TEACHER GUIDE:  this guide includes BOTH short and long answers

1. What will the performers be doing?  Playing!  The musicians will talk to us, play 
for us, and share their musical interpretations of a score of music written for 
orchestra.  A score is very similar to a roster sheet at a basketball or baseball 
game (to keep track of the players), only it has notes instead of hits or field goals.

2. Where do I sit and how do I get to my seat?  Ticket=seat assignment!  You should sit with your group in itsÕ assigned area.

3. When do I applaud?  When the conductor bows!  You should applaud when the 
music ends and the conductors takes a bow.  This is not always easy to tell.  Good 
luck!

4. Where are the restrooms?  Not far!  The restrooms are close to the entrance of the hall.  They are marked, but not always clearly.  The ushers (ladies or gents with black trousers and white tops) can tell you how to get to the restrooms.

5. Can I talk?  No.  You can talk softly before the music begins.  You will hear the 
musicians warming up on their instruments.  If you play an instrument, now is the 
time to see how the musicians practice and put the finishing touches on their 
parts.  If not, then you can watch the way the musicians concentrate to prepare for peak performance.  This is similar to a track meet, where several different things are happening at once and could give you a hint of the chaos that is possible without a conductor to coordinate orchestral events.  So talk softly to help others to hear every morsel of sound made by the musicians.  Do NOT talk while the music is being played.

6. Can I write during the performance?  Yes, you can take notes (handle papers 
quietly) during the concert.  If you have a score (written copy of the piece), then 
you may follow that to follow the music.  Many of you will want to write reports 
and reviews of the concert, so we encourage you to write down your thoughts.  
You may even want to draw some sketches of the instruments. 

7. Can I meet the performers?  Yes.  In fact, that is the purpose of this project.  
Please introduce yourself by clearly stating you name, and question(s) you may 
have about the instruments and/or the permance.  If you miss talking to one of the performers, send a note to UNITUS Project, Room 293, UMemphis, TN 38152, 
and we will answer you promptly.

8. Can I write the performers?  YES . . . In fact, we would love to hear from you.  
Write us at CLARINET, Room 293, Dept. of Music, UMemphis, Memphis, TN 
38152.  Or email us at www.unitus.org.  Our fax number is 678-3096, c/o James 
Gholson.  If you take notes during the concert, watch for rattling papers!

9. What is a composer?  An ideas person!  A composer is a person who has fresh 
ideas about how music should sound.  Often, he or she is an instrumentalist.  Just 
as often, this special person comes from an international background, and hears 
the music of local dances and love songs in his/her imagination.  They write these 
impressions down on paper, alter them for dramatic effect, and voila!  Like magic, a new piece is born. 

10. What composer will I hear?  Sousa!  One of the most popular American 
composers is John Philip Sousa, dubbed the March King because of his inspiring 
marches written during the middle of the twentieth century.  Most bands play 
pieces by this composer, whose music speaks to the military soul of our country.

11. What instruments will be played?  CLARINET!  In the clarinet concerts, you will hear various combinations of clarinets being played.  You will hear clarinets in the concert band, as well as other families of instruments, including brass and 
percussion.  However, you will NOT hear strings, because this family of 
instruments is NOT a member of the concert band.

12. What is a warm-up?  Stretch!  A warm-up is an exercise that stretches muscles 
and increases blood circulation (can be focused to a specific area of the 
performerÕs body.  For the musicians, this includes the embouchures (the area of 
the mouth that holds the instrument), the fingers (the area of the hands that cover the holes), and the lungs (which supply air to the instrument).  In addition, the instrument has to be somewhat warm to play in tune.  Therefore, warm-ups affect BOTH the player and the instrument, and begin to fuse a bridge between the two.

13. What is tuning?  March in step!  Tuning means that each member of the orchestra 
makes sure that his or her instrument agrees in fundamental pitch with the pitch 
center of the other players.  It is very much like marching in step.  If one player is out of step, the steps are not synchronized.  If one player is not well in tune, the chords of the music are not synchronized.

14. What is an usher and how do they look?  Think black and white!  An usher is a 
person dressed in black and white.  Ushers are there to give you a program, 
answer your questions about restrooms, and help you to find your seat.  They 
should not have to remind you to remove your gum, take off you hat, or to be 
quiet.  They will also help you find cloakrooms for your wraps.

15. What does the word classical mean?  An enchanting survivor.  A symphonic or 
musical classic is a piece of music that maintains its dramatic and inventive 
interest over repeated performances.  Both listener and musician derive sustained enchantment from performing and listening to these pieces.  One piece that reinforces the idea of a symphonic classic in very human terms in that of 
Scheherazade.  Many pieces of music from the classical period meet this 
definition.

16. Can I dance at the concert?  No, but you may feel like it.  Many of the pieces that 
you hear in concert are derived from indigenous and ethnic dances.  The role of 
bands is grounded in military history.  TodayÕs service bands are professional 
examples of musical artistry for this medium.

17. How is a band different from an Orchestra?  Stringless!  A band has no string 
section and is comprised solely of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.  
A clarinet quartet consists of four clarinets and sometimes included Eb alto, bass, 
or soprano Eb clarinet.

18. What is a clarinet?  Think licorice!  A Clarinet is a woodwind instrument using 
one reed to produce its tone.  Its body is made of African Blackwood, in French 
called Grenadilla, and built in the shape of a cylinder.  The pitches are controlled 
by the Boehm system of keys.  Clarinets often play parts written for violins, when the band plays an orchestral transcription.

19. What is a master class?  A master class is a collection of players of one instrument who gather together to learn more abut virtuoso processes in the plaiting of that instrument (reed making, technique, practice procedures, dramatic line, and performance psychology).

20. What should I bring to a master class?  You and your instrument!  Bring your 
clarinet, some paper, some extra reeds, and of course, a pencil to the master class.  
And yes, bring all of your music, especially the Rose studies.

21. Do I have to know my scales?  No.  You do NOT have to know your scales for 
the master class BUT, you should begin to learn them if you plan to be 
competitive in auditions and band camps.  Therefore, you should begin the 
process of learning your scales. . .we can help you with that. . .  see TIME for 
SCALES (www.unitus.org).