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Staff Development Day for
Band Music Educators
in Your School District!
BRUCE PEARSON, internationally-known educator, clinician and composer will come to your school district AT NO COST TO YOU!
The Benefits:
- Invigorate and unite your teaching staff at all levels of experience.
- Learn new teaching techniques.
- Discover the benefits of using standardized curriculum.
-
Gain insight into these critical areas:
- Value of music education
- Recruiting and retaining students
- Assessment
- Rehearsal effectiveness
- Jazz styles and improvisation
- New materials
- Learn the features and benefits of the STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE Comprehensive Band Method.
In-Service Workshops Presented by Bruce Pearson
Assessing Your Students' Progress
Learn how easy-to-use software can assist you and your students with their practice while allowing you to objectively assess their rhythm and pitch accuracy. approx. 30 - 45 minutes
Back To The Future: The Value of Music Education (Keynote Address)
The value of music education is being questioned like never before. Music educators must accept the challenge of educating the public. Educating the parents of our students in the value of music education is equally as important as the education we do in the classroom. Mr. Pearson will discuss important research about why music should be a part of every child's education. approx. 1 hour
Developing a Balanced Ensemble and Matching Students to Instruments
Two critical components for ensuring student success and for the development of a quality band program are matching students to instruments and achieving balanced instrumentation. Mr. Pearson will discuss how to achieve these important objectives. approx. 1 hour
Great Beginnings
Practical ideas regarding getting a good start through effective and sequential lessons in performing, reading music, assessment, and motivational tips. approx. 1 hour
Helping Your Jazz Band Groove
Proven techniques to help master jazz style, articulation, and improvisation. approx. 1 hour
New Materials Reading Session
This clinic is designed to assist band directors in discovering effective and exciting new materials for their band to perform. A balanced band is required for this workshop and may be comprised of directors, students, or a combination of both. approx. 1 - 2 hours
Principles of Expressive Playing in Music:
Bringing Life to the Notes with Young Ensembles
Transforming written notes to expressively performed music is one of the primary challenges facing conductors and teachers today. This clinic for conductors/teachers of young band and orchestra ensembles will provide tips and teaching strategies that will help students learn to “make music.”
Using a demonstration group, Mr. Pearson will demonstrate the significant distinction between playing technically and playing technically well with passion - expressively. The desired outcome is to demonstrate how an ensemble can learn to “speak as one voice,” communicating and recreating the intent of the composer in an artistic performance. approx. 1 hour
Recipes to Cook Up a Better Band
Maximize the effectiveness of your band rehearsal. Structure and plan sequential rehearsals to better achieve short and long term goals. This workshop will serve as a "mock" rehearsal and will include strategies for warm-up and tuning procedures, sight-reading, rhythmic independence and phrasing. These elements, and more, meet the National Standards. approx. 7 hours
Recruiting and Retaining Students in the Band Program
A step-by-step process on how the band director can attract young people into the band and keep them interested, and develop a continuing program for nurturing the support of the parents, school, the administration, and the community. approx. 1 hour
Teaching Percussion by the Non-Percussionist
Band directors are often required to teach all of the band instruments. Oftentimes the band director recognizes a need to improve his or her teaching skills in the teaching of percussion instruments to their students. This "hands-on" clinic is designed to meet that need. Clinic participants are required to provide their own drum sticks. approx. 1 hour
How To Get Started:
- Decide on potential dates and times for your In-Service Workshop.
- Make sure a minimum of ten directors can attend.
- Contact David Paul from Kjos Music at (800) 854-1592 ext. 6740 or e-mail at dpaul@kjos.com
- Once date and time have been confirmed, select your workshop site.
All participants receive samples of printed music, educational material, and additional complimentary handouts.
Bruce Pearson's workshops are available to your district band music educators courtesy of Neil A. Kjos Music Company. Kjos Music pays all travel and lodging expenses for Mr. Pearson.
What Others are Saying
"We thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed Bruce's workshops here in Detroit. Each of the sessions was so very informative and enlightening for our directors. They are still raving about how much info they received and are anxious to put it to work. The teachers seem very enthusiastic about the SOE series and are ready to begin using it. Bruce was also great with the high school students in the jazz session. Thanks very much for making him available to us. We are looking forward to future sessions."
Benjamin Pruitt - Instrumental Music Supervisor for the Detroit Public Schools
"Your well-organized presentation was particularly effective because it had been proven in the fire of classroom experience. Our band teachers are still singing your praises, as well as singing their textbook exercises! It has been a pleasure to see your strategies used in our band classrooms."
Arlene Witte - Music Coordinator for the Atlanta Public Schools
"I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for coming to the Brandywine School District and giving a clinic to our instrumental music staff. Your expertise in instrumental music pedagogy was evident and your delivery to the staff was interesting, informative and most of all inspiring."
Philip A. De France - Music Coordinator for the Brandywine School District Claymont, Delaware
"On behalf of the Vermont Music Education Association, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your support of music workshops for Vermont's music educators. We recently had Mr. Bruce Pearson as a presenter at our fall conference. I heard nothing but high praise for his workshops, both verbally and on our conference feedback forms. The workshops I attended were of high quality, informative and indicative of the many hours and years he has spent in preparation.
Tony Pietricola - VMEA President
About Bruce Pearson
Bruce Pearson is an internationally known author, composer, clinician, and conductor. He is perhaps best known for his authorship of the Standard of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method and for his co-authorship of the Standard of Excellence Jazz Ensemble Method. In addition to Standard of Excellence, Mr. Pearson is widely known for his first contribution to the band curriculum, Best In Class and as composer of many widely performed compositions for concert band and jazz ensemble.
He has led clinics in all fifty states of the United States and has been guest conductor and clinician, by invitation, of countries throughout the Pacific Rim, the Orient, Europe, and the Canadian provinces. In the United States he has also conducted many All-State and Honor Bands. He has appeared as guest lecturer at over one hundred colleges and universities, and has been well received as keynote speaker for In-Service Workshops, as well as for State and National Music Educator Conferences.
Bruce Pearson has taught at the elementary, junior high, high school, and college levels for over thirty years. Twice nominated for the Excellence In Education Award, he was honored as "Most outstanding in the field of music" for the state of Minnesota. In December of 1998 Mr. Pearson, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to music education," was awarded the prestigious Midwest Clinic Medal of Honor. He was the 2001 recipient of the Distinguished Service to Music Award presented by St. Cloud State University.
