Residencies and Guest Artists as Enrichments to a School Music Ensemble Curriculum
Music teachers know that after a student hears them give the same instructions or advice time and time again, the point may begin to lose its meaning. Even if Itzak Perlman or Wynton Marsailas were public school teachers, they too would become another familiar face to the students, and their words could become commonplace.One way of breathing life into a program is to host an occasional residency of a professional or semi-professional musician or group or to invite a guest artist to perform with or to conduct an ensemble. When a student hears a concept they may have been hearing for years from someone new, it often has more of an impact on the student.A resident or guest artist can range from a past graduate of your program that is studying music in college, to a local chamber group, to an artist of national reputation. A residency can last from one day to a week or more. This is all secondary to the idea of having a new face in the classroom and exposing the students to different musicians, rehearsal styles and approaches to music.Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to have hosted numerous residencies of a variety of scopes and scales. The guest instructors or “residents” have ranged from performers to composers, nationally recognized names to local musicians, classical musicians to folk musicians, and from two weeks in length to just a day or two. Over the years, I also have served as the organizing teacher and sponsor as well as the musician and teacher in residence. So, my perspective on this subject is pretty broad. This spring, I am preparing to host yet another residency that will be detailed later in this article.PALMYRA RESIDENCY
Early in my career, I hosted a week-long residency of Windom Hill recording artists, The Modern Mandolin Quartet in the Palmyra, PA, School District. The tremendously successful residency left the student motivated and anxious to continue their training. In addition, it served as an exciting and enlightening experience for the four mandolinists who had never been in a public school before.The residency was the idea of Jim Woland, a local arts promoter, and was sponsored by The Authors and Artists Series that had a home in Palmyra School District for several years. Woland, director of the series, booked the group to play at the high school and thought a return concert in conjunction with a residency would be a tremendous educational opportunity for the string students in the district. He then approached me, the district-wide string teacher, to organize the week of interaction with the students.Palmyra School District houses approximately 1,700 students. It is primarily a bed-room community just east of Hershey, PA. The string program includes approximately 100 elementary students and 100 secondary students. The residency exposed the maximum number of students to the guest artists within the week and focused a majority of time on the secondary schools. The elementary students, however, were included on a more limited basis.CATALYST TO SUCCESS
The week began with a Modern Mandolin Quartet Concert on Saturday evening. The group played to a full house in the Palmyra High School Auditorium. The group consisted of four virtuoso mandolinists that play primarily classical quartet music. The group included: Mike Marshall and Dana Rath, mandolin; Paul Binkley, mandola; and John Immoltz, mandocello. Marshall’s reputation spans the world as a top bluegrass mandolinist. The group, which wrote most of their own arrangements, mystified the audience for two hours and played several encores.The group and organizers met over dinner on Sunday evening to talk through the week. This gave everyone time to get to know each other before the work began. It also made the group feel more at ease because they were nervous about teaching. They planned to work toward a concert on Friday evening after the residency was over featuring the Middle School and High School Orchestras along with the Quartet.The week, which was schedule tightly, included three general elementary school assemblies where the group played for and explained mandolins and chamber music to the students. They also held a one-hour session with each of the three elementary schools’ string orchestras where the string students received “hands-on” instruction on mandolins, mandolas and mandocellos. The Quartet participated in five one-hour sessions with the high school orchestra (two sectional and three full rehearsals). The middle school string orchestra received five hours of rehearsal time as well. In addition, the group spent about an hour rehearsing the 1st Mvt. of Vivaldi’s A minor Concerto with nine of the top violin students. (The Quartet played the accompaniment.)The week came to an exciting conclusion at the Friday night concert. Playing to a crowd of approximately 500, the Quartet began with a half hour set of their own music. Next, all of the students found their seats on stage and the student portion of the concert began. The groups played everything from Bruce Chases’ Blue Ridge Boogie to Bach’s Brandenburg Concert #3. The High School Orchestra joined in the Quartet’s arrangement of Copeland’s Hoedown which was highlighted by a blazing bluegrass “jam” in the middle. Sixth grade student Joe Miller got the thrill of his life when he played Cripple Creek on the banjo with The Quartet backing him up. Even I got into the act by performing Monti’s Czardas on violin with the group. The concert concluded with everyone playing Sandra Dackow’s arrangement of Finale from Overture to William Tell by Rossini.KEYS TO THE SUCCESS OF A RESIDENCY
While Palmyra’s residency featured a group of national reputation, this is not a prerequisite for a successful residency. The cost of the group in residence can range from several thousand dollars to the price of the resident’s lunch. The most important element is to promote interaction between the students and the musicians other than their teacher. This gives students the opportunity to meet new people and this can pay dividends to your program for years to come.
There exits, however, several other keys to making your residency successful. First, your resident must possess strong overall musicianship. It is not critical that they have teaching experience, (you can fill in the gaps in this area) but, if they don’t play well, the student will not respect them. Next, your time must be organized carefully. Maximize the potential of your resident and don’t waste time. If your resident’s strength is improvising, center the time spent on improvising. If the strength is group dynamics, center the time around group work. One should remember that most residents are not sued to the rigors of the average music teacher’s schedule. Over scheduling can also be a hazard. Also, make time for sectionals or small groups so the students get to know the resident more personally than they would in an ensemble setting.The success of your residence also hinges on the enthusiasm of your guest. A resident should be willing to work with all levels of ability. A resident’s enthusiasm will ignite your students’ enthusiasm and more often than not, the students’ new spark will, in turn, excite the resident. This can create a perpetual circle of enthusiasm that is quite contagious.It should be noted this connection between resident and student will not happen instantly. Depending on the age level, it may be fast, or it could take two or three sessions. Elementary students warm-up to new people quickly. High School students follow as a close second. Middle school students may take a bit longer to become comfortable with a new personality.When planning your residency, design the guest’s time with the younger students for motivation. On the other hand, the time with the older students may serve the dual purpose of motivation and preparation for a performance. Younger students may find the pressure of a performance after such a short preparation time to be uncomfortable. Older students, on the other hand, often take a task more seriously when a performance is impending.If you don’t already know your resident personally, take time to do so. Use your resident’s ideas and personality to your advantage and enjoy the company. Also, your students will perceive a friendship growing between you and your guest and, in turn, react favorably.Schedule your residency at a time of year when little else is pressing. Palmyra’s residency was in mid-January. It is important to choose a time when there are few other distractions for you or your students because you will all be quite busy.REPRISE
This spring, I am pleased to have invited Mike Marshall to my current school to reprise our residency success from several years ago. This year, the North Carolina School of Science and Math received a grant from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation to host a “Fine Arts Weekend” at our school. Mike immediately came to mind when faced with the decision of whom to invite. I contacted him, through his agent, and put the wheels in motion. This residency will consist of two days of rehearsal with the school’s orchestra and jazz rhythm section, a Saturday night concert that will include a performance of Mike’s first mandolin concerto, some Brazilian jazz tunes with our rhythm section, and some solo work from Marshall, and a Sunday morning “Bluegrass Brunch,” where local bluegrass musicians can come and jam with him in an open and relaxed forum. All of the events will be free of charge, and the entire community is looking forward to this exciting event.CONCLUSION
A residency can be an excellent break in the normal routine of a music program. The resident need not be of national reputation. A local soloist, college student home on break, or local college professor are al possibilities. The residency can last from one class period to over a week. The idea of hearing a new voice give similar suggestions in a different way is the important factor, in addition, exposing your outstanding students to working musicians other than yourself may inspire them to continue in their music education. Overall, any effort put into organizing a residency will be a catalyst to the success of your program. Until next time, I wish you success as you plan your next event designed to motivate and enlighten your students. It just might be a good time to plan a residency at your school!
Scott D. Laird
Instructor of Music
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Durham, NC
Educational Specialist
D’Addario Bowed Strings
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