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Last month, YOBC’s ar-tistic staff took part in a weekend-long workshop with Troy Peters, a popular and acclaimed guest conductor, cur-rently the Music Direc-tor of the Youth Orches-tras of San Antonio. From October 19–21, Troy Peters worked with YOBC conductors, ad-ministrative staff, com-munity outreach team, and board members to explore ideas for “Creating Artistic Vi-sion.” The YOBC conduc-tors worked with Mr. Peters to set audaciously exciting artistic goals and to outline steps for reaching them over the next three years. Accord-ing to Colin Oettle, con-ductor of Prima Strings and Concertino, “Mr. Peters proved to be an inspiring speaker and an excellent resource for the artistic staff. He helped shape our vision for YOBC, and watching him work with the stu-dents sparked some wonderful new ideas that I look forward to
Conductors’ Notes: Reeds — How to Live With Them
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Student Spotlight: Taryn Neals
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Executive Director’s Corner: Semper Paratus
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Second Annual Field Trip to Philadelphia Orchestra
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YOBC Student On the Air This Summer
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YOBC Community Events to Celebrate the Holiday Season
Students in Concert Kickoff Event in Bristol
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Important Dates: November 17: Fall con-
certs, 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM
November 19: Barnes & Noble Book Fair, Fairless Hills, 7:00 PM
December 1: TreeFest, Bucks County Visitors Cen-ter, Bensalem, 3:00 PM
December 7: One Winter Night, Grace Point, New-town, PA, 6:30–10:00 PM
January 6: Spring rehears-als start
February 9: Chamber Re-cital, BCCC
February 23, YOBC Wine-Tasting Benefit, New Hope Winery, 6:30–10:00 PM
Inside this issue: Workshop with Troy Peters for YOBC Artistic Staff
Volume 4, Number 2, November 2012
incorporating into my ensembles.” At YOBC rehears-als, many students received a special treat when Maestro Peters took the baton and led them in mak-ing music. Mr. Peter’s insight and enthusi-asm for creating excit-ing and engaging mu-sical opportunities for young musicians will have a lasting impact on YOBC. Robert Loughran, YOBC Music Director and conductor of Sym-phony Orchestra and Philharmonia, summed up the weekend, saying “Troy Peters was able to bring together the origi-
nality that exists within our artistic staff to fo-cus on YOBC's future ... with plenty of reflection and optimism!”
Keeping Tempo
YOBC staff discuss artistic vision with Troy Peters.
Troy Peters observed and guest con-ducted YOBC emsembles.
Conductors’ Notes: Reeds – How To Live With Them
We clarinetists have all experienced it – you get your instrument out to practice and begin your scale warmup (you do warm up with scales, don’t you?). Ugh! It sounds like you’ve never played clarinet before, a cross between screeching brakes and an old car with a leaky muffler. The reed just isn’t working. It worked yesterday in re-hearsal. It sounded fine in the concert last week. What happened? As a clarinetist I’m sometimes frustrated about the fact that other players just take out their instru-ments and play. Flutists and brass players play the same equipment day after day, year after year unless they deliberately change a head joint or mouthpiece. Even string players, whose strings lose their sound quality and response over months, don’t deal with the same kind of good-one-day-awful-the next variability. Clarinetists, oboists, bassoonists, and saxophon-ists are unique in their need to be constantly aware of how their reeds are working on a daily basis and in their dependence on so changeable a part of their instrument. What does a player of a reed in-strument need to do to play his or her best consistently? Here are a few things every good player learns even-tually: 1. Reeds are made of a natural mate-
rial, the woody stem of a cane plant (Arundo donax, if you’re in-terested), which as part of its natural life cycle deteriorates on its way to eventually rotting back into the earth. You only get to use it for a short part of that life cycle.
2. Always pay attention to the sound that you are producing, and if you just can’t sound your best one day,
If you need to change reeds, you’re stuck if you don’t have reliable spares with you.
There is a great deal more to be said about reeds. The new synthetic reeds, for example, change some of what I’ve written above, but that’s an entirely different topic that would need an article to itself. To para-phrase an old saying, “Reeds – you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.” They can be the bane of our existence when they don’t work well, but we simply can’t play our in-struments without good ones. Happy playing, and may the days when your reeds work well outnum-ber the ones when they don’t.
—Karl Krelove, Director YOBC Clarinet Ensemble
don’t hesitate to try a different reed to see if it helps.
3. New doesn’t equal good. Because every piece of wood (cane) is different, some just vi-brate better than others. If, when you take a new reed out of the
box, it feels squeaky or sounds fuzzy, you have several choices – put it back in the box and try an-other one, put it in the trash and try another one or, if you know how to balance or adjust a reed (usually professionals or ad-vanced students), you can try to improve the reed (and then most of the time go back to the one about the trash can). A fourth alternative, which you should rarely choose, is to play on it any-way.
4. For clarinetists and saxophonists, who generally buy their reeds graded by strength (in numbers usually from #1 to #5), playing on a higher strength is not an indi-cator of greater skill. Mouthpiece characteristics and reed strength are closely related. As many pro-fessional (highly skilled) players use #3 or #3-1/2 reeds as use #5. You need to use the reed that sounds good and responds well, not the highest strength you can make a sound on. The same ad-vice applies for oboists and bas-soonists who buy mass-produced reeds that are graded as soft, me-dium-soft, and so on. Pick the strength that works best, not the strongest one you can find.
5. Always have more than one reed you’ve tried and liked in your case stored in a good holder that protects the reeds from breakage.
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Executive Director’s Corner: Semper Paratus
tudent potlight: Taryn Neals
Volume 4, Number 2, November 2012
As the winds of Frankenstorm Sandy swept through town, I couldn’t help but think about how important preparation is. Prepa-ration is something we do to get ready for an event or undertak-ing. Unfortunately, a really im-portant thing about preparation is that it can only be done in ad-vance. I was reminded of that when I discovered that I didn’t have batteries to run my radio when the power went out. To be prepared for something, you have to think about what you need ahead of time and plan out the steps you need to take to be ready. Semper Paratus—“always ready”—is the motto of the US Coast Guard, the branch of ser-vice in which I served way back in the 1970s. Being ready for emer-gencies is core to the Coast Guard’s mission. “When things are at their worst, America's Coast Guard is at its best,” said
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. In fact since 1790, the Coast Guard has saved over a million lives. But preparation is important in everyday situations too. As you walk through the halls of BCCC during YOBC rehearsals you hear a cacoph-ony of the sounds of preparation. The happy staccato of flutes from room 10, the rich vibrato of strings from rooms 17 and 12, the snappy rhythm from percussion in room 4, and harmonies in bell tones from room 1 all reach your ears. Like the changing sounds of a parade passing by, the music ringing out from each room is as dif-ferent as the students who are creat-ing it. But the students and teachers in each ensemble are all engaged in the same process of preparation. Performing music requires a lot of preparation. First, students have to prepare their individual parts at home. Personal practice requires a lot of effort and discipline for each stu-dent to master his or her part. Then,
the students must rehearse as a group each week to put the music together. They have to exert a lot of mental effort to follow the conduc-tor, play their own part, listen to the other parts in the music, phrase musically, and play in tune – all at the same time. Musical preparation demands a lot of work. But just like Coast Guard search and rescue missions, con-certs cannot be performed without careful preparation. When I get up to conduct students in a concert, I think about all the individual and collective efforts they have put into preparing the music they are about to perform. More than anything, I want them to enjoy their perform-ance. As I step down from the po-dium at the end of the concert, I am proud of each of them for their diligence in preparation and a job well done.
—Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director
Wind Ensemble clarinetist Taryn Neals has been a member of YOBC for five years. She started out in Wind Symphony and was also given the opportunity to join a clarinet ensemble before moving up to her current group. In addi-tion to being a valuable member of the Advanced Division winds, Taryn has been an invaluable vol-unteer at YOBC. Taryn joined YOBC as a way to meet new people who shared the same love for music. She is a junior at Saint Basil Academy in Bensalem, where she belongs to the school band and the All Catholic Orchestra. Every sum-mer she takes part in the Kimmel Center Summer Music Arts Pro-gram. She has also been involved in chamber groups at the Settle-
ment Music School in South Philadel-phia which has given Taryn the chance to work with some amazing musicians and teachers. Some of her other interests are drama and foren-sics. “My plans for the future is to major in Music Business. I would love to play the clarinet on Broadway as a side job one day.” Taryn started volunteering for YOBC back in 2009 during the sum-mer and, for the third summer in a row, has generously offered much-needed help to the administrative staff. This year Taryn helped to or-ganize YOBC’s music library and pre-pare music folders for YOBC stu-dents. “Volunteering my time has provided me with an opportunity to learn more about the organization. I enjoy giving my time to something that I am passionate about, and I like
to give back to those who have helped me learn and grow in music.” She has learned a lot from work-ing with Mrs. Sweetsir who, Taryn says, “has been an inspiration to me at YOBC. Her dedication and commit-ment to music is outstanding. She always puts everyone else in front of herself and is always there when you need her. She is the reason that I con-tinue to volunteer and strive to be the best musician I can be.”
At the beginning of November, a busload of YOBC students and a few lucky parents attended a con-cert by the Philadelphia Orches-tra at the Kimmel Center in Cen-ter City. For many of us, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it was the first time in days we had
been able to enjoy heat and electric-ity. But for everyone, it was an op-portunity to enjoy an exciting pro-gram of first-class music. Prior to the concert, our students attended a meet-and-greet with Philadelphia Orchestra violinists Daniel Han and Kimberly Fisher.
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Both told us they had been mem-bers of youth orchestras as they were growing up — Daniel in Lexington, Kentucky and Kim-berly in Edmonton, Alberta. Daniel went on to study violin at Boston University and Kimberly attended The Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Both of them prac-tice a lot, but exactly how much depends on how familiar they are with the piece they are preparing to perform. For example, both had played Copland’s Appala-chian Spring many times before, but Sierra’s Sinfonia No. 4 was new and full of tricky rhythms. Daniel admitted that as a child, he sometimes daydreamed that his house would catch on fire and burn up his violin, but he is glad he persevered and kept on prac-ticing. A YOBC student asked the musicians what kind of music they liked to listen to and both said they did not really listen to classical mu-sic for pleasure. Because they have been trained to listen to and study music for work, they have trouble listening casually, and find they are too critical of what they hear to make it relaxing and enjoyable. The concert itself was a lively experience. In addition to the Copland and Sierra, we heard Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F and Medea’s Dance of Vengeance by Samuel Barber. Russian pian-ist Kirill Gerstein was the guest soloist for the Gershwin concerto. The finale was the Philadelphia premiere of Sinfonia No. 4 by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra. Most of the YOBC stu-dents sat in the Conductor’s Cir-cle where they could watch Maes-tro Giancarlo Guerrero’s lively face and gestures as he conducted the orchestra. The Philadelphia Orchestra performs almost every weekend, and student and rush tickets are usually available. For more infor-mation about concerts and tick-ets, visit www.philorch.org.
Second Annual Field Trip to Philadelphia Orchestra
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It was a busy, exciting summer for YOBC’s bass clarinetist Jamie Doerschuck. Jamie, who is enter-ing her senior year with YOBC in the Wind Ensemble, is passionate about all things related to music and intends on pursuing a music-related career. This summer started off with her attending a Film Score Com-posers workshop at New York University, where she was able to meet and learn from the film com-posers of movies such as “The Na-ked Gun” and “Bruce Almighty.” Jamie found the experience in-valuable and thinks the skills learned there will help her achieve a career goal of writing music for video games in the fu-ture. After co-hosting an episode of “On the Wind” at WWFM, Jamie was invited back to be featured on “Fortissimo,” a WWFM program dedicated to supporting young
musicians. Host Marjorie Herman suggested Jamie record the voiceover promotion for the show, so Jamie went into Cambridge Music Studios to record music and the announce-ment for the show. What a fun ex-perience it was! After that, it was on to the Phila-delphia International Music Festi-val, where Jamie was accepted into the highly competitive Solo Perform-ance Program. It was an intensive two weeks of private lessons and master and performance classes that culminated in an exciting concerto competition. Lots was learned and many wonderful new friends were made there. She then went on to participate in Composition Week at Westmin-ster College, learning how to com-pose original chamber music for the bass clarinet (because there is no such music available for her to play). The highlight of the summer
was, of course, the international tour with YOBC. This unforgetta-ble experience was followed by a master class with world renowned bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay. As the summer came to a close, Jamie looked forward to an-other wonderful year with YOBC. She is looking forward to catching up on some sleep as well! Jamie Doerschuck plays bass clarinet in YOBC’s Wind Ensemble.
For many YOBC students, the first semester doesn’t end after the Fall Concert in November. A number of ensembles will be performing throughout the holiday season at free events in Bucks County. On Monday, No-vember 19, a chamber recital will be held at Barnes & Noble in Fairless Hills. This event will feature our flute ensembles, the Clarinet Ensemble, Woodwind and Brass Quintets, the Honors String Quartet, and a special mallet solo by YOBC percussionist Rock Roque. Perform-ances start at 7:00 PM. This event is also a fundraiser for YOBC and a percentage of each sale goes to
YOBC programs. The voucher for pur-chases — which includes the café and online purchases — is on the YOBC website, and on page 3 of this newslet-
ter. Vouchers can also be used for online sales for five days — through Black Friday. The next event takes place on Sunday, December 3 at the Bucks County Visitors Center in
Bensalem. The Honors String Quartet will perform at the annual Holiday Treefest at 3:00 PM. The Bucks County Holiday TreeFest
continues to grow in popularity each year and has be-come an annual event many visitors and residents look forward to.
Finally, on Friday, December 7, the YOBC Symphony Or-chestra will perform at the sixth annual One Winter Night celebration at Grace Point Church in Newtown. This free event is designed to create an old-fashioned night of family-friendly holiday fun. Support your fellow musicians and come hear them at these holiday events.
YOBC Student On the Air This Summer
Jamie Doerschuck at the mic at WWFM
YOBC Community Events to Celebrate Holiday Season
YOBC’s Honors String Quartet among the groups performing this season.
Volume 4, Number 2, November 2012
Students in Concert Kickoff Event in Bristol
The YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (YOBC) was founded in 1991 with the sponsorship and support of Bucks County Commu-nity College. Its mission is to create op-portunities for young musicians to achieve artistic excellence through en-riching classical musical experiences. In 21 seasons the organization has grown from a single, 60-member en-semble to 12 ensembles with over 250
young musicians.
252 Hollow Branch Lane Yardley, PA 19067
Email: [email protected]
yobc.org
The kickoff for YOBC’s new Students in Concert (SIC) initiative took place last month at Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School in the Bris-tol Township School Dis-trict. The event was a celebration to welcome the 65 students chosen for the program which began the following week. The audience con-sisted of students and their parents. They re-ceived t-shirts (sponsored by Music & Arts), information packets, and group and lesson assignments. They listened while program direc-tors Keith Krelove and Chris Gehr-hart explained the program and their expectations. Music & Arts presented information on musical instrument rentals and scholarship programs. Joe Hochreiter, YOBC’s president, talked about the role YOBC is playing in the program. A special treat came in the form of a woodwind quartet made up of students from the University of Delaware. After their performance, YOBC Board members offered re-
Marine Corps Band at Patriots Theater in the Trenton War Memo-rial on October 27. The program will culminate with students taking part in the two-day District Honors Band Fes-tival in April 2013, featuring guest clinician Dr. Quincy Hilliard of the University of Louisiana.
freshments while the quartet con-tinued to play, giving students and their families an up-close view of
the group at work. YOBC is piloting this new outreach program to support and engage more students in the school district music pro-gram. In addition to 22 weeks of musical instruc-tion, Students in Concert will give musicians an op-
portunity to work in small ensem-bles and some may receive private lessons. There will be performance opportunities for advanced groups. To build vision for the program, students attended a concert by the
Students and parents get a close-up view of the woodwind quartet
University of Delaware bassoonist talks with Mr. Loughran and SIC students
Students and parents check out offerings from Music & Arts
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