The joy of creating music
Jared Daubert doesn’t want his students to just play music; he wants them to share in the joy of creating it. Daubert is a master’s in wind conducting graduate student at Messiah University and is co-director of bands at Conestoga Valley High School and Middle School.
Band directors spend their free time securing educational opportunities such as this, rehearsing, performing and traveling. Setting aside time to earn a master’s degree isn’t easy. Without an online program, working on an advanced degree without taking a sabbatical would have been tough for Daubert. “Messiah's program is convenient and fits into my busy schedule as a high school and middle school band director,” he said, “but most importantly, the courses are extremely valuable, and I find that I am taking away a lot from the faculty and my colleagues in each class.”
Of course, sharing his love of music with students – and fostering that same joy and mastery of music – is his primary professional motivation, but commissioning literature has also been one of his career goals as a band director. “I recently completed Topics in Music History and Literature; part of this class focused heavily on the importance of commissioning literature for wind band,” said Daubert. “Commissioning a piece was something that always got moved to the backburner, but this class motivated me to make it a priority.”
He wrote a grant proposal to the Conestoga Valley Education Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to enhance the educational program in Conestoga Valley schools by providing funding and support for expenditures not covered by the district's general budget. He secured a grant for $4,500 and commissioned Rossano Galente, a published composer and an orchestrator for films, to write a piece for the 2016 Conestoga Valley High School Concert Band’s spring musical.
Since this piece is being specifically written for Daubert’s students, he wanted to select a composer with which they are familiar and enjoy performing his literature. The concert band recently performed Galante’s Raise of the Son, and the students had a blast learning and performing the piece.
“I want this commission to provide Conestoga Valley’s Concert Band (and future ensembles that perform this piece) a piece that offers a wealth of teaching and learning opportunities,” said Daubert. “Galante’s music will challenge most high school bands; I find his literature exposes students to an assortment of textures, tonalities and technical demands.”