Score Analysis

Band Piece: At a Dixieland Jazz Funeral. Arr. Jared Spears

Level of Difficulty:
High school band with soloists. Full band parts aren’t terribly difficult, but the band would need several good players to fill the solo spots.

Aspects about the expressive qualities:
The beginning of the piece is set to sound like a funeral march. Played slowly, like a chorale at the beginning. The mood of the beginning is very somber.
At rehearsal mark C the style changes to a Dixieland feel.
4 measures before D the style changes to a medium-fast swing and the key changes from Bb to Eb. Students should be encouraged to listen to these different styles of music to understand how each of them feels and differs from the others.
Focus on the balance between the soloists and the full ensemble.

Keys: Starts in Bb Major. Changes to Eb Major 4 measures before D. Changes to D minor at F.

Trouble Spots:
Many of the rhythms are syncopated and have tricky dotted-eighth, sixteenth rhythms.
Getting the band members to sing the part at E.

Things to prepare in advance:
Decide who could be the soloists – possibly have auditions for the solos
Prepare tempo and style changes to make sure I’m confident with them in front of the ensemble.

Choral Piece: My Heart’s in the Highlands. By Donna Gartman Schultz. Words by Robert Burns

Level of Difficulty:
Upper-Level high school choir. Splits to 4 parts, with each part being quite different from the others. Also has an optional violin accompaniment.

Expressive Qualities:
The entire piece is a gentle piece. The singers may want to increase dynamics early on, but must refrain themselves until measure 86.
Dynamics must be emphasized.
Measure 101, all the parts sort of echo each other. Rehearse each part individually, maybe with the entire ensemble on the same part.
Give students brief history of the music, so they better understand what they are singing about (Performance notes are given in the score)
Offer certain sections – such as the opening few measures – for possible solos or smaller groups to sing.

Trouble Spots:
Measure 101 – Where all 4 parts are very different and kind of echo one another
Some tricky intervals (Measure 24-25, E4-F#5)

Keys:
Key of E Major throughout

Things to prepare in advance:
Study the history of the poem and poet into greater depth to grasp a deeper understanding of the music and what it means.
Look for someone who can play the violin accompaniment part. Could possibly play it on another instrument, such as flute.

Ranges and Tessitura:
Soprano: Range; B3-E5, Tessitura; E4-C#5
Alto: Range; A3-C#5, Tessitura; B3-B4
Tenor: Range; E3-E4, Tessitura; F#3-C#4
Bass: Range; A2-B3, Tessitura; B2-A3

How does score analysis help?
I think that the process of digging deeper into a piece, part-by-part or section-by-section, helps me to see it as a whole. Looking at the piece and analyzing it before the first run-through with the ensemble will help me be confident when conducting because I will already have an idea of what will happen and when it will happen. I will also know where tricky spots might be and can tune in especially to those parts to decide exactly what needs work.