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Sharing the
Inside this
Love of
Issue
Newsletter This month’s newsletter is centered on
multiculturalism and the contributions
of African-American culture to American
music. In 1976, February was designated
as Black History Month to celebrate the
achievements of black Americans and
recognize the role of African-Americans in
U.S. history.
The impact of African-Americans in Blues,
Jazz and American popular music has been
documented and acknowledged for a long
time. However, the world of Classical music
has largely untouched by the AfricanAmerican community.
Music Theory – 2
February 2012 • Volume 2, Issue 2
This month you will learn about Darin
Atwater, an American composer and
conductor, who has made it his mission to
bring the musical contributions of AfricanAmericans to the cultural forefront. Atwater
incorporates blues and jazz compositional
characteristics in the Classical music he
composes. He also uses traditional jazz instruments, like the saxophone, as a central
part of his vision for symphony orchestra’s
future.
discover the structure and form of the Blues,
a musical genre that has influenced almost
all other styles of American music.
In this month’s newsletter you will discover
more about him and his performance group
called the Soulful Symphony. You can also
Beth Hotchkiss
Owner & Instructor
We will also examine the history of the
saxophone, which is used in many genres of
American music. Finally, in the Upcoming
Events listing, you will have access to a
sampling of the many and diverse chamber
music events happening this month.
The Blues
Composer Spotlight – 3
Darin Atwater
Instrument Round-Up – 4
Saxophone
Industry Insights – 5
Concert Hall Manager
Upcoming Events – 6
Local Classical Music
In this Issue:
Darin Atwater and the Soulful Symphony: As mentioned in
the letter above, the composer spotlight this month will focus
on modern-day composer and conductor Darin Atwater and the
Soulful Symphony. Atwater’s creation of the all-black Soulful
Symphony and his compositions that utilize the sounds of gospel,
blues and jazz are bringing a uniquely American feel to the concert hall. The Blues, a genre from which many other American pop
music styles spring, is one of the many musical styles that Atwater
utilizes in his music. and it will be the focus of a special article
discussing the music theory behind Blues style.
The Music of the Blues: Here we learn about the form and structure of the Blues. The Blues, with its distinctive and melancholy
sound, has influenced the development of every other genre of
music in the U.S. from jazz and R & B to country and rock and roll.
While blues musicians rely heavily upon the guitar, other instruments including piano, bass, drums, and horns like saxophone,
trumpet and trombone have been used as an accompaniment to
this soul-stirring music.
www.sharingtheloveofmusic.com • (512) 660-3149
The Saxophone: We profile the saxaphone as it is accompanies
many Blues performances and one of the most essential instruments used in Jazz.
Music Career of a Concert Hall Manager: The performances
of musicians and composers are shared in concert halls, auditoriums, and other venues with audiences every day. In this article,
we learn about the behind-the-scenes player who brings these
performances to the people, the concert hall manager.
Upcoming Events: As with every newsletter issue, there is
a sampling of the many chamber music performances being
offered in the Austin area for the month listed in the Upcoming
Events section. There are many diverse musical offerings this
month including piano soloists, an orchestra from China, a string
quintet, a German band featuring jazz from the 20’s and 30’s,
and a multi-generational concert band collaboration. I encourage
you to attend one or two of these concerts to expand your evergrowing musical horizons.
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Sharing the
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The Blues
Blues
Blues is one of the most influential styles
of American music in the 20th century.
Most of our popular music today directly
evolved from or was directly influenced by
the Blues. Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Rock’n
Roll and even some Country music styles
are its direct decedents.
Once you’ve heard the Blues, you never
forget it. Blues music is indelibly linked
with the guitar. Many Blues artists are
known just as much for the guitar skills
as their singing, if not more. In fact, the
interplay between the guitar and the lyrics
is one of the distinctive musical characteristics of the genre.
Blues today has expanded to include other
instruments like piano ,and can often be
accompanied by drums, bass and the
occasional horn section comprised of
saxophones, trumpets and trombones.
The Blues has a distinctive sound, voices
are often rough and the music has a melancholy, wistful sound.
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History
An early Blue’s musician whose compositions and recordings influenced other
greats was Bind Willie Walker who made
his only known recording in 1930, three
years before his death at 37. Some of
his compositions from this recording are
“Dupree Blues” and “South Carolina Rag”.
Blind Willie Walker is listed as an inspiration to B.B. King, the King of the Blues. B.B.
King, who just celebrated his 86th birthday
recently, is still an active performer. He
is known for classics such as “Payin’ the
Cost to Be the Boss”, “The Thrill is Gone”
and “Every Day I Have the Blues.”
Blues Form
Today, we turn to the Blues and Blues form
to study a little music theory. A scale is a
series of sequential pitches, and while
there are dozens of types of scales used
in western music, Blues is based on one of
the easiest to understand. In Blues, there
are only three chords used. These chords
are based on the first, fourth and fifth note
of the scale, shown below.
4
5
The most popular type of Blues is called
12-bar Blues and its harmonic is:
1
4
5
1
4
4
1
1
1
1
1
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On the surface, Blues form is a pretty
simple concept. However, its very simplicity leads to endless opportunities for improvisation and originality. You can listen
to an example of a 12-bar blues pattern
with this Wikipedia listening example.
Examples
12-bar Blues form became the structure
for many Jazz, R&B, Rock and even
Country songs. A few examples of songs
throughout the years that have used Blues
structure are listed below:
“Original Batman Theme Song” by Neil Hefti
“Turn Me Loose” by Fabien
“Give Me One Reason” Tracy Chapman
“Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
“Boogie Chillen” by John Lee Hooker
“Further On Up the Road” by Eric Clapton
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Composer Spotlight
Darin Atwater
Instead of spotlighting a noted past
composer, this month’s Composer
Spotlight focuses on Darin Atwater who is
making history today by revolutionizing the
symphony orchestra. Atwater was born in
Washington, D.C., and he grew up playing
gospel piano in church.
He continued to study and perform music
and wanted to become a composer by the
time he was 12-years old. He studied composition first at Morgan State and then
the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins
University. At age 30, in 2000, Atwater
drew on his contacts in the Gospel,
Jazz and Classical music industries and
founded the Soulful Symphony.
The Soulful Symphony is different from
many other orchestras you might see for
several reasons. The instruments that
make it up include more percussion and
brass instruments than a typical orchestra, and many times these musicians
are encouraged to improvise their parts.
Improvisation, where a musician plays a
part they make up on the spot, is unheard
of in traditional classical music. Another
difference is a 22-person choir performs
with the Soulful Symphony. Although a
chorus might join an orchestra occasionally, almost all of Mr. Atwater’s compositions for the Soulful Symphony include
vocalists as well.
One of Atwater’s goals for the Soulful
Symphony is to educate audiences about
the rich tradition of African-American
music by integrating gospel and jazz with
classical traditions into a new style of
symphonic music. In a 2005 interview
Atwater said, “African-Americans are
wildly American about everything except
classical music. As such, we want to make
an imprint on our community. Education
is a huge priority.” While only 2 percent
of classical orchestral composers are
African-American, Atwater has pulled
together a completely African-American
ensemble to begin showcasing these musicians. The Soulful Symphony also works
with school age children to expand their
views of classical music.
Atwater, as both a composer and
conductor, works to make classical music
accessible for all people by incorporating the distinct musical traditions of the
African American community with those
of the classical world. He truly is a crossover artist, merging seemingly unrelated
genres into a new style of music – one that
is uniquely American.
Darin
Atwater
(born 1970)
Source: www.soulful-song.org
Music Class at Joan’s Academy
The music class at Joan’s Academy has been busy globe-trotting
this past month and will continue their journey around the world
throughout the entire semester. So far this semester, we have
journeyed to the steel drum yards of Trinidad and Tobago, danced
to the rhythms of the Brazilian samba, compared folk songs from
southern and northern Italy, and studied meter with the waltzes
and polkas of Austria. Our journey around the world will continue
to take us to Russia, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia, India, Australia,
Ghana, Egypt and Somalia.
This whirlwind tour is designed to build the rhythm and solfege
skills developed last semester while giving students a small
glimpse of the myriad number of musical cultures that exist
www.sharingtheloveofmusic.com • (512) 660-3149
around the world. We are also challenging our geography, math,
history, and dance skills and relating all that we have heard with
the sounds we hear in our daily lives.
This month there are two opportunities to hear some world performers. I encourage you to attend the Texas Performing Arts concerts featuring the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra and Max Raabe
and Palast Orchester both occurring later this month.
Joan’s Academy
11607 Crumley Ranch Rd, Austin, TX 78738-6335
joansacademy.webs.com
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Sharing the
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Instrument Roundup
Saxophone
The instrument featured this month is
extremely versatile and is frequently
used in concert band, military band,
jazz, rock and even occasionally in
symphony orchestras. And although
saxophone is extremely popular, it is
surprising to learn just how new the
saxophone is compared to many other
instruments.
The saxophone was invented 165
years ago in 1847 by Belgian musician Adolf Sax. Sax noticed that in
orchestras and military bands the
brass instruments were overpowering the instruments of the woodwind
section. He created the saxophone
to blend the flexibility and tone of the
clarinet with the volume and projection of the trumpet. By adopting the
fingering system and single reed of
the clarinet and the same materials
of other brass instruments, he was
able to accomplish this goal. Because
the saxophone produces sound in the
same way as the clarinet and also has
the same fingering system, it is considered a member of the woodwind
family, even though the saxophone is
made of brass.
Saxophone quickly became popular in
military bands, and found a niche in
jazz and swing bands beginning in the
1920’s and continuing today. Today
there are four popular varieties of
saxophone based on size and range.
The smallest and highest is the soprano saxophone which is most often
seen in jazz and was made popular in
the 90’s by Kenny G.
Mouthpiece, Ligature
& Reed
The most common saxophone is the
alto saxophone. Slightly larger than
the soprano and with a range similar
to the clarinet, the alto saxophone has
been played by jazz legends Charlie
Parker and Jimmy Dorsey.
Even larger and lower in range is
the tenor saxophone, played by rock
great Clarence Clemons from Bruce
Springsteen’s E Street Band. Another
famous tenor saxophone player is our
42nd president Bill Clinton.
Neck
Body
Bell
Finally, the lowest and largest of the
saxophones is called the baritone
saxophone. Often baritone saxophone
is used to double the bass line in ensembles, but to hear it featured as a
melody instrument. Check out Mingus
Big Band’s recording of “Moanin’
Mambo.”
While the saxophone was immediately
adopted into military and concerts
bands and is an iconic jazz instrument,
it has only recently found a place
in compositions for the symphony.
While Darin Atwater was not the first
composer to use the saxophone in his
symphonic compositions, prior to the
creation of the Soulful Symphony saxophones were used only occasionally.
www.sharingtheloveofmusic.com • (512) 660-3149
Source: Wikimedia
Commons
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Sharing the
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Industry Insights
Concert Hall Manager
If you have ever attended an event at a
concert hall, amphitheater or theater, you
have most likely had the same experience
as millions of others. You purchased your
ticket online or picked them up at the box
office, stood in line to show your ticket to
enter the venue, grabbed a program and a
snack, and then found your seat to enjoy
the show. The person responsible for making sure that your experience is the concert hall manager. They are responsible
for supervising every detail of your concert
going experiences at the venue they
manage. First and foremost, a concert
hall manager must really love music and
the performing arts and be committed to
bringing the best possible opportunities to
see these performances their community.
They must also supervise every worker at
the venue from electricians, ticket booth
workers and ushers to the accountants,
publicists and security personnel.
A concert hall manager must first work to
hire, or book, performers and the shows
that they think audiences will want to see.
Then they publicize the show and works to
ensure that anyone who has purchased a
ticket to the event has a positive experience. They must also work to make sure
that the facility is ready for performers by
managing those workers who are responsible for the lighting, sound or equipment
at an event so that the performers also
have a positive experience. There are
also many details that the concert hall
Their rental program includes the following features:
BandStar Musical Instruments is pleased
to work with the families in the Sharing the
Love of Music Studio. Bandstar allows you
to rent a full-range of instruments online
and have them shipped to your home or
school. Bandstar also has a full service
location in Kyle.
www.sharingtheloveofmusic.com • (512) 660-3149
�� Second month free
�� Rental payments go toward
purchase
�� Exchange or cancel at anytime
with no additional fees
BandStar Musical Instruments
402 South Old Highway 81
Kyle, Texas 78640
(512) 393-1258
www.bandstarmusic.com
manager must look after that have nothing to do with the performance at all.
The janitorial staff, parking attendants,
groundskeepers, box office personnel and
even the accounting staff all report to the
concert hall manager. Their work behind
the scenes is just as vital to the success
of the performances at the venue as the
performance itself.
A concert hall manager must work hard
to build a positive team so that they can
concentrate on providing excellent musical experiences for audiences. It is this
commitment to bringing amazing talent to
audiences that allows us to enjoy hearing
and seeing our favorite musicians and
performers live and in person.
Know Someone that
loves Music?
You can receive a $20 credit for referring a
new student or family.
Don’t Forget:
March tuition for Sharing the Love of Music
is due on the 1st. You can pay online using
your family portal at www.sharingtheloveofmusic.com.
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Sharing the
Love of
Upcoming Events
Below are just a small number of upcoming classical music events
in-and-around Austin. Check out www.classicalmusicaustin.org
for more listings.
February
Chaparrel Eurythmy
www.cpcaustin.org/worship-and-music/music/thursday-noon-concerts
�� February 9, 12 p.m.
Central Presbyterian Church
Joint Forces – Austin Symphonic Band and Dripping Springs
High School Band
www.austinsymphonicband.org
�� February 24, 8 p.m.
Grace Covenant Church
Max Raabe and Palast Orchester
texasperformingarts.org/season/raabe
�� February 26, 7 p.m.
Bass Recital Hall
Jan Jones & Marti Dudgeon – Valentine’s Music
www.cpcaustin.org/worship-and-music/music/thursday-noon-concerts
�� February 16, 12 p.m.
Central Presbyterian Church
Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra
texasperformingarts.org/season/shanghai
�� February 18, 8 p.m.
Bass Concert Hall
March
Agnes Wan, Piano
www.cpcaustin.org/worship-and-music/music/thursday-noon-concerts
�� March 1, 12 p.m.
Central Presbyterian Church
The Austin Symphony Presents: Denyce Graves
Fifth Wheel
www.austinchambermusic.org
�� February 18, 7:30 p.m.
First Unitarian Church
www.austinsymphony.org/events/ denyce-graves-mezzo-soprano
Angela Hewitt, Piano
texasperformingarts.org/season/hewitt
�� February 19, 7 p.m.
Bass Recital Hall
Austin Classical Guitar Society Presents Berta Rojas
http://www.austinclassicalguitar.org/
�� March 3, 8 p.m.
Northwest Hills United Methodist Church
�� March 2 and 3, 8 p.m.
Long Center for Performing Arts: Dell Hall
Thursday Noonday Concert: Toni Tobin, Piano
www.cpcaustin.org/worship-and-music/music/thursday-noon-concerts
�� February 23, 12 p.m.
Central Presbyterian Church
www.sharingtheloveofmusic.com • (512) 660-3149
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