I just got back from my first Association of Concert Bands (ACB) convention, and friends, I had an amazing four days! I met composers of some of my favorite band works, and made new friends with fellow Concert Band geeks (musicians and conductors) from all over the United States and Canada, and got to perform […]
Priorities and Pragmatism
Community concert band directors have more decisions to make than anyone else in the group, but sometimes it’s not about what you might think. Oh sure, they have to come up with pieces for the next program, perhaps following a theme. They need to know if certain parts will not be covered and remember how […]
One, Two, Three, What?
Even with years of performance experience, an innate sense of various musical styles, and a professional demeanor, one of the unfortunate situations encountered by community musicians is an unorganized and/or unprepared director. I would guess this is not an issue that professional musicians must deal with. Conducting Style It’s all about communication. Numerous times I’ve conducted […]