Il I I I I I I II II

Preparing For Your Orchestra Rehearsal

for rehearsals' As orchestra directors we spend a great deal of time preparing will rehearsals effective have to In this chapter, the essentiai planniig needed program orchestra any of be discussed with the undersianding that the success and i, .or-,rir.,g"r,t on the d,irector's interiersonal skills, organizational abilities, and room rehearsal your musicianship. Covered in this chapler are preparing strategies; rehearsal your of equipment; ?actors to consider in ihe prepiration and string instruments; di?f&ences and commonalties in teaching wind, brass, planning; and readylesson .t oorir"tg music for your SrouPS; score preparation; ing yourself for auditions or tryouts'

PREPARING YOUR REHEARSAL ROOM AND EQUIPMENT your room and equipment must both be readied for each rehearsal. The enviinviting, urll ronment in which you and your students work must be clean, rehearsal a healthy to essential is comfortable. Although regullr maintenance
preparation may be needed b-efore the beginning environment, more "*t"r1J.'" polished,-and of a new term. Wood or linofeum floors should be waxed and be washed, should windows vacuumed. ;;.p;i; should be shampooed and (lights and system electrical The and walls should be cleaned and/or painted. so that checked should-be cooling) and outlets) and ventilation system (heating and repaired be should outlets and they are in proper working o,d"t' t'ights. ensure to checked and cleaned be ,"1a""d, and ventilation Jystems should

I
-

airflow and temperature control. Chairs and stands should be repaired or replaced' to be sure that they u." in good condition or have been checked to be sure it and needed as Recording equipment shoid be serviced is ready for use.

,i"q"rt"

checked

Such repairs as needed. You also need to ensure that regular maintenance,

Youneedtoinspectanyschool-ownedinstrumentsandcompleteany

as

1.47

.=:

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

srring replacement, bow rehairing, pad replacement, and piano tuning is periormed on schooi instruments. Replenish any supplies, such as reeds, valve oil, strings, and rosin. Uniforms, if used, need to be cleaned and repaired as necessafl,. Finally, you need to make sure that instrument storage areas are cleaned and prepared for student use.

I I

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE PREPARATION OF YOUR REHEARSAI, STRATEGIES

You will be working with a variety of students generally placed in groups according to either grade or ability level and sometimes a combination of both. It is not uncommon to think of your orchestral groups as first year, second vear, third year, and so forth; beginning, intermediate, and advanced; or elementary, middle school/junior high, and high school; or some combination of these categories. Whatever the label, you need to determine the goals you want each group of students to accomplish as you prepare your rehearsal strategies. Factors to consider are the following: 1. Length of time per class and number of days a week you are able to meet your students. 2. Your school system. Will you be teaching in an "arts school" or in a specially funded program? Are there community leaders and parents who can help and/ or assist you with your program? What is the performance tradition of the program? Will your students perform regularly? Do they tour? If so, do they tour inside the region, the state, the country, or internationally? 3. Student opportunities to take private or group lessons outside of your of school. (Note: Some schools offer private lessons or small group lesson training as part of the school curriculum.) 4. Opportunities to perform in groups (chamber music, youth orchestras, community ensembles, etc.) outside of your school program. 5. Motivational level of the students with whom you will be working in relation to the environment in which they live. (A university environment, concerts both from groups within your area and from concert series of touring artists, special funding programs such as artist-in-residence programs, and volunteers from the school district may all affect students' motivational level.)
Let's look at each one of these factors and see how they can be used to help \-ou prepare your rehearsal strategies.

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Class Length and Your School Orchestra's Tradition

It is obr-ious that the more time you spend with your students, the more you car.r accomplish with them. Curriculums vary widely across the United States.
a studr- of string programs across the nation, Gillespie and Hamann (1998)

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PreparingForyour

OrchestraRehearsal

ll9

iur,, week from per class with thirty minutes as rh.;;";';;mmon. Middte/ junior high/hish school "r*""J^; time pr"ogr;;;',;;dtto meet ,r."" ;r^ middle/iunior high schoor Generalry, ,i-Ir.ru"ruge -?"ti"g forty-five ""**t. mrnutes in length, *hu.r."r.r high school p_.og.u*, *L""i'ir. rirry minutes.

and Hamann, Gillespie, and Bergon zi (2002) found that elemer prog.rams generally mee*wo o.Ih.""

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and other "o]r.,"".r" srrings, achi groups, and arts. infusion mari_ "nu-u".-;;,;;;i*g :;;#;r"d ships and speciar funding .pt.;";i,i"rlart,rrrr"rlrpp*,-r.#rrorr,g scholar_ *-r-,l.-"; r.LoJrr, or programs that have strong orchestiar't'r;iat#,;"nerary ", breed pride among the stu_ dents in thatprogram. s".tr rirl""";',i"y be expected to practice quently and become more fre_
special events; curricurums thut pro,ria"

is an ,,arts

extra instruments; extra ."r,"u."ui-ti*es alotteJ ro,

excerent "*.n"rirr'.trir;;il,';;o',","*[lor.r-s community readers and parents attracr *ho ur" otten very wining to offer or aid for your n.oqrum. This assistance assista.." come in theiorm of funding help the oichestra tirdertake to "ur, the form of support ro. yorr;r.rr;;;,:chool "r;;;;;;internarional tours, or it can come in board meetings, booster club meetings, or perhaps town council o. meetings.

Private Lessons and Outside performance Opportunities

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who studied privatelv and those #n. that string srudents who studied

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2. enjoyed practicing, practiced lonser

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rert goo d arter practicin g,

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5' reported a need to practice for either seating or grading exams, embarrassment, oito gui. upprorrri?il_ p""., or a teacher; or to avoid 6' enjoyed practicing when they
had something challenging or fun to pray or could sense improvement in their playrng.

ii.], -

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

string students. who have the opportunity to study privately appear to ,lhoot offer private schoor curriculum, many do not' But, if your school offers priiate iessons, or if signiiicant numbers of students in your program are studying privately, yo, expect benefits to "L program. Private study encourages ior-r"entratei practice and 'our ^or" aPPears to instill a sense of direction and goal orientation in students. These factors certainly can be positive contributors to your orchestral program and need to be considered when establishing yorr r"h"ursal and program goars. Another factor to consider is whettrer or not your students [lay ii other ensembles or groups. Do your students have oppoitunities to perftrm in youth or community orchestras, chamber music g.orpr, denominational ensernbles, or other such offerings? If so, the additional training and experience your stu_ dents are obtaining from these settings can enhance" yor. piog.u-. when considering your orchestri rehearsal strategies, it h?rps to know as much about your students as possible. your students'"experiences, opportunities, and exposure to various events can allow you to .orrrid", ,eheu.sul objec_ tives that may be at higher levels than basic ones. First, however, it is imporiant for you to identify basic rehearsal objectives and strategies for students in each of your groups.
tJerir-e many benefits from their study. Although ,o*" lessons or small group. lesson-training-as part olthe

DIFFERENCES AND COMMONALTIES IN TEACHING \&TND, BRASS, AND STRING INSTRUMENTS

You may ask, why include a section on differences and commonalties in teaching wind, brass, and string instruments in a string methods book? The most obvious answer is that as orchestra directors, we hipefully will be conducting both string orchestras and fuil orchestras. A not-solobvious answer is predi_ cated on the research of Gillespie and Hamann (1998) and Hamann, {igiryr Gillespie, and Bergonzi (2002), who found that approximatery one-third of alr school orchestra directors in the United states dla not indicate their major instrument to be a bowed string instrument. Thus there are many orchestra directors who were trained to be primarily band directors, choral directors, and so forth. These individuals now find themselves in front of an orchestra. A dis_ cussion of differences and commonalties in teaching wind, brass, and string instruments seems [not only] appropriate but also ,rJ."rrury. one of the wonderful things about teaching strings is'that most of your student-directed technical focui will be on obsei,able External elements. Bow hand shapes, left-hand positions, finger shapes, instrument hords, and so on, are readily noticeable. The same is tiue for ieaching percussion instruments. wind and brass playing functions such us tor,llmg, -ior*ut-n of an embouchure, and so forth, are not as easily viewed"andiu-orrg some music instructors, are more difficult to teach because of this. Thus many of the tech_ niques neede-d to perform a stringed or percussive instrument can be viewed and corrected externally, whereasiimitaitechniques on wind and brass instru_ ments are'iewed as more internalry generatei, meaning that they are not

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152

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

Intonation
once students understand, through aurar, visual, and verbal identification, the concept of intonation and the system of whole and half steps that are needed to perform the vast majority of literature written for the instruments, the task of transferring that knowledge to various instruments can begin. some common principles between intonation on brass, woodwind, and string instruments are as follows:

1. Proper instrument hold facilitates proper intonation. 2. Audiation and aural perception plus awareness are necessary to produce correct intonation. 3. Cood tone quality enhances accurate intonation. 4. An internal model of accurate intonation must be present for students to play in tune.
placement on a string and is no more complicated than placing a finger at"an appropriate point on the fingerboard. The difficulty is in consistently repro-

Appropriate intonation on stringed instruments involves proper finger

ducing this act and in rapid succession, given a series of different"pitches. Kinesthetic memory, along with aural memory and assessment, is needed to help "train the hand and the ear." proper instrument hold and left-hand shape are essential for this process to be successful. Additionally, the student must realize when any given pitch is not "in tune" and then decide what action needs to be taken to produce the correct pitch. This generally involves movement of the.hand- or a finger either toward or away from the bridge. Both kinesthetic and aural skills along with "intonation" assessment skills aid procedures must be acquired by each student to produce accurate intonation on i stringed instrument. These principles are the key to good intonation and it is your task to help students acquire these skills. Activiiies that reinforce these principles, such as- singing a pitch and having students match that pitch, having one student a.djust the finger placement of another student through verbal or ihysical directives/movement, repetition of "dropping on a pitJh," and so foith, aid students in- their progression toward ucq"iring prope, intonation. For brass and woodwind players, not all-elements affecting intonation are as easily viewed as they a-re for string players. Appropriate valie or key choice and/or use of alternate fingerings, piacement of ttr" hand in the beil of the horn, slide placement on trombone br covering open hores appropriatery on woodwind instruments, breath support and eribouchure/refinement are not easily viewed externally and may be more challenging to alter and correct. . Developing correct intonation on brass, woodw-ind-, and string instruments involves reinforcement of instrument hold and hand position, audiation abilitl', and an aural model of accurate intonation and chiracteristic tone quality. Specifically, correct intonation on stringed instruments involves proplr fingering to help develop kinesthetic memory as well as aural These -"*ory. trro elements, combined with accurate assessment and appropriate corrective procedures, will help produce reliable intonation o., rtri'ged instruments.

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I'ntonation on brass and woodwind invoives hand or slide pracement, finger

153

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ra n ge End.s thar is usedmos, g"rLr;ry ;ith brass Beginning brass and instruments. fr"" .*rtrir,-.rlg" as "going over the break,,";;h":j#t"r"l such r.* r"g,r;;;.#.;f,: p.out"ms, flure, or upper

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"ssence, i-".[""l'f ru',li,1"i::,Ti:'.*i.'"':iljpuv",,t,,,".,u]*idespectrumor The concept of range rr ," i"rprtuant factor. to consider in the teaching understandine of strinj, and b.urr, *I"*."a#r,a *rarr_"rrr.lirr,r,r" tant and

iL : l :"."1 r",i_ which notes or, n'glT u" ?''ig;;;;1ffi.8u, shift is to maintain a'certain Jf,l.',:lT',l, tirnurulrior"L prry*s;;;,r* on the cello and want,s G_major scale ,. .."ir^*"rn'"'g;rrr,1rif c string, then the ,.rr" .ortJ';ii by the ffi;;:r, on the G ".""J"proar."a string. ir, how_

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Articulation
Perhaps one of the morg important concepts

o1 srurred rrr..ra, this ir"rir.'rrr.,g a-series or like strokes or staccato rr"."rriue marterd_ articurations u"-* pr.ry-"a i" ,"" t"il)l'ir".tio.. Thus, * is extremetv r-po.tu"i tr-,Ji;i';,"".,ris behind articuratioi for a, instru_ ments be studied ind understood to -b communicate String articurations. are th prod uce a "rrJ.ti,r"ty by ow pru**uri-u.,H, retease' string arricuration iir"r li; played per

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Preparing For your Orchestra

Rehearsal

155

your group's potential. The music you choose mlst_both chailJnge and reward your students. In turn your studenis will, through their self-motivated practice pro_ cedur-e, acquire the goals and objeciives you have outrined for them. Music selection is one of the most importur-rt urp""i, ti establishing suc_ cessful rehearsals. It is imperative that u"a tni"ghtful consideration be given to this important task. A more thorough "r."-frl discussion of the music serec_ is presented in nr1"T Chapter 10, 'Method Books and Music for the |9" School Orchestra program.,, SCORE PREPARATION
once you have chosen the music for your groups, you mustprepare your score. Your considerations incrude two basic componentsmusicar and technical_ which you alreadv used when you selected the music. The style, period, and technical ;;;" part of your analysis in the decision :f .,h: *"rir ^difficulty technical process. Analyzing and musical elements ,rri1,iJr"". scores contin_ ues as you prepare each work for rehearsal. ' Although there is no set order for preparing a score, several suggestions/routines/procedures will assist youin yor. t"urt. or-r" p.o""aure, which you have already completed, *u, u ."ri"* of the score with in eye toward the technical aspects of the work as well as the-musicar qualities. you have arready noted the general rhythmic structure and compre*'i,y oiirr" piece; key and meter'/temp o and/ or key and meter/tempochanges; orr"rui ror- of the work; technical demands, incllding range and skin aJ-rnar; unJ in general, the demands of the work in rerition io the ability rf y;;;'g;;p. you are well under *uy.T preparing the score for your tirst rehearsal. A pencil and perhaps a p,ad of prpLr, along with f_,ijf,iignrir-,g markers and a metronome, can be herpfur .,o*. o.,e of yoirr first ti-sks"is to number your score measures and, if you have no student assistants or wourd. rather not ask your students to do so, you need to number the student prrt, u, *"ff.

musically will not allow for individual and group growth, nor will music that is too challenging provide the needed fr#".-;Ii,rr.-y""'* deverop

Getting More Familiar with the Score

one level of score anarysis generally recommended is to audiate, hum or sing all of the parts in the siore *itt"r purti.rlar attention to the flow of the melodic line(s)' If possible, a metronome ihould be set at the recommended tempo and the process begun. If slower tempo is iniiiatty needed ,. ,".r".,prish this task, ,a you should eventually audiate, hum or sing all 0f the parts ,,at tempo,, before the first rehearsal' As you,"sing " p*t,you should further note the overall structure of the woik, the m"etody "u"h uriJ.orr,t". melody, and the style of the work. Once you are:?1" a sing each part, you should follow the melody throughout the work. Some condrictors mlrk d,jf,"l-."j rines using corored high_ lighters' If you choose to do this, ,"" o.,".oiored highlighter to denote melodies and another colored highlighter to lndicaie countermelodies.

156

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

As you become familiar with the melodic and harmonic structure of the composition, noting whether it is major, minor, modal, chromatic, twelve-tone, atonal, polytonal, and so on, you will begin to understand how each part fits into the overall structure of the composition. Within each individual part, you will begin to note potentially challenging melodic passages, rhythms, key or meter changes, finger patterns, and the like. Record such findings on your notepad. Indicate the perceived problem students may encounter during the rehearsal and offer some suggestions for helping them overcome those difficulties. You should also note or highlight musical terms in the score. If you do not know a term, this is the time you should look it up and write down its meaning. You should also highlight key, meter, and tempo changes, noting ritardandos and accelerandos, fermatas, grand pauses, breath marks, cues, dynamic changes, and various accents and articulation markings. Playing through each of the parts in the score is another way of becoming familiar with it. First, the individual lines can be played on your principal instrument. This can help you develop a sense of line. Next, you should play through each of the parts using the instrument for which it was written. Now you can better understand what problems your students may encounter when playing the parts. These can be noted in your rehearsal log and used for future practice sessions. Another practice often recommended in score preparation is to complete a harmonic analysis of the work. There are different ways to complete a harmonic analysis, but the basic idea is to become familiar with the tonal structure of the piece. The result of your analysis should reveal tonal structure, forr.r., identification of development and recapitulatiory and other such musical features. Along with your harmonic analysis, you should seek out information concerning the musical style of the work and the composer. This can aid your understanding of the composition and will help your students in their study of the work.

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Checking the Parts against the Score At some point in your score preparation, you need to check the parts against
the score. Although the publishing industry tries to ensure that correct notes, rhythms, accidentals, key signatures, bowings, fingerings, and so forth, appear in all parts, mistakes do occur. Part of score preparation is simply reviewing each instrumental part and comparing it with the score to ensure that they are identical. Discrepancies or incorrect notes and rhythms must be corrected before parts are distributed. Generally a "copying ertor" is more prevalent in a pafi than in a score. Often the score is viewed as correct when discrepancies are found. However, a score may also have errors and the intelligent orchestral conductor will question both documents before a decision on the appropriate correction is made.

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Bowings and Fingerings

Editors or composers frequently provide bowings and fingerings in orcheskal scores. This is particularly true of beginning- to intermediate-level music (Crades 1 to 4). Part of your responsibility as an orchestra conductor is not onlr-

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Preparing For Your Orchestra

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-)-57

to check to determine whether the bowings and fingerings are similar within the parts and score but also to determin" #h"th". th"e borizings and fingerings provided are appropriate. when bowings or fingerings are iot provlalea uit

it

rtri"g" fre{uently may be fingered so that, with some shifting, the passage can be-easily played on one string. other such considerations include fingering passages ,oin"y can be *o." uuIily played in different positions. Fingering pasrgi, in different positions can change the character of the sound, *ru.n muy bJdesirable when certain timbre considerations are desired. Conversely, iirnbr" and color considerations m1y no_t be as important as compared with clarity issues, and fingerings can reflect this shift in emphasis. Bowing choices are also based on technical and musical considerations. For example, down bows are considered "stronger" strokes than up bows. often then, down bows are indicated for accented notes. A series of accented notes may be performed with a series of dor,r,rr bows. In beginning string literature, considerable effort is g_rygn to having the strong beats ivithin"u -"uir." played with a down bow. Io s/ + time then, a down bow would be used to play a note on the first beat of a measure, whereas an up bow would be used io ilay the fourth beat of the measure. some of your bowing decisions may be basid more on technical aspects of playing than on musical ionsiderations. Cello and double bass players do not like to play in the upper half of the bow for extended periods of time, as it is extremely demanding and exhausting to do so. Conversely, violins and violas find ptaying in the upper half of tnE boas easy or easier than pfaying near the frog. Additionally, io*" pu*rges may be easier to play when a hooked bowing is used as opposed to using se"parate bow strokes. As you review each string part, younu"d io decide whal bow strokes each section will use. of course, an overriding consideration for bow stroke choice is _ol*l "oi,y of sound, not only within-each section but also between sections. Uniformity of sound is often achieved through uniformity of bow stroke.
both technical and musical consideiation"s. Musical considerations include the period and style of the work being performed. Timbre and tone color, natural and marked accents, dynamics, the shape of a phrase, unity of sound, and a host of other musical phenomena are all to be considered when choosing appropriate-fingerings and bowings. Technical considerations, such as strin[ crossings, clarity of sound,.easeplaying, and accuracy of passages, will 9f also be affected by your choice of fingeringJ and bowings.'your choice of fingerings and bowings will affect the performance outcomes of your groups. You must consider and prepare fingerings and bowings before music is distributed.

p1e,-a rapid, repetitive passage that crosses

ings should be. It is extremely important to establish ,pprop.iut" bowings and fingerings before the music is diitributed. Bowings oi ?i"guri.rgs are dlfficult to change once students have practiced or learnei them iifferJntly than you desire- Score preparation therefore includes careful evaluation of bowings and fingerings before rehearsal begins. , Part of your consideration for establishing fingerings is technical. For exam-

is your responsibility to determine whal the appropriate mark-

158

STRA'IEG]ES FOR TEACHING STRIN(}S

Final Steps to Score preparation

your musical compositions/ your measures are numbered, r-our harmonic and merocric anaryses i." you r,urr"-pug", of poten_ tial problem measures identified with "ompreted, oossibre ,orrilor,,
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cr-res, dynamics and the Iike have ail been identifi*d r.;-h;;hrighted; terms ha'e been defined; and articurations, bowings, and fir-rg".i;g;nave been considered. Now you need to think about your presentation of this work. one of the first considerations- of any .or-rdrctl, tends to r" th" pnyri"rr act of conducting the piece. For ress tni, plriior", of the prepa"*p"rie^.eJ ration will require considerably "or-rd.r"torr, more time and effort thar-, it witiro'. experienced conductors' Inexperienced or Lxperienced, your goal i, tr-r. ,u-". one way to convey intent when working witir large musicar gio"p"i, ih.r"sn the medium of conducting. There are a f,ost of eleir-rents thatlusi b" cor-rri.i".ed and prac_ ticed to effectively communicate through this medium. rrirrrrirni"g and main_ taining tempi, phrasing, articuration, jynamic indications, cueing, indicating crescendos, diminuendos,

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you have determined tobe essential to the ,r.."rrfrl performance of each work. when these tasks you are then and o"ty in"n r"ady for your

sion' phrasing, dvnamics, and utt otr,*1 musicar considerations

undertaken with a metronome within reach. It is essentiar that you estabrish the correct tempo in your mind and maintain that tempo unt, or unless there are other musi_ cal indications that dictate otherwisel you need to continually rehearse your score until you can appropriately convey entrances, cutoffs, tempi, expres-

Your conducting practice should always be

LESSON PLANTNING

Will' th: score prepa."l, now begin to develop your plan to present infor_ mation to your students. {?: when deveiopir'rg u t"sro., pl# t;;;"ed to do the foilowing:
1'
Deter-mine the objectiae(s) of your resson and state those objectives in terms of what the stucrents w,r rearn. Each of your resson objectives helps fulfill goats and objectivgl from your curricuir^ griae. a;Ji;;rrp wi, have differentgoars and objectives for rhe year. As was indicaied in chapters 3,4, and 5, the goals and objectives chlnge.from year to year. As you pre_ pare your first and your very last ressoripran for tr-re yeliiou wilr want to make sure that you.are including learning ir, ril ,;;r;; Jtray d""_"d important by our national/profesional organizations. we are fortunate to have standards
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have der-eloped guidelines for music student rearning. The standards from both

that we can refer to as we plan our day_to_day and long-range resson plans. rhe ameri"u., st.iig-t";";' Association (ASTA) and the Mlsic Educators National Conference (MENC)

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it by the objectioe.Based r rs s,; th,o, ; h' :o n,:?:l#,r,'": ff: :l "; gatheft; you have materiats, r",urtof*u,ron f;;ffi;;n or observed a*r, *iir-, ;;;i*'u'l* r.,,,,e others to Present? Ask share information vourself, i o*-"* i I nr"" r"rr""ju;

Research the topic as you defined

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160

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

each student is provided the optimum oppoituniiy to learn the lesson materials. 7. Prepare a definitebeginning and ending to your lesson.First, you must decide how you will get your students'atiention. what "hook'i wilr you use to get your students interested in your lesson? what kind of support mate_

ideas and the students do not understand your point, the lesson will come to a grinding hart. The purpose of support materials is to herp you deliver your information in ir .''ut-,y *uyr ir possible so that

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your topic(s), tell your itudenti what they wil reJrn in the resson will learn it. As you go through your various learning strategies and students acquire the informatioru tett them what they jui learned. Do not be afraid to repeat this information over and over to them within the course of the lesson. Finally, summarize or provide a short overview of what was covered durinf the crass. The conclusion may stick with the srudents longer than any other part of the lesson, so allow ample time to bring yourlesson to a definite closure. In addition to a summary of what was learned in the class, your closure can also preview the next lesson and inform them of the homework you expect them to perform by the next session.
and how they

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for and prepare nssessment strategies and procedures to be used as part of the lesson plan. Assessment strateEies and procedures will help you ensure that students are learning the materials and will also helprnoti_ vate students. In any teaching/learning situation that involves instrumental performance assessment, yott need to include an evaluation of the basic instrumental fundamentals such as intonation, rhythmic accuracy, tempo accuracy, torre quarity, and musicianship. Additionarty for string performances, techniques such as shifting, vibrato, bowing, and fingering need to be appraiied whereas breathlontrol, tonguing technique, articulation accuracy, and range and control need to be evaluated among wind players. prepare both ,,formative,, and ,,summative,, eva\_ uations. Formative evaluations are used to provide useful feedback to students without, for example, assigning a grade whereas summati'e evaluations are those used to provide u *urr"" for assigning a grade. 9. Prepare the final written plan.Have a way of highlighting main parts of your lesson and setting off examples, materiahl ant oth"er key items in the lesson plan. 70' Practicer. work on.delivering your lesson. practice using your support materials, conducting, or whatever is needed for your t""rro" plan. you must be aware you are doing and how yo, u." performing at "f .ylu, any given moment. You must analyze what students are dtrng and rio., tf91 are performing at any given moment. Beyond this, you must l.e thinking what is ahead in your lesson. Thus, you need t6 be famihar enough with your lesson pran and presentation that you will be free :c, notice your students'reactions as weil as your derivery styre and ter.nique. This is not as simple as it seems and practice ir."cerru....

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Preparing For your Orchestra Rehearsal

161

A Sample Lesson plan

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General Musical Skills

Reading Sight Reading

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production

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Procedure: Student Assessment Strategies:

Results/Evaluation:

Surnmary of Overall Lesson planning

students should be able to interact with the teacher and other crass members while enhancing their creative potentiar a.rd aerreroping cognitive, psychomo_ tor' and aesthetic skirs. In order to ,rpu,r"r" skils in use appropriate derivery systems rou must that iresent materiars "-r"rr'rtra".,t, using the audio, visual,

162

STRATEGIES FOR TEACI"{ING STRINGS ;

m^ui
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and kinesthetic modes. Whether you use computer generated sounds and images, props from home that can be touched or imaged in students' minds, or a variety of recording or playback equipment, your classroom lessons must be designed to reach each student in your orchestra. All of these elements must be present to produce effective classroom teaching. In addition to the type of information you are presenting and the delivery systems you might be using to help you teach that information, you should also focus on the manner in which you present your materials. A teacher's delivery system can enhance the learning atmosphere and environment and help individualize and personalize the learning process for each student. The manner in which the teacher carries himself or herself; the ability of the instructor to read student feedback through body language, eye, and facial expression; the movement of the teacher about the room; his or her nonverbal cues; and vocal delivery and expression are important in ensuring that the content of the lesson is presented in a personalized, stimulating, and motivational manner, one that spurs student interest, is directed to individual learning styles, and generates student motivation.

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AUDITIONS/TRYOUTS
Regardless of how you use the information, you must know how well each of your orchestra members plays. An "auditiorr," {)r a "tryout," is one of the most
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widely used methods to determine student performance level. As it will be used here the audition or tryout, whether it is for selection for a group, placement in a section, or simply a "challenge" within a section can be conducted in a similar manner. The procedural information provided here should be used when you need to perform any of these functions. As you prepare for your first rehearsal, one of your tasks will be to listen all to of your students, place them in an appropriate group, and place them within the group. Later in the year you will need to consider "replacing" students within sections and maybe even into different groups; however, the basic procedure for the audition/tryout can be the same. When readying yourself for auditions you need to consider the following:
1. What selections will be performed? 2. How long will each tryout be?

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3. When and where will the tryout be held? 4. How will you evaluate each orchestra member's performance?
You will need to think about the audition procedure itself.

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PreparingForYour

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163

Finally, you need to think how you wish to use the information you get from your auditions. 1. How will you use your information to select students for various groups? 2. How will you place students within a section, stronger players paired with weaker students by stand, placed according to tone quality, technical ability, rhythmic strength, or other such criteria? 3. How do you work with leadership potential within sections?
Each of these factors needs to be considered when you plan your auditions/

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Materials Should I Include in the Audition?

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tion and performance. violins will probably perform different passages than violas, and violas different passages than cellos, and so on. you need to decide whether all of your violinists will audition on violin I parts or whether they will be given a choice to audition on a violin I or violin II part. you may also wish to have the students prepare a short selection of their own to play for the audition. For full orchestra situations you may also be auditioning the wind and percussion students. Your selection of passages for these players will most likely differ from those of the string section and will probably also differ within thL section itself due to the ways different parts are written for each section. Because you may have only one player per part, the issues of blend and balance may be more critical. whether you are auditioning a wind or string player, you must select passages that demonstrate the student's ability to play with rhythmic accuricy, excellent intonation, correct bowing/tonguing/ articulation, good tone quality, and accurate dynamics. The ability to shift, perform variouJ types of bowing, use vibrato, and play expressively should be considered when ielecting audition materials for string students. when you are auditioning winds ,r-rd pe.cussion, you will need to consider passages that demonstrate their range, articulation capabilities, register, ability to phrase (correct breathing and tonguing), and overall control. In addition to selecting prepared passages for your students, consider the performance of scales and arpeggios. How many scales and arpeggios would you like your students to play, how many octaves, and at whai tempo? what rhythmic structure, both major and minor, what form(s) of minor, ind with what type(s) of bowing or articulation would you like to hear? Should the scales be played by memory? should a particular fingering pattern be used to play each scale (strings), or should alternate fingering be expected (winds)? will you require rudiments from your percussion players? If so, which rudiments, at

Before you hold auditions, you must decide what you would like to hear your students perform. Because you should already have chosen your music for the year, you already know the works you would like to perform at the first concert. Review each of your selections and choose passages for student prepara-

761

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

\\'hat tempo, and so forth? Once you have determined this portion of the audition, r'ou can think about the sight-reading portion of the tryout. A final component of your audition should be sightreading. Good sightreaders are often strong leaders in your orchestra. Individuals who can both prepare a work and sight-read well should be considered for leadership positions in each section of your orchestra.

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You shotrld plan your audition to last between ten and fifteen minutes per student. This will allow each student ample time to display his/her ability in the areas discussed. You should also consider tape-recording each student's performance. Irr this way,youcan review individual performances should questions arise later.
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Plan the length of each section of the audition. If you want to have a 1O-minute audition, determine the length of the warm-up, prepared works/ excerpts, scale performance, and sight reading. A suggestion could be 7/2 minute for warm-up,31/2 minutes for prepared excerpts and perhaps a portion of a prepared work selected by the student, 1 \/2 rrtinutes for scales, and 2 7/2 minutes for sight reading. This allows 1 minute to collect needed information at the beginning of the audition and 1 minute to discuss each of your student's performances at the end of the tryout. In addition to auditioning students on prepared works, scales and arpeggios, and sight reading, you may also wish to consider other evaluation materials, especially if the audition is serving for more than one type of group. The ability to improvise may be of importance to you if you have a jazz strings group. If you have a strolling strings, mariachi, or fiddling group, it may be important for you to determine students' abilities in each of these areas. Thus, audition materials can include a variety of materials, which may increase the time for each tryout. Remember that the purpose of your tryouts is to discover the playing ability of each student. Once this is determined, you can place students in various sections or groups with a higher degree of confidence that you are doing what is best for them and for the group.

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Ideally, you will be able to hold your auditions two to three weeks before classes begin. If this is possible, you will need to contact each of your students. You can contact them by mail, telephone, or in person. The purpose of contacting your students is to inform them of the time and place of the audition, the length of the tryout, the music they should be prepared to perform, as well as other materials they should be prepared to play such as scales, arpeggios, and sightreading material. Once the students have been informed and have access to the materials they will be responsible to play, you are ready to hold the auditions.

Horv \,Vill You Evaluate Each Student Audition? Both vou and your students want the most accurate and reliable assessment of
audition performances
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is not onlv accurate and reliable but that reduces the need for subjective, rather

than obiecti\-e, assessment. An audition evaluation form with predetermined

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cu., be deleted for use in a challenge situatioi, the evaruation criteria should be

assessment. The items listed]relp in the following provide criteria that can be con_ sidered in an audition situation and althougtithe demog*pr,r"

provide for accurate, reliabre, and objective informrtion

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Undecided

4 = Very Good

2 = Fair

1 = Poor

Rating

Intonation
Comment:

Rhythmic Accuracy and Tempo

Comment: Tone Quality Comment: Technique: Strings

Shifting Technique

Vibrato Technique Bowing Technique Fingering Technique

Comments:

166

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS

Technique: Winds Breath Control

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tant, there may be additionar criteria that you may uation of scales, sight reading, and musi'cianship want to consider. The eval_ are individuatty importrnt and should be considered sep"arate categories for assessment. Although this audition evaruation fo"rrr, mry not be ideal for you, it should offer you ideas from which you can d";"rrp your own assessment form.
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In addition to the personal student information, the form contains several categories of musicar criteria. Two of the most important musical considera_ tions in any audition are intonation and rhythmic u."r.r.y.-iiiraent, must be able to play in tune, and they must b; ,h1";;lrr;#;'ior" qrutity i, often correlated with pitch accura.y. stuJ"nts with poor tone quality often dis_ play weak intonation. Therefore, ione quality should be coniidered a viable category for assessment. The components of rtrirg, wind, and percussion technique should offer some ideas for category evaruition criteria. Although uil or *oiirted are impor_

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goal of any form is to alrow for accuracy, reliability, and objectivity wh,e per_ mitting your students the chance to dispray their abilities to the fuilest.

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tte audition. As mentioned previously, the audition shourd be tape-recorded. The tryout procedure shourd be as consistent for each of yorr'rtrJ*ts as possibre. A metronome should be used in the audition to eniure consistency and accu_ racy' You should establish.a-policy for re-starts, tempo infractions, and so on, the policy with all students. A suggested ;;;il;" procedure
1' Greet the student, coilect forms, and complete the personal information on the audition sheet. Because some students u." ,,.,or" to anxiety than others, it- is important that "rsceptibre you create an atmosphere that is as relaxed as possibl:. gy greeting siudents by ;r;; and asking them the questions on the irjitio., sheet, you create a more relaxed
atmosphere.

Plan to have students arrive at least ten to fifteen minutes earlier than their scheduled tryout time. students can use this time to;;;;p;;"view materi_ als, and/or compose themselves U"for"

The Audition procedure Having contacted or met with your students prior to the audition will help facilitate the actual tryout procedure. The student will have had the music .as to prepare as well any forms that need to be complu,ua_- - "*'

2' Ask your student to warm up and tune. This should be considered part of the audition proceduru u" yo, can begin to assess intonati,on, technique, 3' Ask your student to perform preparedexcerpts as we, as a portion of a prepared work he or she hai selected for ihe ,"aitior"r. io, pr"pur"d excerpts, you shourd serect a metronome marking rr,d ,s" tt e same mark_ ing for all
students performing rike excerpts. The decision to have the student sit or stand can depend on_1he purrorr.,u*;;;"il;;e group for which he or she is audiiioning. Ho#"rrur, many audition procedures outside.of schoor req.uire.upper"string r,"a""rr if ;ffi. y#;ay wish to consider this practice foi your rcnJot auditions as wen. a, tru, point you can begin your evaluation.

tone quality, and other criteiia at this time.

4. Next, you can ask your to play -stu{e1t ::"b-r. Usually one major and one minor scale are adequate.strings snJuta pray two-octave scales. Three_ octave scales can be considered Is well, wiih tire por"iut" o"lption of the

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168

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS of the audition may be the weakest, you need to make your students feel comfortable with their performance. Highlight your students' strengths and downplay weaknesses, as they may be all too painfully aware of their "shortcoming" in the area of sight reading.

6. Once your students have completed the audition, let them know how well they did. Give them a brief overview of your assessment in each of the categories. This will allow you time to reconsider your assessments and will let your students know how well they performed. Thank each student before he or she leaves and complete your assessment of that student before allowing the next student to enter.
Use of the Audition Information
Once you have auditioned all of your students, you can reassess your selection of music for the year. Ask yourself whether you selected music that was too difficult or too easy for the students. If needed, you may be able to choose and order new or additional works for your groups. You can also use your audition information to seat students in your groups. One of the favored seating arrangements for strings is to place a weaker player next to a stronger player. Hence the outside players may be stronger

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players than inside players. For winds and strings, the strongest players are generally given the principal chairs. These individuals need to be both strong performers and possess leadership skills. Often principals are asked to lead sectional rehearsals or provide suggestions for bowing, fingering, articulation, and other such musical considerations. Many directors rotate players among the various sections throughout the year, generally keeping some type of stand-by-stand balance between weaker and stronger players. Principal players can also be rotated, especially if there are equally talented students for those positions with appropriate leadership
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However you choose to use the audition information to place your students, the task of seating students should be completed prior to your first rehearsal. Also, after your auditions you can double-check the appropriateness of your musical selections. You should now know whether or not you have the right personnel to perform the works you have chosen. Finally, your audition gives you a chance to meet new orchestra members and to revisit orchestra members from previous years.

NEARING THE REHEARSAI

As you can see there are myriad tasks that need to be completed to prepare for your first and ultimately your last rehearsal. We have reviewed many of the main components necessary to ready yourself and your students for your first rehearsal. In the next chapter we will discuss the tundamentals necessary to conduct an effective rehearsal.

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REFERENCES
Gillespie, Robert, and Donard L. Hamann. 199g. The status of orchestra programs in public schoolr. rourr_rt oy the n irorriir'irr,,

study on the "ff..i;;;;u',r'rurro., ,"*rralil"ri.ing or mia'Jru ,.i"r, ,.o high string students. Contributio"r school ri ioucation 27 (2):71_94. Hamann, Donald 1., R??:rt n"ig;;i. idor. s,u*, of orchestra programs in the public schools. loiurnai of Str,r,S iirrrirh.-iglsi

Hamann, Donard L- ana n u"ii e..rt."riioo. practice habits and attirudes

rrr"

Education 46:75_86.

i)ri{ Gii6;;0"!T,:

RESOURCES
There are currently threevorume s of Teaching Music Through performance in orchestra.

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gram" bv James Kjelana,

"But what About t.he.so"a/^f"oi*iri"

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i)iir.yor-vow o*nirzrri,,ty'Robert "Teaching Traditioi.ar Gilespie, Cor',r*piriy"u'r{'ir'ii srt oo,i roo potite" bv LouisBer ,ilnrms: Let,s Not
Dorothy Strairb,

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There are also six articres,/chapters in volum" topics are ,,A pedagogicat Beginning string Cra.ss 3; Jh: Moder for trltiirriiir,'tiir'i','ra,by-vtichaet ,:lMadya

Be ,qir, *1',rriiiririifi, on Music perfor_ ^a;;-t,r"prrirg.v*, o.rriiri;,;;;;;;**,,by Michaet

oiiii'r,

Bersonzi, "ptauino in

uatrcn, Recognition, Motioatar,

Dorothy s"lrur"''" The most iurrent vorrrme rereased

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