Unit 6: Brass Ensemble with Hollie and Bernard

Genre Overview

Brass ensembles have a long and varied history in the United States, from community brass bands in 19th century New England to the second line tradition in New Orleans. Modern brass instruments were invented in the early 19th century, and by the 1830s, many community bands switched to all brass instruments. By 1850, there were more than 3,000 professional and amateur brass bands in the United States. Every small town had a brass band, and a town the size of Savannah could be expected to have multiple. The most famous composer for bands large and small, John Philip Sousa, was conductor of the U.S. Marine Band and wrote the official national march of the United States, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” which we learn about in Lesson 2.

Learn more!

Readings:

• Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans by Matt Sakakeeny
• Making the March King: John Philip Sousa’s Washington Years by Patrick Warfield

Listening & Viewing:

• Empire Brass Quintet, Mozart for Brass (Telarc)
• Canadian Brass, Canadian Brass Takes Flight (Opening Day)
• Rebirth Brass Band, Rebirth of New Orleans (Basin Street Records)
• tenThing, 10 (Warner Classics)

Additional Teaching Resources:

• “Adventures with the Orchestra by Artie Almeida” is a full curriculum for teaching students about the orchestra.
• “Families of Instruments” is an interactive website with embedded videos and sound clips of each instrument in the orchestra.