Junior High Band
Study Guides

Listening Guide for Whole-Note Test

As explained on the Year-end Plans page, I put together three whole-note written tests. I called them whole-note tests because they were open-note tests. There were three different tests so a student who stayed in the program for three years would not repeat tests. The tests were based on videos which took two days to watch: Canadian Brass Master Class and Jazz History, The History of Bands in America, and the Wynton Marsalis music videos Sousa to Satchmo and Tackling the Monster. The students received a listening guide which had blanks to fill in. They also received a study guide that covered the test questions that weren’t answered in the videos. The day of the test they were allowed to use their own listening guides and study guides but not their neighbor’s. The tests were given the last week of school and counted heavily on their grades.

What follows is the listening guide for the test on The History of Bands in America. (The study guide is on the following page.)

Download a Microsoft Word version HERE.

  1. Sousa was born in Washington DC
  2. When did bands begin? Around 1800
  3. For what kind of events do bands play? Everything
  4. Two major influences on band history were, (1)The development of instruments and (2)The many uses for bands
  5. How many instruments were in the typical band in the late 1700s? Six to eight
  6. What were the early bands called? Harmony Bands
  7. How difficult were early instruments to play? Very difficult
  8. How expensive were the early instruments? Very expensive
  9. Because of the cost and the ease of playing the instruments, who generally played in the early bands? Professionals
  10. How were the clarinets and oboes limited? They were too soft and too fragile
  11. What was the first brass instrument that could play a melody called? The keyed bugle
  12. Who invented the above instrument? Joseph Halladay
  13. When was the above instrument invented? 1815
  14. When was the Boston Brass Band organized? 1935
  15. What significant invention occurred in the 1840s? valves
  16. When did the Civil War begin? 1861
  17. When was President Lincoln assassinated? 1865
  18. Why were the instruments built "over the shoulder?" So the soldiers behind the band could hear the music
  19. By what year were bands everywhere? 1900
  20. Approximately, how many bands were there at the peak of the town band movement? 40,000
  21. When was the peak of the town band movement? 1910
  22. Why were there so many bands at that time? There was no other music available.
  23. Who was the most famous band director before Sousa? Gilmore
  24. Who was the most famous band director after Gilmore? Sousa
  25. How many instruments were in the "monster" concert that was organized at the end of WW1? 1,000
  26. How many voices were in the about concert?10,000
  27. Who was born in 1854? Sousa
  28. At what age did Sousa start leading the Marine Band? 25
  29. How long did Sousa lead the Marine Band? 12 Years
  30. What happened when Sousa came to town? It was a big event. School and businesses closed.
  31. What was Sousa known as? The March King
  32. How is Sousa best described? He was an entertainer.
  33. When was the Marine Band organized? 1798
  34. Which instruments form a typical Dixieland band? tuba, cornet, clarinet, dums, trombone, piano, and banjo
  35. Which band plays at every presidential inauguration? The Marine Band
  36. Where did Jazz start? New Orleans
  37. What do you have to do to be a good member of a band? Play your instrument, watch the conductor, read the music, and stay in line.
  38. How did Sousa prefer to balance his bands? twice as many woodwinds as brass
  39. When did the US enter WW1? 1917
  40. Why was the above fact mentioned in the video? It was a war of bands.
  41. Which bands were organized in the 1920s? Navy, Army, and Coast Guard
  42. Who named the Marine Band "The President's Own?" President Thomas Jefferson
  43. When did Jazz begin? 1900
  44. What kind of music started in the 1930s and 1940s? Swing
  45. Who was the clarinetist in the video? Benny Goodman
  46. Who was the trumpet player in the video? Harry James
  47. What instrument does Lionel Hampton play? vibraphone
  48. What instrument does Gene Krupa play? drums
  49. What reduced the need for bands? radio and the phonograph
  50. What took the place of town bands? school bands
  51. What did the video say was as traditional as band music itself? formation marching
  52. What has brought band music to more people than anything else? high school and college marching bands
  53. Spell encore. encore
  54. Spell accompanist. accompanist
  55. Spell instrument. instrument
  56. Spell symphony. symphony
  57. Spell staccato. staccato


Video Disclaimer

The attached videos are not perfect examples of how each tune should be played. They are recordings of junior high students, some of whom have had their instruments for only a few months. Also, they are not professional recordings. They were taken by band parents using home equipment and naturally focusing on their own children.

I include them for two reasons: (1) To give you an idea of what the arrangements are like, and (2) To illustrate the kind of performance you can expect from your junior high students.