It’s that most wonderful time of year for band folks: time for the annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago! I’ll be arriving Wednesday evening and leaving early Saturday, so I’ll miss a chunk of what’s happening. Of course, missing things is part of the nature of Midwest: there is so much happening, so many excellent concerts, sessions, and exhibitions, that you’re guaranteed to miss something. So as a preview, I’ve downloaded the Midwest app and picked out all of the sessions I want to go to, regardless of the actual schedule. Certainly no offense is intended to those whose sessions and concerts aren’t on here: this website is dedicated to wind band repertoire, and as such the Midwest “coverage” (as it were) will focus on those aspects of the clinic. So, here’s my tentative agenda, which will absolutely change and evolve as the clinic progresses:

WEDNESDAY (I’m not actually going to any of these, since I arrive late, but I would if I was there!)

10:45a – Louis Pizitz Middle School Symphonic Band
12:00p – The Tricks of the Trade: Composing for Young Band (Tim Fisher)
12:00p – Boost Your Technology Chops: Apps, Tools, & Online Resources for the Music Educator (Keith Ozsvath)
1:15p – The Young Director’s Guide to Commissioning (The Amazing Josh Kearney & Daniel Albert)
1:15p – Broken Arrow High School Wind Ensemble
2:30p – Teaching Children to Create Music (Michael Colgrass & Glen Adsit)
4:00p – Rhythm, Rhythm, Rhythm: Teaching The Most Important Thing In Music (Seth Gamba)

No evening concerts – I’m due at the WASBE reception (5:30p) and a dinner, and last year the equivalent pair of military band shows were VERY difficult to get into!

THURSDAY

8:30a – Southwest High School Wind Symphony
8:30a – The College Music Society’s Recent Report on Music Education and Large Ensembles Raised Important Questions- What are the solutions? (Michael Alexander & David Kehler)
10:30a – High School Band Rehearsal Lab – Small Schools Initiative
11:00a – Stiles Middle School Honors Band
12:00p – Arnold Jacobs: His Global Influence (many clinicians, a request from tuba friend Richard Schneider)
1:30p – Isthmus Brass
1:30p – Performing Choral Transcriptions: What Every Instrumental Conductor Needs to Know
3:00p – Juilliard: 1996 (John Mackey, Jonathan Newman, Steven Bryant, & Eric Whitacre, sure to be a major blockbuster of a session).
4:30p – North Hardin High School Wind Symphony
6:00p – Shujitsu Junior & Senior High School Wind Ensemble

FRIDAY

8:30a – Four Points Middle School Wind Ensemble
8:30a – Do You Hear What I Hear? Maximizing the Artistic Quality and Educational Value of Recording Your Ensemble (Sam Pilafian, Scott Burgess, & Eric Rombach-Kendall)
10:30a – What Fennell Wanted You to Know: An Inside Look at His Personal Letters, Writings, and Scores (Reed Chamberlin)
10:30a – The Birth and Life of New Music: Steps to Creating New Quality Repertoire from Conception to Performance (John E. Williamson, George Curran, & David Gillingham)
10:45a – Flower Mound High School Wind Symphony
12:00p – Concert Band New Music Reading Session
12:00p – Losing Control, Gaining Engagement: Tips and Techniques Inspired by Science for Improving Motivation and Performance in Large Ensembles (Gary Hill and Serena Weren)
1:30p – Eastern Wind Symphony
1:30p – The United States Army Orchestra
3:00p – Diversify Your High School Band’s Repertoire through History and Genre (Matthew Smith)
4:30p – VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band
6:15p – North Texas Wind Symphony

SATURDAY

8:30a – Tara Winds
10:00a – The Translation of Inspiration into Musical Expression (Michael Daugherty)
11:15a – Civic Orchestra of Chicago

Expect to see more about each day as it goes by. As I said above, the focus will be on repertoire. I look forward to seeing many of you there!