SOM Winter Session (Jazz) Class/Trip Available

2015 Winter Session Class and Trip 

January 14 – 18 (5 days/4 nights)

Music and Culture Trip to Puerto Rico

• ·  Travel to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, an important hub of salsa and Latin jazz where many giants of Latin music began their careers.

• ·  Learn about the Puerto Rican folkloric styles Bomba and Plena, as well as popular genres that developed from these traditions.

• ·  Trace the rhythmic and song form structures back through the slave trade of West Africa. Experience the synchronicity of culture, music, and dance.

  **You can take AJZ 366: Exploring the Roots of Salsa and Latin Jazz (1cr) for credit. WCU tuition and fees apply.

   
  Please see or email Dr. Jacoby (mjacoby@wcupa.edu) if you have further questions and payment information.

Mentoring Monday: Getting Started with Piano

Getting Started with Piano
Katie Cloud, School of Music Mentor

As an incoming freshman to the world of music majors everywhere, there is bound to be at least one part of our training that will be the ultimate struggle. For some, it will be music theory or aurals, and for others it will be the attempt of proficiency in different performance areas. The common struggle for the majority of incoming freshmen is the development of piano skills. Just like with any other performance area, the best way to handle practicing is to isolate the problem(s) and figure out what works best for you. Coming from someone who has completed our piano sequence and is working diligently to expand past my personal level of mediocrity, here are my tips on how to tackle the piano sequence head on:

1. Write down and practice the fingerings to every major and minor scale.

   

I know what you’re thinking: “You’re kidding right? Yeah I’ll do that…never.” But seriously, you actually should do that. It sounds tedious, but that’s exactly what you need to do to excel – the tedious things. Doing the same five note warm up in your high school band every day to improve tone quality was tedious. Doing sirens to warm up before any kind of vocal performance is tedious. The tedious things are what get you to where you want to be as a musician – don’t neglect them.

2. Use your theory and aural knowledge to help you with cadences/chord inversions.

 If you are in the minority here and LIVE for theory and aurals, then this should be a piece of cake for you, and maybe even enjoyable. But if you feel similar about theory/aurals as I did, you’re going to hate this, but I PROMISE it will help – in more than one way too! I always had issues understanding figured bass and roman numerals and all that jazz (ha, musical humor), and I had some issues hearing intervals for a while too. If you take the time to practice cadences and chord inversions with the techniques taught in your theory and aurals classes, you will improve in this portion of the class.

3. Practice your rote songs BEFORE class time.

“I know I should have but I didn’t and was called on to play and lead the class in My Bonnie and now I’m sad.” This will happen. We’ve all been there. “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, and by the world, I mean Swope. Practice the silly rote songs – it will make you a better piano player. And you can sing them as goofy as you want in your practice room. My friends and I have an arsenal of us obnoxiously practicing piano and aurals – it keeps you sane.

4. Practice hands separate before ever putting them together.

You know how when you get your newest piece of music and you want to just dive right in and play at full speed, even though you know you’re not ready yet? A similar version of this happens when learning new piano pieces too. Maybe you don’t necessarily start trucking full speed ahead to play it up to tempo in 5 minutes, but you probably start trying to play with both hands at the same time. This method is confusing when trying to play piano because there’s so much more going on at the same time than you’re used to. I find that it’s easier to practice hands separately first, get it perfect, and then work on putting hands together. Your muscle memory will come into play and make things easier the longer you practice.

5. Don’t give up!

As hard as learning a new instrument may be, especially when you’ve had little to no experience with it, it’s important to keep pushing and just try your best! The piano professors don’t expect you to be the next Chopin, they just want you to be proficient enough to teach kids. So keep practicing, stay positive, and be awesome.

Welcome Back SOM Announcements

this information was emailed to all SOM students on Thursday, August 21:

 

Students,

On behalf of the staff, administration, and faculty here in the School of Music, welcome back! I hope that your summer was everything you had hoped it to be, and also that you took initiative to practice, because it’s time to dive right back into an incredible semester here in Swope.  For upperclassmen, I hope that you’ve taken some time to reflect on your past semesters and how you can really push yourself to greater successes this semester.  For new students, I hope that you’ve been reflecting about the time management, organization, and dedication that is required of you in order to succeed and have a great semester.  In either case I encourage you to reflect on some academic goals for yourself and ask yourself how you will reach them.  Please don’t tell me you’re going to focus.  Go back and really create an action plan for yourself with individual goals and individual actions for how you can reach them.

As always, I’ve put together a giant list of announcements and reminders.  Even if you think you know what you’re doing it would be a good idea to save this email; bookmark it somewhere so that you can reference it as you need it.

School of Music Resources—
Check your myWCU account to verify that you know who your faculty advisor is.  You’ll need to meet with your faculty advisor before you can schedule your courses for the next semester. If you are junior MUE major you should now be assigned a MUE advisor.

Staff and Administration 
Dean – Dr. Timothy Blair
Associate Dean – Dr. John Villella jvillella@wcupa.edu
Business Manager – Stacie Kranzley skranzley@wcupa.edu
Department Chairs – Dr. Chris Hanning (Applied Music) channing@wcupa.edu, Dr. Bryan Burton (Music Education) jburton3@wcupa.edu, Dr. Robert Maggio (Theory, History, and Composition) rmaggio@wcupa.edu
Undergraduate Program Counselor – Nicole Kemp nkemp@wcupa.edu, nicolelynnkemp.youcanbook.me

Front Desk – Robin Powell rpowell2@wcupa.edu
Lockers, Programs, Instruments – Denise Meikle dmeikle@wcupa.edu
Events Coordinator – Matt Miller mmiller@wcupa.edu, somroomrequests@wcupa.edu
AV Recording Engineer – Bob Rust RRust@wcupa.edu
Piano Technician – Gerry Cousins gcousins@wcupa.edu, pianoservice@wcupa.edu

Digital Content Specialist – Seth Birch, sbirch@wcupa.edu

New SOM Blog—This summer I launched a blog to be able to better provide you with helpful resources.  The front of the site is a blog for me to post articles, but it also has several useful resource tabs for you.  This is also where I’ll be posting job opportunities.  You can find this link on our SOM website under Current Students > Academics.  http://wcupa.edu/cvpa/music/curr_students/academics.asp

Studio Hour—Every Thursday at 11:00 am you are to meet with your lesson professor for Studio Hour.  Your professor will let you know your room assignment.

 

 

Upcoming Student Success Workshops—
9/4, 11:00am, Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre: All School Meeting – All School of Music Majors not student teaching should attend this session – you’ll hear from the administration and staff about general announcements and information you’ll need for the upcoming year.  Attendance is mandatory.

9/25, 11:00am, locations listed below: Group Advising Sessions – You’ll meet with faculty advisors in your major who will give out general advising information to help you prepare for the upcoming scheduling process and to help you with setting academic goals.  Attendance is mandatory.
Music Performance: Instrument – SMB 220
Music Performance: Keyboard – SMB 208
Music Performance: Voice – SMB 225
Music Performance: Jazz – SMB 210
Music Ed: pre-methods – MWAT
Music Ed: entering methods I within next year – SMB 141
Music Ed: entering methods II or student teaching within next year – SMB 320
Theory and Composition: SMB 303
Elective Studies: SMB 304
Music Therapy: SMB 310

10/14, 11:00am or 12:00Noon, Ware Family Recital Hall: Scheduling Workshop—Need to learn how to schedule? or need a scheduling refresher? We’ll be hosting two Scheduling Workshops on Tuesday, October 14, at 11:00am and 12:00Noon in Ware Recital Hall.  Bring your laptops or tablets if you can.  All are welcome to attend.  We’ll provide a light lunch to any students who sign up in advance.  Sign up outside of Nicole’s Office/116.

10/21, 11:00am, Swope Music Building 208: Social Media and Digital Content– Seth Birch, our new CVPA Digital Content Specialist, will be presenting a workshop for CVPA students that shows students how to use Social Media appropriately for both professional and personal purposes.  Whether you’re trying to create a brand for yourself online or are trying to hide from your students, this is a workshop you’ll want to attend.

10/28, 11:00am, Swope Music Building 208: Resumes, Internships, and Career Development – Ashley Reichenbach, the CVPA liaison in the Career Development Center, will be hosting a workshops specifically geared for CVPA students that teaches how to appropriately design your resume to showcase your talents, how to find internships that will launch you into great careers, and all of the amazing resources that the Career Development Center offers to students.

New Student Success Series— sponsored by the Office of New Student Programs
http://www.wcupa.edu/_SERVICES/stu.nsp/documents/2014NewStudentSuccessSeriesFlyer_000.pdf
8/26: D2L 101,  2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
8/27: Time Management: Fit It All In, 2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
9/23: Stress Management: Breathe Easier, 2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
9/24: How to Schedule for Spring,  2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
10/28: Writing 101: A Guide to Papers, 2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
10/29: Living on Campus or Off?, 2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
11/18: Will My Major Lead to Success?, 2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre
11/19: Finals Week 101: Plan for Success, 2:30-3pm or 3:30-4pm, Sykes Theatre

 

 

Student Responsibilities—

Confirm your Fall Schedule—The courses displayed in your MyWCU account are the classes you are registered for and will be graded on at the end of the semester.  Make sure you are attending the correct classes.  If your schedule does not appear in your account, your classes have been dropped due to non-payment.  You will need to contact the Bursar’s Office (http://www.wcupa.edu/_information/afa/Fiscal/Bursar/) ASAP to make payment on your account.  After your account has been cleared, you will be able to rebuild your schedule.  However, you may not necessarily be able to register for the same courses you were previously registered for.

Drop/Add—The last day to drop or add courses on myWCU is Tuesday, September 2, 2014.  If you need assistance with this process please talk to your faculty advisor or me.  Most University offices are not open on Saturday or Sunday, so I would recommend finalizing your schedule by Friday at 2:00 PM (school is closed Monday) in case you need assistance. The last day to withdraw, finalize NGs, or submit for Pass/Fail is Friday, October 24.

Private Lessons—If you have not already contacted your private lesson teacher and provided him/her a copy of schedule, you need to do that ASAP so that your private lessons can be scheduled.

Recital Credit—Fall semester recital information can be found in the online calendar (http://www.wcupa.edu/CVPA/). We’ve indicated the type of recital credit being granted for each recital. There are plenty of opportunities to complete your recital credit (2 faculty, 2 student, 2 ensemble and 2 of your choice). If you know you are going to have a problem completing a particular recital requirement (e.g. Monday night class), you need to see me by September 5, 2014 so we can discuss your situation. Recital attendance is tracked by signing in and out of each recital.  You’ll receive periodic emails verifying that we’ve tracked your attendance from me.  As you complete your recital attendance requirements they will be listed on your Degree Progress Report under Milestones.

Clearances (Music Education)— remember that you do need to have clearances on file in order to participate in your field courses – if you are enrolled in any music education course this fall that will require field experiences, your clearances need to be on file by the third day of the semester (August 28) – field classes will be dropped off of your schedule the fourth day of the semester if your clearances are not on file.  They should be scanned using the AX system. Please talk with Dr. McFarland if you have questions or concerns about your clearances. amcfarland@wcupa.edu

Graduation Check—
Fall 2014—If you are graduating this fall and need a double-check to ensure you’ve completed all of your requirements, stop by and see me before I leave on Friday, August 29.
Spring/Summer 2015—If you plan on graduating in Spring or Summer 2015, please stop by my office so that we can verify that your requirements are on track for completion.  The deadline to apply for spring and summer graduation is December 31.

 

Building and Other Information—

Academic Resources and Tutoring—We have several academic and tutoring resources available for you. We have a tutoring center on campus (LARC), but we also have tutors available within Swope.  I’ve got links to all of the tutoring resources at https://sommyadvises.wordpress.com/resourcesforstudents/wcu-academic-resources/

 Lockers—Most of you should already have a locker, but for whatever reason if you need a locker please stop down to the main office and see Denise. We are currently only checking out 1 locker to music majors beginning Monday, August 25^th.  Non-music majors can check out a locker beginning Tuesday, Sept. 2^nd.  Music majors can sign out a second locker beginning Tuesday, September 16^th.

Instrument Rental—If you need to rent an instrument you may do so at the Instrument Rental Office on the first floor.  The Instrument Rental Office will be open extended hours the first week of classes: Monday 8am-12:15pm, 1-2:30pm; Tuesday 11am-2:30pm; Wednesday 9-11:30am, 1-2pm; Thursday 1-2pm; Friday 9-11:15am, 12-2:30pm.

Practice Rooms—Access to the practice rooms has been pre-programmed for all music majors and will be active as of the first day of the semester. If you find you cannot access the practice rooms, e-mail Matt Miller (mmiller@wcupa.edu) your name, student ID, and which kinds of rooms you need access to.  Remember you can only have percussion or piano major practice room access if you are taking private lessons with them.

Musician Referral List—we often get calls and emails asking for students to perform or teach lessons – if you would like for your name to be given out to those requests or if you are already on the list and would like to be removed, please sign up to be on our Musician Referral List http://www.wcupa.edu/CVPA/music/referral.aspx

Concert Attire— your ensemble directors will discuss concert attire with you, but in general concert attire is as follows:

Bands: Men-Black tux with black bow tie and cummerbund.  A black suit is an appropriate substitute.  We do not provide bow ties or cummerbunds.  Ladies-Black dress pants and black dress top.

Choirs: Men-Black tux (dinner jacket, white shirt, bow tie).  Women-Black dress, varies by ensemble (specifics will be given by your ensemble directors) – women in Cantari Donne, Mastersingers, and Concert Choir purchase dress through the ensemble; women in Women’s Chorus wear a black dress of their choosing.

Orchestra: Men- black tux or suit, white dress shirt, black bow tie, black long socks, black dress shoes. Women- floor-length black skirt or pants, black long-sleeve blouse (to the elbow or longer, no lace, must cover waist); black dress shoes, no glitter or distracting jewelry

Social Media— with the addition of a new Digital Content Specialist the summer, the College of Visual and Performing Arts has now taken our Social Media to the next level (thanks, Seth!).  Check out all of our official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, and other accounts, and don’t forget to use our new hashtag #ArtsAtWCU.

SOM Honors Convocation— every fall we honor our outstanding students with certificates and scholarships.  This year’s convocation is Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 3:00pm in Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall.  There will be performances by the Criterions Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble.  Ensemble Recital Credit will be offered.

 

Nicole Kemp

Undergraduate Program Counselor

West Chester University | College of Visual and Performing Arts

nkemp@wcupa.edu | 610-436-3261

Schedule an appointment with me!

Friend me on Facebook

Current Students: Check out Sommy Advises, my new WordPress page

Prospective Students: Schedule a Tour and review our Audition Requirements

 

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A. Milne (Christopher Robin)

 

For Freshmen MUE Students:

Dear New Swopian,

If you are reading this message, it means you are going to be beginning your journey in the WCU School of Music towards becoming a music educator in just two weeks! On behalf of the West Chester University chapter of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association, I’d like to say welcome—we are all very excited to get to know you!

Earlier this summer at orientation, you should have received a flyer from PCMEA that explained a little about who we are and what we do. If you are interested in furthering your knowledge of the music education world, or would like to join together with your fellow Golden Rams in forming a support network in the field of music education, then PCMEA is for you. The WCU chapter of PCMEA is very involved with the community of West Chester—partnering with the Melton Community Center to teach music lessons on a weekly basis. We hold monthly meetings focusing on different topics relevant to our field and, new this year, will be partnering with PMEA District 12 to assist in the instrumental/choral auditions at West Chester Rustin High School and will be attending the District 12 Professional Development In-Service.

Of course, these are only a few of the activities that the executive board has planned for this year and we would love to see you at them! Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 2 in the Ware Family Recital Hall at 7:44 PM (yes you read that right—not 7:45). Our topic for this meeting will be an information session about what exactly PCMEA, and by extension the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) are all about. We will also be talking about how you can officially join PCMEA and what this year will bring for our chapter. Oh, and of course there will be free Rita’s Italian Ice!

If you are in marching band, we will also be at SIGMA night (which is an informational Q&A session on Monday night that will give you more information about some of the other organizations in the School of Music that are available to you)—so feel free to find us there and find out more. Finally, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me or another member of the executive board with any questions! See you all soon.

Musically Yours,

Joshua Oldham
President, PCMEA
jo780485@wcupa.edu​

Mentoring Monday: Class Preparation

Class Preparation
Connor Barz, School of Music Mentor

“DO” you “RE”member cram”MI”ng for a class in high school and “FA”lling so far behind that there was ab”SOL”utely no way to “LA”nd even a “TI”ny bit of success? If you have any sort of background in aural training or the “solfege” system in general, the previous sentence becomes much funnier. If you have no experience with the solfege system, first of all, welcome. Second of all, and much more importantly, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

On your schedule, you will most likely notice you are enrolled in the class “MTC 114-Aural Activities I” or something of the like. This is the beginning of a 4 semester sequence to train your ear as a musician to recognize intervals in tonal music (and eventually even atonal music!). Hopefully, having decided to come to school for music, your band directors, orchestra directors, choir directors, or other significant musical figures in your life prepared you for the inevitability of having to take some sort of ear training course. Although he went to West Chester himself only a few years before I did, my band director failed to prepare me for this course and I suffered the consequences. I barely passed the first level of aurals and it took me three semesters to pass the second level. You may be thinking to yourself, “why would this guy who clearly is no good at aurals be writing to me about aurals?!” The answer is because I am one of the best examples of someone who had no idea what they were doing, got some help, practiced until I actually lost my voice and ended up passing the final two aurals classes with a B+ and A, respectively. I don’t suggest it, but if you want to stop reading now, my fundamental advice is this: Don’t give up on this subject or let it determine your musical success. You are more than capable of succeeding in this course.

If you’re still reading, thank you for giving me your time. I’m going to give a few pointers and things I learned to help me through times I just wanted to quit and then some things you can do to prepare yourself for the class better than I did, basically things I wish I had known during my first semester.

PRACTICE– This may seem obvious but with the instrument classes, voice classes, oh and not to mention your major instrument/voice practice time, aurals frequently is early on the chopping block of things that get eliminated from consideration to practice. This is a skill you have probably not spent much time with and really only gets better with time. Take the time early, and you will thank yourself later. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Do not, under any circumstance, fall behind– falling behind in aurals will ensure certain demise. This is not a class you can cram for the night before. It is a class that is developing a skill. You wouldn’t go play a recital unprepared, so why go into aurals class unprepared? Stay on top of assignments, upcoming benchmark exams, and dictation expectations. If you do find yourself falling behind, do not be afraid to ask for help.

Work with a friend– Find someone who is better than you and strive to reach their level. The caveat to that is to not get frustrated when it does not happen instantly. We all want to be better musicians and the best way to do that is to force yourself to be around people who are good at what they do. Find a friend and have them play intervals on the piano while you name them. Have your friend name an interval and you sing it back to them. Take a dictation of something your friend plays on the piano. Sing melodies for each-other and make notes of successes and areas of improvement. Everyone at the school of music has to go through these courses, why torture yourself by doing it alone? Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Get a tutor– There are students who work with a tutoring service to help. These tutoring sessions happen in small groups or individually, both are extremely helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Utilize your relationships– Your friends, studio professors, ensemble directors, and other faculty members are much more likely to lend a helping hand than they are to turn you away if you reach out to them for assistance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Sing everything– Hear a song on the radio? Sing it. Go to a concert on campus and hear a catchy theme? Sing it. A tune pops into your head? Sing it, then notate it or play it on the piano. You probably heard your band director say “if you can sing it you can play it” a million times. It works the other way around too; “if you can play it, you can sing it”. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Listen to everything– Challenge yourself to listen to a song and pick out a few chords that you can identify the quality of (i.e. major, minor, diminished, augmented). Go on the internet and check it out to see if you were right. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Use the internet– There are a plethora of sites online that can help you with ear training. http://www.teoria.com is my personal favorite, but consulting with any theory faculty member will provide you with a wealth of more information about software or websites that can help ear training. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Now, those are all great tips for if you are struggling/trying to get ahead in class, but what can you do NOW to make sure you are the person who is prepared on even the first day? Here are a few things I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone.

Be comfortable with the solfege syllables. If you are not familiar with the solfege system I suggest getting familiar with it at . Note that this is a transposing system and that any note can be “Do” with all following pitches following accordingly. It is most important to be comfortable with the solfege note names and be able to say them forward and backward up and down the scale. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Know what your assignment is and practice it. When my first aurals professor assigned prepared singing, I had no idea what to do to prepare them and therefore failed miserably in class. Be on top of what the assignment is and be sure to have it prepared. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Get comfortable with your singing voice. Guys, do not be afraid of using falsetto. Girls, make sure you know where your break is and be comfortable transitioning from chest voice to head voice. All vocal parts are capable of succeeding in this course as long as you are comfortable with your voice and know how to make it do what you want it to do. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Learn intervals. Learn everything about intervals. Learn what they sound like, what they feel like when you sing them, what notes make what intervals etc. This whole ear training concept is largely based on the concept of intervals and a mastery of that will lead to comfortability in the class (as well as theory!). Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Ask your professor how they learned certain things. My first few aurals professors just told me what to hear, but what I needed to know was how to hear what I was listening for. Learning how to listen has made all the difference in my success in both aurals and ensemble/solo playing. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If you’re STILL reading, I thank you again, but hopefully, you’ll thank yourself for giving yourself an advantage as you start your journey in this sequence of “fun-filled” classes. The most important thing about succeeding in aurals is knowing that every music teacher you’ve ever had has done it. Every upper-classman music major has done it, and therefore it is something YOU can achieve. At 3 a.m. when you’re sitting in a practice room trying to get a melody just right, just breathe and know that this too shall pass and no matter what, if you have prepared, you will succeed in some way whether that be getting an “A” or just performing better than last time, improvement is improvement no matter what it may be. A little bit of preparation goes a long way towards long-term success, and finally, if you read the end of each bulleted item above, you’ll know to not be afraid to ask for help. There is an entire community in Swope that is capable of providing any sort of assistance needed, you just need to reach out and ask.

I have no doubt that you are a skilled enough musician to succeed in this course and an intelligent enough person to get any help from any combination of resources should the need arise. I wish you the best of luck as you begin your time as a Golden Ram and look forward to seeing you around campus.

Mentoring Monday: Relationship with Lesson Professor

Relationship with Lesson Professor
Paul Sharp, School of Music Mentor

• Be yourself. The most important thing when it comes to maintaining a relationship with your lesson professor is that you have to be yourself. Don’t give them some kind of fake representation of who you are. They will teach you to the best of their abilities no matter who you are so just be open with them.

• Be Honest. Always be honest with your lesson professor. For example, if they ask you how much you practice a week, be honest. If you’re too embarrassed to tell them the actual amount, then you should use that as motivation to practice more the next week.

• It’s okay to say you don’t understand. If your professor is explaining a concept to you and you don’t know what they’re trying to say, tell them. You don’t have to be embarrassed by not knowing. Your professor will actually be glad that you asked for clarification. It will help show that you’re serious about your lessons. Just remember to try and be as specific as possible when talking about what you don’t understand.

• Maintain a positive relationship with your lesson professor while you are in school. It is important for you and your professor to get along while you are in school. The extent of that relationship is up to you. If you want to be their best friend, that’s fine. If you want to just keep things more professional and business oriented, that’s fine too. Just know that it’s important for the two of you to be on the same page.

• Maintain a positive relationship with your lesson professor when you are out of school. Your lesson professor is one of your biggest advocates in terms of your musical ability. Their opinion could be very valuable when applying to a job or grad school. Make sure that when you leave West Chester, you leave them with a positive opinion of you, (things like you’re respectful, hard worker, kind, etc.).

• Your Lesson Professor as your advisor. Many of you will have your lesson professor as your advisor. This is a wonderful opportunity that we get here in Swope. Your lesson professor is one the faculty that knows you the best, making this a great bonus. Don’t feel like you can only talk to them about school-related things. They are there for you to talk to about any of your problems while you’re at school.

• Get to know the other related lesson professors to your instrument. It is important that you get to know more than one professor during your time at West Chester. They will be able to help you network once you are out of school, which could help you in getting a job or finding the right grad school. If you’re a student whose instrument has many teachers (voice, percussion, and piano), then get to know all professors for that instrument. If you’re a student whose instrument only has one professor, (brass and woodwind instruments), then get to know professors that teach in the same family as yours. You want as many people in your corner once you graduate, so make sure to make contacts with as many lesson professors as you can.

• Know that they’re trying to help you. No matter what we do, all of us feel like at some point that our professor is pushing us too hard, or doesn’t think we’re doing well enough, or seems to criticize too much. Know that they are only doing what they are because they care about you and want you to be the best that you can be. Try to take their criticism in a constructive manner.

I hope you all found this list to be helpful. If you have a question about your lesson professor that isn’t on this list, please ask your mentor or myself, and we will be glad to help.

Instrumental Ensemble Auditions

Hello folks,

Auditions for fall CONCERT ENSEMBLES will be held Sunday, August 24.  Anyone planning on performing in an instrumental ensemble is required to perform an audition for ensemble placement and seating.  Sign-up sheets will be posted the week of August 18 and times will be determined based on the availability of your studio professors.  Since ensembles begin rehearsal Monday, August 25, no alternate audition times will be available.  For the audition, you should prepare excerpts from the PDF provided for your instrument as well as all of your major scales.  A sight-reading example may also be provided.  Audition materials can be downloaded from the band website using the following link:

http://www.wcubands.org/?p=2976

Password:  FALL2014

I look forward to hearing you all in a few short weeks and getting started on this year’s repertoire!

Email me or your studio teachers with any questions.

All my best,

Dr. Yozviak

__________________________________

Andrew Yozviak, DMA

Director of Bands

College of Visual and Performing Arts – School of Music

West Chester University

Swope Music Building – 256

West Chester University

817 South High Street

West Chester, PA  19383

Office:  610-430-4188

FAX:     610-436-2873

ayozviak@wcupa.edu

Mentoring Monday: Ensemble Auditions

Ensemble Auditions

Rebekah Powell, School of Music Mentor

Being a Music Major, it is inevitable that you will have to audition for either a band or a choir ensemble in the school of music, as it is a requirement for you to be in one of the major band or choir ensembles (other than Marching band) for at least 7 semesters of your college life. This audition, band or choir, may seem nerve-wracking at first, but this article is here to tell you how the audition process works, for both band and choir, and some tips to help you be prepared and successful in your first audition and the many more to come at your time here at WCU!

For Instrumentalists

• Prepare the music in advance. You will get the music through an email you receive a few weeks out from class starting. Don’t wait until the last minute!
• Practice your Scales, Sight-Reading, and other Skills! Professors in the auditions, depending on what they want to hear, will most likely ask for these things, so don’t just practice your piece given, freshen yourself up on your basic skills as well!
• Sign up for an audition time that you think you will be the best at! Sign put sheets go out during band camp or the week before so try to get there early! Most auditions are grouped by Instrument so figure out a good time during the time slot of your instrument that you think you can play best at! Also, come early to your audition time, about 5-10 minutes prior. DON’T BE LATE!!
• For those in Marching Band, Warm down after the week is over and rest your chops! You will be playing a lot during the week of band camp, and if you don’t warm down properly or rest at all, then it may affect your audition. Still look over the music and keep it fresh in your mind, but take a bit of a break from playing, and save your chops for the audition!
• Warm up, but don’t overdo it! The morning or afternoon of the audition get a good solid warm up in! Be sure you are good and ready to play for your audition but don’t warm up too much or it could affect your audition. If you feel warmed up, rest yourself until the audition!
• Fill out the forms! When you get to you audition you will receive a form that you put your name, instrument, and grade level, and major. Also it will ask you to list the ensembles (Concert Band, Wind Symphony, Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble) in the order of preference of which ones you want to be in, as well as a section to list class-related conflicts you have with any of the ensembles. You will give it to the person who brings you into the room.
• Dress Professionally! This is very important. This is the first impression that your professors (most likely your private teacher as well as the director of your ensemble you are placed in will be in that audition room) will get of you! Dress as if you are going into an interview!
  • For Guys- Button Up shirt or nice collared shirt (Tie optional). Dress pants, dress shoes. NO SNEAKERS OR JEANS!
  • For Girls- Nice Shirt with dress pants or skirt or a dress. Dress shoes, NO SNEAKERS OR JEANS!!!

Try to look nice, but at the same time, try to dress comfortably. For girls, if you don’t feel like you can wear heels while you play, wear flats instead. For guys if you feel a necktie will be too much, then just go without it! If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good you play well

• Be Prepared for Anything! Every audition is different depending on the professors in there. Some do their auditions blind, whereas others face you while you play. Some ask for scales, some ask for sight-reading, some ask for both or none at all! They may ask you to play the entire piece you prepared or only a portion of it! It is only a 3-5 minute audition, but be prepared for anything they throw your way!
• RELAX! The people in your audition want nothing more than for you to succeed and try to keep a relaxed atmosphere in the audition room. Don’t stress out about the little things. It’s just an audition! Just go into that audition room and play it the best you can!

For Piano and Vocal Majors

• Look out for emails! There is an email sent out letting you know when the auditions are for Choir Ensembles. They are usually during the first week of classes, and they will give you a time to sign up usually a week or 2 before.
• Sign up for a good time!- Choir Auditions happen in the afternoon/evening times. Make sure you sign up for a time that you feel you can sing your best at! Also, show up 5-10 minutes prior to you audition as to not be late!
• Fill out the forms- like the band audition, you will receive forms that you must fill out and give to the professors. It consists of filling out your name, Major, Voice Part, and a section to check off which groups you are interested in auditioning for (Concert Choir, Mastersingers, Cantari Donne, Men’s or Women’s Chorus). If you are not interested in singing or cannot sing in that ensemble due to a class conflict, do NOT check that group off. Also, it will ask you your preference by putting numbers (1 being most preferred) into which ensemble you would most like to sing in.
• Dress Comfortably- It is not required for you to dress professionally, but still try to dress nicely and make a good impression!
• The audition- The audition consists of Range testing (in case you do not know your voice part, they can judge you from this portion), Pitch Memorization (they play a series of pitches then you have to sing them back, and they add on one more pitch each time they play it, almost like Simon says, they will record the number of pitches you could memorize, up to 12 pitches) and Sight- Reading. The professors usually face you and consist of the directors of the choir ensembles, and they will be facing you. They generally tell you which ensemble they feel you are most likely going to be in, but they official list goes up in the middle of the week.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!