News
Fall 2023
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) continues to be a focus for me in my role as music educator. I contributed my thoughts to the Pentucket Regional School District Teaching & Learning Blog entitled, “A Social Emotional Mindset in the Pentucket Music Program” in February 2023. I took over as Director of Fine & Performing Arts for PRSD in the fall of 2022 and I have been hard at work supporting our students and teachers to rebuild the Arts as an indispensable and ubiquitous thread within the Pentucket community. I had the honor of guest appearing on two podcasts: Teaching SEL Through Music on the Music For All podcast series in May of 2022, and The Modern Romantic this October. I've also been working on an exciting new beginning band book in partnership with the Boston Education Fund and Boston Public Schools. We are still in the development phase, but I hope to have a version available to the public in the fall of 2024.
Spring 2022
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has become paramount in music education beyond helping students to process the fallout of COVID. This is a thread that is intrinsic to music education, but one that needs to be taught with purpose to reach its potential. I converted my 2020 article The Empathy Project: Accentuating the Inherent SEL Component of Music Education into a presentation that I gave at the Eastern Division Conference in 2021 and for the NAfME Professional Learning Community (PLC) Webinar Series in February of 2022. The goal was to inspire music educators to integrate SEL-infused activities and mindset into their curricula. As a result of these presentations I was asked to write for Jam Session in the April 2022 edition of Teaching Music, and invited to be a guest on the Music For All podcast Teaching Social Emotional Learning Through Music! in April 2022.
Fall 2020
So much has happened in music education over the last year as we adapted to the parameters of COVID-19. While there have certainly been a slew of challenges, the opportunity for growth as educators and students has been tremendous. I truly believe the field of music education has been catapulted forward as we have all worked to find creative solutions to our collective challenges. I've recently published two responses to teaching music in the age of COVID-19. The first was in the Boston Globe in response to an anti-teacher article printed in April 2020. The second was an article on social emotional learning in music education. The Empathy Project: Accentuating the Inherent SEL Component of Music Education was published in the October issue of School Band and Orchestra Magazine. My Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship article was also reprinted in the October issue of Teaching Music.
Summer 2019
I'm very excited to announce that my Jazz Ear Training Curriculum for High School Students is now available! It's a comprehensive ear training curriculum designed to be seamlessly integrated into existing rehearsal time over a two year period, or taught as a dedicated, year long ear training class. The curriculum is geared toward high school students, but would also work for advanced middle school, or college students. It covers theory instruction and aural recognition exercises, and includes composition, performance, and improvisation exercises to help students apply their skills. My own students have been able to realize a direct and profound impact on their playing as a result of their work within this curriculum. The package includes worksheets, assessments, special projects, and custom iReal Pro play-alongs. The curriculum is presented as a Google Doc for convenient navigation and integration of supporting documents that can be printed or shared with your students via Google Drive.
It was a great second half to the school year for my Jazz Program at Pentucket High School! Our Jazz Combo won 1st place at the Berklee College of Music Jazz Festival, and in the process earned the only Superior Musicianship award and two of the three Outstanding Musicianship awards for our division! The Combo also won a Gold Medal in the MAJE Jazz Combo Festival, earning the Most Valuable Performer award and three Outstanding Musicianship awards, along with a spot in the MAJE Jazz Showcase Concert at the Hatch Shell on the Boston Esplanade. Our baritone saxophonist also earned the bari seat in the All-National Jazz Band!
The NYSSMA School Music News republished Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship in their April issue of School Music News.
I will hosting a Getting Your Jazz Students To Hear It All webinar for the PMEA on November 19th at 7pm. This will be my first webinar!
I'm looking forward to the next two years as Assistant Manager, then Manager of the MMEA All-State Jazz Band. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the experience for these incredible students.
I'm honored to be the guest director for the CDMMEA Junior Festival Jazz Band in April/May 2020! I'm working on our program now, and looking forward to the opportunity to work with these talented students.
It was a great second half to the school year for my Jazz Program at Pentucket High School! Our Jazz Combo won 1st place at the Berklee College of Music Jazz Festival, and in the process earned the only Superior Musicianship award and two of the three Outstanding Musicianship awards for our division! The Combo also won a Gold Medal in the MAJE Jazz Combo Festival, earning the Most Valuable Performer award and three Outstanding Musicianship awards, along with a spot in the MAJE Jazz Showcase Concert at the Hatch Shell on the Boston Esplanade. Our baritone saxophonist also earned the bari seat in the All-National Jazz Band!
The NYSSMA School Music News republished Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship in their April issue of School Music News.
I will hosting a Getting Your Jazz Students To Hear It All webinar for the PMEA on November 19th at 7pm. This will be my first webinar!
I'm looking forward to the next two years as Assistant Manager, then Manager of the MMEA All-State Jazz Band. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the experience for these incredible students.
I'm honored to be the guest director for the CDMMEA Junior Festival Jazz Band in April/May 2020! I'm working on our program now, and looking forward to the opportunity to work with these talented students.
Fall 2018
The second half of 2018 was packed with great moments. I presented Getting Your Jazz Students To Hear It All at the VMEA and NHMEA Conferences in October. This clinic focused on the implementation of my 2-year jazz ear training program and the practical results my students experienced. I'm working to have the fully packaged ear training curriculum available soon. Please send me an email if you are interested. I also presented Tech Crew 101 - Building a High School Tech Program From Scratch at the AES HSAE Conference in Boston in September. This presentation discussed how I started the Pentucket High School Audio Tech Program and built it over the subsequent 15 years. It was my first experience with the AES and they put on a great conference at Zumix.
The Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship article I originally wrote for the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal was republished in the MMEA Maine Motif, RHMEA RHIMER, CMEA News, and JAZZed Magazine. JAZZed gave national exposure to the article which was a great opportunity. I discuss my thoughts and approaches to teaching jazz at the high school level as I've done over the past eighteen years. Along with personal anecdotes, I incorporated the feedback and experiences of several former students. Catching up with so many alumni and hearing their impressions of our program was the most rewarding part of the process. Thank you again to all who contributed!
The most recent installment in my Deconstructing series for saxophone - Deconstructing Max, based on the music of jazz drumming legend Max Roach - was premiered in September by Josh Thomas. Josh is a fantastic saxophonist from the US Coast Guard Band who commissioned all three pieces in the series rounded out by Deconstructing Victor and the original Deconstructing Eddie. Check back soon for a recording of the premiere. Josh is also performing Deconstructing Max at the Navy International Saxophone Symposium January 12th at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
The Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship article I originally wrote for the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal was republished in the MMEA Maine Motif, RHMEA RHIMER, CMEA News, and JAZZed Magazine. JAZZed gave national exposure to the article which was a great opportunity. I discuss my thoughts and approaches to teaching jazz at the high school level as I've done over the past eighteen years. Along with personal anecdotes, I incorporated the feedback and experiences of several former students. Catching up with so many alumni and hearing their impressions of our program was the most rewarding part of the process. Thank you again to all who contributed!
The most recent installment in my Deconstructing series for saxophone - Deconstructing Max, based on the music of jazz drumming legend Max Roach - was premiered in September by Josh Thomas. Josh is a fantastic saxophonist from the US Coast Guard Band who commissioned all three pieces in the series rounded out by Deconstructing Victor and the original Deconstructing Eddie. Check back soon for a recording of the premiere. Josh is also performing Deconstructing Max at the Navy International Saxophone Symposium January 12th at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
Summer 2018
On March 2, 2018 I presented Getting Your Jazz Students To Hear It All at the MMEA All-State Conference in Boston. This was a great experience, and one I plan to repeat at future events. The clinic focused on the implementation of my 2-year jazz ear training program and the practical results my students experienced. I plan to have the fully packaged ear training curriculum available by the end of the summer. Please send me an email if you are interested.
I am also currently pitching articles to a variety of state and national publications. Look for my Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship article in the upcoming edition of JazzEd Magazine!
I am also currently pitching articles to a variety of state and national publications. Look for my Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship article in the upcoming edition of JazzEd Magazine!
Spring 2018
My orchestral arrangement of Autumn in New York is NOW AVAILABLE! Published under license from Hal Leonard Corporation, this version was originally commissioned by Le Moyne College for the unique instrumentation of their chamber orchestra. I've updated the arrangement to include auxiliary parts that facilitate performances by ensembles of more traditional instrumentation and everything in between. Rich harmonies and varied textures are interwoven with motivic elements from the melody to form a cohesive, through-composed rendition of this classic tune. Thank you to Dave Rosin and his East Lansing High School Orchestra for making the recording you hear on the website. Check it out HERE.
I recently wrote an article published in the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal entitled Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship. I discuss my thoughts and approaches to teaching jazz at the high school level as I've done over the past sixteen years. Along with personal anecdotes, I incorporated the feedback and experiences of several former students. Catching up with so many alumni and hearing their impressions of our program was the most rewarding part of the process. Thank you to all who contributed! Read the article HERE and check out the full publication HERE.
Schumacher's latest project is an arrangement of Radiohead's "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" for mallet ensemble, e-bass, and drum set. Published under license from Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., this much-anticipated arrangement is NOW AVAILABLE! Perfectly suited for mallet instruments, the interwoven guitar textures of the original recording translate into an ever-evolving, minimalist-inspired tapestry, punctuated by e-bass and drum set. This arrangement is full of energy, and promises to be a favorite among the players and the audience! The UMass Lowell Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Jeff Fischer, premiered this arrangement in November. The below studio recording was done by UML grad student Sean Patterson. Check out this video from the recording studio produced by UML student Adam Ferguson.
Among Schumacher's recent projects is Deconstructing Victor, a sequel to Deconstructing Eddie, both commissioned by saxophonist Josh Thomas. Based on the music of virtuoso bassist Victor Wooten, Deconstructing Victor employs the graceful unfolding development and minimalist approach to material that are integral to Wooten's style. Schumacher explores the dichotomy of soulful groove and ethereal beauty he found captivating in Wooten's music. Though the piece certainly has its moments of virtuosity, Deconstructing Victor is more about emotion and nuance, than the pyrotechnic audacity of Eddie. However, as with Deconstructing Eddie, this piece is not about clever abstractions and subtle derivation. It's meant to be a fun, clearly derivative, over-the-top work that pushes the limits of the performer and inspires a little "air bass" from the listener. This one's for all of us who have ever wanted to get our groove on!
Schumacher Group
Exploring the vivid colors and textures of the modern jazz orchestra, composer David Schumacher conducts his collective of New York’s finest players through a journey of meditations, inspired improvisations, and in-your-face grooves. He strives for a natural, seamless evolution of material by intertwining improvised and composed elements into organic structures and extended forms. From the pointillistic starkness of his minimalist inspired textures to the saturated colors of his orchestration, Schumacher brings balance and intrigue to the listener.
Sound Assembly
The Schumacher / Sanford Sound Assembly is a 17-piece collective of New York's finest players featuring the original compositions of David Schumacher and JC Sanford. Schumacher and Sanford strive for organic structures, extended forms, and motivic development through a colorful palette of orchestration. They intertwine improvised and composed elements in their work to create a natural, seamless evolution of material. It is a combination full of excitement and intrigue that will fulfill the most critical and demanding jazz audience.
Sound Assembly members, including drummer John Hollenbeck, pianist Deanna Witkowski, trumpeter John Bailey, trombonists Mark Patterson and Alan Ferber, and reedmen Chris Bacas, Ben Kono, and Dan Willis bring a vast range of experience to the group. The talents of these members showcase the unmistakable sound, style, and nuance of co-leaders Schumacher and Sanford.
Available from iTunes and all major online vendors, their critically acclaimed jazz orchestra album Edge of The Mind was a “Top 10 Jazz Album Of The Year” and an “Editor’s Pick” at CD Baby.
Sound Assembly members, including drummer John Hollenbeck, pianist Deanna Witkowski, trumpeter John Bailey, trombonists Mark Patterson and Alan Ferber, and reedmen Chris Bacas, Ben Kono, and Dan Willis bring a vast range of experience to the group. The talents of these members showcase the unmistakable sound, style, and nuance of co-leaders Schumacher and Sanford.
Available from iTunes and all major online vendors, their critically acclaimed jazz orchestra album Edge of The Mind was a “Top 10 Jazz Album Of The Year” and an “Editor’s Pick” at CD Baby.