I did not want to overwhelm my beginning students with too much information at once. As a result, I skewed heavily toward refinement (80%) over new skills (20%). For beginning 6th grade students, creating proper set-up and playing position was my main goal. I also considered what playing techniques I planned to refine. That information, paired with in-depth knowledge of your students’ performance abilities, will help directors determine how many new concepts occur in the repertoire.ĭuring my time as a public-school director, I used a basic math formula to determine the amount of new skills I wanted to introduce. note range, changing clefs, symbols, terminology) were necessary to produce a high-level performance. bow strokes, tone colors, stylistic playing, articulations), and music reading skills (i.e. shifting, vibrato, various finger patterns, extensions), right hand (i.e. Once you narrow down possible repertoire choices for your next concert, dissect each piece to determine what playing techniques are required. If you have a limited number of rehearsals due to state testing and field trips, consider that when selecting repertoire. Also consider the amount of rehearsal time for each concert sequence. While "Canon in D" is an outstanding work, it would not give an ensemble with weak violins the best opportunity to succeed. If I have a strong cello section and weak violins, "Canon in D" is probably not the best repertoire choice. I avoided pieces that featured inexperienced sections and selected those that highlighted my ensemble’s strengths. With that knowledge, directors can choose repertoire that nurtures their students’ musical development.Įffective programming involves emphasizing the strong sections of your ensemble, limiting the exposure of inexperienced sections, and knowing how hard you can push your students during each concert cycle. Before selecting repertoire for each concert, make a list of which concepts they perform proficiently and those that need strengthening. Part of setting realistic expectations is accurately understanding your students’ playing abilities. Make creating positive musical experiences the goal in your classroom. “Playing hard music” should not be the goal. Yes, most students want to push themselves to learn “hard” music, but it can be demoralizing to those who just stay afloat. Did you stop more than four times because the ensemble fell apart? Were the students in the back of the ensemble lost? If the answers to those questions were “yes,” consider selecting alternate repertoire that will lead to more student success. One way to help avoid going down the road of negativity would be to pay close attention when sight-reading new music with your students. Directors then project their stress onto their students during class, and that negatively impacts the rehearsal environment. Those decisions often lead to unrealistic expectations and result in directors becoming upset when their students do not rise to the challenge. Common examples include programming specific repertoire because directors played it during their middle or high school career, a desire to teach a masterwork, or blindly choosing music based on a recording. I have found that some directors choose concert repertoire with their hearts instead of their heads. Set Realistic ExpectationsĪs an adjudicator, the most common concern that other adjudicators and I discuss is that ensemble directors over program. Considering the four strategies below will help directors create positive learning experiences for their students. Some of those common pitfalls could include not fully understanding student performance abilities, perhaps not being completely aware of the specific techniques required in each piece, and not understanding what might truly musically motivate your students. To meet these objectives, directors should strive to avoid common pitfalls when choosing music. The first step in creating those positive experiences was choosing repertoire that met students’ musical needs, engaged them in the music-making process, and excited them about playing their instruments. During my career as a school orchestra director, my main objective was to foster successful experiences for my students. Thoughtfully selected repertoire can properly develop students’ technique from concert to concert, cultivate musicality, energize daily rehearsals, and motivate students to practice outside of class. Repertoire selection is one of the most significant decisions made by ensemble directors.
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