Research Grants

Click here for research grant information and application.

One of the newest projects of the NBA is the awarding of $500 grants to NBA
members who are conducting research on any topic that pertains to “bands.”
Upon completion of the project, the money is awarded, and an overview of
the research will appear in the NBA Journal. The first give winners
(awarded December 2005-2007) are below:

1) Researching and Recording Selected Wind Band Compositions of James Clifton Williams – Dr. Barry Ellis

The project will include the recording of Symphonic Dances No. 1-5, Concertino for Percussion and Band, Dramatic Essay for solo trumpet and band, and The Sinfonians with male chorus.  The researcher has been in contact with the composer’s daughter and received 3 unpublished Williams’ works: Symphonic Dances Nos. 1, 4, and 5.  These three movements were originally composed for orchestra as a part of a five-movement work.  William’s transcribed movements 2 and 3 and they are published.  Francis McBeth has recently transcribed No. 1 and Michael Brown, arranger for The US Army Band, Pershing’s Own, has agreed to transcribe No. 4.  Williams transcribed Symphonic Dance No. 5 and this has been made available to the researcher. 

The researcher has also gained access to the composer’s personal letters and these will be used for scholarly research.  Mark Morette of Mark Custom Recording will be the recording engineer. 
 

2) The Rock and Roll Wind Ensemble – Michael S. Yonchak

This project will culminate in a document that will provide scholarly information on Frank Zappa’s Dog Breath Variations, Envelopes, and G-Spot Tornado.  The document will include “background information of the piece, full structural and harmonic analyses, stylistic suggestions, staging concerns, and acoustical considerations (specifically due to the incorporation of a large number of amplified instruments).”  The research includes examination of existing recordings of the three works and other representative works, examination of recordings by composers that influenced Zappa during his younger years, interviews with close associates of Zappa, analysis of scores, and rehearsing and performing the three works.

3) Native Voices--––Craig Naylor

A five-day $45,000 program has been designed by University of Mary Washington faculty member Dr. Craig Naylor to teach multiculturalism to K-12 teachers in November 2006. This project will teach teachers how Native American culture relates to all other American cultures through presenting original Native America music. The project director, Craig Naylor, has commissioned two new pieces of music by noted living Native American composers.

Few works by Native American Composers exist in the wind literature. Native Voices will bring four Native American/First National composers to the University of Mary Washington for a nine-day residency leading to the performance of their works by the UMW Wind and Percussion Ensemble. Three works have been commissioned for the occasion: two by First Nation composers Barbara Croall and Raven Chacon, and the third by UMW composer-in-residence David Long. These works have been stipulated to be 5-7 minutes long, grade 4 or easy 5. The NBA grant will be used for development and reproduction costs to prepare multicultural workshop materials for teacher in-service for new band compositions by Native American composers in a fine arts program.

4) School Bands in Illinois: 1884-1930––Philip Hash

Large-scale development of school bands took place shortly after World War I in reaction to a number of social factors including the advent of military training in schools, musical preferences of a changing school population, the rise of progressive education, and promotion of bands by instrument manufacturers attempting to open new markets following the decline of military and community bands. Although the existence of a few school bands in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has been confirmed, information regarding other school bands organized during this time as yet to be uncovered, creating the need for additional research in this area. Based on research completed at this time, it appears likely that school bands were much more prevalent during the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth centuries than has previously been acknowledged.

The purpose of this study is to examine the growth of school bands in Illinois from the late eighteenth century to the early 1930s. Information regarding early histories of individual school bands organized before World War I, the origins and influence of the Illinois School Band Association on the band movement, and conclusions relating practices and traditions of early bands to those in contemporary education will be included.

5) Data Collection for “The Wind Band in Japan”––David Hebert

In recent decades Japan has become increasingly recognized as a vitally important nation in the field of wind bands. However, there remains a notable absence of published books in the English language that document the current state and recent history of Japanese winds bands.

The principal researcher, Dr. David Hebert, is author of the only research on Japanese bands published in leading peer-reviewed scholarly journals for wind bands (Journal of Band Research and Journal of Research in Music Education). His dissertation examined music teaching and learning in a Japanese school band. This grant will be used to support supplementary data collection for a proposed book on this topic that is tentatively entitled The Wind Band in Japan.

Application Deadline: November 1st each year.