LSGA Band and Orchestra blog- Great students making great music! - Blog

Monday, March 30th

3/30/2020

Hello everyone, attached are two theory worksheets.

The Woodwind Brasswind shop is having free daily live streams for musicians, check some out for today.

March 30

1:00pm - Jazz Concert with the United States Army Jazz Ambassadors

3:00pm - Saxophone Studio Class

4:00pm - Artist Q&A with Clarinetist, Catina Sweedy

Remember to work on reading music. Musictheory.net is a resource that will track your progress.

www.musictheory.net/exercises/note

music-theory-worksheet-21-harmonic-minor-scale.pdf
File Size:	46 kb
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music-theory-worksheet-22-melodic-minor-scale.pdf
File Size:	47 kb
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It’s a Giant. It’s a Novelty. It’s a Tuba Named Big Carl.

3/30/2020

By Sam Roberts
September 26, 2014

Once upon a time, there was a tuba named Tubby, a brassy musical instrument who boasted that he could sing. He was first given voice in 1945 through lyrics recorded by the comedian Danny Kaye and was later reincarnated by the Manhattan Transfer, Annette Funicello, Julia Child and Meredith Vieira. His story has been translated into dozens of languages.

Still, Tubby cannot hold a candle to Big Carl.

Unlike Tubby, Big Carl cannot sing a note. Technically, he may not even be a tuba. But he resounds as thunderously as the Queen Mary and is so mammoth that it takes three people to play him. Placed side by side, he reduces an ordinary tuba to a piccolo by comparison.

A typical tuba is about 3 1/2 -feet high, has about 18 feet of tubing and weighs about 20 pounds. Big Carl stands nearly 8 feet tall, contains 60 feet of tubing, weighs about 100 pounds and registers a subcontrabass BBBb pitch. His bell, the widest part, has a diameter just over 40 inches.
New York is a city of superlatives, so where else would you expect to find a mutant musical instrument this size, especially one of mysterious provenance?

He used to be on display at the Carl Fischer music store in Cooper Square, in Lower Manhattan, but is now hidden away on an upper story of the music publisher’s Wall Street offices, a beloved but lonely mascot to colleagues at the company, which is trying to bring the tarnished brass instrument back to public view.
Carl’s origins are murky — it is not known exactly when or for whom he was created — but seem to trace back about 100 years. The reason for his existence is linked to the desire by concert bands to find ways to stand out. And, they believed, there was no better way to self-aggrandize than to outdo one another with big and even bigger tubas made by well-known craftsman, like Besson, Boosey or Bohland & Fuchs.
One, made for John Philip Sousa,is at Harvard. Another is at a museum in England. An even bigger one was produced as recently as 2010 in Markneukirchen, Germany, which is famous for its musical instruments, to celebrate the town’s 650th anniversary.
Sometime around the beginning of the 20th century, Big Carl was sold or given to Carl Fischer, a sheet music publisher who opened an instrument repair shop in the East Village in 1872 and was Sousa’s first publisher.

The instrument supposedly made a cameo appearance at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis (which hosted Sousa and housed the world’s largest organ at the time). Big Carl was later ensconced over the entrance to the company’s headquarters at Cooper Square from 1926 to 1999 (the store also featured a supersize bass fiddle and guitar), then followed the publisher to Bleecker Street and, last year, to 48 Wall Street, where he presides conspicuously, but out of public sight, in a small conference room.

Big Carl was crafted at Bohland & Fuchs in what was then Bohemia by someone who had a sense of humor. Included is a standard hook that would allow a player to strap it on and play it in a marching band — that is, if the musician were about 18 feet tall.
“It’s a novelty,” said Steve Dillon, whose family-owned company was recruited by Carl Fischer Music to repair Big Carl last spring.
In the decades when it was displayed prominently at the Carl Fischer store, it became a legend.
“Many of our composers and customers in the industry still ask about it and say, surprised, ‘Oh, it’s still here,” Sonya Kim, the company president, said.
Unlike a typical tuba, it has finger buttons but no valves and pistons, which means it only plays fundamental notes with a narrower pitch. That probably defines it as more of a bugle than a tuba, which might make it eligible to horn in on another title.
“I asked the Guinness Book of Records if they have a largest bugle category,” said Elizabeth Holub, a marketing associate with Carl Fischer. “I haven’t heard back yet.”
The company is considering lending Big Carl to Macy’s for the Thanksgiving Day Parade or to the Tuba Christmas concert in Rockefeller Center. Assuming, that is, that the instrument will fit through the door.

Last week, Mr. Dillon enlisted Derek Fenstermacher, principal tuba with the New Jersey Symphony, to test the instrument.
“I had seen pictures of it and I was thinking, I’m your guy,” Mr. Fenstermacher recalled. “Then I saw it in person and I was speechless. I thought I might need another lung to play it.”

A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 27, 2014, Section A, Page 21 of the New York edition with the headline: It’s a Giant. It’s a Novelty. It’s a Tuba Named Big Carl.

Article:
www.nytimes.com/2014/09/27/nyregion/its-a-giant-its-a-novelty-its-a-tuba-named-big-carl.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH32B8nUHxk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRQn28Z-vQE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwYH6SS5k34

Hartmut Geilert built a giant tuba played by Jörg Wachsmuth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHxQdwwmy1c

Friday, March 27th

3/27/2020

Hello everyone, attached are two theory worksheets.
Here are some websites for exercises and listening:

· Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Carnegie Hall)
https://listeningadventures.carnegiehall.org
· Music Tech Teacher Games
http://www.musictechteacher.com/music_quizzes/music_quizzes.htm
· PBS Kids Music
http://pbskids.org/games/music/
· Music K8 Fun Stuff
http://www.musick8kids.com/html/funstuff.php

music-theory-worksheet-19-major-scale.pdf
File Size:	46 kb
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music-theory-worksheet-20-the_natural_minor_scale.pdf
File Size:	46 kb
File Type:	pdf

Thursday, March 26th

3/26/2020

Hello everyone, attached are two theory worksheets.

Here are some websites to work on music...
· Brain Pop
https://www.brainpop.com/artsandmusic/
· Drum Machine
https://www.onemotion.com/drum-machine/
· Whack a Note
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/steprightup/whackanote/

Remember to work on reading music. Musictheory.net is a resource that will track your progress.

www.musictheory.net/exercises/note

music-theory-worksheet-17-sharps.pdf
File Size:	23 kb
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music-theory-worksheet-18-whole-half-stepsv2.pdf
File Size:	59 kb
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Tomorrow!! March 26th, Violinist Maxim Vengerov is performing an exclusive at-home concert for Classic FM

3/25/2020

Classic FM’s Artist in Residence will be giving a special performance from a living room in Russia, for all of us working from home, self-isolating or looking after the family.

Violinist Maxim Vengerov, Classic FM’s Artist in Residence, will be giving an exclusive online concert from his living room in Russia, for all of us quarantined at home.

Joined by cellist Boris Andrianov and pianist Peter Laul, he will be performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio, Mozart’s Violin Sonata No.32 and Schubert’s Fantasy.

The concert will be available to watch at ClassicFM.com from 2pm on Thursday 26 March, and will also be available to watch online afterwards until further notice.

Please note that there will be a short intermission of 5-8 minutes between Vengerov’s performance of the Tchaikovsky and the Mozart, to allow time for resetting the living room stage!

Visit Classic FM.com at 2pm (GMT) on Thursday 26 March to watch Maxim Vengerov’s exclusive concert.

www.classicfm.com/artists/maxim-vengerov/watch-exclusive-online-quarantine-concert/

Wednesday, March 25th

3/25/2020

Hello everyone, attached are two theory worksheets.
This website will help you write your on music. It is free, you need an email address to sign up.

www.noteflight.com/

music-theory-worksheet-15-ties-slurs.pdf
File Size:	65 kb
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music-theory-worksheet-16-flats.pdf
File Size:	65 kb
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Tuesday, March 24th

3/24/2020

Hello everyone, attached are two theory sheets.

Here are some fun songs for you play...

justindickson.com/band/fun.htm

This site has band and orchestra...

www.musicbyarrangement.co.uk/schoolband/page3.html

The "President's Own" / United States Marine Band is holding their Annual "Sousa's March Mania" Contest. They are down to "Sousa's Sixteen." Today is "March of the Toys" and "The White Plume." Visit the Marine Band Website, listen to today's marches and vote for your favorite.

music-theory-worksheet-13-eighth-rests.pdf
File Size:	44 kb
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music-theory-worksheet-14-dotted-quarter-notes.pdf
File Size:	31 kb
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Monday, March 23rd

3/23/2020

Hello everyone, I hope you are well and staying healthy. I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know I look forward to a time when we are all back together and making music. Your job is to stay healthy, keep a positive attitude, and help your family through these difficult times. We will be in touch as more information becomes available, but in the meantime, enjoy your extended break and practice the music apps!

The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity

3/23/2020

John Rampton

Brain training is big business, with companies like BrainHQ, Lumosity, and Cogmed. But does what they offer actually benefit your brain?
Researchers do not believe so. In fact, the University of Illinois determined that there is little or no evidence that these games improve anything more than the specific tasks being trained. Lumosity's maker was even fined $2 million in 2016 for false claims.
Why Being a Musician is Good for Your Brain
So, if these brain games don't work, then what will keep your brain sharp? The answer? Learning to play a musical instrument.
Science has shown that musical training can change brain structure and function for the better. It can also improve long-term memory and lead to better brain development for those who start at a young age.
Furthermore, musicians tend to be more mentally alert, according to new research from a University of Montreal study.
"The more we know about the impact of music on really basic sensory processes, the more we can apply musical training to individuals who might have slower reaction times," said lead researcher Simon Landry.
"As people get older, for example, we know their reaction times get slower," said Landry. "So if we know that playing a musical instrument increases reaction times, then maybe playing an instrument will be helpful for them."
Previously, Landry found that musicians have faster auditory, tactile, and audio-tactile reaction times. Musicians also have an altered statistical use of multisensory information. This means that they're better at integrating the inputs from various senses.
"Music probably does something unique," explains neuropsychologist Catherine Loveday of the University of Westminster. "It stimulates the brain in a very powerful way because of our emotional connection with it."
Unlike brain games, playing an instrument is a rich and complex experience. This is because it's integrating information from the senses of vision, hearing, and touch, along with fine movements. This can result in long-lasting changes in the brain. These can be applicable in the business world.
Changes in the Brain
Brain scans have been able to identify the difference in brain structure between musicians and non-musicians. Most notably, the corpus callosum, a massive bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two sides of the brain, is larger in musicians. Also, the areas involving movement, hearing, and visuospatial abilities appear to be larger in professional keyboard players.
Initially, these studies couldn't determine if these differences were caused by musical training or if anatomical differences predispose some to become musicians. Ultimately, longitudinal studies showed that children who do 14 months of musical training displayed more powerful structural and functional brain changes.
These studies prove that learning a musical instrument increases gray matter volume in various brain regions, It also strengthens the long-range connections between them. Additional research shows that musical training can enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills.
Long-Lasting Benefits for Musicians
Brain-scanning studies have found that the anatomical change in musicians' brains is related to the age when training began. It shouldn't be surprising, but learning at a younger age causes the most drastic changes.
Interestingly, even brief periods of musical training can have long-lasting benefits. A 2013 study found that even those with moderate musical training preserved sharp processing of speech sounds. It was also able to increase resilience to any age-related decline in hearing.
Researchers also believe that playing music helps speech processing and learning in children with dyslexia. Furthermore, learning to play an instrument as a child can protect the brain against dementia.
"Music reaches parts of the brain that other things can't," says Loveday. "It's a strong cognitive stimulus that grows the brain in a way that nothing else does, and the evidence that musical training enhances things like working memory and language is very robust."
Other Ways Learning an Instrument Strengthens Your Brain
Guess what? We're still not done. Here are eight additional ways that learning an instrument strengthens your brain.
1. Strengthens bonds with others. This shouldn't be surprising. Think about your favorite band. They can only make a record when they have contact, coordination, and cooperation with one another.
2. Strengthens memory and reading skills. The Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University states this is because music and reading are related via common neural and cognitive mechanisms.
3. Playing music makes you happy. McMaster University discovered that babies who took interactive music classes displayed better early communication skills. They also smiled more.
4. Musicians can process multiple things at once. As mentioned above, this is because playing music forces you to process multiple senses at once. This can lead to superior multi-sensory skills.
5. Music increases blood flow in your brain. Studies have found that short bursts of musical training increase the blood flow to the left hemisphere of the brain. That can be helpful when you need a burst of energy. Skip the energy drink and jam for 30 minutes.
6. Music helps the brain recover. Motor control improved in everyday activities with stroke patients.
7. Music reduces stress and depression. A study of cancer patients found that listening to and playing music reduced anxiety. Another study revealed that music therapy lowered levels of depression and anxiety.
8. Musical training strengthens the brain’s executive function. Executive function covers critical tasks like processing and retaining information, controlling behavior, making decisions, and problem solving. If strengthened, you can boost your ability to live. Musical training can improve and strengthen executive functioning in both children and adults.

https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/the-benefits-of-playing-music-help-your-brain-more.html

Friday, March 20th

3/20/2020

The "President's Own" / United States Marine Band is holding their Annual "Sousa's March Mania" Contest. They are down to "Sousa's Sixteen." You can vote now for the each round of the marches. The Washington Post vs. The Purple Pageant was yesterday. Visit the Marine Band Website, listen to today's marches and vote for your favorite.

www.marineband.marines.mil/Unit-Home/Sousas-March-Mania/