Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Spring 2026 13 SAI Philanries, Inc. will point this out to them before we begin rehearsing individual notes and rhythms to help the transfer stick. If a piece of music has a tricky melody or rhythm that students are stumbling on, I isolate that part and make some kind of warmup for them. This is either written down or aurally taught first. Generally, I make the melody simpler first. This means taking out passing tones and making rhythms less tricky. Gradually, notes and rhythms are added back after mastery at one level is achieved. 3. BASS LINES DON'T HAVE TO START AT DO-SOL In most beginner band music, low brass (tubas especially) exclusively play "Do-Sol" bass lines. But when I attended Orff Level III, I realized this doesn't have to be the case. Our instructor, Jay Broeker, described how volumes are organized and pointed out that in addition to scale type, they were also organized by harmony type. These "Do-Sol" lines are rather difficult for a beginner, and they often struggle to play these notes correctly. In Orff Schulwerk, Music for Children Volumes II and IV drone triads where the bass line moves from tonic to another chord and back again. This results in the beginnings of hearing and experiencing harmony without much opportunity to hear a giant clash of "wrong note-itis." To replicate this process in a beginner band class, the director can write out the notes B-Flat and C for all low brass while the rest of the room plays a simple melody. This is a simple and effective way to work on part independence and get students used to playing harmony with the rest of the band. (It's also a common complaint that trombone players can't go from 1st to 6th positions very well. As a trombone player myself, the students just need more opportunities to do it and this is a great one.) My teaching transformed when I started applying what I was learning in Orff Shulwerk Levels to my middle school band classroom. It took a lot of unlearning to stop teaching exactly the way I had been taught, and sometimes I still fall into bad habits. But I urge all educators to take Orff or Kodaly levels and incorporate the learning into your middle and high school classrooms. Before Orff Levels, my students could get through thirty lines in the band book and pull off a decent concert by the skin of their teeth; after, they were playing in six key signatures and three time signatures after one year in band with minimal elementary music education. Miranda Johnson is an elementary music teacher at Camargo Elementary School, and is former Music Director of Martin County Middle School. Miranda was initiated into the Gamma Upsilon chapter in Spring 2016 and is currently a member of the Morehead Alumnae Chapter. She was a recipient of the SAI Philanthropies, Inc. Professional Development/Education Grant in 2022–2023. L ecolion Washington, SAI National Arts Associate, has been recognized as one of Musical America's 2025 Top Professionals of the Year. According to Musical America, this recognizes "folks who make the industry tick, but don't get their names on the [marquee]… these individuals [go] above and beyond to keep the arts alive and thriving." This is Washington's second time receiving this recognition, the first in 2018. Washington has served as Executive Director of the Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB) since 2017. With over twenty years as a performing bassoonist, fifteen years as a music professor, and ten years as an arts educator, Washington has established himself as a leader for the next generation of arts entrepreneurs. He has been a staunch advocate for the relevance of music as an agent for social change. As a musician, he has performed solo recitals and master classes at colleges and universities around the world, including the US, Brazil, South Africa, and Canada. He has also performed as guest principle and/or co-principle bassoon with orchestras such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. The Community Music Center of Boston offers programs in virtually every neighborhood in Boston, including schools (from preschool to seniors) and music therapy programs. They aid over 3,000 students every week, making CMCB the largest external provider of arts education to the Boston Public Schools. It offers an array of programs at its headquarters, including private lessons, concerts, and music therapy. In 2024, Washington launched a successful $15 million campaign called "Valuing All Voices," enabling the purchase and renovation of a property that will serve as an additional teaching facility for CMCB to expand its programming, accessibility, and community connections. Prior to moving to Boston, Washington was co-founder and Executive Director of PRIZM Ensemble, a nonprofit that works with under-served communities in Memphis to address the lack of diversity in classical music. He is also founder of the PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival. Washington was named one of the Memphis Business Journal's Top 40 Under 40 in 2015. For more on the Community Music Center of Boston, visit www.cmcb.org. Musical America Honors Lecolion Washington

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