High School and Middle School Concerts:
Although Dr. Corwell primarily performs at universities and for other adult concert-series engagements, he also frequently performs for school children of all ages, from pre-school to the high school level. In addition to his “Kiddie Concerts”, he also presents numerous concerts in high schools and middle schools across the country. The goal of these programs is to educate and inspire the students and get them excited about participation in their school’s music programs. In 1999 Dr. Corwell was certified as an official artist for the Maryland State Arts Council’s Arts-in-Education program, thereby granting a government stamp of approval to the quality of his presentations.
Making full use of his vast repertoire, Dr. Corwell shapes these programs in accordance with the age and experience of the specific audience, the wants of the hosting teacher, and the timing of class schedules. These programs are typically presented in the school’s band room, auditorium, or cafeteria and the audience may consist of the entire student body, but more usually of the school’s band, chorus, and general music students. Master class instruction is also available during these visits, as part of the main presentation, or during a separate time period. If the class schedule dictates, an identical performance may be presented a few times during the course of a school day, so that all students may benefit from Dr. Corwell’s visit to their school.
During these concert/talk/demonstrations, Neal typically performs primarily on the euphonium, but he also may have along with him a trombone (bass and/or tenor), tuba, baritone horn (yes, it’s different from a euphonium!), and perhaps even an ophicleide!
The solo arrangements and original works included on these programs vary from fast-and-furious, to beautiful and lyrical, and from silly to (somewhat) serious. The accompaniments for these mini-recitals is pre-recorded audio which features both acoustic and electronic instruments. Sometimes live electronics are also used, and, as a recent innovation, Neal now also often brings along a battery of percussion instruments, most of which are controlled by foot pedals. He plays his brass solos while simultaneously accompanying himself using this auxilary percussion, usually to humorous effect.
By the way, the school host for these events does not need to provide anything in the way of logistical support other than a working electrical outlet and access to the performance space. Dr. Corwell brings along all the electronic audio and percussion equipment that he requires.
Dr. Corwell’s presentations usually include time for answering questions from the students. These Q & A sessions usually cover more than just questions about brass instruments. They typically also prompt discussions of electronic music, recording techniques, percussion instruments, and topics related to music performance, composing and arranging.
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To ask Dr. Corwell about coming to your school, please contact him via email (see the “Contact Neal” link at bottom of this page). He often presents multiple performances within a single day and his (quite reasonable) fees are based upon the number of performances, the length of performances, his travel time to your school, and other factors.
Schools in Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are all potentially within range of his residence in Maryland, and he also presents these concerts at schools in other parts of the country if he is already in the region for one of his college solo tours.