Dr. Thomas Bough, Professor of Music, Director of Bands, and Wind Symphony Conductor at Northern Illinois University is presenting six different sessions at state music education association events around the country early this year. (more…)
NIU School of Music faculty member Tom Bough has been chosen to present at the 72nd annual Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago. It is the largest band and orchestra clinic in the world.
Bough is the director of athletic bands and wind symphony conductor at NIU and has served on the faculty since 2005. His presentation, “Just Intonation: Help Your Ensemble HEAR and PLAY Better In Tune” will be held at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 19. It’s a tight turn-around for Bough, as his Huskie Marching Band will be playing at the Boca Raton Bowl, in Boca Raton, Fla. the night before, as NIU takes on the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
His session at the conference is presented by Yamaha Corporation of America, and is described as:
Playing perfectly in tune requires more than just a tuner! Setting the length of the tuning slide, neck or mouthpiece or string simply minimizes the amount of adjustments the students need to make. However, literally every note they play will need to be adjusted to some degree. The skill of LISTENING and ADJUSTING while playing is the mark of all great musicians, and can be developed and improved by of any age by tuning against a drone. The ability of the drone to switch between equal temperament and just intonation provides a listening environment more applicable to ensemble performance for the students. Attendees will witness the demonstration of seven different exercises to help their students develop their listening skills while matching pitch with the drone.
Bough says that both ensembles that he conducts (the marching band and the wind symphony) utilize the Harmony Director as part of their regular rehearsal process. “Basically, I am doing a presentation that describes the great work we are already doing at NIU!”
A new album featuring NIU’s artists in residence, the Avalon String Quartet, was released December 7. “Matthew Quayle, String Quartets Nos. 1-3” is available on Naxos Records.
“I am delighted to share the Avalon Quartet’s powerful rendition of my three string quartets on Naxos,” Quayle said. “These remarkable musicians display their uncommon insight and interpretive range throughout the album—from the introspective yet ardent journey of the expansive First Quartet, to the spiky mischief of the Second, to the enigmatic meandering through the thirteen fleeting movements of the Third. They have fully captured the stylistic diversity and dramatic intensity of these deeply personal pieces.”
Quayle studied at Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.), the University of Cincinnati (M.M.), and New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science (Ph.D.). He is currently Assistant Arts Professor of Music and Head of the Music Program at NYU Abu Dhabi, where he has taught since 2012.
The Avalon String Quartet are:
Upcoming Avalon performances include:
Saturday, January 19 – Live from Gottlieb (Merit School of Music), 11:50 a.m.
Thursday, February 14 – Northern Illinois University Recital Hall, 8 p.m.
Friday, February 15 – Roosevelt University (Ganz Hall), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 17 – Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center (Rockford, IL), 3 p.m.
How do you compose a theme for a Star Wars project and make it “sound like Star Wars” without using any of John Williams’ iconic score? (more…)
Avoid the line at the ticket table and order your tickets for Sunday’s always-popular 21st Annual Choral Holiday Concert. The concert begins at 3 p.m. in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and can be purchased at the door or online. (more…)
Join NIU School of Music Director of Orchestra and Opera Danko Drusko and ten conductors from around the United States and other countries as they work with the members of the NIU Philharmonic in a two day Orchestra Conducting Workshop, December 3-5. (more…)
