Professional Documents
Culture Documents
by
Justin Rifkind
_____________________________________
Copyright © Justin Rifkind 2016
2016
2
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
GRADUATE COLLEGE
As members of the Document Committee, we certify that we have read the
document prepared by Justin Rifkind, titled “Implementing New Orleans Brass
Playing Into a Tuba and Euphonium Applied Lessons Course” and recommend that it
be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement for the Degree of Doctor of
Musical Arts.
_______________________________________________________________________ Date: 7/20/2016
Matt Tropman
_______________________________________________________________________ Date: 7/20/2016
Moisés Paiewonsky
Date: 7/20/2016
_______________________________________________________________________
Edward Reid
Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate’s
submission of the final copies of the document to the Graduate College.
I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and
recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement.
________________________________________________ Date: 7/20/2016
Document Director: Matt Tropman
3
STATEMENT BY AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There are numerous people that I would like to thank:
To Rex Martin at Northwestern University, thank you for a great foundation and
teaching me the art of storytelling through music.
To John Stevens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, thank you for daring me to
take risks and just be myself.
To Dr. Kelly Thomas, thank you for bringing me to the University of Arizona and for
your mentorship. I miss you every day.
To Dr. Matt Tropman, thank you for stepping up in a tough situation and helping to
guide me for the finale of my degree.
To Professor Moisés Paiewonsky, thank you for your guidance and your extensive
musical knowledge.
To Professor Edward Reid, thank you for being supportive and kind.
To my parents, I could never have done this without you. Your unwavering support
and guidance throughout my life has led me to where I am today. All of those trips
when I was younger paid off. I love you!
To Casey, You are my rock. It hasn’t always been easy, but we did it. Thank you. I
love you!
5
DEDICATION
To Dr. Kelly Thomas for being a mentor, a teacher, and a friend. We all miss you
down here.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ............................................................................................................... 7
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 9
Intent and Scope of Study ................................................................................................................................. 9
Review of the Scholarly Literature ............................................................................................................ 14
History of New Orleans Brass Bands ........................................................................................................ 17
Thesis ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER 2: IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................................... 24
Creation of the Supplement .......................................................................................................................... 27
Learning Goals .................................................................................................................................................... 29
Teaching and Learning Activities ............................................................................................................... 30
Feedback and Assessment ............................................................................................................................. 34
How Components Are Connected and Integrated ............................................................................... 37
CHAPTER 3: EXERCISES AND ASSIGNMENTS ............................................................................ 39
Exercises ................................................................................................................................................................ 39
Method Books ..................................................................................................................................................... 47
Listening Assignments .................................................................................................................................... 48
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 53
APPENDIX: NEW ORLEANS BRASS BAND SUPPLEMENT ..................................................... 57
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 64
7
ABSTRACT
The focus of this project is to examine current tuba and euphonium applied
lessons syllabi and to create a New Orleans brass band curriculum supplement to
enhance those existing courses. Through the addition of new method books,
experiences, collegiate tuba and euphonium students will be able to apply the
knowledge gained in core academic music courses, such as music theory and music
history, to mastering a new style of music. Emphasis has been placed on learning
chord progressions, stylizations, and how to improvise and walk a bass line.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
“For such a large instrument the tuba is perhaps more agile than might be
expected. Though there are definite limits to the speed and complexity of the parts it
can play, double- and triple-tonguing are entirely feasible.”1 This sentiment, which
primarily has to do with orchestration, puts limitations on the agility and technical
facility of the tuba. It is not only the foundation of many instrumental ensembles, but
also has the capability of virtuosic playing while still maintaining much of its
foundational role. There are composers and performers bringing musical innovation
to the tuba, including Nat McIntosh, who is the sousaphonist with the Youngblood
Brass Band and formerly with the Dallas Brass. New Orleans sousaphonists, such as
Kirk Joseph of Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Philip Frazier III of Rebirth Brass Band,
are dazzling listeners with bass line grooves and melodies. There is a great deal that
college tuba and euphonium students can learn from these great New Orleans brass
band musicians.
contrabass tuba, it is still a member of the tuba family and has an identical range to
1 Donald Grantham and Kent Kennan, The Technique of Orchestration, 6th ed. (Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002), 157.
10
the BBb concert contrabass tuba. The sousaphone wraps around the musician’s body
and has a front-facing bell that is detachable. This design allows for greater mobility
for the player, especially during marching band or second line situations. It should
also be noted that there are three types of tubas: contrabass tubas, bass tubas, and
tenor tubas. This document will only be dealing with the contrabass and bass tubas.
The contrabass tuba has longer tubing and has a lower fundamental pitch than the
bass tuba. Contrabass tubas are in the keys of CC or BBb and have acoustic lengths
of 16 and 18 feet, respectively. Bass tubas are generally pitched in F or EEb with
considered large ensemble instruments, while bass tubas are generally used as solo
instruments or if the range of a piece is not well suited to the contrabass tuba.2
line” brass bands are most often the intended subjects. The “second line” tradition
“refers to people from the neighborhood who would join in the celebration as the
tubas…’”4 These brass bands have been associated with parades and funeral
2 Barton Cummings, “Thoughts On Tuba,” http://www.dwerden.com/tu-articles-thoughts.cfm
(accessed July 9, 2015).
3 Matthew Thomas Driscoll, “New Orleans Brass Band Traditions and Popular Music: Elements
of Style in the Music of Mama Digdown’s Brass Band and Youngblood Brass Band” (DMA diss.,
University of Iowa, 2012), 20.
4 Ibid.
11
marches, but the genre has expanded and now includes many groups that fuse
different styles of music together, such as jazz, hip hop, and R&B.
The New Orleans brass band tradition emerged from the early brass band
with their Afro-American adaptation of the tradition.”5 There is a link between this
early history of the brass band and the early development of jazz, but the two are
not necessarily the same. Many of the brass band musicians at the turn of the
century in New Orleans moved to dance bands or jazz bands, but “the brass band
served as the training ground for many black musicians, and many of these men
preferred parade work to any other.”6 Though the New Orleans brass bands use
some of the same techniques as jazz bands, such as improvisation, the two traditions
The New Orleans brass band idiom features the tuba as its low end instead of
the electric or double bass found in other popular styles. In a National Public Radio
article of 2011, Geoffrey Himes states that, “because it’s a wind instrument rather
than a string instrument, the tuba gives New Orleans music a bottom that bubbles
5 Driscoll, 7.
6 Schafer, 32.
12
rather than twangs.”7 The sousaphone adds depth and power that one does not
always experience with the string bass. The role of the sousaphone in the brass band
is to generate a bass line to serve as a harmonic and rhythmic foundation for the
group. Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, a New Orleans sousaphone legend, said in an
interview in October 2002, “I know how to play rhythm and blues changes, as well
Though they take on the role of the string bass, tubists in New Orleans brass bands
maintain a different sound concept from the bass, which stems from the sheer
bright in timbre, which is different than the wide, dark sound that is customary in
the wind band or symphony orchestra. The directness comes from the bell facing
forward, as opposed to the traditional concert band tuba that faces skyward. Many
New Orleans brass bands march in second line parades and jazz funerals, so using a
Over the past 10 to 15 years, there has been an emergence of brass bands
that blend the New Orleans style with other musical styles, such as hip-hop, rock,
and soul. According to Mick Burns, there were more brass bands in New Orleans in
7 Geoffrey Himes, “Where The Tuba Lives: 5 New Orleans Songs Featuring the Fat Horn,” A Blog
extended techniques and the infusion of these with simulated D.J. cuts and
the (tuba).”10 Philip Frazier III and Kirk Joseph are also well-respected tuba players
The incorporation of different styles into New Orleans brass band music can
be found in the music of Rebirth Brass Band, which is led by its sousaphone player
Phillip Frazier III, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. ReBirth Brass Band was founded
in the early 1980s by New Orleans natives Phillip Frazier III, Keith Frazier, and John
Gilbert. They were inspired by the music of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, generally
regarded as one of the first New Orleans brass bands to integrate different musical
styles into their songs. Rebirth Brass Band had a “fierce blend of hard second line
beats, ‘70’s R&B/funk grooves and go-go swing…”11 The tuba is a prominent voice in
both groups, and the overall balance of the tuba within the group is mirrored by
playing, but it is also important for teachers to prepare their students for the highly
9 Ibid., 4.
10 Miraphone, “Nat McIntosh,” http://www.miraphone.de/en/artists/articles/nat-mcintosh-
457.html (accessed October 2, 2015).
11 Tom Terrell, “ReBirth Brass Band,” Jazz Times, October 1997,
http://jazztimes.com/articles/24768-rebirth-brass-band (accessed July 30, 2015).
14
competitive job market, where versatility and the ability to perform in different
styles are valuable. Learning the New Orleans brass band style of playing would add
a completely new skill set for students in a tuba and euphonium studio. Knowing
how to walk a bass line and play in a unique style adds to students’ technical studies
This document will explore how New Orleans brass band playing can be
essential skills on the instrument and to add an entirely new skill-set for collegiate
music students.
Primary sources are desirable when one wants to get a true perspective on a
time period or event. Several sources were found that contain interviews and stories
told by musicians pertaining to the New Orleans brass band tradition. These sources
give insight into how the brass bands function and how the modern bands formed
and developed their signature sounds. Interviews in these sources are with
members of famous bands, like Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and the
River of Song by Elijah Wald and John Junkerman contains primary sources
from cultural and musical leaders from the area along the Mississippi River. Wald
was a roots music writer for the Boston Globe for many years, in addition to being an
avid blues musician and music historian. He also won a Grammy Award in 2002 for
15
the liner notes to Arhoolie Records: 40th Anniversary Box.12 John Junkerman is a
noted documentary filmmaker who has been nominated for an Academy Award for
Keeping the Beat on the Streets by Mick Burns is another book of primary
accounts, and it also contains a series of interviews with several prominent figures
in the New Orleans brass band scene, including legendary tubist Anthony “Tuba
Fats” Lacen. Mick Burns was an English-born jazz musician who is noted for his
expertise in the New Orleans style of jazz. He made appearances on trombone and
tuba with such famous New Orleans musicians as: Tuba Fats, Milton Batiste, and
Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band.14 This source gives insight into how the New Orleans
brass bands operate and how musicians perceive their role within the ensemble.
There are few scholarly resources available about the newer brass bands,
such as Youngblood Brass Band and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Several articles
and blog posts have been written about the new wave of New Orleans-inspired
brass bands, but there are no books or peer-reviewed articles on the subject matter.
Matthew Thomas Driscoll wrote a DMA dissertation about the modern American
New Orleans brass band movement, but there is little mention of the tuba or its role
12 Elijah Wald, “Biography,” http://www.elijahwald.com/bio.html (accessed February 15,
2015).
13 Elijah Wald and John Junkerman, River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi (New
York: Saint Martin’s Press, 1998), 352.
14 Mick Burns, “Mick Burns (17th Feb 1942-13th Feb
2007),”http://www.mickburns.co.uk/home.htm” (accessed February 13, 2015).
16
within these bands. This paucity of scholarly or other resources discussing the role
of the tuba in New Orleans brass bands is perhaps a reason that the study of this
style has not found its way into college tuba and euphonium studios already. While
the study of this style can have many benefits for tubists, it is a style that has not
been widely studied, with many tubists possessing only a vague general awareness
of brass bands. Musicologists and other scholars have largely ignored specific
There are multiple sources used in this document written by Dr. Matt
specializes in New Orleans music. His book Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of
New Orleans contains great insight into the contemporary brass band scene in New
Orleans and the continuation of the second line tradition. It also contains good
detain about the role of members within the brass bands and the style of music that
they play.
There are a few vitally important music books that will be discussed in this
project. The first book is by Jon Sass, an American jazz tuba player and virtuoso who
lives in Vienna, Austria. His introductory book, The Jon Sass Bass Line Book for Tuba,
could play an integral part in teaching a tuba and euphonium studio the basics of
A few jazz bass resources have been considered for use in the studio
curriculum. David Baker was Distinguished Professor of Music (Jazz Studies) and
Bloomington. His book Jazz Bass Clef Expressions and Explorations: A New and
Innovative System for Learning to Improvise for Bass Clef Instruments and Jazz Cello is
an excellent step-by-step resource for any instruments that play in the bass clef. It
takes the student through every key using chord and scale studies to help the
student become intimately familiar with each key. This resource can help to
strengthen students’ music theory knowledge, as well as their ability to play any
The beginnings of New Orleans music has been traced back to the slave
culture of the Deep South. Many areas of the Deep South during the time of slavery
did not let slaves congregate due to concerns about a potential revolt against the
slave owners. This was a real concern due to the overwhelming number of enslaved
people compared to the small number of plantation owners. New Orleans, however,
took a different approach. Matt Sakakeeny explains, “The European Catholics who
initially governed New Orleans established a slave society that was distinct from the
number of slaves were imported from a single source, Senegambia, and shared an
unusually high degree of cultural and linguistic commonalities.”15 Scholars link the
15 Matt Sakakeeny, “New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System,” Black Music Research Journal
31, no. 2 (Fall 2011): 6.
18
percussive, polyrhythmic music made in “Congo Square” to the future jazz and brass
band traditions.16
The “shout ring” used at the funerals of African slaves has also been linked to
the second line tradition that is carried on by brass bands in New Orleans. This form
of grieving also employed call and response, which is featured prevalently in New
Orleans brass band music. In a sense, the mourners were escorting the souls of the
dead to the afterlife. Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., in his article “Ring Shout! Literary Studies,
Historical Studies, and Black Music Inquiry,” describes the link of the “ring shout” to
[F]rom these burial ceremonies, the ring straightened itself to become the
Second Line of jazz funerals, in which the movements of the participants were
identical to those of the participants in the ring---even to the point of individual
counterclockwise movements by Second Line participants, where the ring was
absent because of the necessity of the participants to move to a particular
remote destination (the return to the town from the burial ground). And the
dirge-to-jazz structure of the jazz funeral parallels the walk-to-shout structure
of the ring shout17
Many of the New Orleans brass bands of today were formed through the tradition of
The New Orleans brass band tradition also emerged from the American brass
band tradition of the nineteenth century and military band tradition of the
16 Mary Ellison, “Dr. Michael White and New Orleans Jazz: Pushing Back Boundaries While
Maintaining the Tradition,” Popular Music and Society 28, no. 5 (December 2005): 619.
17 Samuel A. Floyd Jr., “Ring Shout! Literary Studies, Historical Studies, and Black Music
Inquiry,” Black Music Research Journal 22, Supplement (2002): 51.
19
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The brass band tradition in New Orleans dates
African American Soldiers helped to usher the brass band movement into New
Orleans…The Excelsior Brass Band and most of the Civil War era New Orleans
brass bands were as comfortable with syncopation and improvisation as they
were with the more conventionally structured marches…Every public ritual or
ceremony was usually accompanied by a brass band…Along with that tradition
went one of the quintessential hallmarks of New Orleans music–the second
line. Just as alternative rhythms were seat up by those who followed the
mourners at a funeral, so musical youths followed the army bands and
established harmoniously discordant second line rhythms of their own.18
The traditions of these Civil War brass bands have evolved, but the brass band
tradition in present day New Orleans mirrors much of the older, traditional second
line playing.
The development of military band music in the United States also coincided
with the development of the New Orleans brass band scene. Many of the prominent
brass band musicians in New Orleans got their start playing military band music.
Philip Frazier III, tuba player and leader of Rebirth Brass Band, says, “I played the
usual high school stuff. Marching in Mardi Gras parades, football games, stuff like
that. We would play regular military marches for the most part.”19 Countless other
brass band musicians got their start in school bands or were band directors
themselves.
18 Mary Ellison, “African-American Music and Muskets in Civil War New Orleans,” Louisiana
History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 35, no. 3 (July 1994): 316–317.
19 Burns, Keeping the Beat on the Street: The New Orleans Brass Band Renaissance, 108.
20
Second line parades in New Orleans have occurred regularly throughout the
city for the better part of the last one hundred years. A traditional parade is broken
up into two different lines: “The band and club members make up what is known as
the first line, while the rest of us marching behind, and along the sides, make up the
second line.”20 People on the street join the second line during jazz funerals to dance
and celebrate the life of the person who has died. The people partaking in the
parade are celebrating the soul of the dead moving on to the afterlife. William J.
Orleans brass band would have been like. Bands like Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty
Dozen Brass Band, and the Hot 8 Brass Band have strayed somewhat from the strict
tradition that was common in the first half of the twentieth century.
Brass bands over the past 30 years have begun to incorporate R&B, hip -hop,
funk, and other popular music into their repertoire. Bands like Dirty Dozen Brass
20 Matt Sakakeeny, Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans (Durham: Duke
University Press, 2013), x.
21 Schafer, 52.
21
Band, Rebirth Brass Band, and Hot 8 Brass Band have strayed somewhat from the
traditional New Orleans brass band sound and parade style. For example, Hot 8
Brass Band released a version of “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye.22 Their new
version blends their own New Orleans style with the R&B style of the original artist.
Matt Sakakeeny describes a starkly different second line parade from the one
mentioned by Schafer:
My eyes are fixed on eight men in their twenties and thirties leaning against
the brick wall of the Rock Bottom, in a strip of shade underneath the roof
overhang. They mill about, in no particular hurry, until the tallest of them picks
up a street-worn tuba from the sidewalk and the others gather around him
with their instruments: two trumpets, two trombones, a saxophone, bass drum
and snare drum…Together we move through the backstreets, maneuvering
through parked cars. Roving vendors wheel ice chests and yell “Ice cold beer.
Get your water,” while others set up “car bars” on the roofs of pickup trucks
parked at designated stops. Plumes of marijuana smoke fill the air.23
The dressed-up, proper bandsmen of the earlier account have, for the most part,
given way to dressed-down, less formal performances. Bands are now playing in
clubs and at ticketed events. Some traditional brass bands still operate in New
Orleans, such as the Tremé Brass Band and the Liberty Brass Band.
The influence of New Orleans brass bands has been felt far outside of the city
formed a brass band that eventually became known as Youngblood Brass Band. Nat
McIntosh, the sousaphonist of the group, says, “The band started during my
sophomore year of high school at Oregon High. My brother and I were itching to put
22 Hot 8 Brass Band, Rock With the Hot 8, Tru Thoughts Records TRUCD141, 2007, CD.
23 Sakakeeny, Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans, x.
22
together some kind of group and we’d both been listening to a lot of Dirty Dozen and
Rebirth, so a brass band seemed the obvious way to go.”24 Nat has become
somewhat of a cult hero to many young tuba players. He has even performed as a
band.25 He has shown young tuba players a whole new world of possibilities.
One cannot discuss the history of any music in New Orleans without
discussing the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When the storm hit, New
Orleans musicians were sent scattering across the United States. In the wake of the
storm, many people were concerned that the city would lose its identity because of
the massive numbers of people that were unable to return to their homes due to the
devastating damage the storm left in its wake. John Autin, pianist and owner of
The black neighborhoods are the incubator neighborhoods. That’s where there
are neighborhood bands and neighborhood bars. That’s where the churches
are. Those are the places where the feel of the music is taught from generation
to generation. That’s where the brass bands and the rappers and the R&B
singers come from in New Orleans. Great musicians who really have a groove
and a feel keep coming out of New Orleans.26
Many feared that the tradition would not survive the storm, due to many musicians
fleeing the city ahead of the storm. This was chronicled in the 2006 documentary
24 Driscoll, 106.
25 David, “UW Varsity Band Spring Concert: Watch the Excitement”
http://wptschedule.org/bemoretunedin/uw-varsity-band-spring-concert-watch-the-excitement/
(accessed January, 19 2016).
26 Garth Alper, “New Orleans Music and Katrina,” Popular Music and Society 29, no. 4
(10/2006): 461.
23
entitled New Orleans Music in Exile, which includes footage of New Orleans
musicians in various cities across the country directly after the storm. Luckily, the
Thesis
Incorporating New Orleans brass band music can complement the classical
tuba and euphonium curriculum found in many universities. Through study of its
stylistic approaches, improvisatory nature, and bass line construction, tuba and
euphonium players can acquire skills, including greater music theory and history
knowledge, the ability to walk a bass line, and an understanding of a style of music
24
CHAPTER 2: IMPLEMENTATION
Constructing a curriculum is a lengthy and detailed process. Instructors
spend hours carefully crafting their syllabi and course materials, which they change
and refine over many years using new techniques, scholarship, and insight in their
respective fields to create a class that will help students to be successful. Upon
analysis of current tuba and euphonium syllabi, it has been revealed that they share
much in common. The focus of the applied tuba and euphonium courses tends to be
on symphonic music style, which turns out to be mostly European and American
music. This project is setting forth a supplement for studying New Orleans brass
band music that can be added to a curriculum that is currently in use and can be
easily adapted to any school setting. It does not matter if the instructor teaches at a
instructor to add a new dimension to what their students are learning. This material
can be used by instructors that do not have experience playing in a New Orleans
style brass band. New Orleans brass band music employs skills that can be used
across many different areas, such as learning to create a bass line, improvising over
Several applied tuba and euphonium lessons syllabi were surveyed in the
process of the creation of this supplement. Studios of various sizes and pedigree
were investigated in order to cover a wide spectrum of tuba and euphonium courses
25
offered throughout the United States. The syllabus of Professor David Zerkel,
Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Georgia, was used based on
the successful students he has taught since he joined the faculty in 2000.27 The Fall
2014 syllabus of Dr. Deanna Swoboda, Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium
at Arizona State University, was used due to her output of commercially released
solo albums and her tenure with the Dallas Brass. Dr. Swoboda is also a Past
syllabus of Dr. Chris Dickey, Clinical Assistant Professor of Music, Tuba, Euphonium,
and Music Theory at Washington State University, was chosen because he teaches
Director of Bands and Instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at Iowa State University,
brings another perspective that is unique. A large part of his job is as an assistant
band director. The syllabus of Professor Fritz Kaenzig, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor
In order to integrate New Orleans brass band music into an applied tuba and
existing courses. Many professors in the country, including Professor David Zerkel
of the University of Georgia and Dr. Deanna Swoboda of Arizona State University,
27 University of Georgia Tuba/Euphonium Studio, “About the Studio,” “Student
Accomplishments,” http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!about-the-studio (accessed March 27, 2016).
28 Deanna Swoboda, “About Me,” http://deannaswoboda.com/about-me/ (accessed July 12,
2016).
26
include many similar elements in their syllabi. In his Fall 2015 syllabus, David
The basic principle behind applied lessons is to teach you as much about the
performance of your instrument that the time we have together will permit.
While I will strive to teach you all aspects of music performance to include
technique, tone production, tonguing, articulation, and phrasing, my emphasis
in teaching will be based largely on coaxing the most musical performance out
of you as possible. Music is a communicative art form, not just notes and
technique. Since many of you will go out into the big wide world to teach
younger students about music, it is my goal to incorporate concepts that we
discuss into situations that you will undoubtedly encounter as a band
director.29
While the studios discussed have produced many students employed in the field of
tuba and euphonium, the syllabi do not make reference to non-classical styles. This
project will seek to inject New Orleans brass band music into course narratives in
Dr. Christian Carichner lists his “course topics,” which include many standard
All major and minor (all forms) scales as well as all arpeggios in two octaves.
Development of breathing, embouchure, tone production, daily routine,
tonguing technique, sight-reading, flexibility, intonation, legato study, technical
facility, phrasing, interpretation, performance skills, rhythm, and vibrato.
Required listening throughout entire course of study to establish familiarity
with standard tuba literature in all media and representative performers. A
proportional amount of standard literature will be chosen in accordance with
each student(‘)s current level of achievement. The development of evaluative
skills will be stressed so awareness of self-improvement will lead towards self-
teaching.30
29 University of Georgia Tuba/Euphonium Studio, “Document Library,” “Syllabus F15,”
http://www.ugatubaeuph.com/#!document-library (accessed January 23, 2016).
30 Iowa State University School of Music, “Tuba Euph Syllabus,”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf (accessed January
31, 2016).
27
A set of course topics, such as the ones set forth by Dr. Carichner, can be readily
adapted to include a New Orleans brass band supplement. The new set of skills, such
as walking a bass line or improvising a bass groove, will be added to the long list of
technical and musical skills gained through private lessons without changing the
determine how certain supplements can fit into an existing curriculum. There are
two sources that have been used in this project to identify how certain materials can
be used within a course. Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis contains a
valuable section on writing a syllabus and what sorts of areas it should address. She
31 Barbara Gross Davis, Tools for Teaching (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009), 21.
28
important to know how syllabi are constructed to see how a New Orleans brass
College Courses by L. Dee Fink proposes five questions that can be addressed when
crafting a course. Fink’s work is widely used in higher education as a guide to course
supplement. The order of the questions has been rearranged and adapted to fit the
instructors across the country. They will be examined to show how New Orleans
32 L. Dee Fink, Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College
Courses (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2013), 67.
29
brass band playing can be added as a supplement in all of different areas of a course
curriculum.
Learning Goals
L. Dee Fink’s second question from his Integrated Course Design Model asks
about the learning goals for the course. David Zerkel lays out objectives for his
students that take his applied tuba and euphonium lessons class. Upon reading Dr.
Deanna Swoboda’s Fall 2014 syllabus, many of their objectives reflect similar
expectations. She lays out what she thinks each student should be able to
playing into their courses. Adding a new element into an existing curriculum does
not change the existing objectives. It serves to enhance the objectives of the course
that already exist and allows instructors to add new dimensions to the learning
33 Arizona State University School of Music, “Tuba/Euphonium Studio Applied Lessons
Syllabus Fall 2014,” http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASU-
syllabus-applied-fall-20141.pdf (accessed February 20, 2016).
30
Learning objectives can be adapted to include New Orleans brass band music.
Fink’s fourth question deals with what teaching and learning activities will be
instructors across the United States to help their students reach the objectives that
Learning how to play New Orleans brass band music will be carried over into
private lessons. Instructors can assign certain exercises for a weekly lesson that will
be given in addition to etudes, technical exercises, or solos that are generally given
on a weekly basis. These exercises can take mere minutes to cover and will not
sacrifice time that is already being used for other areas of technical and musical
proficiency. The specifics of these exercises will be covered in the exercises section.
31
All applied tuba and euphonium lessons curricula surveyed in this project
include exclusively composed music, which is a term for “works by a singular mind,
fixed and promulgated in written form.”34 A New Orleans brass band supplement
will include activities that take students away from traditional etude books or
method books. For instance, an activity that would be beneficial for students is to
have them listen to a brass band recording and instruct them to play the bass line
back to the instructor. The key and general form would be given, but the ear training
aspect of the assignment will be left up to the student. Although a New Orleans brass
Many curricula include etude and method books that are stylistically similar.
These texts are used, generally, to help students to develop basic phrasing, musical,
and technical skills. However, a New Orleans brass band supplement will add a new
dimension to that aspect of the private lessons process. There are a few books that
can help instructors teach their students about chord progressions, walking bass
lines, and improvisation. Although they are not specifically tailored to New Orleans
brass band music, they can be readily adapted to that style of playing. A good
example of a list of required materials includes many of the books required by Dr.
Arban’s Complete Method for Trombone and Euphonium edited by Alessi and
Bowman
34 Craig Havighurst, Medium, https://medium.com/cuepoint/classical-music-needs-a-new-name-
2e07b084f4a3#.4gbuepk6m (accessed May 2, 2016).
32
of the syllabi that were surveyed. The objective of the course is still the same, but
the new materials pull the students away from the European method and etude
books that dominate the books lists for many applied tuba and euphonium lessons
courses.
In addition to commonly used etude and method books that are used in tuba
and euphonium studios, this project proposes that there are additional texts that
will be added to a syllabus that can help students work on skills that are used by
musicians in New Orleans brass bands. The Jon Sass Bass Line Book is a valuable
resource that is utilized by students and instructors to improve their skills for
improvising bass lines. It is a goal of this project to help professors to enhance their
curricula with ways to discover how tubas can be used as a functional bass in a New
35 Dr. Chris Dickey, “Spring 2016 Tuba-Euphonium Studio Syllabus,” Washington State
University School of Music.
33
Orleans brass band setting. This involves using sources that may also be categorized
as “jazz” sources to help students achieve the desired skill set for playing New
David Baker was a Distinguished Professor of Music (Jazz Studies) in the Jacobs
Expressions and Explorations: A New and Innovative System for Learning to Improvise
for Bass Clef Instruments and Jazz Cello is also a great educational tool for teaching
students how to improvise bass lines and improvisation in general. Baker describes
Orleans brass band music is meant to accent the existing applied curricula and not
to replace it. Each section of the book goes through a different scale and allows the
student to master the scale they are trying to improvise through. The book also
36 David Baker, “Faculty,” “David Baker,”
http://info.music.indiana.edu/faculty/current/baker-david-n.shtml (accessed February 22, 2016).
37 David N. Baker, Jazz Bass Clef Expressions and Explorations: A New and Innovative System for
Learning to Improvise for Bass Clef Instruments and Jazz Cello (New Albany, IN: Jamey Aebersold Jazz,
Inc., 1995), Preface.
34
The third question proposed by Fink pertains to the types of feedback and
assessment that the instructor can use. This question deals with how students will
be evaluated and graded based on their knowledge of the subject. Tuba and
euphonium studios use different forms of grading, with different areas of study
weighted at different percentages. For instance, at Iowa State University, the weekly
lesson grade accounts for 70% of the final grade, while reading
10% of the final grade.38 The Arizona State University tuba and euphonium studio
syllabus lists weekly lesson preparation at 60% of the final grade, Studio class is
20%, and ASU Tuba Euphonium Ensemble is 20%.39 Although private lessons make
up a majority of the final grade, there are other areas that vary from studio to studio
in different courses. Applied lessons courses tend not to use the traditional midterm
and final exam in favor of weekly assessments in private lessons and masterclasses,
which falls into what Fink calls “educative assessment.” Fink identifies four basic
components:
38 Iowa State University School of Music, “Tuba Euph Syllabus,”
http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/119/g/Tuba%20Euph%20Syllabus.pdf (accessed January
31, 2016).
39 Arizona State University Tuba-Euphonium Faculty, “Syllabus Applied Fall 2015,”
http://tuba-euphonium.faculty.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ASU-syllabus-applied-fall-
2015-1.pdf (accessed January 31, 2016).
35
assessment serves to find ways for students to apply knowledge that they have
learned in class to new activities. A New Orleans brass band supplement will be
so that students will apply their skills in a way that does not involve just taking a
test.
how students are developing their skills for New Orleans brass band playing. For
instance, the instructor has the option to add a line discussing improvement of the
student’s ability to walk a bass line over a simple chord change on a weekly or
biweekly basis. The goal is to create a standard of improvement in all areas for tuba
and euphonium students. This supplement will not outline standards for grades for
private lessons and other assignments. It is best that this aspect be left up to
individual instructors.
40 Fink, 111.
36
titled “Tune of the Week.” He gives a thorough description of the assignment in his
syllabus:
You will be required to listen to ten of the following pieces this semester.
Following your listening, you are required to write a critique of the work and
the performance. What did you like about it? What didn’t you like about it?
This is strictly an opinion/observation assignment. Your critique does not
necessarily need to be scholarly; however it does need to be intelligent and
thoughtful. In your critique be sure to include the name of the orchestra and
the conductor of the recording that you listened to.41
This assignment serves to fulfill his objective pertaining to the ability to evaluate
instructors who have a learning objective that concerns critical listening. Developing
an educated ear for music is essential for all music students and can be utilized in
A listening activity can be easily adapted to include New Orleans brass band
music. An instructor can include important tunes, albums, or brass bands that will
help students to better understand the style. Applied lessons teachers already have
students reference recordings for certain solos or orchestral and band music that
they may be working on. If an instructor already has listening assignments built into
their syllabus, they can add a small number of recordings of New Orleans brass
bands to help students acclimate themselves to how the brass bands sound. Those
recordings can range from the traditional to the more funk and hip-hop bands.
Tremé Brass Band and the Liberty Brass Band are good examples of more
41 University of Georgia Tuba/Euphonium Studio, Fall 2015 Syllabus.
37
traditional brass bands, while bands such as Rebirth Brass Band and Dirty Dozen
The final question that has been proposed deals with how all of the different aspects
of a curriculum work together. Fink says, “The learning goals, the teaching and
learning activities, and the feedback and assessment procedures all need to support
each other.”42 In the case of the syllabi that have been investigated over the course
of this project, all of them have components that support the main objectives of their
courses. For instance, many of the syllabi discuss one of their main objectives as
being for their students to learn their major and minor scales. In order to achieve
this objective, they have scale tests and/or include scales on their juries at the end of
each semester and/or school year. Similar activities can be added to a curriculum to
All of the questions set forth by Fink are linked. The feedback and assessment
is based upon the learning activities, which are generally dictated by the objectives
of the course laid out by the instructor. Therefore, professors determine the weight
objectives. For instance, Christian Carichner of Iowa State University places 70% of
the final grade in weekly lessons. That tells the reader of his syllabus that he places a
42 Fink, 139.
38
A New Orleans brass band supplement can be incorporated into current tuba
and euphonium studio teaching using the methods discussed above. The specifics of
the supplement’s contents are described in the following section, which features
CHAPTER 3: EXERCISES AND ASSIGNMENTS
An important part of this project is to offer exercises and assignments for
instructors to add into their respective curricula to include New Orleans brass band
playing. The exercises include a variety of different drills designed to teach college
tuba and euphonium students about playing in a New Orleans brass band. This will
include improvising a bass line, improvising solos, and learning common chord
progressions found in New Orleans brass band music. Listening assignments are
designed to help students learn the style and possible options for bass lines that
they can include in their own playing. This project will show possible paths that
instructors can take with these assignments, including prompts and focused
Exercises
There are a wide variety of exercises that instructors of applied tuba and
euphonium can assign to help their students learn skills that would be needed when
playing New Orleans brass band music. Professors at schools around the country
already assign daily drills and technical exercises that can be readily adapted for
brass band playing. For example, arpeggios and scales in all keys are designated as
part of essential drills in many applied lessons curricula. Many exercises that can be
added to include New Orleans brass band playing can also help students to apply
40
their music theory and music history knowledge that they have learned separately
in their core music classes. In addition to being explained in this section, the
exercises set forth by this project will be included in the supplement written in the
progressions that are common in New Orleans brass band music. An instructor
could have a student prepare a I-ii-V-I chord progression, which is common in New
Orleans music, and have them play through it in every key. The same could be done
in a minor key, as well. The author became aware of this exercise by Tom Holtz,
former tubist in the United States Marine Band and current freelance helicon player
in Washington D.C. The helicon is similar to a sousaphone, but the bell faces over the
musician’s left shoulder rather than forward and cannot be removed. Musical
Examples 1 and 2 demonstrate the arpeggio exercise that was discussed by Tom
takes the student through all of the major keys in a circle of 4ths progression
articulations and tempi. A student, for example, could be asked by the instructor to
play all of the arpeggios in a longer, legato style, or they could be asked to play in a
more detached style. The student can initially play the exercise at a fairly slow
tempo and gradually increase the beats per minute as they begin to master the
progression.
41
Musical Example 1. I-ii-V-I Arpeggios
42
43
The same exercise can be done in natural minor keys. This will help students to
become familiar with these keys so they will be able to play music and chord
progressions in minor.
A common trend in many New Orleans brass bands tunes is the use of
syncopation in the bass line. An example of this is “Do Watcha Wanna” by Rebirth
Brass Band, which is demonstrated in Musical Example 3. The song begins with a
syncopated bass line that serves as the foundational groove of the whole tune and is
in the key of Eb Major. “The Tremé Song,” performed by Tremé Brass Band starts
with a more traditional drum introduction, but the bass line throughout is a
syncopated rhythmic groove alternating between I and IV. It is also in the key of Eb
Major. This could be practiced in every major and minor key to prepare students to
Students, in many cases, do not stray from what they read on the page when
part of the funk and hip-hop New Orleans brass bands is the tuba groove that begins
the song to set up the structure of the song. There are numerous examples of this,
including “New Orleans (After the City)” but Hot 8 Brass Band and “Feel Like
Funkin’ It Up” by Rebirth Brass Band. Musical Example 4 is a dictation of the bass
line groove from “Feel Like Funkin’ It Up.” Although it is syncopated like “Do Watcha
44
Wanna,” it has a much more funk groove feel. An assignment that an instructor of
applied tuba and euphonium lessons could give to a student is to have them write
and/or create their own bass line groove. The student can draw inspiration from the
albums and song that they listen to as part of the listening assignments part of the
course curriculum.
The same syncopated rhythms that are featured in the exercise that mimics
the pattern of “Do Watcha Wanna” and “The Tremé Song” can be used as an
auxiliary clapping or singing exercise, as well. Brass bands play these tunes in a
variety of tempi, so having the students clap or sing through the syncopated
rhythms could help them to feel the groove before playing the same thing on their
instrument with chord changes. Another step before adding the chord changes could
also include the student playing a string of syncopated rhythms on the same note.
Syncopated rhythms are a big part of New Orleans brass band music, so this study
A standard of the New Orleans brass band repertoire is “When the Saints Go
Marching In.” The chord structure is fairly simple and straightforward, making it an
ideal chart for beginners to be able to follow. It is also helpful that the tune is well
known and can help guide the students through the chord structure of the song. An
bass line that will be used when playing the tune. Here is an example of a possible
bass line for the chorus of “When the Saints Go Marching In”:
This assignment will be assigned in conjunction with the listening assignments that
the students complete during the course. It is the intent of this supplement that
students become exposed to different approaches to the same songs so that they can
develop their own ideas for playing each tune. They can take bits and pieces of bass
lines from recordings that they hear to craft their own interpretation.
A common chord progression that a New Orleans brass band musician may
encounter is twelve bar blues. Although a twelve bar blues varies, the standard
progression is: I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-V. Rebirth Brass Band plays a tune called “You
Can’t Fly If You’re Too High,” which, upon listening to it, is in a traditional twelve bar
46
created that can be adapted to all keys that will help students become more
acquainted with the chords and style. Musical Example 6 is a possible bass line in a
Another daily drill that is common in teaching throughout the country is the
practice of scales. Major and minor scales serve as major components of many
applied tuba and euphonium lessons curricula. Fritz Kaenzig, the Arthur F. Thurnau
“Satisfaction of the scale requirements during any lesson chosen by each individual
student.”43 as the third item on his studio syllabus. Many music programs
throughout the country have end of the semester and/or end of the year juries that
commonly include these scales. Scales can be used in practical application in many
43 University of Michigan Tuba and Euphonium Studio, “Syllabus”, http://www-
personal.umich.edu/~fak/syllabus.html (accessed March 19, 2016).
47
musical areas, but they are especially helpful when playing New Orleans brass band
music. It is important to know scales well in order to walk a bass line. A way to make
the study of scales relatable to brass band music is to add jazz scales and church
modes. David Baker’s Jazz Expressions and Explorations: A New and Innovative
System for Learning to Improvise for Bass Clef Instruments and Jazz Cello offers a
comprehensive method for learning scales that may not be learned by most college
music students.
Method Books
In addition to commonly used etude and method books that are utilized in tuba
and euphonium studios, this project proposes that there are additional texts that
can be added to a syllabus that will help students work on skills that are used by
musicians in New Orleans brass bands. The Jon Sass Bass Line Book is a valuable
resource that can be utilized by students and instructors to improve their skills for
improvising bass lines. In the introduction to his bass line book, Jon Sass asserts the
following:
Outside of orchestral, classical chamber music and solo playing, there are many
other possibilities for low brass musicians. One of these is using their
instrument as a functional bass in rock, jazz, funk and other popular music
genres. The tuba is a bass instrument and its ability to sustain, articulate and
color sound is different from string, electric or keyboard bass. The sound
characteristics of low brass instruments give a cutting edge advantage
alongside the search for new sounds.44
44 Jon Sass, The Jon Sass Bass Line Book for Tuba (or Euphonium, Sousaphone, Bass Trombone)
(Vuarmarens, Switzerland: Editions Bim, 2007), 2.
48
It is a goal of this project to help professors to enhance their curricula with ways to
discover how tubas can be used as a functional bass in a New Orleans brass band
setting.
Students also need to have a basic knowledge of standard signs and symbols
that are used in New Orleans brass band music in order to read a chart if it is placed
in front of them. Jon Sass, in The Jon Sass Bass Line Book, lists signs and symbols that
are used frequently in the notation of jazz charts that are also commonly used by
New Orleans brass bands. These symbols include those for major, minor, dominant
seventh, and the symbol for a raised half step.45 The same section of Sass’ book also
discusses commonly found chords, scales, and modes that are found frequently. His
book also contains a C.D., which is a helpful tool for students to use when learning to
play New Orleans brass band music. Each exercise allows the student to read a bass
line example given by Sass, after which they are encouraged to write their own and
play it along with the recording. Creating a bass line is an important part of playing
brass band music, and adding songs from Sass’ book to the other etudes and solos
that are assigned for private lessons by collegiate tuba and euphonium instructors
Listening Assignments
music and to encourage students to put what they hear into words. Benefits of
45 Ibid., 9.
49
knowledge of a certain style or genre, and the ability to formulate coherent thoughts
on what the student hears in a recording. There are many forms that listening
assignments can take. Many applied lessons courses already include some sort of
suggestions given during private lessons, while in other cases they can be made a
formal assignment that accumulates into a certain percentage of the final grade. For
instance, Dr. Chris Dickey, Clinical Assistant Professor of Music, Tuba, Euphonium,
and Music Theory, assigns a piece per week for his students to assess and makes it
ten percent of the students’ final grade.46 This project proposes a more formal
approach that is similar to that of Dr. Dickey, where it can factor as a percentage of a
final grade and will require a written submission. An instructor can put forth a
series of questions for students to answer or they can simply ask the student to give
There are many prompts that teachers can use for listening assignments
depending on their goals for the homework. If an instructor would like for students
to use the listening assignment as a way for students to develop an ear for the sound
• How would you describe the sound of the sousaphone within the New
Orleans brass band context in this recording? Is it bright? Is it dark?
46 Dr. Chris Dickey, “Spring 2016 Tuba-Euphonium Studio Syllabus,” Washington State
University School of Music.
50
The same approach can be used for listening assignments related to finding
Tremé Brass Band or Liberty Brass Band, would have a slightly different overall
sound, and the repertoire would be somewhat different from a more funk/pop/hip-
hop style brass band. Groups like Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Rebirth Brass Band,
though they do play traditional second line tunes, are going to have audible
differences from the more traditional bands, such as Tremé Brass Band or Liberty
between the two styles of brass band playing. It is also important to note that many
47 Sakakeeny, Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans,120.
51
of the traditional tunes start with a drum rhythm, while the newer brass band
An instructor can make up his/her own choice of what songs or albums they
can use for their listening assignments. They can assign a specific recording, or they
can assign a certain tune and ask the student to seek out certain recordings of songs.
A teacher can ask a student to find and listen to a certain number of recordings of a
certain tune and ask the student to write the similarities and differences between
them. This will help pupils to begin to formulate their ideas about what they like and
dislike about certain approaches to playing New Orleans brass band music.
recordings and have them identify the chord progression. It is important when
playing New Orleans brass band that the tubist knows the key of the tune and upon
what chords the bass line should be based. Students could possibly transcribe a bass
line based on a recording to enhance how they listen to recordings and to practice
developing a process for them improvising their own bass lines. Students could, for
example, listen to a recording of “When the Saints Go Marching In” and identify the
chord progression. After they have identified the chord progression, they can
transcribe the bass line that the tuba player in the recording improvises on a piece
Philip Frazier of Rebirth Brass Band will likely play a slightly different bass line on
52
“When the Saints Go Marching In” than Jon Gross of Tremé Brass Band. This would
also serve as a supplement to their music theory and ear training courses.
Exercises and assignments are an essential part of any college course. They
are meant to help instructors guide their students and help them to achieve the
greatest success they can within the course and beyond. It is the goal of this project
to help instructors of applied tuba and euphonium lessons throughout the country
to supplement their current curriculum with New Orleans brass band music in
53
CONCLUSION
A New Orleans brass band supplement will add a new skill set for students to
utilize. Although courses in music theory and music history are core elements of a
A student’s basic music theory knowledge can be put to use within the context of
New Orleans brass band playing. The chord progressions used in that style are
class, such as a I-IV-V-I or I-ii-V-I progression. The development of the New Orleans
brass band also follows a similar chronology to the brass band movement in the
United States, as well as the early jazz pioneers of the early twentieth century.
Helping to put tunes and faces to topics that may have been only discussed briefly in
a music history survey course can help to enhance a student’s overall musical
knowledge.
band music into an applied tuba and euphonium lessons curriculum. It allows
instructors to have a resource that is already constructed for them and is adaptable
to their individual needs. The supplement is not rendered useless if it is not used in
highlight with their own students without sacrificing the overall benefits of the
54
applied tuba and euphonium lessons to teach their students the skills needed to play
in a brass band and will introduce them to recordings and materials that will allow
students to integrate a new dimension into their professional profile. One never
knows when they will receive a call for a New Orleans brass band or Dixieland gig. If
the musician does not have the skills necessary to perform that music or is
experiences to their resumé. If another gig comes up that needs a tuba player to play
light.
The music industry is becoming more and more competitive every year. The
Department of Labor’s projection for musicians and singers for 2016–2017 seems
fairly grim. Under the section entitled “Job Prospects,” the employment forecast was
worded thusly: “There will be tough competition for jobs because of the large
number of people who are interested in becoming musicians and singers. Many
musicians and singers experience periods of unemployment, and there will likely be
48 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016–
17 Edition, Musicians and Singers, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/musicians-
and-singers.htm#tab-6 (accessed April 6, 2016).
55
projection are difficult to obtain. It is useful for students graduating from collegiate
music programs to demonstrate a wide array of skills to aide their pursuit of making
a living as a music performer. The aim of the supplement put forth by this project is
to help students to add a set of skills to make them a better musician and
professional in the future, but it also has the side benefit of helping to make them
and Stay Human.” Their leader and namesake, a pianist and native of New Orleans,
own style. The New Orleans brass band supplement set forth by this project has the
intention of providing collegiate tuba and euphonium players with the skills to
create their own brass bands and to create their own performance experiences.
students, but it is also important to supplement that with other styles of music to
49 Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, “Meet Jon Batiste, Stephen Colbert’s Crowd-
Thrilling Rebel Band Leader,” August 5, 2015, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/meet-jon-
batiste-stephen-colberts-crowd-thrilling-rebel-bandleader-20150805 (accessed April 6, 2016).
56
round out what they are able to play. Angela Myles Beeching puts forth an insightful
[T]hese highly competitive traditional jobs are only a fraction of the work
actually available to musicians. The U.S. music industry is vast and includes a
huge variety of work opportunities. And because musicians are generally
multi-talented, they often have marketable skills in more than one area. The
majority of today’s professional musicians create satisfying ‘portfolio’ careers,
braiding together part-time work and entrepreneurial ventures to capitalize on
their talents, interests, and experiences.50
Students will have the opportunity to add New Orleans brass band playing to their
“portfolio” to help them to build career skills that will help them be successful in the
experiences in the studio environment helps students see the options open to them
50 Angela Myles Beeching, Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career In Music, 2nd ed.
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 7.
57
present. The authors do an excellent job of differentiating New Orleans brass band
music from the generalized term of “jazz.” This book is highly regarded as a
historical reference for brass band music in New Orleans
Exercises:
Some basic exercises have been included in this New Orleans brass band
supplement. They are intended to expose students to common chord progressions
and styles that are found in brass band music.
Exercise 1: I-ii-V-I Arpeggios
This exercise is intended to help students find their way through a basic chord
progression. A variety of articulations can be used, including staccato, legato, and
marcato, to emulate different styles that can be found in New Orleans brass band
music. This and the following exercise were suggested by Tom Holtz, former tubist
with the United States Marine Band and current freelance tuba player in the
Washington, D.C. area.
Exercise 2: i-iio-V-I Arpeggios
This exercises is the same as Exercise 1, but it is written out in a minor key. A
variety of articulations should also be used when practicing this technique.
Exercise 3: Twelve Bar Blues
This exercise is intended to allow the student to learn to play a bass line for a twelve
bar blues progression. It should be done in as many keys as possible and with a
variety of articulations. The written example is one of many ways that a tuba player
could stylize the bass line. There can also be syncopation in the bass line if the
musician desires that.
Exercise 4: Creating a Bass Groove
This exercise will allow a student to see or hear a chord progression and create a
bass line groove that will match that progression. Two examples have been included
as a demonstration for what a bass groove could look like.
60
EXERCISE 1:
61
EXERCISE 2:
62
Exercise 3 Example:
Exercise 4, Example A:
Bass Groove from “Do Watcha Wanna” by Rebirth Brass Band
Exercise 4, Example B:
Bass Groove from “Feel Like Funkin’ It Up” by Rebirth Brass Band
Selected Discography:
This list is not meant to be a definitive New Orleans brass band discography. It is
meant to suggest recordings that instructors can give their students to demonstrate
different New Orleans brass bands and their varying styles. These recommended
recordings serve as a reference list for instructors to add to any previous listening
assignment lists that they may have.
63
Traditional New Orleans Brass Bands:
Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band:
Here Come Da Great Olympia Band
Smithsonian Folkways:
Classic Sounds of New Orleans from Smithsonian Folkways
New Orleans Brass Bands: Through the Streets of the City
Tremé Brass Band:
The Tremé Brass Band
I Got A Big Fat Woman
Paul Barbarin’s Onward Brass Band:
Paul Barbarin’s Onward Brass Band in Concert 1968
Modern New Orleans Brass Bands:
Dirty Dozen Brass Band:
My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now
Funeral for a Friend
What’s Going On
Hot 8 Brass Band:
Rock With the Hot 8
Rebirth Brass Band:
Do Watcha Wanna
Hot Venom
Feel Like Funkin’ It Up
Youngblood Brass Band:
center. level. roar.
Pax Volumi
64
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Battisti, Frank. The Winds of Change: The Evolution of the Contemporary American
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Beeching, Angela Myles. Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music. 2nd ed.
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Burns, Mick. Keeping the Beat on the Street: the New Orleans Brass Band Renaissance.
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