Area High School Jazz Bands to Play Rochester International Jazz Festival

A number of area high school jazz bands will be playing on the Jazz Street Stage (Gibbs Street at East Avenue) at this year's Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.  This year's event runs from June 11 through June 19.

Artists from around the world and in many different genres will grace the stage at this, the 9th annual event.  Among the familiar names are Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, Keb' Mo', John Pizzarelli, Mose Allison, Stanley Jordan, Gap Mangione, Jane Moneit and Booker T. & the MG's.

The schedule for the high school jazz band shows (4:30 PM start time execept for June 12 & 19 when the start time is 3:45 PM):

• June 11
• Brighton High School Jazz Band
• Hilton High School Jazz Band
• June 12
• Honeoye Falls Lima High School Jazz Band
• Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts Jazz Band
• Pittsford Sutherland Jazz Band
• June 13
• Greece Arcadia HS Jazz Band
• Newark High School Jazz Band
• June 14
• West Irondequoit Jazz Band
• Webster Thomas Jazz Band
• June 15
• Greece Athena High School Jazz Band
• Spencerport High School Jazz Band
• June 16
• Eastridge High School Jazz Band
• School of the Arts High School Jazz Band
• June 17
• Rush Henrietta High School Jazz Band
• Greece Olympia High School Jazz Band
• June 18
• Fairport High School Jazz Band
• Webster Schroeder High School Jazz Band
• June 19
• Gates-Chili High School Jazz Band
• Brockport High School Jazz Band
• Penfield High School Jazz Band

New Acquisitions: March 26, 2010

The following are new pieces that we have added to the Music Library since March 19.

Band

• N-1283 - Warm Winds by James Christensen (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• N-1284 - Second Concerto by James D. Ployhar (Belwin/1 set)
• N-1285 - Sinfonia (from Cantata No. 156) by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by Willy Hautvast (Molenaar/1 set)
• N-1286 - Tres Jolie by Emil Waldteufel, arranged by Kenneth Henderson (Pro Art/1 set)
• N-1287 - Two Classic Hymns (Now Let Every Tongue Adore Thee/On Our Way Rejoicing) by Johann Sebastian Bach/Franz Joseph Haydn, arranged by Henry Pharmer (Pro Art/1 set)
• N-1288 - To a Wild Rose by Edward MacDowell, arranged by Oliver Richards (Pro Art/2 sets)
• N-1289 - Tambourine Ramble by Andrew Balent (Bourne/1 set)
• N-1290 - Slide by Slide by Ron Dekker (Shawnee Press/1 set)
• N-1291 - Seasons (Inspired by Pachelbel's Canon in D) by Charles Fox & Ed Newmark, arranged by James H. Burden (Coumbia - Belwin/1 set)
• N-1292 - Vocie of Freedom by Jim Kirk, arranged by John Edmondson (TM - Columbia/1 set)
• N-1293 - Viennese Sonatina No. 1 (First Movement) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozard, arranged by Jerry Nowak (Big Bells/1 set)
• N-1294 - Morning by Lloyd Conley (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1295 - Moondust by Kenneth Henderson (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1296 - Elegiac Prelude by Walter Skolnik (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1297 - At the Convent by Alexander Borodin, arranged by Lloyd Conley (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1298 - Buy My Tortillas, Traditional Chiliean Folk Song, arranged by Lloyd Conley (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1299 - Around Her Neck She Wears a Yellow Ribbon, Traditional, arranged by Henry Pharmer (Pro Art/1 set)
• N-1300 - Free and Easy by Theodore Melyan (Pro Art/1 set)
• N-1301 - Mozart's Theme Number 40 From Symphony Number G by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arranged by Don Sheaffer.
• N-1302 - Eventide by Arthur DeForest (Edward B. Marks/1 set)
• N-1303 - Grouse Mountain Lullaby by Stephen Chatman (Edward B. Marks/1 set)
• N-1304 - Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl?) by Ray Henderson, Joe Young & Sam Lewis, arranged by Jerry Nowak (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• N-1305 - Early Music Set (Allons, Gay, Gay; What If I Never Speed?; Pase el Agoa, Ma Julieta), arranged by George T. Kirck (Shawnee Press/1 set)
• N-1306 - Album for the Young (March of the Tin Soldiers; Morning Prayer; Polka) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arranged by Jim Curnow (Jenson/1 set)
• N-1307 - Fayne Would I Wedd by Giles Farnaby, transcribed by R. Christian Dishinger (Studio 224/1 set)
• N-1308 - Green Grows the Laurel, arranged by Al Cobine (Studio 224/1 set)
• N-1309 - Gentle Breeze, Traditional West Indies Folk Song, arranged by Lloyd Conley (Studio 224/1 set)
• N-1310 - Caernarven Castle by Laurie Johnson (Sam Fox/1 set)
• N-1311 - Benediction by Lawrence Weiner (University of Miami-Sam Fox/1 set)
• N-1312 - Thunder Mountain by Sidney Carlin, arranged by Wayne Livingston (Carlin/1 set)
• N-1313 - Glacier Point from The Yosemite Suite by Sidney Carlin, arranged by Wayne Livingston (Carlin/1 set)
• N-1314 - Easy Come & Easy Go by Richard A. Otto (Byron-Douglas/1 set)
• N-1315 - Prelude to Act V of the Opera King Medford by Carl Reinecke, arranged by Eric Osterling (Ludwig/1 set)

Jazz

• J-0208 - Conservation by Robert Watson (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• J-0209 - Optimism (Sextet) by Steve Davis (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• J-0210 - Mosaic by Cedar Walton, arranged by Don Sickler (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• J-0211 - Bit of Heaven by Curtis Fuller, arranged by Don Sickler (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• J-0212 - Beauty Within by James Williams, arranged by Geoff Keezer (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• J-0213 - Stolen Moments by Oliver Nelson (Sierra Music/1 set)

New Acquisitions: March 19, 2010

The following are new pieces that we have added to the Music Library since March 12.  The majority of these pieces were acquired through a donations from Rush-Henrietta High School and Burger Middle School and, in most cases, are helping us build the elementary band section of the library.

Choral

• C-2286 - The Trout (Die Forelle) by Franz Schubert, arranged by Ed Harris (Jenson/Unison or 2-Part/18 copies)
• C-2287 - The Hands of Time (Brian's Song) by Michel Legrand & Alan & Marilyn Bergman, arranged by Chuck Cassey (Colgems/SSA/19 copies)
• C-2288 - I Wished to Be Single Again, traditional English Folk Song, arranged by John A. Ricketts (Somerset Press/TTBB/18 copies)
• C-2289 - Gather Your Rosebuds by C.M. Shearer & Robert Herrick (Southern Music/SAB/77 copies)
• C-2290 - The Art of the Ground Round by P.D.Q. Bach, arranged by Professor Peter Schickele (Theodore Presser/Mixed-TTBB/31 copies)

Band

• N-1274 - Vive' la Paris by Albert Stoutamire & Kenneth Henderson (C.L. Barnhouse/1 set)
• N-1275 - Valmy by Alexander Gretchaninoff (C.L. Barnhouse/1 set)
• N-1276 - The Tennessee Whistler by Ken Whitcomb (C.L. Barnhouse/1 set)
• N-1277 - Tamarack Ridge by Bob Lowden (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1278 - Snow Carol by Robert Baler (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1279 - Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie by Harry Von Tilzer, arranged by Lloyd Conley (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1280 - Western Scenario by John Cacavas (Carl Fischer/1 set)
• N-1281 - Ticker Tape Parade March by John Edmondson (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• N-1282 - Tropical Trumpets by John Edmondson (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• N-1316 - Electric Prelude in Rock by Seth Markham (Byron-Douglas-Alfred/1 set)
• N-1317 - Chorale and Invention by George Giroux (Luverne Publications-Southern Music/1 set)
• N-1318 - Proudly We Play by Everett Maxwell, Arranged by Tom C. Rhodes (Southern Music/1 set)
• N-1319 - Ceremonial Court by Alfred Castle (Luverne - Southern Music/1 set)
• N-1320 - Chapel Bells, arranged by Don Schaeffer (C.L. Barnhouse/1 set)
• N-1321 - Gentle Journey by Caesar Giovannini (Charter Publications - Dorabet Music/1 set)
• N-1322 - Calypso Carnival by Alfred Castle (Luverne - Southern Music/1 set)
• N-1323 - Theme From Sechs Kinderstucke by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Eugene Mitchell (C.L. Barnhouse/1 set)
• N-1324 - Sun Prairie Overture by Joseph Olivadoti (Rubank/1 set)
• N-1325 - Theme from Second Piano Concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff, arranged by Red McLeod (Schmitt, Hall & McCreary/1 set)
• N-1326 - Shop Class by Richard Spinney (Belwin-Mills/1 set)
• N-1327 - Suite for Band by Ludwig van Beethoven, arranged by Robert Cray (Edward B. Marks/1 set)
• N-1328 - Simplicity Band Pak #2 - Songs of the States, arranged by Bob Lowden (The Music Company of North America/1 set)
• N-1329 - Solfeggio by Carl Phillip Emanual Bach, arrenged by Andrew Burgess (Pro-Art/1 set)
• N-1330 - Tumbalalaika, Traditional, arranged by Andreew Burgess (Pro-Art/1 set)
• N-1331 - Still Wie Die Nacht (Calm as the Night) by Carl Bohm, arranged by Wally Johnson (Pro-Art/1 set)
• N-1332 - Sleep Little Tiny King (A Christmas Calypso) by Don Besig, arranged by Wally Johnson (Pro-Art/1 set)
• N-1333 - Shout Out Loud! by Leland Forsblad (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• N-1334 - Scarlet Tree by Robert Doyle & William Coons (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1335 - Scherzo (from Serenade No. 1) by Johannes Brahms, arranged by John Jay Hilfiger (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1336 - Skydiver by Art Dedrick (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1337 - Songs of the American West, Traditional, arranged by Jerry Nowak (Kendor/1 set)
• N-1338 - Sarabande by Archangelo Corelli, transcribed by R. Christian Dishinger (Studio 224/1 set)
• N-1339 - Sweet Kitty Klover by Lloyd Conley (Studior 224/1 set)
• N-1340 - Shannon Girl by R. Christensen and J. Tartaglia, arranged by Carroll DeCamp (Studio 224/1 set)
• N-1341 - S'cool Room Latin by Clement Wiednmyer (Shawnee Press/1 set)
• N-1342 - S'cool Room Rock by Richard Maltby (Shawnee Press/1 set)

Daughters of Nat King Cole Start Foundation for Music Education in South Florida

Timolin and Casey Cole, the twin daughters of legendary singer and pianist Nat "King" Cole, celebrated what would have been their father's 90th birthday on Wednesday, March 17 by announcing a new foundation to help provide music education to children of all ethnic backgrounds, diversities and ages in South Florida.  The Nat King Cole Generation Hope charity will provide money to orgainaztions for instrumental instruction, composition, songwriting and recording arts.

The Cole's explain the foundation on its website:

Our father, the incomparable Nat King Cole, signified true American royalty . . . one of those few entertainers who was everything he seemed and more. He was gifted with a rare blend of technical knowledge and sheer performing artistry topped off with an abundance of showmanship - all the while managing to remain tolerant, gracious and humble to the end. Nat King Cole had a special gift of making what he did look so easy - always in control -always the master. His voice and his music had a universal appeal that was and continues to be of timeless quality. He will forever be recognized and celebrated for the trailblazer that he was in breaking down racial barriers and for his technical and stylistic contributions to the world of music.

While the arts were an integral part of the educational curriculum in his lifetime, today’s youth are art starved. Specifically, in July 2008, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that due to plummeting state funding and rising costs such as diesel fuel for buses, Palm Beach County schools needed to find a way to reduce their operating costs by $55.7 million. Several budget cuts were made, including cutting individual school budgets by 3 percent. More often than not, this means budget cuts in extra-curricular activities, such as music education. And, research shows that over 72% of students with a high involvement in music score in the top two quartiles of standardize tests. This is in comparison to the 45% of students with low involvement in music. Music education can also help students learn important life skills such as problem solving, creative thinking and mental discipline.

My twin sister, Casey and I believe our father, by right, has earned his place in history as a true American hero and legend through his contributions to the world of music. We therefore feel the time is right to launch Nat King Cole Generation Hope, Inc. with the goal of inspiring our youth while enriching their lives, through the power of music.

They further explain their mission:

Nat King Cole Generation Hope was created to provide funding for music education in South Florida, reaching children with the greatest need and fewest resources of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and diversities. The Foundation will help to provide musical instruments, field trips, and seminars, as well as instruction in composition, songwriting and recording arts.


One greater goal of the Foundation is to promote the growth and development of children through the study, practice and performance of music. Celebrating creativity and providing the opportunity for young people to be inspired by the transforming power of music is core to our mission. Our objective is to develop and foster self-esteem through individual accomplishment.

New Acquisitions: March 12, 2010

The following are new pieces that we have added to the Music Library since March 5.

Choral

• C-2252 - In Ecclesiis by Giovanni Gabrieli, edited by G. Wallace Woodworth (G. Schirmer/SATB/71 copies)
• C-2253 - Friends by Michael W. Smith & Deborah D. Smith, arranged by Mark A. Brymer (Hal Leonard/SATB/50 copies)
• C-2254 - Madame Jeanette by Alan Murray & Edward Lockton (Carl Fischer/SATB/69 copies)
• C-2255 - What Child is This?, Traditional, arranged by Jon Roberts (Clayton F. Summy/SATB/53 copies)
• C-2256 - With a Voice of Singing by Kent A. Newbury (Word Music/SATB/27 copies)
• C-2257 - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arranged by Anita Kerr (Hal Leonard/SATB/48 copies)
• C-2258 - A Jubilant Hymn by Eugene Butler (Neil A. Kjos/SATB/58 copies)
• C-2259 - I Wonder as I Wander, Traditional Apalachian Carol, arranged by John Jacob Niles & Lewis Henry Horton (Hal Leonard/SSA/31 copies)
• C-2260 - Go Tell It On the Mountain, Traditional Spiritual, arranged by H.T. Burleigh (G. Ricordi/SATB/86 copies)
• C-2261 - Lay Your Head in the Window by Jester Hairston, arranged by Nathan Scott (Lawson-Gould/SATB/64 copies)
• C-2262 - Why Can't Every Day Be Christmas? by Ray Carter and Paul Tripp, arranged by Aden G. Lewis (Plymouth Music/SA or TB/31 copies)
• C-2263 - Give a Little Love at Christmas by Don Besig (Shawnee Press/2-Part/21 copies)
• C-2264 - Christmas Is... by Percy Faith & Spence Maxwell, arranged by Harry Simeone (Shawnne Press/2-Part Treble/41 copies)
• C-2265 - Christmas Is... by Percy Faith & Spence Maxwell, arranged by Harry Simeone (Shawnne Press/SATB/50 copies)
• C-2266 - Share the Love Inside of You by Ron Myers, arranged by Larry Norred (Jenson/2-Part/32 copies)
• C-2267 - I Got the Spirit by Walter Rodby (Somerset Press/SSA/33 copies)
• C-2268 - I Like Bein' a Kid by Ruth Artman (Hal Leonard/Unison-2 Part/43 copies)
• C-2269 - It's a Wonderful Thing to Be Me! by Marcy Henchen & Don Besig (Shawnee Press/2-Part Treble/40 copies)
• C-2270 - The Entertainers by Scott Joplin and Joyce Merman, arranged by Arthur Frackenpohl (Shawnee Press/2-Part Treble/31 copies
• C-2271 - Carrie Sue From Rocky Fork by Joe Mason, arrangement by John F. Wilson (Somerset Press/Unison or 2-Part/17 copies)
• C-2272 - The Funny Fifties (Charlie Brown/See You Later Alligator/Yakety Yak) by Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller and Robert Guidry, arranged by Anita Kerr (Hal Leonard/2-Part Treble/36 copies)
• C-2273 - Christmas Time is Here by Jay Althouse (Shawnee Press/2-Part Treble/25 copies)
• C-2274 - It's Time to Ring Those Christmas Bells! by Don Besig, Nancy Price, Gus Levene & Marve Fischer, arranged by Don Besig (Shawnee Press/2-Part/39 copies)
• C-2275 - Oh Lord, How Excellent Is Thy Name by Benedetto Marcello, arranged by Paul Chase (Harold Flammer/SATB/44 copies)
• C-2276 - Slumber Song by Max Reger, Martin Boelitz & Ed Teschemacher, arranged by Linda Spevacek (Hal Leonard/SSA/57 copies)
• C-2277 - Hold On, Traditional Spriritual, arranged by Roger Emerson (Jenson/3-Part Mixed/20 copies)
• C-2278 - Love is the Answer by Raymond R. Hannisian (Shawnee Press/SSAA/21 copies)
• C-2279 - Rise Up Singin'! by Kirby Shaw (Hal Leonard/3-Part Mixed/68 copies)
• C-2280 - Jubilate! Jubilate!, Traditional Russian Air with Words by Samuel Longfellow, arranged by Joyce Eilers Bacak (Jenson/3-Part Mixed/22 copies)
• C-2281 - In the Bleak Midwinter, arranged by Mac Huff (Hal Leonard/SSA/22 copies)
• C-2282 - French Noel, Traditional, arranged by Andrea Klause (Hal Leonard/2-Part/44 copies)
• C-2283 - Dancin' by David and Jean Perry (Shawnee Press/SSA/36 copies)
• C-2284 - Sound the Trumpet by Franz Schubert, arranged by Jerry Weseley Harris (Plymouth Music-Colla Voce/SSA/39 copies)
• C-2285 - Trains and Boats and Planes by Burt Bacharach & Hal David, arranged byy Don Muller (Charles Hansen Publications/SSA/29 copies)

Band

• N-1261 - On a Hymnsong of Lowell Mason by David R. Holsinger (TRN Music/2 sets)
• N-1262 - Jack Tar March by John Phillip Sousa, arranged by Harold Gore (Harold Gore Publishing, 2 sets)

New Acquisitions: March 5, 2010

N-1257

The following are new pieces that we have added to the Music Library since February 19.

Choral

• C-2237 - Three Nightsongs by Joshua Shank (Santa Barbara Music/SSAA/84 copies)
• C-2247 - Rocking, Traditional Czechoslovakian Carol, arranged by John Rutter (Carl Fischer/SATB/62 copies)
• C-2248 - O Sacrum Convivium by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, edited by Virginia Stroh and Buryl Red (Walton Music/SATB/57 copies)
• C-2249 - O Praise the Lord of Heaven by John Rutter (Hinshaw Music/SATB-SATB/70 copies)
• C-2250 - O Lord, I Bow the Knee of My Heart by William Mundy, edited by Percy M. Young (Broude Brothers/SAATB/57 copies)
• C-2251 - Lord of Creation by Antonio Vivaldi, edited by Walter Ehret (Harold Flammer/SATB/200 copies)

Band

• N-1257 - The Olympic Spirit by John Williams, arranged by James Curnow (Hal Leonard/2 sets)
• N-1272 - Carnival by Paul Basler (Carl Fischer/2 sets) 

Orchestra

• R-0807 - Die Fledermaus Overture by Johann Strauss, Jr. (Luck's Music Library/4 sets)
• R-0808 - Zampa Overture by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold (Edwin F. Kalmus/3 sets)

Jazz Band

• J-0207 - Watermalon Man by Herbie Hancock, arranged by Jerry Nowak (Hal Leonard/1 set)
• J-0220 - Land of Make Believe by Chuck Mangione, arranged by Mike Story (Alfred/1 set) 

Marylin Bergman on Creativity and Copyright

This piece is a few years old but it applies today more than ever.  At the time, Marylin Bergman was the head of ASCAP (replaced last year by Paul Williams) and was seeing the loss in revenue to the members of her organization from piracy.  Here, Bergman is mainly addressing piracy of recorded works; however, her words apply just as much to the copying of printed music.

ASCAP PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN

MARILYN BERGMAN DELIVERS KEYNOTE

ADDRESS AT ASCAP "I CREATE MUSIC" EXPO

© 2006 Marilyn Bergman

Marilyn Bergman

Los Angeles, CA, Friday, April 21, 2006: ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman delivered a powerful keynote address on day two of the ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO, the only major entertainment industry conference dedicated to songwriting and composing. The standing-room only audience of music creators listened intently as Bergman, a three-time Academy Award-winning lyricist, spoke about what it means to be a music creator in the modern world. Her speech received a standing ovation from the more than 1,000 attendees who gathered at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles, CA to attend the sold-out conference.

A transcript follows:

"Good morning. I Create Music. Three simple words... loaded with meaning.

When we began developing this first-ever national conference devoted solely for songwriters and composers, we wanted to give it a name to which everyone could relate. So whether you had just written your first song, or won your first Grammy, you could connect with it. "I Create Music" seemed to say it all. It’s a proud declaration. A mission statement. A career choice. And these days, a line of defense. But we'll get more into that in a minute.

So, what does it mean to create music? Well, first of all, for every songwriter and composer that I know, and I know a few, it means you have no choice. Music chose you. Music is in your blood. It's in your head. It's in your heart. Your earliest memories are music-related. Maybe you were born into a musical family and music was performed on pianos, guitars, violins around your own house. Maybe you picked up an instrument in school and discovered a knack for playing it. Perhaps you fell in love with a song you heard on the radio and wanted to explore its mysterious hold over you. So you bought the music and played it over and over and over-studied its lyrics and its form. Then one day you decided to write your own song.

For many creators, it is just this mysterious and magical side of music that keeps them hooked for life.

Inspiration can strike at anytime:

It can be audible: the clacking of the wheels on a New York subway car, a far-off train whistle.

It can be visual: the shape of a slow moving cloud, a certain smile.

It can be emotional: the sadness in saying goodbye to a friend — a romance that didn't work out.

Ideas can come from anywhere: newspaper headlines, books conversations, dreams -

We music creators learn to remain open to all of these things, for these are our raw materials.

And like a diamond cutter works a raw diamond to make it sparkle, we take the raw materials of our lives — the heartache, joy, remorse, humor, nostalgia, desire, anger, hope - and give it shape, texture and beauty. We create music. We make it shine.

To attempt to do this at all is a noble pursuit. To do it well, to create something that will move people, and last long after you are gone, is a gift.

As music creators, we possess something that mankind simply can't live without: creativity. Creativity isn't something you can hold in your hands. It doesn't grow on trees. If you don't have it, you can't borrow it from someone else. It's a quality that exists in certain talented individuals. And when recognized, nurtured, expressed and harnessed, it can literally change the world.

The value of some products of creativity is easy to quantify. Their effects on our lives clearly measured. An invention such as the wheel or a medical breakthrough such as the polio vaccine are good examples of creativity that have made a clear and lasting impact on the world.

But what about music? Music is a creative product of the mind that affects and often changes people's emotional lives. Sometimes in large ways, but more often in small, intimate ways. How do you begin to measure the value of that?

Music has been used and enjoyed throughout man's history. The invention of newer devices to perform that music, from radio to TV to satellites, has allowed music to proliferate in greater ways with each new invention.

As the Internet rapidly developed, music was the driving force behind the proliferation of new technologies that allowed music to be transmitted with incredible ease.

You could say that it was the very importance of music in the lives of Internet users that created one of the greatest challenges to music creators. And that is the subject of piracy.

Our challenge now is not just to continue creating the music that is used and loved around the world, but to ensure that our right to make a living from our work is protected.

For in this digital age, when transmission of music is easier than ever, when there are corporate forces that aim to devalue our music and, in some cases, steal it outright, when there are new generations of music lovers who aren't taught and who don't understand the concept of copyright, it is up to every songwriter, composer and music publisher to declare the value of your music whenever and wherever possible.

In 1914, a group of prominent, visionary music creators founded ASCAP when they realized that their music was being performed without compensation to the writers. Founding member Victor Herbert brought a lawsuit to Shanley's restaurant in New York City for refusing to pay royalties. The fight took two years and went to the Supreme Court. ASCAP prevailed. And Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the decision of the Court. He said, "If music did not pay it would be given up. Whether it pays or not, the purpose of employing it is profit and that is enough."

It is hard to imagine how the history of American music in the 20th Century — some of the most popular music in the world - would have developed without the strong copyright protection we've had to preserve value and compensate the creator.

Imagine if Irving Berlin couldn't make a living from his music, and just gave it up.

Imagine if Duke Ellington couldn't make a living from his music, and just gave it.

Imagine if Bruce Springsteen couldn't make a living from his music, and just gave it up.

While there have been challenges to copyright protection throughout much of the last 92 years, ASCAP, I'm proud to say, has remained vigilant in fighting for that protection. We continue to be engaged in helping decision-makers in Washington strengthen their understanding and respect for our right as creators to make a living from our work.

At our membership meeting yesterday, I reported on last year's Supreme Court decision in MGM Studios vs. Grokster, in which the Supreme Court sided 9-0 in favor of copyright holders and against peer-to-peer software providers such as Grokster, Kazaa and Streamcast. The decision sent a clear message that P2P enterprises cannot use the intellectual property of songwriters, composers and other copyright owners as start-up capital for their businesses.

Although this was a significant victory for creators, we are still at a critical crossroads.

These rapid advances in digital distribution are threatening not just music, but all forms of intellectual property: film, literature, software and art. And for those with no concept of intellectual property, such as today's young people, it's a very dangerous thing. That is why I feel it is so important to start educating our young people on the importance of respecting the creative property of those who create music: the composer, lyricist or artist. This education is vital if we believe that creativity is vital and if we want to see it survive.

Most children don't realize that the act of taking someone else's work by downloading it to their computer is wrong. And they most definitely don't equate it with stealing. But that's just what it is. Just as walking out of an art gallery with a painting with out paying for it. Granted, intellectual property is a difficult concept, but it is at the heart of copyright law — a law which is based on providing protection for all those whose livelihood depends on what they create. Violating this law not only hurts them but also impacts a whole line of people in a chain reaction that is spiraling out of control.

The songwriter/composer is hurt, but other people who are hurt include the publisher, the artist, the arranger, the producer, the musician, the sound engineer, the graphic designer, the audio technician, the record store clerk... and the list goes on.

To counter this, the ASCAP Foundation has launched an innovative program called "Creativity in the Classroom," which aims to use a positive, proactive strategy to instill in our young people a system which would serve as a foundation for understanding and valuing intellectual property.

The program educates children, telling them that what they have created is their property; it encourages them to label their creative work with their name and the copyright symbol, a circle with a "c" inside it, including the year, much as they would see on any published creative work.

Young people aren't the only ones who need this education. There are other groups who are out to make a buck who should know better. Some technology companies with the powerful ability to transmit all forms of media quicker and easier too often view the fruits of our creativity as simply files to be downloaded.

Well, we still call it music. We call it art. We call it our livelihood. And to those who attempt to devalue our music in any way, I say to them:

The buck starts here.

Music is a multi-billion dollar global industry. And it would be nowhere without the music creator. The truth is, the world's demand for music just keeps growing. Today, music is performed and used everywhere: radio, film, TV, websites, video games, sports arenas, shopping malls, bars and restaurants, cell phones; wherever there are ears to hear it; there is music.

Why is this? Because music resonates with people on a deep level, levels that we don't even yet understand. It taps into our emotions and connects us not only with each other, but to moments in our lives, both big and small, to places, to things. It enriches us. In our fast-paced, information-overloaded, multi-tasking, over-achieving, technology-obsessed era, music reminds us that we are human.

Today, music is so woven into the fabric of our experience on earth, that it would be hard to imagine life without it.

Fortunately, with a greater need for music, there is a greater need for music creators.

That is where you come in.

You are here at this EXPO because music has chosen you…and you take that seriously. You want to rise to your potential and utilize every opportunity that is available to you.

Well, you've come to the right place. For decades, ASCAP has nurtured our community of songwriters, composers and music publishers by bringing those individuals who have achieved success in the business with those who are just starting out to educate, guide and inspire them.

ASCAP's program of workshops has provided this service to countless numbers of music creators. Many of this year's panelists, some of whom are now top songwriters, film composers and music publishers, are past participants in our programs. So they know the importance of giving back to the music creator community.

They are here for you because they have been in your shoes: ambitious, eager and needing to know what are the best steps to take to get to the next level.

There are also a whole new world of tools and organizations available to assist music creators today, some of them created by ASCAP in response to your needs. Many of them are represented in our exhibition area. I would urge all of you to check them out.

They are here to help.

One last thing I would like to impart to you today is that although writing music can be a solitary affair, the music business is a collaborative one.

And as a lyricist who has spent my whole career collaborating, not only with my husband and co-writer, Alan, but with many wonderful composers over the years, I know full well the creative rewards that can be achieved.

Collaboration can be with another writer or a composer, but it also includes collaborating with those in the industry that also have something to gain from the collaboration: performing artists, music publishers, video game and TV producers, writers of musical theatre productions and filmmakers. The list goes on.

My point is that you are not alone. You are part of a creative community with shared opportunities, challenges, knowledge and experience. That community also includes people who support music creators such as entertainment attorneys, managers, and agents. That list goes on too.

For the next few days, this community will come alive at this EXPO to illuminate, explore and celebrate our craft.

I wish you all a truly enjoyable and most importantly, meaningful experience. If you take what you learn here and put it back into your craft and your careers, I know that the future of music is in good hands."

© 2006 Marilyn Bergman

About ASCAP

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 230,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP also represents the repertories created by the international affiliates of 70 foreign performing rights organizations. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. http://www.ascap.com/

Arts in the Elementary Classroom Conference

Arts Integration Conference

The Rochester City School District, Department of the Arts

presents:

“Arts in the Elementary Classroom”

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

The conference workshops for in-service and pre-service teachers, teaching artists, school and arts administrators will focus on Arts Integration and how the arts support and enhance ELA, Math, Science and / or Social Studies curricula in grades K-6. The conference workshops will be active, hands-on sessions demonstrating techniques and strategies for successful arts integration. Each session will reflect research-based best practices that engage students and enhance student achievement.

This conference is being held at Saint John Fisher College, 3690 East Avenue, Rochester 14618. Saturday, May 1st, 2010. The Early Registration Fee is $20.00 and must be received by March 31st. Registration fee for those received after March 31 is $30.00. Student registration fee $15.00 with photocopy of student ID.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The agenda for the day is as follows:

8:00-8:30 registration and continental breakfast
8:30-10:00 Session I
10:15-11:45 Session II
11:45-12:45 Lunch
12:45-2:15 Session III
2:30-4:00 Session IV

To register, please contact Deborah Harloff at the Rochester City School District Arts Department. 

Quotes from previous conference days:

“I think the Saturday conference was great! It gave us a chance to explore many forms of the arts that we don’t always get exposed to. I loved all the workshops I took and will use many techniques in my classroom. Can’t wait till the next one.”

“The best workshop I have done in years!!”

Session descriptions can be found after the cut.