Chad Criswell's Blog
Posted by Chad Criswell
One of the highest points in a high school band's life is when it is invited to perform in a major event in another country. In Fort Meyers, Florida the local school board nearly destroyed that once in a lifetime opportunity for the Fort Meyer's High School Band when it put the kybosh on their performance trip to London to lead off their New Year's Parade. Luckily, the parents and community had the final say when they raised over five hundred thousand dollars and effectively vetoed the school board's decision to cancel the trip on the grounds of terrorism and security concerns. To read the full article visit the BBC News Web Site or visit a more in depth article at The Independent.
Posted by Chad Criswell
Any professional musician can tell you that having a happy, excited audience is almost as important to the success of a performance as is the talent of the performer himself. A pumped up audience will pump up the excitement and atmosphere in the venue while a dead, bored audience will drag down the intensity of even the most seasoned performer. This simple fact is why most professional touring musicians will employ an opening warm-up act to get the crowd in the mood for the big show to come. These things are fine for loud, pop music style concerts, but even more subdued school music concerts benefit from an audience that is happy and that pays attention to good concert etiquette. In a recent article by Steve Aboroa, the significance of how much an impact concert manners and etiquette can play becomes quite apparent.
Posted by Chad Criswell
First performed in 1781, one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first operas, Idomeneo, was not really a "smash hit." In 2006 however, the performance of the opera in Berlin has become a flashpoint of censorship versus racial and religious harmony. Although not in the original version of Mozart's opera at one point in the story King Idomeneo enters holding the heads of several people, one of whom is suggested to be the head of the Islamic Prophet, Mohammed. For a period of time the opera company called off the performance amid concern of violence. Today it opens for the public, and as NPR news reported, tickets are fairly easy to come by.
Posted by Chad Criswell
If you are looking for some simple, traditional Christmas carols to play with your family or friends you will be rather limited unless you look really hard on the Internet. At MusicEdMagic you now have the opportunity to download PDF formatted music of many traditional carols in for all of the major instruments of a standard concert band. Have Uncle Bill pull out his old trumpet while you play along on the sax! Let cousin Sally play her flute while Grandpa Owen plays his old rusty trombone.
Whatever kind of makeshift ensemble you might put together this fun and easy Christmas sheet music will help you "Deck The Halls!"
For a listing of sources for free classical sheet music check out my article here on suite101!
Posted by Chad Criswell
I was playing some classical music in one of my classes the other day when one of my students made a comment that classical music is "sooooo boring!" Well, those of us that appreciate all forms of music realize that that statement simply isn't true and that there is plenty of very powerful and moving classical music out there to listen to. The simple fact is that a vast majority of people do not know about it or have any interest in discovering it for themselves.
To combat the idea that all classical music is made up of "fat ladies singing," I am writing a series of articles to introduce people to some of the more powerful and expressive pieces of classical literature, music that makes your blood start pumping and produces a high probability of getting goosebumps. The first of these articles is on my personal favorite, Ottorino Respighi's "Pine's Of Rome." Feel free to start a discussion about this topic and suggest your own favorite pieces of exciting classical literature.
