Understanding early auloi: Instruments from Paestum, Pydna and elsewhere

Starting from data on the ‘Paestum’ or ‘Poseidonia’ aulos established by Paul andBarbara Reichlin-Moser and Stelios Psaroudakēs, the ‘Pydna’ aulos, and comparable finds ofearly, mainly six-hole one-hole-shift, doublepipe fragments, possible musical interpretations ofthis important instrument type of the early Classical Period are considered. Probable pitchesand intervals are assessed by means of well-tested software and confirmed experimentally;the required double reeds of a much longer type than known from later periods are shownto be substantiated by iconographic and literary testimony. The harmonic analysis of theinstruments proposes the notion of a rudimentary tetrachordal structure, with equallydivided tetrachords, which is both plausible in terms of music-ethnological parallels and thedevelopment of ancient musical theory. Some of the studied instruments appear to adhereto an early pitch standard, seemingly coinciding with the typical cithara octave. Criticalevaluation of literary sources finally leads to a cautious interpretation as ‘Lydian’ instruments.

Inservice Music Educators’ Perceived Comfort for Teaching and Performing on Secondary Band Instruments

I surveyed inservice instrumental music educators ( N = 96) to determine their comfort level for teaching and performing on secondary band instruments. Research questions included the following: (a) How comfortable do inservice music educators feel teaching and performing on secondary instruments? (b) Does grade level affect educators’ comfort levels? (c) Does the educators’ primary instrument family relate to their perceived comfort level for teaching and playing on secondary instruments? and (d) Does the format of instrument classes during preparation programs influence educators’ comfort for teaching and playing secondary instruments? Participants reported moderate comfort on most instruments, with brass being most comfortable. Participants indicating woodwind as a primary instrument reported an overall higher comfort level for teaching and performing on brass instruments, whereas low comfort levels on double reeds. High school educators felt least comfortable teaching and performing on secondary instruments. Participants who took Split-Families and Semester-Families preservice classes felt more comfortable performing on secondary instruments versus those who took Individual-Instrument courses.

Yusef Lateef's Autophysiopsychic Quest

Yusef Lateef's neologism for jazz was autophysiopsychic, meaning “music from one's physical, mental and spiritual self.” Lateef condensed in this term a very considered conception linking the intellectual and the spiritual based in his faith as an Ahmadiyya Muslim and his lifelong commitment to both Western and non-Western intellectual explorations. Lateef's distinctive voice as an improviser is traced with respect to his autophysiopsychic exploration of world instruments including flutes, double reeds, and chordophones, and his friendship with John Coltrane. The two shared a love of spiritual exploration as well as the study of science, physics, symmetry, and mathematics. Lateef's ethnomusicological research on Hausa music in Nigeria, as well as his other writings and visual art, deepen our understanding of him as an artist-scholar who cleared the way for the presence of autophysiopsychic musicians in the academy.

Relationships among Selected Variables in the South Dakota All-State Band Auditions

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of school enrollment, distance to audition site, sex of auditionees, and instrument type on the results of the 1992–97 South Dakota all-state band auditions. Results include the following: (1) total audition scores were better for students from larger schools and for those who traveled a shorter distance to the audition; (2) female students' scores were significantly better than those of male students, but there was no significant difference in the percentages of successful auditions between males and females; (3) scores differed significantly between instrument groups, with flutes and double reeds receiving the best scores, followed by saxophones, trumpets and French horns, low brass and string basses, and clarinets; and (4) the variables of distance to audition site, instrument group, and sex accounted for 11% of the variance in total audition scores.