News from Dana Sloter - MM 2015!!

Post date: Dec 14, 2015 8:37:46 PM

From Dana Sloter – MM clarinet performance 2015!!

With Dr. Spring's help as a reference, I landed an aide position teaching band at Morton Junior High School. The position is literally called Band Aide...the kids think it's hilarious!   I help teach seventh and eighth grade band everyday by giving pull-out lessons and working with kids on problem spots in their band music and their playing tests (they call them "check-offs"). I've run full rehearsal a couple of times, and that is truly terrifying. I go to five different elementary schools during the week and teach sixth grade lessons. Sixth graders are our beginners, and I teach a handful of flutes, an oboe, a euphonium, and all the saxophones and clarinets! I also have 11 or 12 private students from five different schools in the area.

In every lesson, no matter their instrument or age, we start with long tones!  I've made pattern sheets that are derived from the "Clarinet Technique 101" handout that Dr. Spring gave us in pedagogy.  I've used the marker trick that you can use to uncover if a kid is anchor tonguing to teach correct tonguing to my beginners and to help my private students. I've made paperclip rings for kids' left ring fingers like Dr. G did for me during one of my lessons. I've taught kids how to practice using five pennies like Dr. Spring teaches. And every one of my private students gets to be a guinea pig for my pedagogy project.

I've got kids playing transcriptions of vocal songs, and...I think it's working! One of my tenor sax girls is playing "Arioso/Lonely House" from Street Scene. Yesterday in her lesson, we talked about the plot of the song and the opera, what an arioso is, and making informed breath choices based on the words that go with the music. It turned out to be an excellent choice for her. I've also got kids playing "Sure on This Shining Night" by Barber, "Je veux vivre" by Gounod, and "Wie Melodien" by Brahms.

I also conducted and played in the pit for Heathers (which Wen is playing for now). That was a real adventure... I stood for the entire show (most of which is played on bari sax) and conducted the whole damn thing using my reed book. Not a vocal score. My reed book!  It was so worth it. That show is musically and thematically complex, and it sent shock waves through the community. It did what a good show is supposed to do, you know?

Tomorrow night, I'm playing principal clarinet with the Prairie Wind Ensemble. We're playing Pineapple Poll! And a bunch of Christmas stuff.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in with you guys and let you know what I've been up to. I think about you both everyday and am constantly putting into practice the techniques and tricks that I picked up by hanging out with you two for two years. Congratulations on being selected to play at ICA!  My plan is to send in a recording for the Young Artist competition, but no matter how that works out, I'll be there to hear the studio play! Have a wonderful and well-deserved break!