McFarland High School Music
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Download Instructions:
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All of the media (music-.MP3 files and graphic-picture files) can be downloaded for FREE in both Album form and as separate .MP3 files.
To DOWNLOAD the .MP3 music file: Move the cursor over the name of the song in the MUSIC PLAYER list and a box with the word "Download" will appear. OR, the complete album can be downloaded by selecting the words "Download Album" in the upper left of the MUSIC PLAYER.
*IMPORTANT: Make sure to IDENTIFY and REMEMBER which folder contains the downloaded .MP3 music files.
After the music has been downloaded to the computer, use the same process as with other downloaded music in order to add it to iTunes (Apple Music player):
1. Open iTunes on your computer.
2. In the 'File' pull-down menu select "Add to Library."
3. Find the Folder which holds the downloaded MP3 music files.
4. Choose one or multiple files to Add, and select the "Open" button. itunes will do the rest and add the music to your library.
5. And like with other music you add, you will need to sync your devices with iTunes to add the music to them.
To DOWNLOAD images from the gallery (on the right side of album sections), either:
1. move the pointer over the photo, then locate and click on the download icon on the image (lower right of the square) and save to computer,
OR,
2. click on the photo and when it displays in full screen locate and click on the
download icon (upper left of the full screen).
To DOWNLOAD the personnel text file (Lyrics and Personnel List text for the Choir Album):
1. click on the Spartan helmet image and when it displays in full screen locate and click on the word "Download" underlined beneath the text to the right of the Spartan helmet. Do NOT click on the download icon in the upper left as it will only download the Spartan helmet image.
Once the MP3 music file has been downloaded and added to iTunes (Apple Music player) it is in a basic uniform configuration, having ONE graphic file attached to it (the album cover) .
HOWEVER... iTunes (Apple Music player) allows for adding extra graphic files (e.g. photos of the back cover of the album, the inner circle song selection listing from the vinyl record, and other photos). This can be done in iTunes (Apple Music player) by clicking the three dots at the end of the song title, or '<control>-click' anywhere on the song line which reveals a pop-up menu. Clicking on the 'Song Info' in that menu will display a pop up window which will allow multiple graphic files to be added and arranged in the 'Artwork' section (just click and drag the file from the folder), and text (such as an ensemble personnel list, as well as lyrics) can be copied and pasted into the 'Lyrics' section when the 'Custom Lyrics' box is checked.
In this “Apple Music” configuration the added information (extra photos, text in the Custom Lyrics, etc.) is transferred with each .MP3 file to the synced devices, but only the 'Lyrics' are viewable (in this case the Personnel List in “Custom Lyrics”). The added info is NOT transferred when moving or sending the .MP3 file to someone else’s device.
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A Personal Note:
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During my tenure at Walt Disney World in Florida (1982 - 2020), along with my musician duties playing in different ensembles on Disney property, I was honored to work as a Disney Instrumental Ensemble Clinician for the visiting High School and Middle School bands at Walt Disney World. I would conduct their full Concert Bands through two and a half hour workshops. Each workshop would end with the ensemble, having learned all of the requirements a musician needs to be a professional, recording a short piece of Disney music along with a short Disney movie clip, both audio and video recorded for the band director to take home, so it could be shown to the school boards and proud parents, grandparents, siblings, and student population.
I taught an average of 100 ensembles per year, each with an average of 50 students. Altogether, over a period of 14 years, that's approximately 1,400 bands and 70,000 students. I consider those students to be the "musical grandchildren" of the names listed below. And, I gratefully add, I have Disney to thank for that.
During that time of being a Disney clinician I can think of only two bands that might have given the 1969-1973 McFarland HS band a run for their money. One was a LARGE ensemble from Texas (175 students, combined ensembles), and the other was a high honors band from... Japan! The Japan group was technically PERFECT! But,... expressivity is the essence of art. And, while incredibly impressive, the Japan group needed work in that area.
And yet,... a small, almost minuscule, school system just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, with less than 100 kids graduating each year, had music ensembles taking top honors at international festivals, and would consistently and immeasurably surpass its competitors at district and state-wide competitions... for quite a few years. I keep asking myself how something like that happens. Perhaps the answer is in my last statement below.
As of this date (late 2022) all of these albums will, in short time, be reaching the half-century mark (some having already done so). I would be remiss if I didn't recognize our teachers and directors of that time:
Prof. Thomas L. Dvorak (High School Band)
Glenn Nielsen (Jr. High Band)
Jack T. Pingel (Jr. High Band until 1970)
Ronald Wood (Jr. High Band, 1970-71)
Charles M. Thomley (Choir, High School and Jr. High)
William Erickson (High School and Jr. High Choir until 1971)
And, while some individuals may stand out, it WAS CERTAINLY a group effort, with no one contributing less or more that the other. I will simply re-iterate what I stated elsewhere on this site:
I think we all saw the same vision.
-Dave Jones
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Vinyl Digital Transference Information:
(Technical stuff follows, but it's pretty much understandable... Really... it IS! aw, c'mon, ...give it a chance...)
As with all projects (the ones I willingly decide to tackle, and the ones I don't) this ended up being just a bit more work and taking a bit more time than I expected. I set out to:
1. digitally record the vinyl selections into Apple's full-fledged recording program Logic Pro X,
2. then change the full-sized recorded .WAV files into smaller .MP3 files and,
3. upload them into a digital website player for listeners to play or download.
It's as easy as that, right?
WRONG!!!!!
While that WAS the basic idea, a thousand (seemingly) other little dilemmas presented themselves, one being Fatigue by the end of each day over a few weeks, which makes for REALLY interesting occurrences like: "...ok... How the BLEEP did the third tune of '69-'70 get in the second spot of '72-'73? And where is the tune that's SUPPOSED to be in that slot?" ...you know... fun stuff like that. At that point, wanting to go into an equipment-smashing frenzy I, instead, very carefully and measuredly turned everything off and went to bed. It was tough to do, but I did...
So, once I had recorded the .WAV files in Logic Pro X, just before converting to the smaller-sized .MP3 files (e.g. the difference being .WAV file = 100 MB, .MP3 = only 7 MB), I noticed the wonderful snap, crackle, and pop of the dust and other microscopic particles that I so lovingly tried to eliminate with the specially designed record cleaning bar equipped with a taught pseudo-felt cloth and liquid solution, making 3 or 4 passes on the vinyl, along with a SECOND static electric charge eliminating brush bar... and a few passes of that, as well.
A few years back I digitally transferred some 'out-of-print' albums (that's what we're doing here) and discovered a computer program called 'Click Repair' which I used to digitally remove all of the unwanted crackling sounds. I still had it installed on the computer, so I used that. Quite an amazing program, with just a few user controls, it does a GREAT job of taking all of that noise out and leaving the musical sounds untouched. Unfortunately, it is no longer supported, but it can be found at a few 'authorized' program-file websites and is considered, as such, "Legacy" software. (look the term up)
Then, upon putting the 'fixed' ('un-crackled') .WAV file BACK into Logic Pro, there was still that annoying RUMBLE (low-end frequency) that naturally comes from the turntable turning. So, using the software processing capabilities of the Logic Pro recording program, I placed an equalizer plug-in (attachable app) in the track of the .WAV file (think "Treble, Mid, Bass" with each of those divided into three sections - e.g. upper-Treble, mid-Treble, low-Treble, etc.). There are some presets already programmed for just such a thing as turntable RUMBLE. If you could count the vibrations of that RUMBLE it would happen 50 times per second. That's called 50 Hz (hertz - pronounced like the auto rental company, meaning vibrations or cycles per second). The human ear cannot hear that low (though it still interferes with the other frequencies and expends wasted energy by the playback system, be it software or amps and speakers). With the EQ (equalizer) plug-in preset I could take out any sound at 50 Hz and below on the whole song of every song.
So, THAT problem was solved... somewhat...
Oh, but wait... there are still a few extra vibrations of RUMBLE that are faster (consequently higher in pitch) than 50Hz (usually somewhere around 100 Hz). These 'mid-frequency' left-overs of turntable RUMBLE are usually softer in VOLUME (loudness) than that of the music which occurs at that frequency... UNTIL there's a soft part, or a 'fractions-of-a-second' dead-air spot written into the musical piece.
At this point I seriously ask myself, "Why can't they all be nice, loud Sousa Marches?"
So, if and when called for, I went into the recorded audio (by watching Logic Pro's graphic representation of the .WAV file audio - on the computer screen it looks like a cartoon version of a strip of magnetic recording tape from an old tape cassette, slowly scrolling to the left), and I manually set the volume to get soft or loud in different spots on the cartoon tape... but only for the treble... or sometimes the bass... or sometimes for the mid-range... or, in this case, to whatever the particular frequency (in this case around 100 Hz) in the dead-air spots so that the RUMBLE would be 'surgically' removed just at those special spots and un-noticeable. Then, when the music came back in, the volume of that frequency would have to be brought up... we don't want the music to sound thin, tinny, and lackluster. Luckily, over the span of 5 albums, there were only about as many tunes that needed that action. I did the same, also, with different frequencies to, let's say, boost the piano, or limit the booming nature of the bass guitar, etc. Once again, it wasn't needed but just a handful of times as minor adjustments.
THEN!... there were a couple of REALLY odd anomalies. In one of the pieces, I think that some recording engineer with the record company, while copying the recorded tape version to the vinyl, leaned on a button, generating a high pitched 'test tone,' but quickly withdrew their elbow when they heard it. Oops! I was able to 'surgically remove' that with the EQ plug-in, as well.
Without going any further and REALLY getting into the techy stuff... I hope you enjoy the "cleaned-up" digitized versions of the McFarland Music groups 1969 through 1973!