2005 NSBA Recommended Music List Committee

Dr. Carolyn Barber University of Nebraska at Lincoln Lincoln, NE  cbarber2@unl.edu	Terry Rush Lincoln High School Lincoln, NE trush@lps.org
Duane Devries  Chambers Public Schools Chambers, NE ddevries@esu8.org	Chris Werner - editor University of Nebraska at Lincoln Lincoln, NE c_werner1@msn.com
Linda Donohue  Otte-Blair Middle School Blair, NE ldonohue@esu3.org	Kim Wiedeman Hemingford Public Schools Hemingford, NE wiedeman@bbc.net
Mike Koch Bluffs Middle School Scottsbluff, NE mkoch@sbps.net	Dr. William Winkle - Chair Chadron State College Chadron, NE wwinkle@csc.edu

2001 NSBA Recommended Music List Committee

Duane Devries Chambers Public Schools Chambers, NE	Steven J. Miller Scottsbluff High School Scottsbluff, NE
Norm Edwards Omaha Beveridge Middle School Omaha, NE	Dr. James Saker University of Nebraska - Omaha Omaha, NE
Rob Hartung Madison High School Madison, NE	Dr. William Winkle - Chair Chadron State College Chadron, NE

1995 Recommended Music List Committee

Linda Donohue Blair Junior/Senior High School Blair, NE	Jay Kloecker University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
Jay W. Gilbert-Chair Doane College Crete, NE	L. Dean Maxwell Scottsbluff Middle School Scottsbluff, NE
Michelle Gerdes Hennecke Southern Public Schools Wymore, NE	Andy Sorensen Blair Senior High School Blair, NE
Susan Hottovy Irving Middle School Lincoln, NE

Preface from the Committee

The 2005 NSBA Recommended Music List (RML) Committee recognizes that selecting standard repertoire for students to perform is one of the most important responsibilities that we as music educators must do. The 1995 and 2001 NSBA RML Committees made a concerted effort to select literature with the understanding that preparation for performance is important in shaping student taste and appreciation in their formative years. In 1995 Linda Donahue, then President of the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, charged Dr. Jay Gilbert and the 1995 NSBA RML Committee with the responsibility of creating a recommended list of significant teaching and artistic wind band repertoire. The objective decided upon at the outset of this project was the development of a set of procedures that could be replicated by future committees in the formation of this list. The following is a brief summary of the activities of the committee in bringing this list to fruition.

Procedures

The 2005 NSBA RML Committee compliments the efforts of the 1995 NSBA RML Committee, under the chairmanship of Dr. Jay W. Gilbert, for establishing excellent criteria for this music list.

Criteria for Selection for the Recommended Music List

Nebraska State Bandmasters Association

1. The composition provides opportunities for educational and musical growth.

2. The composition provides opportunities for technical advancement.
3. The composition provides opportunities for the development of the expressive qualities in music (including melody, rhythm, harmony, form, tone color, texture, phrasing, and dynamics).
4. The composition provides opportunities for the development of musical independence.
5. The composition represents a balance between repetition and contrast.
6. The composition reflects sensitivity in the treatment of block scoring.
7. The composition reflects sensitivity toward the possibilities and limitations of each instrument.
8. The composition attempts to be genuine and original as an educational and artistic work.

The primary list (1995) was derived in part from an examination of well known published books, articles, and researched materials developed by the following: Gary Ciepluch, Thomas L. Dvorak, Robert Garofalo, Robert Grechesky, Joseph Kreines, Cynthia Crump, Peter Schmalz, Larry Blocker, Eugene Corporon, Ray Cramer, Tim Lautzenheiser, Edward S. Lisk, Richard Miles, Jack Stamp, Scott Emmons, Bruce Pearson, Darhyl S. Ramsey, and Marguerite Wilder. Several state lists were consulted including:

Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin. Also perused was the Recommended Music List of the National Band Association.

The 2005 list encompasses most of the 1995 and 2001 lists, however in the interest of selectivity certain pieces were rotated off the list to make room for newly published works or forgotten gems. The 2005 NSBA RML Committee recommends that this practice continue to keep the list fresh and up-to-date.

Understanding that the State of Nebraska does not have a list of required music for band programs, the 2005 NSBA RML Committee has selected compositions that we consider the most “educationally sound” to promote the use of literature that enhances the performance of bands of all levels at contest, festival or concert performances.

While what is currently in this book is considered musically and academically appropriate, we have selected 10 pieces from each of the six (6) levels of difficulty that we feel stand above the rest. While not a definitive list, the committee hopes this will assist not only the young, but the experienced music educator as well.

Grading

The 2005 NSBA RML Committee assigned the concert band works to appropriate grade levels consistent with the original RML guidelines of six general grade of difficulty.

Grade 1	Students in their second year of playing.
Grade 2	Students in their third year of playing.
Grade 3	Urban/ suburban junior high or rural high school bands.
Grade 4	Outstanding junior high or rural high school as well as most high school and small college bands.
Grade 5	Outstanding high school and good college/ university bands.
Grade 6	Exceptional high school and outstanding university bands.

Any number of factors make these divisions purely arbitrary. The variability of talent within an ensemble, the uneven distribution of instrumentation and the uneven workload with a specific work (i.e. hard clarinet parts, easy trombone parts), as well as the musical maturity versus the technical demands may determine the difficulty of a composition for the educator.

These grade levels are only a guideline for selection of works. Each director should use their own judgment to determine what is good for their own band programs.

Recommendations

The 2005 NSBA RML Committee encourages band directors in Nebraska to continue to select at least one work from the list for performances at each of their events. It is our hope that school districts will consider this listing as core repertoire for the development of a viable curriculum in your school. The 2005 and 2001 committees endorse the original NSBA Recommended Music List and believe that this list of music will interface with the National Standards for Education in the Arts. We also endorse the eight-point criteria as the standard for inclusion of future works. It is recommended that the listing process be updated every four to five years to include newer works of artistic and/or educational merit.