| JerryNowak.net |
| Copyright © 2005 Jerry Nowak. All rights reserved. |
Welcome to my website. Here you’ll find a list of my published compositions and arrangements (including
MP3 files of my latest works), and my current schedule including teaching events and performances.
Plus, you'll find details about my two recently published text books, Conducting the Music, Not the
Musicians, and The Art of Expressive Playing. Both texts are the culmination of over forty years of
performing, teaching, and composing and arranging.
Conducting the Music, Not the Musicians (Carl Fischer, 2002) was co-written with my brother Henry
and leverages the insights of our teachers, Pablo Casals and Lucien Cailliet. Both were proponents of
using internal imagery to shape the conducting gestures needed to achieve expressive performance.
While covering the basics of conducting technique, this text remains focused on teaching how clearly and
eloquently conducted musical phrases leads to the most expressive playing. As one reviewer remarked,
our focus as conductors is on "expressing musical phrases so clearly that the musicians find themselves
naturally creating the phrases with us." This explains our rationale for the title, “Conducting the Music,
Not the Musicians”.
MP3 files of my latest works), and my current schedule including teaching events and performances.
Plus, you'll find details about my two recently published text books, Conducting the Music, Not the
Musicians, and The Art of Expressive Playing. Both texts are the culmination of over forty years of
performing, teaching, and composing and arranging.
Conducting the Music, Not the Musicians (Carl Fischer, 2002) was co-written with my brother Henry
and leverages the insights of our teachers, Pablo Casals and Lucien Cailliet. Both were proponents of
using internal imagery to shape the conducting gestures needed to achieve expressive performance.
While covering the basics of conducting technique, this text remains focused on teaching how clearly and
eloquently conducted musical phrases leads to the most expressive playing. As one reviewer remarked,
our focus as conductors is on "expressing musical phrases so clearly that the musicians find themselves
naturally creating the phrases with us." This explains our rationale for the title, “Conducting the Music,
Not the Musicians”.
The Art of Expressive Playing (Carl Fischer, 2004) is believed to be the world's first and only comprehensive text book on
phrasing and expressive playing. Also co-written with Henry, it was designed to stimulate imagery skills by focusing on the creative
process that comes before the musician plays their first note. Teaching the concepts in this series to students before they begin to
learn repertoire will lead to greater student creativity and will save you valuable rehearsal time by improving your ensemble's
performance.
I retired in 2005 from Bucks County Community College after 36 years, but I'm busier than ever. I am the Musical Director of the
Delaware Valley Wind Symphony and still play regularly with Philadelphia Saxophone Quartet. In 2007 I contributed four
arrangements and conducted the recording sessions on James Gafgen's new CD, La Voce Romantica. In January of 2009 I
completed my twenty-fourth season of teaching at the Jerry Nowak Conducting Summer School in Sydney Australia on behalf of the
Australia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. In the past year Kendor has published six new charts of mine, including three
originals for their Jazz Journey Series, while this spring Carl Fischer and Northeastern Music published my new compositions for
concert band.
phrasing and expressive playing. Also co-written with Henry, it was designed to stimulate imagery skills by focusing on the creative
process that comes before the musician plays their first note. Teaching the concepts in this series to students before they begin to
learn repertoire will lead to greater student creativity and will save you valuable rehearsal time by improving your ensemble's
performance.
I retired in 2005 from Bucks County Community College after 36 years, but I'm busier than ever. I am the Musical Director of the
Delaware Valley Wind Symphony and still play regularly with Philadelphia Saxophone Quartet. In 2007 I contributed four
arrangements and conducted the recording sessions on James Gafgen's new CD, La Voce Romantica. In January of 2009 I
completed my twenty-fourth season of teaching at the Jerry Nowak Conducting Summer School in Sydney Australia on behalf of the
Australia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. In the past year Kendor has published six new charts of mine, including three
originals for their Jazz Journey Series, while this spring Carl Fischer and Northeastern Music published my new compositions for
concert band.
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New and Old Concert Band Pieces Now in Print and Available
FESTIVALS OF AMERICAN SPIRITUALS MEDLEY -- Grade level 4 and contains the following well known spirituals: Little David, Play
on Your Harp, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, Were You There?, Joshua, Nobody Knows the
Trouble I’ve Seen, and Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit. Length: 6:45.
FANTASIA ON “BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR” -- Grade level 4 and features many solos and lyrical rubato
sections. Length: 4:30.
SUITE FOR WOODWIND QUINTET AND BAND -- Grade level 3-4. In four movements: Andante, Allegretto, Andante and Alle Marcia.
Length: 6:15.
GREAT LAKES OVERTURE -- Grade level 3. Commissioned by the Clarence New York Central School District and dedicated to
Revel Mauis. Length: 4:30.
THE WHITE ENSIGN -- Grade level 4-5. Dedicated to the Royal Australian Navy Band and Lieutenant Commander Bill Farrell. Its
premier performance by the Royal Australian Navy Band took place in 1987 at the Sydney Opera House.
The price for each is $50 (including shipping within the U.S. and Canada) and includes a bound score and one copy of each part
with permission to duplicate. I accept personal checks (payable to Jerry Nowak, 42 Madison Ave, Flemington, NJ, USA) and PayPal
payments sent to jerrynowak2@comcast.net.
All my published pieces with William Allen Music are now available through Barnhouse Publications. There are 37 pieces all
together, including concert bands on the elementary, middle school, and junior high level. Also, there are some marching band and
jazz ensemble pieces. They are all listed on their web site, www.barnhouse.com, and can easily be found there by searching my
name.
FESTIVALS OF AMERICAN SPIRITUALS MEDLEY -- Grade level 4 and contains the following well known spirituals: Little David, Play
on Your Harp, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, Were You There?, Joshua, Nobody Knows the
Trouble I’ve Seen, and Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit. Length: 6:45.
FANTASIA ON “BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR” -- Grade level 4 and features many solos and lyrical rubato
sections. Length: 4:30.
SUITE FOR WOODWIND QUINTET AND BAND -- Grade level 3-4. In four movements: Andante, Allegretto, Andante and Alle Marcia.
Length: 6:15.
GREAT LAKES OVERTURE -- Grade level 3. Commissioned by the Clarence New York Central School District and dedicated to
Revel Mauis. Length: 4:30.
THE WHITE ENSIGN -- Grade level 4-5. Dedicated to the Royal Australian Navy Band and Lieutenant Commander Bill Farrell. Its
premier performance by the Royal Australian Navy Band took place in 1987 at the Sydney Opera House.
The price for each is $50 (including shipping within the U.S. and Canada) and includes a bound score and one copy of each part
with permission to duplicate. I accept personal checks (payable to Jerry Nowak, 42 Madison Ave, Flemington, NJ, USA) and PayPal
payments sent to jerrynowak2@comcast.net.
All my published pieces with William Allen Music are now available through Barnhouse Publications. There are 37 pieces all
together, including concert bands on the elementary, middle school, and junior high level. Also, there are some marching band and
jazz ensemble pieces. They are all listed on their web site, www.barnhouse.com, and can easily be found there by searching my
name.