It is commonly understood that reading literacy is the gateway to a solid educational foundation. Without the ability to read, students would find it difficult to learn without direct instruction. They would rely upon information that would be either experiential or told to them directly by another person. If a student wanted to gather information without outside help, it would be nearly impossible.


Imagine a classroom in which the following happens:
A Ninth Grade student is studying a passage of Shakespeare. One the first read, the student struggles to pronounce some of the words. On the next, the student is able to pronounce all of the words smoothly and without pause. On the third read, the student finally recognizes a few of the words and their meanings. Not until the fourth and subsequent readings is the student able to comprehend anything that is being written. It is long after that before the student is able to grasp for deeper meaning and plot points.


I have come to believe that when my students cannot have any grasp of sight reading, it is similar to the student who struggles reading Shakespeare. Without the knowledge of how to smoothly get from measure to measure, my student does not understand the larger intent of the piece. Once the student learns to read music, however; interpretation, analysis, and style are no longer things reserved only for memorization. A new world has been opened in which the student can truly become an independent musician.


The question of what (sight reading proficiency) is so much easier to talk about than the how. There are so many "If Only's" (Time, money, staff, to name a few) that seem to work against us as teachers that the task seems daunting. After watching Jerome Upton of Duluth, MN work with his choirs, I am convinced that sight reading can be accomplished. His group sang pieces with concert appropriate interpretation on their THIRD DAY of reading the music. His students came alive with expression and with questions and comments about how to better perform the music. Instead of taking time to read and re-read the piece, the students were making music right away! 


As I go on with my musical journey, I will try and share insights into anything I learn about sight reading. Until then, I would love to hear from anyone who has ideas!


-Andrew Beard 

These past couple of weeks have been exciting as I prepare for my first year as a middle school band teacher in Fargo, ND. I moved up to Moorhead, MN yesterday and had the fortunate opportunity to attend an ACDA-MN Summer Dialogue session at Concordia College-Moorhead.

The session featured Minnesota composers David Dickau, Jocelyn Hagen, and Timothy Takach. Though I am primarily a band teacher, my interest in choral composition and the commissioning of new music drew me to this dialogue.

Choosing a Text:

Dickau commented that choosing a text was one of the most important parts of his compositional process. After choosing a text, Dickau reads and recites the text for two weeks, meditating on the flow and the meaning of the lyrics before even considering the musical composition. Takach and Hagen agreed that there has to be some lyricism and evocative phonics and phrases that would textually stimulate the audience.

Conductor and Composer:

Hagen communicated strongly that she “expects to work with your choir if you commission me! It is part of the experience.” Dickau hopes that conductors will take their own direction with his music (within reason); no piece of music should ever be performed exactly the same way twice.

The Commissioning Process:

All three composers agreed that the conductor or commissioning party should be involved in the creative process of the music. While some conductors have very clear images in mind and others simply want to help aid in the creation of a new piece of music, the composers stressed that creative input is welcome, but also need freedom to be creative. Hagen encouraged conductors to commission arrangements if full compositions are too expensive. Dickau said that while he gives a quote to interested commissioners, he is always willing to negotiate. After all, commissioning and musical composition is all about the people, and not the money.