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Alberta Band Association | Musicom Newsletter
 

In this issue ...


ALBERTA BAND ASSOCIATION
Board of Directors 2012

ABA Board of Directors 2012

Back row [l to r]: Roy Townend, Darwin Krips, Ken Rogers, Bob Bailey, Brian Thorlacius, Tara English
Front row [l to r]: Neil Corlett, Nicola Quigley, Mark Lietz, Rob Graves
Missing: Steve Sherman

Each issue of Musicom will feature a bio of a member of the Board of Directors for the ABA.

Board members are elected at the AGM held at Music Conference and serve a two-year term. A board member is allowed to serve for 3 consecutive two-year terms.

In this issue we feature Robert (Bob) Bailey.

ABA Board member Bob Bailey and son PJ
ABA Board member
Bob Bailey and son PJ

 

Bob Bailey became a board member of the Alberta Band Association in 2010.  In his 29-year career has taught bands at the high school, junior high and elementary levels in the communities of Rocky Mountain House, Manning, and Camrose, where he has been for the past 23 years.  His program in Camrose currently consists of approximately 130 grade 4, 5 and 6 beginners, and 120 junior high musicians in grades 7 to 9. He also runs two jazz ensembles and an extracurricular choir, as well as numerous small ensembles.

He has acted as guest conductor/clinician at Sifton Summerfest; Grande Prairie Regional College Summer Band Camp; Adventures in Summer Music in Red Deer, and MusiCamrose. In 2005 he was honoured by an  invitation from the ABA to conduct the Southern Alberta Junior High Honour Band. In 2009 he was corecipient of the inaugural University of Alberta (Augustana) Fine Arts Achievement Award for contribution to the fine arts.

Bob's wife Valerie, also an avid musician, is Fine Arts Administrator at Augustana campus of the U of A, and they have three children: Brittany, who lives in Victoria and is a jazz singer and currently teaching at a musical theatre conservatory; and Halley, who also lives in Victoria and is finishing her master's degree in vocal performance.  Bob and his family recently suffered the loss of their son PJ. PJ also followed in the family musical footsteps. He was an avid musician and was attending Grant MacEwan College.

The ABA is pleased to have Bob and his many years of experience on the board. Bob is heading up the organizing of the Festival of Bands and also works with Brain Thorlacius in the area of community bands.


  Music Conference Alberta  

November 3 – 5, 2011
Red Deer, AB

Thanks from Keynote Speaker Paula Crider

The 2011 Music Conference Alberta allows Alberta music educators the opportunity to listen to and learn from motivated and dedicated professionals who share their wisdom and inspiration with us. Paula Crider was one of those individuals and it would seem that she too enjoyed her time with us.

The following is a thank you note she sent to the ABA in response to the AMC 2011.

 Paula A. Crider
Paula A. Crider

 

“Sincere thanks for allowing me to be a part of your great Music Conference Alberta. It was truly an honour to be able to share ideas and experiences for the art of making music with such passionate and dedicated teachers, and a special pleasure to have the opportunity to meet and visit with you all.

“Best wishes for a musically rewarding year. I hope our paths will cross again in the future.”
Warmest Regards,
Paula A. Crider, Professor Emeritus

The University of Texas
Educational Consultant, Conn-Selmer, Inc.

Music Conference Alberta thanks our session sponsors:

Alberta Teachers Association Fine Arts Council
The Bandstand Ltd.
Brandenburg Music Ltd.
Conn-Selmer
GIA Publications
Hal Leonard Corporation
Kelly’s Music and Computers
MusicFest Canada
Royal Canadian Artillery Band

ABA Award Winners 2011

Bob Edwards School band teacher receives the 2011 Keith Mann Young Band Director's Award
(reprinted from the Calgary Board of Education website)

The moment when noise becomes music is an amazing thing. That moment when dots and lines become notes and staffs; melodies and harmonies emerge and a group of students once unable to play a note become a unified band.

  ABA Board member Brian Thorlacius and Bob Edwards School band teacher REBECCA MELTZER
ABA Board member Brian Thorlacius and
Bob Edwards School band teacher REBECCA MELTZER
 

Rebecca Meltzer, band teacher at Bob Edwards School, makes music happen in this special way and the profound impact she has on her students has not gone unnoticed, as she was recently selected as the recipient of the 2011 Keith Mann Young Band Director's Award.

This memorial award is presented to one teacher in Alberta who has taught music for less than six years and has shown exceptional dedication to his/her music students. Rebecca has accomplished much in her three years at Bob Edwards School, including the initiation and organization of several band trips to Edmonton, Banff and Bragg Creek, as well as facilitating the band's participation in numerous festivals in various parts of the province.

Congratulations to Rebecca Meltzer for this significant accomplishment and her dedication to enriching students' lives through music education.

Congratulations are also in order for two 2011 Elkhorn Award recipients: Jayne Montgomery Barnes from Ottewell JHS in Edmonton; Martin Kennedy from Holy Trinity Academy in Okotoks and Marlene Norquay, this year's Vondis Miller Legacy Award winner.


 

2012 ABA Provincial Honour Band
auditions

Teachers, please download this poster PDF and forward it to any students you feel would benefit from this memorable experience.

Each student who makes the band will get their school entered in a draw to win a Zoom H2N recorder and an accessory pack.

The audition deadline is Friday, April 27, 2012.

Rehearsals and performances take place during Music Conference Alberta: November 1 – 3, 2012.


2011 ABA Provincial Honour Band

One of the keystone programs of the Alberta Band Association, the ABA Provincial Honour Band, is comprised of outstanding band students from across the province of Alberta. 

Each spring, talented high school musicians audition to be part of this unique opportunity. Each year we hope that large and small music programs from the south, the north and every point between will participate in the project. Over the years, literally thousands of Alberta's finest music students have had the chance to grow musically and to meet and perform with their peers in this unique ensemble.

This past year however, the ABA received a very low number (60) of audition CDs and the selection committee struggled to find some instrumentalists to fill out all sections of the band. The guest conductor was consulted about appropriate repertoire selections and a program was formed that would be successful for all involved.

Each year, an international guest conductor is selected to work with the group, providing the students with a unique opportunity to learn from a leading band director. This year we were fortunate to have Dr. Thomas McCauley as conductor of the Alberta Honour Band. Dr. McCauley was an energetic, intense individual and proved to be an excellent choice for this position. All participants worked EXTREMELY hard during the 16 hours of rehearsal and the result of this hard work was amazing. Much time was spent developing an ensemble sound, and intonation and listening were stressed.

 

Over the two and a half days of rehearsal, a few band directors dropped by to observe the rehearsals. The ABA would like to encourage more directors to take advantage of this opportunity while attending Music Conference Alberta. The energy and focus of the rehearsals was fantastic and the directors were able to take away several new rehearsal strategies to use in their own rehearsals.

The ABA hopes that each of these students took their experiences back to their own music program and shared with their fellow musicians, making all of the band programs in Alberta stronger.


ABA Junior Honour Bands

The ABA Junior Honour Bands will soon be underway.

ABA Southern Alberta Junior Honour Band will be held from February 15–17, 2012 at St. Helena Junior High School in Calgary. The band rehearsals are being held in conjunction with the Calgary Teachers' Convention so local band directors can sit in and observe the guest conductor work with this young group of musicians. Check your convention booklets for scheduled times.

The guest conductor for this year is Rita Burns who has been a band teacher, clinician, adjudicator and enthusiast in our province for many years. The honour band will be performing a concert (along with guest performers the Calgary Stampede Outriders Band) at the Mount Royal University’s Leacock Theatre.

The ABA Northern Alberta Junior Honour Band will also be held in conjunction with the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention from February 29–March 2, 2012. The band will be rehearsing at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre in Edmonton and the concert will be held at Beulah Alliance Church. Bill Wahl will be the guest conductor, who as well as Ms. Burns, is a well-known Alberta band educator and enthusiast. The Honour Band North will be joined by the Cosmopolitan Music Society Monday Night Band as their guest performer for their concert.


Calgary Head Start Clinics

This fall the ABA once again organized a Head Start Clinic for beginner band students from 15 Calgary schools. The event was held at St. Helena and Sir John A. Macdonald Schools and hosted 251 students.

 

These head start clinics are a low-cost way for band directors to get first-time beginners assembling and playing their instruments. The clinic sessions are taught by professional musicians and focus on embouchure and tone, assembly and cleaning, and getting started with the first five notes of the Bb concert scale.

The students left the clinic excited with all the knowledge they needed to join their regular band classes and two songs that they go home and perform for their families that day.


Canadian Band Association News

Band directors can find monthly reviews of Canadian band repertoire on the CBA website . On the website you can link to a copy of some or all of the score as well as link to a recording. There are pieces of various playing levels, some new, and some older. It is a great resource for finding Canadian repertoire.

The winner of the Canadian Band Association’s inaugural Composition Competition is Rocky Mountain Lullaby by Christiaan Venter. The jury was particularly struck by Venter’s ability to create interesting, yet technically accessible music. Information about perusing the winning work will be forthcoming. Mr. Venter will receive $1,000 for his efforts and Rocky Mountain Lullaby will be recorded by all of the ensembles in the competition consortium. The national jury that reviewed the 28 submissions included conductor Dr. Darrin Oehlerking (University of Saskatchewan), composer Dr. Patrick Carrabre (University of Brandon), and composer Dr. Clark Ross (Memorial University of Newfoundland).

All band directors who are members of the ABA and hence CBA are invited to submit concert programs for publication in the twice-yearly CBA journal Canadian Winds, and on the CBA website. View programs from Fall 2011 » This can be a great resource if one is looking for new rep or just curious as to what is being played across the country. There are many honour band programs included in the listings.   

Directors can submit programs by email with venue, location, date, ensemble(s), conductor(s) name, titles, and composers/arrangers.

 
 
Volume 2, Issue 2
February 2012
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Alberta Band Association

Notices

2012 Syllabus
now available

DOWNLOAD
2012 Syllabus
PDF


Zones
The Alberta Band Association would like to know what is going on in the band communities of our province. Through Zone Reports, members will be able to let us know what events and accomplishments are happening in their areas.

To further promote our partnership with the Alberta Choral Federation, we are now aligning our zone areas with the ACF zones. We are looking for members to be the “Zone Representatives” for their area. A zone representative would be the contact person for each area who would then forward the information on to the ABA for publication.
View zones PDF.

If you are interested in being a zone rep please contact the ABA.


Member Profiles
Who are the faces of the Alberta Band Association? Do you know (or are you) a band director in our province who would like to have their work featured on the ABA website? Share your story with other band directors in the province. It doesn't matter if your program is large or small, urban or rural, traditional or something new. Email your story to Nicola Quigley.


facebook Facebook

Are you a member of the ABA Facebook group? It's an easy way to stay connected with other band directors in the province. Share ideas and network with your fellow band colleagues. Join us here »


Alberta Arts Curriculum
Changes to the Alberta Fine Arts Curriculum have been slowed in recent months. Keep up to date or voice you opinions and concerns here ».


If there is an ABA member that you know of that deserves recognition, email us and we will feature that person in an upcoming Musicom.


If you have events happening in your area let us know and we will make mention of the music activities that you have happening.


2011 ABA
Provincial Honour Band

The 2011 Alberta Provincial Honour Band was a great success for all involved. The band was under the baton of Dr. Thomas McCauley from Montclair State University in New Jersey and featured a very talented group of students from throughout the province.

Please share the photos that can be found on the ABA Facebook page with your students and encourage all of your students to take part in future Honour Bands.

 

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ALBERTA BAND ASSOCIATION
104, 4818 – 50 Ave.
Red Deer, AB  T4N 4A3
Canada  

Toll-free: 1.877.687.4239 | Telephone: 403.347.2237 | Fax: 403.347.2241