4:15PM-5:15PM
Sat, July 24, 2004
From the First Band Class to a First Class Band
Music expression and literacy through the school band experience is based upon the instructional choices made by the music educator. The student's first experiences in band set the literal and figurative tone for how they will develop musically and technically. In this clinic Robert and Susan Smith will provide pedagogical, curricular and programming suggestions for the beginning and developing band program. In addition, they will introduce strategies to assist in teaching creativity and literacy within the performance driven parameters of the young band classroom. Attendees will earn proven, successful strategies to capture and hold the interest of today's young band student through the use of the Band Expressions method.
Robert W. Smith
Robert W. Smith
Robert W. Smith is one of the most popular and prolific composers of concert band and orchestral literature in America today. He has over 500 publications in print with the majority composed and arranged through his long association with Warner Bros. Publications.
Mr. Smith's credits include many compositions and productions in all areas of the music field. His original works for winds and percussion have been programmed by countless military, university, high school, and middle school bands throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. His Symphony #1 (The Divine Comedy) and Symphony #2 (The Odyssey) and Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual have received worldwide critical acclaim. His educational compositions such as The Tempest, Encanto, and The Great Locomotive Chase have become standards for developing bands throughout the world. His numerous works for orchestras of all levels are currently some of the most popular repertoire available today. His music has received extensive airplay on major network television. From professional ensembles such as the United States Navy Band and the Atlanta Symphony to school bands and orchestras throughout the world, his music speaks to audiences in any concert setting.
As a conductor and clinician, Mr. Smith has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and Australia. In addition, he has been awarded numerous commissions from professional and school ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Korea. He is currently working on the upcoming release of "Symphony #2 (The Odyssey): The Symphonic Music of Robert W. Smith Volume 3", the third in a series of compact disc recordings of his best-known works for concert band. In addition, he is co-creator of the Expressions Music Curriculum. This comprehensive Pre-K through 12 music program includes Band Expressions, an innovative new approach to teaching music through the band.
Susan L. Smith
Susan L. Smith
Susan L. Smith has taught at all levels of education and in many facets. After completing her degree in Music Education from James Madison University, she taught in the Virginia public schools. Her responsibilities included the direction of elementary and secondary instrumental music programs as well as teaching other arts related courses. Her ensembles, including concert band, orchestra, marching band and jazz ensembles, consistently received superior ratings from the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association festivals during her tenure.
After completing her Masters Degree in Education from Troy State University, she taught Private Horn, Teaching Music for the Classroom Teacher and Introduction to Music as an Adjunct Professor of Music. While at TSU, she served as the Executive Director of the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic and Honor Bands. In addition, she coordinated the visual program for the Sound of the South Marching.
Her teachers include Michael Layland, Winston Deshields, John Cryder, J. Patrick Rooney, John M. Long, and Diane Denicola-Orlofsky.
Currently, she is a Coordinating Author for Warner Bros. Publications' Expressions Music Curriculum, a vision for a vertical, conceptual approach to teaching music. She serves as an author for Band Expressions, a secondary component of the curriculum written for school instrumental music programs. In addition to this role, she is Vice President and General Manager of Ariana Productions Inc., a company that specializes in music for all forms of media.
Her professional affiliations include Music Educators National Conference, Florida Music Educators Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Beta Kappa and the NBA. Smith is in demand as a clinician, conductor and adjudicator throughout the country. She currently resides in Navarre, Florida with her husband Robert and daughters Savannah and Madison.
