2019 VOLUME 3 CONSISTENT & CREATIVE REHEARSALS SETTING UP JAZZ FIGURES ON THE DRUM SET Denis DiBlasio IMPROVISE Jazz & ENERGIZE EDITOR’S NOTE SupportED 2019 Volume 3 Young, Talented and Full of Promise PHO une is one of my favorite times of T O Jthe year because it’s when we host BY 4 Navigating Troubled Waters JO the Yamaha Young Performing Artists LESC What are the moral and legal obligations of music educators when (YYPA) Celebration at the Music for H PHO dealing with distressed students? All Summer Symposium at Ball State T O University in Muncie, Indiana. This year’s GRAP YYPA winners were among the most H 6 The Magic of Rehearsal Management Y Capture your students’ attention by creating consistent inspiring and promising artists we have classroom routines as well as applying some sparks of ingenuity. ever worked with. They were humble, open-minded and rose to the occasion in every professional workshop, rehearsal 9 The Inside Scoop: J. Dash and especially during their performances Rapper, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist in front of a cheering crowd of almost his third year at Rutgers University and won it the most. This act takes humility and J. Dash has a genuine passion and commitment to help young 2,000 music students and teachers at the first place in the ITF solo jazz competition. a deep sense of caring and commitment people realize success through the arts. symposium. The talent, enthusiasm and All three are brilliant trombone players, for what is best for the student. camaraderie showcased at the Summer and all three won the YYPA title early in Have you ever had an especially gifted Symposium were remarkable! their careers. It was heartwarming to see student who you handed over to a more 10 Denis DiBlasio: The Storyteller I was still riding high from this spec- them together and hear how their careers advanced teacher? How did you handle it? A life in jazz and teaching has meant improvisation, invention and tacular week when I headed to the are flourishing! Email me at [email protected], so reinvention for Denis DiBlasio. International Trombone Festival (ITF) in Michael (2004 YYPA winner), Altin I can share your stories with our readers. July. There, I ran into three musicians who (2017) and David (2019) share something I hope you enjoy this amazing issue. are connected by a unique thread. Michael with all YYPA winners throughout the 14 United We Stand Dease teaches at Michigan State University program’s 31-year history. These “gifted” Best, As a chapter of United Sound, the Parkway Central and is a brilliant, celebrated soloist and musicians all had teachers who were Middle School band program harnesses the power of music collaborator. Altin Sencalar just finished brave enough to hand them to other to give students with special needs a sense of belonging. his graduate work in performance and is educators who could provide higher-level John Wittmann touring with his combo. David Mosko is in instruction when their students needed Director, Artist Relations and Education 18 Setting Up Jazz Figures Beginning jazz drummers should try this simple and EDITORIAL ATELIERS systematic approach. Editor: John Wittmann Director of R&D and Ateliers: Bob Malone Managing Editor: Christine Ngeo Katzman MARKETING Editorial Project Manager: June Kikuchi Yamaha SupportED Lisa Steele-MacDonald Jalissa Gascho Director of Marketing: 6600 Orangethorpe Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90620 Contributing Editor: Sr. Marketing Manager, Winds: Brian Petterson Editor’s Note ................................1 Art Director: Brian Bengelsdorf Phone: 317.524.6272 Marketing Manager, Strings: Ken Dattmore Email: [email protected] News & Notes ........................2 ARTIST Relations AND Education Marketing Manager, Accessories: Matthew Kerns Web: YamahaSupportED.com Director of Artist Relations Marketing Manager, Percussion: Troy Wollwage Letter to Myself ................20 and Education: John Wittmann Artist Relations Manager: Jalissa Gascho CORPORATE OFFICE INSPIRING, EMPOWERING AND EQUIPPING President: Tom Sumner MUSIC educators AND STUDENTS THROUGH SALES Corporate Vice President: Garth Gilman FINELY CRAFTED INSTRUMENTS, ACCESS TO National Sales Director: Doug Steinmetz LIFE-CHANGING MUSICAL EVENTS AND THE Ed Boyer Regional Sales Manager: Yamaha SupportED magazine is produced by Cover photo by Rob Shanahan for SHARING OF GIFTED ARTISTS Regional Sales Manager: David Suter Yamaha Corporation of America Yamaha Corporation of America C2 SupportED — FOR INSTRUMENTAL IN- STRUCTORS 2019 Volume 3 1 NEWS & NOTES A New Look at MAILBAG NOTEWORTHY Four-Year Study Classical Music F eatureflash eatureflash Thank you so much FIND A MENTOR Dive into the behind-the-scenes stories of CREATING A BALANCED BUDGET Verizon and Shows Impact for telling the story of DRUM CAMP some of the greatest music ever written with IN FORT WORTH the percussion camp 2019 VOLUME 2 Pharrell “Classics Unlocked,” a new podcast produced P at Bass Performance Partnership HOTO by Universal Music Australia and hosted by of Incorporating Hall in the 2019 Volume ERIC JAUVON Graham Abbott, an Australian broadcaster. SHIN GILLIAM A 2 issue of SupportED Virginia Beach’s favorite GENCY Each 45-minute podcast focuses on a magazine. TRIPLETHREATS son Pharrell Williams is / particular piece of music or a time period in a EDUCATORS PERFORMERS ENTREPRENEURS S Modern Music in Our CEO flipped bringing more music to HUTTERSTOCK composer’s body of work. “Classics Unlocked” when she saw the well-written and comprehensive his hometown. Bayside launched in May with two episodes, and a new article. And it has already made a huge impact. We Middle School will be episode is added each month. Every episode Curriculum . showed the article to several donors and were able to the site of a new Verizon COM will be available on YouTube initially, then will be get food for the clinicians! Innovative Learning Lab featured on some classical music radio stations Our board and community are extremely proud of that will incorporate music, and Apple Music. the education program at Bass Performance Hall. augmented and virtual “We’re aiming to help you love the music We are gearing up for another set of camps — reality, robotics and machine you love even more, as well as making new onward and upward! learning. The lab is part of a discoveries along the way,” Abbott said on Sue Buratto partnership between Verizon the website uDiscoverMusic. he power and impact of music education was reaffirmed by a four-year research Director of Education and Williams that also in- The first six podcasts look at the music of project called Exchanging Notes that took place in the United Kingdom. The twist Bass Performance Hall cludes the launch of a technology-based music curriculum in the more than 100 Bach, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Berlioz and is that the study — conducted by the music charity Youth Music and Birmingham Fort Worth, Texas Verizon Innovative Learning schools around the country. Beethoven. City University — looked at the advantages of integrating modern music like grime In an interview with Billboard, Williams spoke about how art can impact lives. K electronic dance as well as bringing music industry professionals and local music- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ athy “I want all children to have access to that kind of creative growth, access and making projects into the school setting. H We want to hear from you! Please let us know what support,” Williams said. UTCHINS Exchanging Notes worked with 974 students and tracked 72 of them over the four you think of this issue or share stories about your music Verizon Innovative Learning has helped more than 1 million middle school years of the study. Teachers and students were encouraged to break out of old habits / S program. Write to us at [email protected]. students by providing free technology, internet access and technology curriculum. HUTTERSTOCK and think differently about their musical and educational identities. Students even _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Find out more at www.verizoninnovativelearning.com. helped select which music to include in the lessons. In an open letter about the study, CEO of Youth Music Matt Griffiths wrote, “… young . COM people participated in a music curriculum which reflected their diverse interests and Ear Training Games existing lives in music. This contributed to their personal development and emotional WURRLYedu is making music more fun! In June, the music well-being as a result of regular music-making. An important factor was that the type education content platform company launched a series of music explored in the curriculum wasn’t imposed on them — it was instead decided of music and ear training games that focus on students’ DJ Khaled’s Gift to and delivered with them.” listening skills in three categories: scales, melody, and Some key findings of Exchanging Notes include: rhythmic call and response. Students can increase the difficulty of the games Brooklyn School • Students who were at risk of exclusion at the beginning of the study maintained by adjusting the speed, scale type, key and tempo. At the end of each game, The High School for Public Service in high attendance levels (more than 95 percent) throughout the project. Yamaha Fact students receive an accuracy score to track their progress. Brooklyn, New York, received a big gift from • Music helped build strong social connections that re-engaged students, resulting Yamaha helps music teachers buy essential “[Our] games are entertaining and can be played anywhere, with the producer and songwriter DJ Khaled. A DJ in self-confidence and more positive attitudes to learning.