John McGuigan is
John McGuigan is currently the administrative secretary of the Canadia!J Band Associ- . ation (Ontario Chapter). His main function is the editing of the quarterly magazine "Fanfare". He also owns and operates "COMPRINT" a publishing house for new Canadian music. Currently this catalogue contains 28 Ba,nd publications and 24 Choral publications. To contact the writer please call or fax 905-826-5542 or email comprint@sympatico.ca. Your information is important to the usefulness of this column. WHY DO SCHOOLS WITH GOOD BANDPROGRAMSHAVEFEWER DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS There seems to be an uncanny relationship between the existence of a strong band program in a particular school and the lesser occurrence of discipline problems. If we take a close look at this phenomenon it is apparent that there is some reason for the correlation. Faced with the possible downgrading of the importance of musical programs in our schools, during this time of cut backs and axe weilding by our uninformed provincial government, we should speak out about the many reasons to continue and to expand the music programs we have come to expect from all of our schools. After 35 years of experience in the school system, I have some firs~ hand knowledge of this. ' First of all in evaluating these programs it is necessary to be familiar with the needs of our students before we start to change the way our curriculum works. ( This is something that Mr. Harris and his cohorts have failed to understand in their quest for tax relief. ) There are a couple of principles that I have always subscribed to in my understanding of children and young people: 1.) Is there anyone among our readership who does not remember the intense satisfaction they had when they successfully achieved something new as a child or a youth? They are happiest when they are convinced that they are learning. Any teacher can observe this in the happy smile of a child who has just reached a new plateau, such as the ability to play a higher note on the trumpet than was possible before. 2.) All young people are driven by a desire to belong to something greater than their own individual selves. When a student belongs to a band which creates good music, there is a sense of satisfaction that leads them to participate more fully in this success. They devote freely of their time in practising alone to improve their ability and in rehearsal time with their peers. You can see this in the total dedication of students who work together in a rock group or a concert band or a school choir or any other type of musical grouping. (This collective devotion is observable in groups other than wusic ensembles as well). This learning satisfaction does not disappear when a student does not belong to such a positive organization as a band, but manifests itself in the negative organization of "gangs" or corner gatherings and mall groups. They are all learning, but the curriculum of a gang group can be a very negative thing indeed. Anyone who has worked with young people usually has a strong awareness about the positive nature that young people almost always possess until it is taken from them by uncaring and unhelpful adults. They need to belong to groups that are pursuing goals that are challenging but attainable. A band can· be this kind of institution, and can provide the kind of outlet for learning that our youth of today need. Discipline problems occur when a teacher is unable to direct students' attention to the satisfaction they can feel when they succeed. There is no teacher who is able alone to reach this success with every child. But out of a school full of teachers with various backgrounds surely each student can find a teacher who blends with his or her own interests. Music teachers have a decided advantage in this because music is definitely a part of all of us to a greater or lesser degree. When the music teacher "reaches" students there is a sense of satisfaction for the teacher that is greater than any monetary reward that the paycheck gives us. ( We do need to eat and support ourselves however). We, the adults of today, need to understand the above information and need to support our school music programs vocally and politically. When our groups and schools are threatened by political hacks with no sense of the values that our children are learning in our schools, we need to stand up and be counted. Join other parents in supporting the programs in your schools that give our children the best advantages in the life that they are to become a part of. There is no subject that has more carry over into adulthood than music. I know many adult banders who look forward with eager anticipation to each musical experience that they have, whether it is a band rehearsal, a new recording , or a musical performance. TORONTO'S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE MONTH LY CLASSICAL & CONTEMPORARY CONCERT LISTNG SOURCE
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra's latest cd under Music Director Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, was released on September 30. The recording also fe.atur~s Prokofiev's !-ove for 1J~ree Oranges. TSO Principal L1branan Gary Cornn has provided fascinating "interactive" liner notes that guide the listener through the romantic ballet score. As .an i1_1novat i ~e fund-raising initiative, All The l(ing's Vmces IS offenng vocal ensembles from four to forty voices to sing Christmas carols, traditional and modern, at Christmas parties and events. David J .. King, the choir's conductor, who is co-ordinating the project, cna be reached at 416-757-5512. The Etobicoke Community Concert Band's current fund raiser offers ENTERTAINMENT '98 coupon books loaded with half price and two-for-one vouchers, for ' restaurants, theatre, sports events, ... Book price is . (Use 2 coupons and the book has paid for itselfl) To purchase an ENTERTAINMENT '98 coupon book and support the Etobicoke Community Concert Band, phone 416- 233-7468. The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra has returned home following a successful ten-concert u.s·. Tour, ending with a performance at Chicago's newly renovated Orchestra Hall. The globe-trotting Orchestra travelled to seven states. Tafelmusik will be touring Canada in December, and are off to Europe in February. Winners of the 1997 Young Canadian Mozart Singers Competition will perform works by Mozart and his contemporaries at the Mozart Society meeting, December 6, 8:00pm at First Unitarian Congregation, 175 St. Clair W. The bi-annual competition is a joint project of the Canadian Opera Company and the Mozart Society. 416-482-2173. Distinguished French pianist Cyprien Katsaris will be guest of honour at Music Toronto's third house concert, Sunday December 14, 1997, from noon to 3pm. Champagne, brunch, conversation, music - per person, charitable donation receipt. 416-214-1660. New from Zuckermann Harpsichords" 1 The Delin Spinet Kit I ! 49 . 1·-·-Den Ciul and Dawn Lyons (416)'538~30S2 j Fin!shed instruments and kits, Rentals·:; Repairs. Agents for Zuckermann Harpsichords International Emall: hp~chd@interlog.com , · http:l/www.interlog.com/--hpschd The Arbor Oak Trio has burst upon the Opera scene with two productions in one month. The first was its high-spirited production of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, the second, the world premiere of a commissioned work, Bruce Nicol's 1J1e Chrismws Rose, on December 12 & 13. The Trio will be joined the Alan Howard Waldorf School Choir and the RCM Children's Chorus, as well as professional soloists. Between Christmas and New Year's Toronto Operetta Theatre will bring us l!nre Kalman's 1J1e Czardas Princess, (in the same genre as the operettas of fellow Hungarian, Franz Lehar), featuring Linda Maguire in the title role. ROBIN HO WELL Expert Woodwind Repair for all single and dbl. reed insts., recorders and period winds Set-up, tuning voicing, maintenance and restoration done on premises. All work guaranteed. Insurance appraisals. Call for appointment. 416-534-6538 - December 1-3 & 5 Opera Buffa will present a double bill at the Fairview Library, Vaughan-Williarns' Riders to the Sea and Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. January 23, 25, 28, February 3 and 5 the Canadian Opera Company will present performances of Humper-dinck's Hansel and Grerel and Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen on January 27, 29, 31 and February 4, both with the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus. January 24 will be a big night for opera at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, with the Toronto Sinfonietta presenting opera excerpts at 7:00 and the Warsaw Chamber Opera presenting John Blow's Venus and Adonis at 8:00. Opera in Concert will present Gluck's lphigenie en Tauride at the MacMillan Theatre on January 25. 1J1e Phantom of the Opera may be in its ninth year but less than a block away from Pantages another musical production is entering its sixtieth - the Church of the Holy Trinity's annual production, 1J1e Chrismws Story. Patricia Frank, wife of the rector, John Frar!k, (continued on p. 18) Specializing in the Sale of New and Used Compact Disks Featuring Classical and Jazz Offering Gift Certificates, Trade-Ins and -~\ Special Ordering :t~.:-. 0 TORONTO'S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY CLASSICAL & CONTEMPORARY CONCERT LISTING SOURCE ...._)
