenti arranged by Arthur Frackenpohl
• Week of December 3rd: selection of solo material for All-County Band auditions
• Week of January 7th: mock auditions for All-County Band auditions
• Winds & Percussion Recital No. 1; Wednesday, January 16, 2008; FAC Recital Hall, 7:30 PM
Term III: January 16 through March 20
• Woodwind quintet: selections from Dorian Wind Quintet Series (music by JS Bach arranged by Rechtman)
• Flute trio: Bach Prelude and Crissey Scherzetto (Flute Sessions by Gearhardt and Wilkins)
• Flute quartet: Jon Grier Cripple Creek Counterpoint
• Woodwind quartet (oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon): movement(s) from Jon Grier’s Composures
• Week of February 11th: progress report on term projects
• Week of March 10th: presentation of term projects
• Lecture-Demonstration No. 2 (informal recital); Thursday, March 20, 2008; FAC Recital Hall, 7:30 PM
Term IV: March 21 through May 23 (last day for underclassmen at Fine Arts Center)
• All ensemble repertoire TBA
• Week of April 7th: progress report on term projects
• Week of April 14th: possible Fine Arts Center showcases
• May 7th: Winds & Percussion Recital No. 2; Wednesday, May 7, 2008; FAC Recital Hall, 7:30 PM
• Week of May 12th: presentation of final term projects
Materials And Equipment Required For Students In Winds & Brass 2007-2008
• your instrument in good repair and working condition
• all necessary accessories (reeds, mouthpieces, etc.)
• a chromatic tuner like the Korg CA30 or CA40, the Sabine MT9000 or the Boss TU80
• a battery-powered metronome. It is very common to combine a chromatic tuner and a metronome into a single unit, as do the Korg CA40, the Sabine MT9000 and the Boss TU80
• a fingering chart for your instrument
All Students Are Expected To Practice At Home
Advanced Percussion students know this already. There are no exceptions to this “law” because the physical and neurological development that is a part of playing an instrument requires a great deal individual problem solving and repetition. Two hours daily – combining studio time at the Fine Arts Center and home practice – is a good benchmark. (When I have the “liberty” of practicing as much as I need to, I personally find that three hours of practice a day insures that I will improve noticeably.)
Required Textbooks
Books from the following are used for study of the individual instruments at the Fine Arts Center:
Fee
The Fine Arts Center asks for a $25 fee from each participating student. This fee will come back to in the form of materials purchased for and given to students throughout the year.
Other
Attendance and Tardy Policy: refer to Fine Arts Center handbook
Classroom Rules and Expectations:
• Report on time to each class. Please let me know in advance if you must miss the class for any reason.
• each class, bring all appropriate sticks and mallets, your class anthology, other current class materials, and a pencil.
• if you are asked to work on your own or in a small group, use your time wisely and constructively.
• Drinking water is encouraged in all classes. Soda is not. Please refrain from eating food and chewing gum, because it will interfere with your playing. If you are hungry and need a snack, let me know about it.
• Strive always to do and to be your best
Plan for Routine Communication With Parents:
• Occasional e-letter sent to my students and families with assignments, schedules, and notices of events
• Posting of the above and additional information on my blog: http://www.facorchestra.blogspot.com/
• Quarterly Fine Arts Center Newsletter is mailed to all parents of Fine Arts Center students.
• Parents are contacted promptly in the event of academic or disciplinary problems.
• A log of parent phone calls is maintained in teacher's office.