Diminishing interest in instrumental music programs has been attributed to many reasons including financial cut backs, the rise of computer programs and gaming diversions, student’s current lack of good practice habits, competing athletic programs, etc. And all of these distractions can have an influence on the current trend of failing band programs. But recently I came to another realization which may be another reason for our failing band programs and that is why I am at my computer keyboard and not in bed sleeping.
Reason #1. Selected Studies is not relevant to our students.
This collection was printed in 1953. Since its first publication, the following events have taken place-
Death of Josef Stalin
Nikita Krushchev became Premiere
Soviets successfully tested a hydrogen bomb
Korean War ended after involving China, US and several other countries
Rock’n’Roll music became popular – Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, etc
Anti-Communist McCarthyism was censured in US
The Death of Albert Einstein, German-born physicist
Russian Sputnik satellite was launched
Oral contraceptive pill became available
Fidel Castro establishes communist dictatorship in Cuba
Cuban Missile Crisis after US-backed anti-Castro Bay of Pigs invasion failed
The Death of Marilyn Monroe (actress)
US President John F Kennedy was shot
The Civil Rights Act was passed in US
US became involved in the Vietnam War
“Flower Power” was at its height in California
Black rights campaigner Martin Luther King was assassinated
Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the Moon
…and that was just up to 1969!
When looking back to these important events in history, imagine how many high school students have slaved away in their practice rooms preparing for their All Region/ All State auditions.
Musically speaking the Voxman Studies have been in constant use for many decades which brings up the question, WHY.
One reason this collection is still in use is the fact that when they were originally published, most musicians could relate to the melodies and the wide selection of exercises in all of the major and minor keys; was exactly what every band director needed when working with their students. Another feature which many may not realize is the fact that the book itself was constructed to last forever. The material, assemblage and quality of workmanship are impeccable. Compared to current publishing standards, this collection cannot be destroyed.
Unfortunately the material is so dated that current students can not relate to the music they are playing. It was old when I first practiced it. It was very dated when my children used it and after sharing the current All Region material with my grandson yesterday, I realized that we have a very big relevancy issue.
Let me give you an example of what we are faced with today.
Read this text as well as you can-
“Porque tuyo es el reino, y el poder, y la gloria para siempre”.
And now read it in English-
“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever”.
To an older person, playing Voxman’s Studies is like reading the material in English, but to a younger musician, playing the Selected Studies is like reading the same text in Spanish; without knowing Spanish. Through the decades that this collection has been on the market, the material played by the young musician continues to lose its significance.
Reason #2. More time is spent practicing Selected Studies than all of the other band music combined.
Some of you may disagree with this last statement. Fine, but think back to the time when you were preparing for All Region/ All State. Hour after hour was spent slaving through each phrase, every articulation and every dynamic change. This was intense practicing for we were motivated to do well and get into an All State band. And at that time, the melodies still sounded logical to our ears. To the current music student, there is no connection to the historically dated melodies. It’s no wonder, the youth of today struggle to find meaning to this more than six decades old material. Today students may spend a few minutes practicing a four measure passage from their concert band folder or twenty minutes practicing a jazz solo for their next Jazz Band rehearsal but the amount of time they dedicate to audition material far exceeds all other band music.
Reason #3. Without understanding the harmonic structure of an etude, no one can fully understand the musical subtleties necessary to perform an etude in a truly musical way.
To illustrate my point, listen to the first recording which was perform as a student would relate to the written material.
Now listen to how the material could have been conceived by the original composer.
Older musicians can imagine the implied harmonies but to a young student, the harmonic structure is as unapproachable as our Spanish text was to a non-Spanish speaking person.
In review, let me again give my three reasons the use of the book Selective Studies is of no benefit when being used for audition material.
Reason #1- Because of the obvious age gap, students cannot relate to this material.
Reason #2- We are expecting our students to spend more time preparing material they are unable to understand than the material relevant to their present position in history.
Reason #3- Unrelated notes in an etude such as these have no connection to true music style and emotions.
I’m sure there will be counter claims and for that I thank you. Share your thoughts and I will gladly respond.
Your comments are so accurate, Bruce! I started playing trumpet in 1969, and we had Voxman and other “classical” stuff. It was dead even then. Now it’s positively decomposed. I think that book and the Rubank method should be burned and removed from the face of the earth, having caused generations to suffer. (Or at least a moratorium declared on their use.) About ten years ago, I came back to the trumpet after decades away and was astonished at the amount of incredibly good, logical, scientifically sound material that was written while I was gone. Oh sure, folks will use Arban, Clarke, Schlossberg, and Colin forever because they are timeless. But the bottom line remains: The few kids today who are seriously interested in music are still whiling away their time woodshedding hilariously musty stuff like I was with Petite Piece Concertante when I was auditioning for district band in the early 70s.
And while I’m on a rant here–as comedian Dennis Miller used to say–what is wrong with playing modern music, that is, of this era? The spirit of Voxman isn’t going to come back to smote you down.
Your mention of the Rubank was also right on.
I agree with everything you said and would like to thank you for your comments.
The best to you and yours from Denton, Texas.