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Winona
Drive Project for the American Composers Forum
Creating
music for Eighth Grade BandQuest
by
Michael Colgrass
The
following project, sponsored by the BandQuest
program of the American Composers Forum, took
place at Winona Drive Senior School in Toronto
with their eighth grade band, Louis Papachristos,
director. Editor's Note: Names of students
have been changed. Reprinted
with permission from Michael Colgrass.
Day
1: Wednesday 13 October 1999. Core and
immersion, 40” each
With
the assistance of Louis Papachristos, I met today
with two band classes, the Core group (approx.
25-28 kids) from 8:50-9:30, and the Immersion
group from 9:30-10:10.
In
both classes we did the same thing: had them collectively
create a graphic notation piece on the blackboard
and sing it as a group.
The
kids became aware of the idea that music is basically
a musical landscape onto which the composer “paints”
sound. The only problem we encountered
was with the self-consciousness of the children
singing aloud in front of others (I had them sing
each sound they wrote). Singing the completed
graphic composition as a group was easier, since
no one person stood out.
Day
2: Thursday 14 October 1999. Core and Immersion,
40” each
Today
I demonstrated music written by established professional
composers that was similar to what the kids had
created the day before. Examples were:
Berio Sinfonia (#2), to demonstrate music that
is primarily lines on a soundscape; and the rest
were examples from my music: “An Ant Walking”
from As Quiet As, to demonstrate dots on a soundscape;
“Whispering Voices” from Arctic Dreams, to demonstrate
the ad lib bars behind being similar to graphics
used by the kids in their piece; “Polar Night,”
during which I drew on the blackboard the wavy
lines, curlicues, thick lines, etc., that would
demonstrate how a composer would represent this
music to him or herself graphically. I
also introduced the idea of texture—which instruments
might play which graphics, by blocking out sections
for different instruments, ranging from high to
low.
The
kids were given an assignment: write your own
piece and bring it on Monday.
Day
3: Wednesday October 1999. Two 40 minute
sessions—core and immersion
Today
we played on musical instruments some of the graphic
pieces the kids wrote. Kids also directed
their own pieces, giving instructions as needed.
Some rehearsed sections first, then put
the whole thing together. Louis and I prompted
the composers on what to listen for and ask for.
We got through maybe four pieces.
The
pieces were surprisingly imaginative. The
main problem creatively with most was that the
works were too busy, too much going on.
In the cases where instrumental groups were designated
at the left margin, each group was playing all
the time. The result was a density of sound,
clouding what each player was doing. I
have the impression the kids are getting a little
visually-design conscious, making something that
looks good without thinking of how it will sound.
Day
4: Monday 25 October 1999. 1'20” Core group
Today
we went through two more of the kids' composed
graphic pieces in some depth, emphasizing that
the composers get the kids to play accurately
what's written. Again the pieces sounded
somewhat dense, everyone playing at once.
I
played excerpts from my Letter from Mozart (open
bar free playing on given cells), Schubert Birds
(free playing of pre-written phrases), and Urban
Requiem (improvising freely). They asked
to hear more of Requiem, the full piece if possible,
which there was no time for.
I
addressed the self-conscious of singing, presenting
the idea that their body was the real instrument—the
instrument that plays the instrument—and that
if they could sing something they could play it.
I
mentioned briefly the idea of economy of means,
of using only a simple line or motif and making
music from that. Louis then stepped in
and introduced an idea to get them to play louder,
with more confidence because they were still being
a little diffident playing these unusual sounds:
he had them play a concert Bb unison, which they
did with confidence, and then to play a simple
wavy line (written on the blackboard) with the
same volume and confidence, using only the Bb
and doing with that one note whatever they could
to represent the curves in the line. The
result was that they made cresc. And decresc.
and went slightly sharp or flat as the lines went
up or down, respectively. Then he had them
do the same using only Bb plus C, then Bb, C,
D, and E. The result was a quantum leap
in sound production. Although I didn't
mention it, it was also an example of an economy
of means, since they used so few notes to make
so much variation.
I
asked the composers to notice what notation got
the best results from the band (without saying
again that their pieces were too thick with activity).
Louis
took the Immersion group in the afternoon without
me present and repeated what I did.
Day
5: Monday, 1 November:
Notes:
Today
I helped the kids build an arsenal of compositional
techniques by introducing:
•
Solo vs. ensemble
•
Sequential events
•
Ostinato
•
Play and sing
•
Minimalistic repetition
•
Pre-written theme or partial theme using a clef
•
Clusters
•
Cluster cresc. and decresc.
Louis
started the day by drawing a mountainous curvy
line, varying from low to high and having them
play it on Bb. The result was primarily
an increase in volume as the line went up and
decrease as it went down. Then I asked
that they play the line using any and all notes
they wish. After a little coaching they
ventured from the bottom to the top of their horns
to represent the line.
Then
I showed them some more techniques of composition.
I wrote out a little piece demonstrating
the idea of a soloist vs. ensemble to demonstrate
writing music with a sequence of events, as opposed
to the whole band playing at once, to achieve
simplicity and clarity.
Then
I asked one of the kids to come up and create
a little piece with these principles. He
had flutes playing as a group, then a sax solo,
then trumpets and trombones, a clarinet solo and
the piece finished with low trombones.
The boy saw that his little piece was effective.
The only “editing” we did was when the
flutes playing their wavy line texture and were
too literal in changing from one note to the next.
Louis showed them how to bend notes by
moving their mouths away from the embouchure hole
and sliding the fingers from key to key.
Next
I showed them the idea of ostinato, which was
very successful. One flute played a simple
ostinato while the solo sax played a solo with
long tones (the first time we had utilized the
idea of long tones). The long tones suggested
the idea of melody to the sax player and he actually
made a nice tune. I had the sax player
rest and resume several times in his solo to show
that the ostinato would carry the music during
the silence. Then I added soft fluttering
clarinets and a soft trombone chord, entering
on my cue and interspersing with the solo sax,
while the flute never stopped. Very simple
and very effective.
Then
I showed the flutes the idea of singing and playing
simultaneously. Louis had them sing holding
the horn next to their lips and then, without
stopping singing, move the instrument into their
mouths and continue singing as they start playing.
After several starts it began to work.
It was most easily accomplished with the
flutes.
I
gave them the assignment to write pieces for next
time, interspersing soloist and ensemble, and
having a sequence of events instead of everybody
playing at the same time as in their first pieces.
I
played for the kids excerpts from Crumb's “Voice
of the Whale” and Reich's Different Trains to
demonstrate minimalism and the idea of using voices,
and voice fragments, as part of the musical fabric.
NOTE:
I think we should form a core group of composers
who will take the initiative that I have been
taking as creative leader and start to create
our Winona Suite. (Trying to have the whole
band create a composition will be too clumsy.
This core group will take the lead and
accept or reject ideas offered by other kids,
acting as editors). This group may have
to meet outside of class to develop ideas and
bring their “discoveries” back to show us.
In fact, I could ask them to invent some things
based on the kind of things I have already introduced,
some more compositional ideas or approaches for
band. Louis or I can step in where needed,
but I want the kids to feel they own the idea
of composing for the band, that they are in charge
of it. From this I expect them to create
their three graphic band pieces.
Also,
we need to select from the Core and the Immersion
bands which musicians will be in the final band
and then soon start working with this band.
(Ask Louis how to do this without hurting the
kids' feelings. We can still work with
everybody but special emphasis has to soon be
made on this “trimmed down” band). The
criteria will be willingness to sing their parts,
ability on their instruments or other characteristics
that will facilitate a good final product.
Thursday,
4 November 40 minutes (Immersion)
Today
Louis had me meet with the band along to see how
they would react without him present. No
problems arose. I used his “listen up!”
verbal anchor to quiet them down when they all
started talking at once. He looked in after
15 minutes and saw everything was fine and left
again. He said he was concerned that he
might be interrupting the process at times when
present by jumping in with suggestions and wanted
to see if things were smoother without him.
(I have never found him interruptive—maybe once
or twice he usurped a kid's initiative to discover
something on his own—slight, never offensively—but
I know Louis' intent at those times was to keep
the kids' attention and keep them on track.)
Jill
and Sarah took us through their compositions based
on the idea of soloist and ensemble alternating,
the ideas I presented last time. The issue
of clear notation came up. I pointed out that
Jill's piece was in three scores which were written
too close together, hence confusion arose among
the musicians and time was lost.
Sarah's
piece was simpler and shorter, so the issue didn't
come up.
I
worked for a moment with the oboes who were limiting
themselves to three notes in Sarah's piece, to
get them to expand their range. I had them
play across the instrument, then play as fast
as possible missing notes if need by—the concept
of faking. Then they played the section
in Sarah's piece better, more imaginatively, because
they were using more notes.
Assignment:
learn the semi-tones on your instrument for next
time in order to achieve greater flexibility in
ad libbing.
Monday,
8 November
We
will meet at 1:50, but not for 80 minutes—maybe
55 or 60 minutes. Louis said he noted their
attention span tended to flag after 50-60 minutes.
New
ideas to introduce:
- Held
notes as background
- Major/minor
- 2
themes (first and second)
- Instruments
as characters in a play
- Programmatic
vs. absolute music
- Present
a melody and show what can be done with it.
Then ask them what more might be done.
- Large
structure—length
- Note
cells
- Combining
slow/soft with loud/fast (other 2-music combos)
(Class
didn't meet due to a field trip.)
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