 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Won Kim
Date: 2001-11-09 02:50
Okey...I recently have a problem.. My school band doesn't have many members, which are about 70 people. Our symphonic band has about 50 people including the percusion, and most of them are not very good. (I mean they don't try to be good or enjoy the music). Since I have been the 1st chair clarinet payer for a year and I still have two more years, I really would like to help my band to be improved a lot. I have started the idea of section choirs and it works well now. For instance, my clarinet section now can play some hard pieces even some grade 6s. The concern is that some members including I, really want to find some good piece for out entire band. I have played lots of great musics in district band. I and my friends aked to our band director that if we can play "the planets" by Holst, which are one of my favorits, but he said it still would be too hard for our band. We are not very satisfied with what we are playing now... Is there any suggestion about the band piece that is not too hard but really good? We played the Holst suit (1st one) and "The Hounds of Spring" and we kinna liked them. If you can suggest me a great grade 5 music or some easy but really good grade 6 piece for band I would appriciate. I and my friends will keep bothering our band director until he allows us to play some of the great pieces...:) Thanks for your suggestions..
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Author: Stephanie
Date: 2001-11-09 03:18
At District honor band a couple years ago, the Sr. High band played "Variations on a Korean Folk Song." I didn't play that tho cuz I was too young, but it was good (I thnk) and the clarinet part sounded fun.
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Author: Won Kim
Date: 2001-11-09 03:24
We played that too last year.. I agree that it was a great piece..thanks.. I need more and MORE...hehe.. thank you...
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Author: Kim L.
Date: 2001-11-09 03:42
Lincolnshire Posy by Grainger
Blue Shades by Frank Ticheli
Tempered Steel by Charles Young
Shenandoah by Frank Ticheli
Sheperd's Hey/ Irish Tune from County Derry by Grainger
Festive Overture (Grade 5) by Shostakovich
1st Suite in Eb and 2nd Suite in F by Holst
Cajun Folk Songs by Frank Ticheli
Elegy for a Young American by Ronald LoPresti
Keep in mind though, that all of these have been played on the collegiate level. I am going to be a band director in a few years and here is my advice to you. High school bands don't always have top notch players. Band directors have to choose music that is right in the middle so that everybody is happy. If you had a freshman trying to play a grade 6 piece of music, they would probably quit. Set an example for the rest of the band by looking up when you need to and making music. Sometimes it is the easiest music that is the hardest.
Good luck,
Kim L.
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-11-09 04:34
You don't have to have a big band to sound good. I've seen some small bands walk all over larger bands at competition. Having sectionals is an excellent idea to work out their problems and help them advance. You might also try some grade 3 or 4 stuff that the entire band can play together well. Though it is good to work on the hard stuff as a challenge and to improve their skills, a grade 3 piece will sound better played well than a grade 4 or 5 that the band has to muddle though. In one band I play in, we played American Salute last year and it at that point the hardest piece that band had ever attempted. It wasn't clean like our other pieces and at one point we almost had a major "train wreck" when some of the brass came in at the wrong measure. Fortunately, our director has a habit of raising his arms extra high when we get to a new phrase (or number) and we got it together and finnished on the same beat. As with most community bands, this one has people who play at many different levels of skill, from high school to retired professionals, so the director has to take this into account when he gets our music. This is a challenge for him so he has pieces at several grades so we can all enjoy playing. Sometimes we will work on a piece and then shelve it and try ti again next year.
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Author: Ashley
Date: 2001-11-09 06:27
ooh, ooh, ooh, Variations on a Korean Folk Song. Thats a good one. Ticheli's Amazing Grace, Shenandoah, Cajun Folk Songs II, and An American Elegy (is that the same as Elegy for a Young American? I've never heard of that before - but I absolutely adore An American Elegy).. the Persichetti Symphony for Band... Holst's Dance the Spirits of Fire from the ballet a Perfect Fool....Johan deMeij Lord of the Rings Symphony No. 5 - Hobbits (I LOVE this piece)... March of the Belgian Parachutists...Prelude and Fugato in F minor by Francesco Durante (We played this my senior year for contest, along with Belgian Parachutists..)..On A Hymnsong of Lowell Mason by Holsinger.. I've played a lot of stuff by Robert Smith also....
Thats all I can think of off the top of my head :o)
~Ashley~
HMB Saxes '01
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Author: Gene Wie
Date: 2001-11-09 08:35
Third Suite - Robert Jager
Scenes from The Louvre - Norman Dello Joio
Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo - Alfred Reed
Courtly Airs and Dances - Ron Nelson
American Overture - Joseph Wilcox Jenkins
Esprit de Corps - Robert Jager
Copland Portrait - Clare Grundman
Five Miniatures - Joaquin Turina
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-11-09 11:02
Well, I shall date myself now, but I must say, No Sousa, Fillmore,Duble, English,and King????? What happened to the"Poet and Peasant," "William Tell, Overture", "Overture to Rienzi"? You want to find out if your clarinets can play, Try "The Battle of El Chaney" at tempo. Has your band played "The Scream" at the proper tempo......around 150-160? These challenges are out there and are played by some very fine bands.
Oh yes, can anyone help me with the definitions for these terms: Symphonic Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, and Concert Band. Be mature, don't say "It's the type of music that is played." This wont hold up!
Sorry, but had a bad rehearsal last night. One more Swearingen arrangement of a Christmas carol and I'm the Grinch!!!!!
Jim{M]
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Author: Katfish
Date: 2001-11-09 12:44
For sheer fun for the whole band nothing beats American Overture for Band by Jenkins IMHO. Fun clarinet parts,Finale from Shostakovich Fifth, Raymond Overture, Ruslan and Ludmilla by Glinka, Rakosky March from The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz. Also, Tocatta by Frescabaldi, and Prayer of Saint Francis by Buchvich. One other one Short Ride in a Fast Machine by Adams.
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-11-09 14:21
My high school band had only 30 people. And I went to one of the larger schools in maine, about 1200. We did very good in competitions and had a lot of fun playing easier pieces. You should play some music that everyone can play and enjoy. Don't suggest several hard peices to work on if each one will have to be a stretch.
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-11-09 17:50
I was surprised as to how much of this music I've done because I'm really an orchestral player...there is a fairly small good band repertory.
Bernstein Overture to Candide
Just about anything by Percy Grainger
Shostakovich Folk Dances
Holst Second Suite if you liked the first one
If you liked the Hounds of Spring, there's tons more where that came from (sorry, I personally can't stand Alfred Reed)
Anything by or arranged by Frank Ticheli
Most of this music has really good clarinet parts. Have fun!
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Author: Stephanie
Date: 2001-11-09 21:35
Oh, I almost forgot. Have you heard of Whip and Spur gallop? That's fun. Last year at all state the red band played an arrangement of Nabucco (can't remember by who) but it was great. A little slow, actually a lot, at times, but it gets more fun at the end!
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Author: Katfish
Date: 2001-11-09 21:45
Nabucco is by Verdi, so is Manzoni Requiem which is also fun.
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Author: Stephanie
Date: 2001-11-10 03:31
I thought of another one that I liked. Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral. It was slow, but pretty. Hardest thing was intonation, especially the notes in the altisimo (sp?) register.
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Author: amy
Date: 2001-11-11 02:30
My high school band went to contest in grade 6 for the first time last year (and we got a superior - yippee!). But we played two really great pieces that didn't seem too hard to me (i am a clarinet player too). They are: 1. Variants on a Moravian Hymn by James Barnes (if you have a decent trombone section) and 2. Britannic Variants by Elliot del Borgo. You can check them out if you want to. Also, if you have a really good clarinet section but the rest of your band isn't so good, you can play Clarinet Candy (lol)!
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-11-11 20:38
"Russian Christmas Music" is not too technically demanding, but can be a feature piece at any level.
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Author: amy
Date: 2001-11-12 01:56
Our band is playing Russian Christmas music at our winter concert this year, and no it is not technically demanding, but it is necessary that the band has a very good sound and an understanding of dynamics.
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Author: Stephanie
Date: 2001-11-12 04:07
Elliot del Borgo? Cool Beans! He was my director at all state a couple years ago. I didn't realize he wrote that....
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Author: amy
Date: 2001-11-13 03:26
yeah, i think Britannic Variants was a commissioned piece, although i can't remember which band it was commissioned for.
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