hamman gillespie ch 6

7/28/2019 Hamman Gillespie Ch 6

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Preparing For YourOrchestra Rehearsal

As orchestra directors we spend a great deal of time preparing for rehearsals'In this chapter, the essentiai planniig needed to have effective rehearsals willbe discussed with the undersianding that the success of any orchestra programi, .or-,rir.,g"r,t on the d,irector's interiersonal skills, organizational abilities, andmusicianship. Covered in this chapler are preparing your rehearsal room andequipment; ?actors to consider in ihe prepiration of your rehearsal strategies;di?f&ences and commonalties in teaching wind, brass, and string instruments;.t oorir"tg music for your SrouPS; score preparation; lesson planning; and ready-ing yourself for auditions or tryouts'PREPARING YOUR REHEARSAL ROOM AND EQUIPMENTyour room and equipment must both be readied for each rehearsal. The envi-ronment in which you and your students work must be clean, inviting, urllcomfortable. Although regullr maintenance is essential to a healthy rehearsalenvironment, more "*t"r1J.'" preparation may be needed b-efore the beginningof a new term. Wood or linofeum floors should be waxed and polished,-and;;.p;i; should be shampooed and vacuumed. windows should be washed,and walls should be cleaned and/or painted. The electrical system (lights andoutlets) and ventilation system (heating and cooling) should-be checked so thatthey are in proper working o,d"t' t'ights. and outlets should be repaired and,"1a""d, and ventilation Jystems should be cleaned and checked to ensure,i"q"rt" airflow and temperature control. Chairs and stands should be checkedto be sure that they u." in good condition or have been repaired or replaced'Recording equipment shoid be serviced as needed and checked to be sure itis ready for use.Youneedtoinspectanyschool-ownedinstrumentsandcompleteanyrepairs as needed. You also need to ensure that regular maintenance, Such as

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.=: STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGSsrring replacement, bow rehairing, pad replacement, and piano tuning is per-iormed on schooi instruments. Replenish any supplies, such as reeds, valve oil,strings, and rosin. Uniforms, if used, need to be cleaned and repaired as nec-essafl,. Finally, you need to make sure that instrument storage areas are cleanedand prepared for student use.FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE PREPARATIONOF YOUR REHEARSAI, STRATEGIESYou will be working with a variety of students generally placed in groupsaccording 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, secondvear, third year, and so forth; beginning, intermediate, and advanced; or ele-mentary, middle school/junior high, and high school; or some combination ofthese categories. Whatever the label, you need to determine the goals you wanteach 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 meetyour students.2. Your school system. Will you be teaching in an "arts school" or in a spe-cially funded program? Are there community leaders and parents who

can help and/ or assist you with your program? What is the performancetradition of the program? Will your students perform regularly? Do theytour? If so, do they tour inside the region, the state, the country, or inter-nationally?3. Student opportunities to take private or group lessons outside of your ofschool. (Note: Some schools offer private lessons or small group lessontraining 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 rela-tion to the environment in which they live. (A university environment,concerts both from groups within your area and from concert series oftouring artists, special funding programs such as artist-in-residence pro-grams, 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.

Iou Class Length and Your School Orchestra's TraditionIt is obr-ious that the more time you spend with your students, the more youcar.r accomplish with them. Curriculums vary widely across the United States.Lr.. a studr- of string programs across the nation, Gillespie and Hamann (1998)

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Irr PreparingForyour OrchestraRehearsal ll9and Hamann, Gillespie, and Bergon zi (2002) found that elemerrog.rams generally mee*wo o.Ih."" iur,, week from ;;;r1r#l1i"m:er class with thirty minutes "r*""J^; time as rh.;;";';;mmon. Middte/unior high/hish school pr"ogr;;;',;;dtto meet ,r."" ;r^ ""**t. Generalry,iddle/iunior high schoor -?"ti"g ,i-Ir.ru"ruge forty-five mrnutes in length,hu.r."r.r high school p_.og.u*, *L""i'ir. rirry minutes.""n#,:l"J;H'.1,:i*ry *:iii{,,""*** is an ,,arts ,"h?:1 ,,magnetpo rr ror yo", p.ot,, ;. ih, ;,#;;.[":Jl[,, I'il Jr?,f "i ii,itT:,,X-ants; extra instruments; extra ."r,"u."ui-ti*es alotteJ ro, "o]r.,"".r" and otherpecial events; curricurums thut pro,ria" "nu-u".-;;,;;;i*g srrings, mari_chi groups, and arts. infusion :;;#;r"d rrrr"rlrpp*,-r.#rrorr,g scholar_hips and speciar funding .pt.;";i,i"rlart, ", *-r-,l.-"; r.LoJrr, or programshat have strong orchestiar't'r;iat#,;"nerary breed pride among the stu_ents in thatprogram. s".tr rirl""";',i"y be expected to practice more fre_uently and become excerent "*.n"rirr'.trir;;il,';;o',","*[lor.r-s attracrommunity readers and parents *ho ur" otten very wining to offer assistancer aid for your n.oqrum. This assista.." "ur, come in theiorm of funding toelp the oichestra tirdertake "r;;;;;;internarional tours, or it can come inhe form of support ro. yorr;r.rr;;;,:chool board meetings, booster clubeetings, or perhaps town council o. "o*_r.,ity meetings.Private Lessons and Outside performance Opportunities

I;I?:",1"j"":f:l,,Xl3:1**s.been thousht to be beneficial to string studentsr,r"giiii;;:'#:JJ:ffi['.il,H*ilH:::f il};,r,ffi "1;.**l*"roho studied privatelv and those #n. a?";t, Haman-n r"d F;;;, eggg) foundhat string srudents who studied ;;;;""1;' ,T;J"r:i1"":planned to attend college and ptay their instrument in a col-2. enjoyed practicing, practiced lonserr::t*"::*h*#;jHii:l'#;:S#::""ffi::li,'r;;T:ffi [:13' felt anxiety, depressio.n, or gu,t when they_ were not abre to practice and[trit"'d:tice regardle" oT th" ,-r""t or no-"*ort tiui.,"uaua to u"- *n'JT:':;iiH:Uf :1?li'{"',:l:lv':s, rert goo d arter practicin g,If,L,lli' ; i(' p "' t' b u t w e re -,* ;:,:',,ii ?i ",f #,fl i:ffi ,?l'::, iTI5' reported a need to practice for either seating or grading exams, or to avoidmbarrassment, oito gui. upprorrri?il_ p""., or a teacher;6' enjoyed practicing when they had something challenging or fun to prayr could sense improvement in their playrng.


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ii.], STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS- string students. who have the opportunity to study privately appear totJerir-e many benefits from their study. Although ,o*" ,lhoot offer privatelessons or small group. lesson-training-as part olthe schoor curriculum, manydo not' But, if your school offers priiate iessons, or if signiiicant numbers ofstudents in your program are studying privately, yo, "L expect benefits to'our program. Private study encourages ^or" ior-r"entratei practice andaPPears to instill a sense of direction and goal orientation in students. These

factors certainly can be positive contributors to your orchestral program andneed to be considered when establishing yorr r"h"ursal and program goars.Another factor to consider is whettrer or not your students [lay ii otherensembles or groups. Do your students have oppoitunities to perftrm in youthor 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 asmuch about your students as possible. your students'"experiences, opportuni-ties, 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 imporiantfor you to identify basic rehearsal objectives and strategies for students in eachof your groups.DIFFERENCES AND COMMONALTIES IN TEACHING\&TND, BRASS, AND STRING INSTRUMENTSYou may ask, why include a section on differences and commonalties in teach-ing wind, brass, and string instruments in a string methods book? The mostobvious answer is that as orchestra directors, we hipefully will be conductingboth string orchestras and fuil orchestras. A not-solobvious answer is predi_cated on the research {igiryr of Gillespie and Hamann (1998) and Hamann,Gillespie, and Bergonzi (2002), who found that approximatery one-third of alrschool orchestra directors in the United states dla not indicate their majorinstrument to be a bowed string instrument. Thus there are many orchestradirectors who were trained to be primarily band directors, choral directors, andso forth. These individuals now find themselves in front of an orchestra. A dis_cussion of differences and commonalties in teaching wind, brass, and stringinstruments seems [not only] appropriate but also ,rJ."rrury.one of the wonderful things about teaching strings is'that most of yourstudent-directed technical focui will be on obsei,able External elements. Bowhand 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 anembouchure, and so forth, are not as easily viewed"andiu-orrg some musicinstructors, 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 viewedand corrected externally, whereasiimitaitechniques on wind and brass instru_ments are'iewed as more internalry generatei, meaning that they are not

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rf :ii*ll";::?.,',fi":ffi1":,5d'g*: and mus,Prepari.ng For Your Orchestra Rehearsal i51rely on other teaching- r T;!:,:":::.i;;;i";;ffi,";:lI,* ons,rings, brass, w.odwinds,- and percussion in ":i*?'1i*dr #9od_moder;r';;;; emurate, and' r st1,T:T::fiTlfx'"H#,m:fl:i#r;tfur#,",,t*:r.#:r:: quarity of the instrument being pir;;;. ;; g_enerar, the better the instrumentE ll,,,l,*,11"]f_l?,f, .r.," u"u*iri*-ffi;:Al instruments,sorrnrr o6h^s^a: .r *11t;i,itffifiilti,ig,:"s* ":ffi rrl:{h*ilT:Ili#l"l:i:r,?,*r "'*1# *+:**:;-"##, ;::;:::::;,^:,; The combinutior', oiu#!o*o ur-ra rro* -"r*nr,. arong with bow pracementr'i!i*"5i1ffiH;ijtq,:fffi ffi :,,i,',ffir r-ii.,ffi ilfl#,:lffiry*l*gti-iffiracement is not exactlf correct ro, t# pilr-,"il"ir-,g clesired, the sound w,r- ***:#;;:i;;[j;**ffi;ffif; m#*,**##h:?:*'i1ry"",.r== :f.i:,*#rrr":,trarecritical.o,'",0"["f,"'];Hir*1T#*#Jj:H;:,;^,

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152 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGSIntonationonce students understand, through aurar, visual, and verbal identification, theconcept of intonation and the system of whole and half steps that are neededto perform the vast majority of literature written for the instruments, the taskof transferring that knowledge to various instruments can begin. some com-mon principles between intonation on brass, woodwind, and string instrumentsare as follows:

1. Proper instrument hold facilitates proper intonation.2. Audiation and aural perception plus awareness are necessary to producecorrect intonation.3. Cood tone quality enhances accurate intonation.4. An internal model of accurate intonation must be present for students toplay in tune.Appropriate intonation on stringed instruments involves proper fingerplacement on a string and is no more complicated than placing a finger at"anappropriate point on the fingerboard. The difficulty is in consistently repro-ducing this act and in rapid succession, given a series of different"pitches.Kinesthetic memory, along with aural memory and assessment, is needed tohelp "train the hand and the ear." proper instrument hold and left-hand shapeare essential for this process to be successful. Additionally, the student mustrealize when any given pitch is not "in tune" and then decide what action needsto be taken to produce the correct pitch. This generally involves movement ofthe.hand- or a finger either toward or away from the bridge. Both kinestheticand aural skills along with "intonation" assessment skills aid procedures mustbe acquired by each student to produce accurate intonation on i stringed instru-ment. These principles are the key to good intonation and it is your task tohelp students acquire these skills. Activiiies that reinforce these principles, suchas- singing a pitch and having students match that pitch, having one studenta.djust the finger placement of another student through verbal or ihysical direc-tives/movement, repetition of "dropping on a pitJh," and so foith, aid stu-dents in- their progression toward ucq"iring prope, intonation.For brass and woodwind players, not all-elements affecting intonation areas easily viewed as they a-re for string players. Appropriate valie or key choiceand/or use of alternate fingerings, piacement of ttr" hand in the beil of thehorn, slide placement on trombone br covering open hores appropriatery onwoodwind instruments, breath support and eribouchure/refinement are noteasily viewed externally and may be more challenging to alter and correct.. Developing correct intonation on brass, woodw-ind-, and string instrumentsinvolves reinforcement of instrument hold and hand position, audiation abil-itl', and an aural model of accurate intonation and chiracteristic tone quality.Specifically, correct intonation on stringed instruments involves proplr fin-gering to help develop kinesthetic memory as well as aural -"*ory. Thesetrro elements, combined with accurate assessment and appropriate correctiveprocedures, will help produce reliable intonation o., rtri'ged instruments.

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PreparingForyour OrchestraReheqrsal 153I'ntonation on brass and woodwind invoives hand or slide pracement, finger:i::r:::(::r#ir,f::'.;; jtjilgfl.ffi:ixi;T3ii*",,,,u".,r"yRangeRange in mathematics- means spread or dispersion. In music, range refers tohe distance an individu;il;;i;;:;"l given instrument, from rhe rowest to:!:,?flTi,'r'i:t*of ilf,#*:,:jl""l=b.,.h;;;;;.u,in,,pport,qua,-:oon/areariactorsth,;;;;;;;;;;;",#:ff lr,,lil:'ilE:*f,ffI;Xlleca use s tringed instrum en t .r";; ;;; ;*oiir"a uy-rr"J ?*rorr, ra n ge End.so be a term thar is usedmos, g"rLr;ry ;ith brass ,;e;#;,nd instruments.eginning brass and *o'E*iJ';;*: fr"" .*rtrir,-.rlg" p.out"ms, suchs "going over the break,,";;h":j#t"r"l r.* r"g,r;;;.#.;f,: flure, or upper;:,t""*l*:[i[ntff:,?"*"*"";"'utio.*-,,"ua,".f ".-,,,,reredw6en

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tion. one ou;e.tiv" or,,r, i L j,' i,";:,ffifi:T i;lH*""I*:, : l :"."1 r",i_which notes or, n'glT ?''ig;;;;1ffi.8u, u" p6;'ffiil"f Jf,l.',:lT',l,hift is to maintain a'certain tirnurulrior"L prry*s;;;,r* G_major scalen the cello and want,s ,. .."ir^*"rn'"'g;rrr,1rif ".""J"proar."a by thestring, then the ,.rr" .ortJ';ii ffi;;:r, on the G string. ir, "ssence, how_i-".[""l'f ru',li,1"i::,Ti:'.*i.'"':iljpuv",,t,,,".,u]*idespectrumorThe concept of range rr ," i"rprtuant factor. to consider in the teaching andnderstandine of strinj, b.urr, *I"*."a#r,a *rarr_"rrr.lirr,r,r" an impor_ant and "*"ritiul factor to consider;i"tt" ,"t""tion of orchestiJ hterature forour groups from both a practical-a;;;;rgrgical point of view.ArticulationPerhaps one of the morg important concepts in string, brass, and woodwindfull?:i,iffi :,ilt:**T#:;";i: f " ton gue i, i"" J i'f ,a ss and wo o d -ingly- simila. mr.kine, .;; ;;,;;',j]''rl?I" purpose in string playing. s""--:l*:i;;,ffi Litii:tl{:'Il:#"X'ii:;:J,;il;*il,;i1,;"",,:l*,::,$pre/ a group of notes with a's,ur -r?il"g *a', Jr, ,rJlr"*n nore is per_eived as a legaro artic.ulation il#il;,woodwind prly"*)rro rhey woutdJay such a passase with a.,-;rh;.;;"lt"a ,or,.,a.-ri, ir," ,u*gptayer, thiss an indication o1 srurred rrr..ra, ir"rir.'rrr.,g a-series or rr"."rriue marterd_ike strokes or staccato 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_ents be studied ind understood to "rrJ.ti,r"ty communicate thtring articurations. are prod uce a by -b ow pru**uri-u.,H, iir"r riffi li;etease' string arricuration i";il;;;iJl uy,h";;il;;iJJ", played per


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i_ij ST'RATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS,iI -t#i xi ilj::# :;:';,1'":r,,"pa ra r i on is vi s i br e, eve n rh ou g h m u scl eslation; th;ba;i; m;i,r" "i',j"i,11i:'"1"^::"d to help prepare each b"ow ,;;;:rn brass un, I:"?" .anf approach are seen externa[y.ri r: i:l r,# n- '; ,ll[t, *J:.t {;:T;6:irk*ifi 15'rffi :r r h e n p r a y in g A,.u ," p*,; ;'' ::il {:f $., :t:"y#;,,,#f ?:, rj,;,?,.1,":1iJi:l$?iitl ll" ;-:;i]il ",I"; *" etr,r,i" -#. j ,n" orchestra direc_amons,n"o.,,,,iil,]^1,,1],j#]1ffi 4*l;;**,,:*;f fi*ilffi;ililT,:I:e or attack ,"a i*rJ,," ,i,,1p,oa,."ffi;;*#tjcurarions ,_on[

SummaryMany of the diffei"t"*",'i, ;';':lJiltlh'ilIff#T: ': teaching wind, brass, and stringfocus on strir,g inrt.rments i, our"ruriilts themselves' Specificalry, a-.rrr,.rinicaIcompone"nts of b.urr r,J ;1;;;::::xternalIy,.and although ro*" t".hlortheminvorve,l:l-,*;;;.#r""#;:*;?f :#",,TIl*I&yry,*,.,yegard ress of the instru men t, a tt teFn, ic-a t uppror.n"r-r"*,[ffi'rlhx'r;ave an exce,enr visuar ""a rr.ri'.ra-,. rf,i ;;;;i;#ri ,, o,.," by whichhe student can imagine 'n" r""ir?pir;;r 3,, inrt.r*"r",ir.,J aho imagine theav he or she wour-d.rook *h;;;i;I;g-*,rs ir"iru*I",. ii" aurar model isne in which the student "; h;;';ilu,ia"rl sound he or shrii:)e,x",,"r:'lm*t*"ruilk^"'"il;;,il;,"t,H#l,ff .%';playing an instrume"iff..r"li-;;;'"'i":::" process when students ire actuailv.1:::::;:,.,,.,*Jl:;[il,1^,u*n**i:l#*tilff 1,,",:1l:li::::'Xii',"i:,,?f:*:::'* f:rt;;;.'* o,. anv siven instrument rhus, themonarties,"t;,""h;is,#il:lHt,r,:;:iiilll,?jl j:;;;;;"."sandcom_

CHOOSING MUSIC FOR YOUR GROUPSAs you proceed in your orchestra rehearsar preparation having assessed youroom and equipment needs; a"i"._,*a ,n" il.ir.r.irrrir""X,, affecr yourfi ilili:;X?:::i,::*.?,,::n1:*i;i:1",r**i",'i,i,"'""Lcesandiom.'" t:l::l-"sic for ytu,. grorpr. mg rnstruments, you are now ready, .. when seiecting 1rri. fgr your groups, you need to consider;"J:,T:i.:l".:;:n:i.i?il:i-***=[,,.,^,ru;5$;.ti*#f*Jithe music you select r35 *,*,i, *s;;;;r;:f the stfle;;;#; the period in'hich * ra'as wrirten- rn" r"r".riil;ffiil: fr..:?.h group *itla*t"r*ine rheuccess of each rehearsar' u"rr" ,n"r,rr?o, .^urr"rrgl.,g "r*,". technicallv or

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Preparing For your Orchestra Rehearsal 155musically will not allow for individual and group growth, nor will music thatis too challenging provide the needed fr#".-;Ii,rr.-y""'* deverop yourgroup's potential. The music you choose mlst_both chailJnge and reward yourstudents. 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 "r."-frl u"a tni"ghtful consideration begiven to this important task. A more thorough discussion of the music serec_|9" nr1"T is presented in Chapter 10, 'Method Books and Music for theSchool Orchestra program.,,

SCORE PREPARATIONonce you have chosen the music for your groups, you mustprepare your score.Your considerations incrude two basic components- musicar and technical_which you alreadv used when you selected the music. The style, period, andtechnical ^difficulty :f .,h: *"rir ;;;" part of your analysis in the decisionprocess. Analyzing technical 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 sugges-tions/routines/procedures will assist youin yor. t"urt. or-r" p.o""aure, whichyou have already completed, *u, u ."ri"* of the score with in eye toward thetechnical aspects of the work as well as the-musicar qualities. you have arreadynoted the general rhythmic structure and compre*'i,y oiirr" piece; key andmeter'/temp o and/ or key and meter/tempo- changes; orr"rui ror- of the work;technical demands, incllding range and skin aJ-rnar; unJ in general, thedemands of the work in rerition io the ability rf y;;;'g;;p. you are wellunder *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 anda metronome, can be herpfur .,o*. o.,e of yoirr first ti-sks"is to number yourscore measures and, if you have no student assistants or wourd. rather not askour students to do so, you need to number the student prrt, u, *"ff.

Getting More Familiar with the Scoreone level of score anarysis generally recommended is to audiate, hum or singall of the parts in the siore *itt"r purti.rlar attention to the flow of the melodicline(s)' If possible, a metronome ihould be set at the recommended tempo andthe process begun. If ,a slower tempo is iniiiatty needed ,. ,".r".,prish this task,ou should eventually audiate, hum or sing all 0f the parts ,,at tempo,, beforethe first rehearsal' As you,"sing " "u"h p*t,you should further note the over-all structure of the woik, the m"etody uriJ.orr,t". melody, and the style of theork. Once you are:?1" a sing each part, you should follow the melodythroughout 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 melodiesand another colored highlighter to lndicaie countermelodies.


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156 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGSAs you become familiar with the melodic and harmonic structure of thecomposition, noting whether it is major, minor, modal, chromatic, twelve-tone,atonal, polytonal, and so on, you will begin to understand how each part fitsinto the overall structure of the composition. Within each individual part, youwill begin to note potentially challenging melodic passages, rhythms, key or

meter changes, finger patterns, and the like. Record such findings on yournotepad. Indicate the perceived problem students may encounter during therehearsal and offer some suggestions for helping them overcome those diffi-culties. You should also note or highlight musical terms in the score. If you donot know a term, this is the time you should look it up and write down itsmeaning. You should also highlight key, meter, and tempo changes, notingritardandos 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 becomingfamiliar with it. First, the individual lines can be played on your principalinstrument. This can help you develop a sense of line. Next, you should playthrough each of the parts using the instrument for which it was written. Nowyou can better understand what problems your students may encounter whenplaying the parts. These can be noted in your rehearsal log and used for futurepractice sessions.Another practice often recommended in score preparation is to complete aharmonic analysis of the work. There are different ways to complete a harmonicanalysis, but the basic idea is to become familiar with the tonal structure of thepiece. The result of your analysis should reveal tonal structure, forr.r., identifica-tion of development and recapitulatiory and other such musical features. Alongwith your harmonic analysis, you should seek out information concerning themusical style of the work and the composer. This can aid your understanding ofthe composition and will help your students in their study of the work.Checking the Parts against the ScoreAt some point in your score preparation, you need to check the parts againstthe score. Although the publishing industry tries to ensure that correct notes,rhythms, accidentals, key signatures, bowings, fingerings, and so forth, appearin all parts, mistakes do occur. Part of score preparation is simply reviewingeach instrumental part and comparing it with the score to ensure that they areidentical. Discrepancies or incorrect notes and rhythms must be correctedbefore parts are distributed. Generally a "copying ertor" is more prevalent ina pafi than in a score. Often the score is viewed as correct when discrepanciesare found. However, a score may also have errors and the intelligent orches-tral conductor will question both documents before a decision on the appro-priate correction is made.Bowings and FingeringsEditors or composers frequently provide bowings and fingerings in orcheskalscores. 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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II Preparing For Your Orchestra Rehearsal -)-57to check to determine whether the bowings and fingerings are similar withinthe parts and score but also to determin" #h"th". th"e borizings and fingeringsprovided are appropriate. when bowings or fingerings are iot provlalea uitare needed, it is your responsibility to determine whal the appropriate mark-ings should be. It is extremely important to establish ,pprop.iut" bowings andfingerings before the music is diitributed. Bowings oi ?i"guri.rgs are dlfficultto change once students have practiced or learnei them iifferJntly than youdesire- Score preparation therefore includes careful evaluation of bowings andfingerings before rehearsal begins., Part of your consideration for establishing fingerings is technical. For exam-p1e,-a rapid, repetitive passage that crosses rtri"g" fre{uently may be fingeredso that, with some shifting, the passage can be-easily played on one string.other such considerations include fingering passages ,oin"y can be *o." uuI-ily played in different positions. Fingering pasrgi, in different positions canchange the character of the sound, *ru.n muy bJdesirable when certain tim-bre considerations are desired. Conversely, iirnbr" and color considerationsm1y no_t be as important as compared with clarity issues, and fingerings canreflect this shift in emphasis.

Bowing choices are also based on technical and musical considerations. Forexample, down bows are considered "stronger" strokes than up bows. oftenthen, down bows are indicated for accented notes. A series of accented notesmay 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." playedwith a down bow. Io s/ + time then, a down bow would be used to play a noteon the first beat of a measure, whereas an up bow would be used io ilay thefourth beat of the measure. some of your bowing decisions may be basid moreon technical aspects of playing than on musical ionsiderations. Cello and dou-ble bass players do not like to play in the upper half of the bow for extendedperiods of time, as it is extremely demanding and exhausting to do so. Con-versely, violins and violas find ptaying in the upper half of tnE bo- as easy oreasier than pfaying near the frog. Additionally, io*" pu*rges may be easier toplay 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 sec-tion 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 theperiod and style of the work being performed. Timbre and tone color, natu-ral and marked accents, dynamics, the shape of a phrase, unity of sound, anda host of other musical phenomena are all to be considered when choosingappropriate-fingerings and bowings. Technical considerations, such as strin[crossings, clarity of sound,.ease- 9f playing, and accuracy of passages, willalso be affected by your choice of fingeringJ and bowings.'your choice of fin-gerings and bowings will affect the performance outcomes of your groups.You must consider and prepare fingerings and bowings before music isdistributed.


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158 STRA'IEG]ES FOR TEACHING STRIN(}SFinal Steps to Score preparationYou har-e prepared your musical compositions/ your measures are numbered,r-our harmonic and merocric anaryses i." "ompreted, you r,urr"-pug", of poten_tial problem measures identified with oossibre ,orrilor,, ,lo,"a, merodic rines,cr-res, dynamics and the Iike have ail been identifi*d r.;-h;;hrighted; termsha'e been defined; and articurations, bowings, and fir-rg".i;g;nave been con-idered. Now you need to think about your presentation of this work. one ofhe first considerations- of any .or-rdrctl, tends to r" th" pnyri"rr act of con-ucting the piece. For ress "*p"rie^.eJ "or-rd.r"torr, tni, plriior", of the prepa-ration will require considerably more time and effort thar-, it witiro'. experiencedconductors' Inexperienced or Lxperienced, your goal i, tr-r. ,u-". one way toonvey intent when working witir large musicar gio"p"i, ih.r"sn the mediumof 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, indicatingcrescendos, diminuendos, ritarcrandos,'accelera"dor, ;;;pj-^hurg"r, holcls,pauses/ and so on, are some of the tasks you will be expected to expedite onhe podium

Your conducting practice should always be undertaken with aetronome within reach. It is essentiar that you estabrish the correct tempoin your mind and maintain that tempo unt, or unless there are other musi_cal indications that dictate otherwisel you need to continually rehearse yourcore until you can appropriately convey entrances, cutoffs, tempi, expres-sion' phrasing, dvnamics, and utt otr,*1 musicar considerations you havedetermined tobe essential to the ,r.."rrfrl performance of each work. whenI#;fir:".omp1ish these tasks you are then and o"ty in"n r"ady for yourLESSON PLANTNINGWill' th: score prepa."l, {?: now begin to develop your plan to present infor_ation to your students. when deveiopir'rg u t"sro., pl# t;;;"ed to do theoilowing:

1' Deter-mine the objectiae(s) of your resson and state those objectives in termsof what the stucrents w,r rearn. Each of your resson objectives helps ful-ill goats and objectivgl from your curricuir^ griae. a;Ji;;rrp wi, havedifferentgoars and objectives for rhe year. As was indicaied in chapters3,4, 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 wanto make sure that you.are including learning ir, ril ,;;r;; Jtray d""_"dmportant by our national/profesional organizations. we are fortunateto have standards that we can refer to as we plan our day_to_day andong-range resson plans. rhe ameri"u., st.iig-t";";' AssociationASTA) and the Mlsic Educators National Conference (MENC) haveer-eloped guidelines for music student rearning. The standards from both

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Preparing For your Orchestra RehearsalASTA and MENC anha.r:- ^ - 159_ in teachinr rr,.)[#rlear in Appendix B as well as means to apply them2. Research the topic as you defined it by the objectioe.Based ril::i ff: :l ?:*', o the rs s,; ";I th,o, ; h' :o n,:?:l#,r,'": ;;:i":;materiats, r",urtof*u,ron you have gatheft; f;;ffi;;n or observeda*r, *iir-, lhI$l#liJ":rH:ft:"r,ht' ;;;i*'u'l* r.,,,,e othersshare information I nr"" r"rr""ju; to Present? Ask vourself, i o*-"* i'?;;i:!*y'y:i:'goingtodetiper""'i))il1,,Y'ilf#t*,:,Tf ;"*tru,;g*u,,n*;*'ifff *,fl****+*^?j:1tr,k;*i*;x:!i*ffi!ii;*t;**,n:*;;;ii"Til:i:1:t1,,:,il:,,"#n-,,:ff :ii:ifi ti,:l",ljyffi .,"*.h',1;pJan boilerplate foliowirg ffi i,ri IJ"o in lesson pJanninq. rrr" r"rr"iclasses. '116 r'rrrs ,st was designed for beginni"g ,a.i;;5' Decide how t'tou t,,l organiz.e your resson..^Answering the fo,owing ques_::Xi:J# ffi: f:l oisayiT: y;;i"; M1, tJpics ao-yo, have tosenting?*r"**iil|:?,lJ:1",',ffi i#J,,""*i"ro,I,,,rJi,1v-1m-up. pl uv ir', itr" intro d ucri on of thirtl' li o1 i wrt' ii# ;:l #ii;;presenrarion so thar I:i g" , :- t#?,:Tfl:#]?","::J,rffii?t,Tj:::lf:::i g".,",,i? rxrl,",;;;);;,"pre Lesson pj,,;."i rhe end orU ?!1rt: your support materiat. We are fortredagogues in the "*;---:,^:;; orc rortunate to have manv oirg tErZ,rir;";;';,"o*g world' (see Anpenar" ol prrylr;;'""Jff ,#ita, ,, ti?ri iii and rhe string praii,,paur nlir""i'iin)'r*rnirg.of,na sr,i,,ilru ;iii{,'ifl;ff:::,i;,::,[f ,y:y^:ii;i;;",;i)'{ori, r,t,yi,s1,who have jntroduced us to fresh, "r"rtiu"." just a few of the jndiviiuilsI:iii;ii::f;#rrnaddition;;:';;;;il3""JT1ff Xi','"[Hl!*;,, r a i, pr, y, ;ffi T :'Jff [;J;rl t ; ": 153a n..r"1,1.,,"ir,, o ..r, _Lxlx,ii;,i'iLn*;*'**:ffi :gr,"#'il;',1,9'fl :?I,:T*i;l:g:r:d il:il;:$tcal equipment combinea wltn ,noi*-ri".iars sug_can provide u pt"tno39l9'"t.?]o"g with 1th e w ho I e,,,,, tu,r", 11 ll -:I:tt'"* "" *"'' ff: ;#r'i:: 1:: ; ill:tr'3;x,*;:f ::flh'"'.t"r'Txxff H:ii,'i,'#",f :1',',X#;i"T',1o",r, J.i r*. ; ;# J ;H ;., ;:

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160 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGSideas and the students do not understand your point, the lesson willcome to a grinding hart. The purpose of support materials is to herp youdeliver your information in ir .''ut-,y *uyr ir possible so that each stu-dent is provided the optimum oppoituniiy to learn the lesson materials.7. Prepare a definitebeginning and ending to your lesson.First, you must decidehow you will get your students'atiention. what "hook'i wilr you use toget your students interested in your lesson? what kind of support mate_rials will help you. introduce your topic? second, o.r"" yor-huve intro-d":* your topic(s), tell your itudenti what they wil reJrn in the ressonand how they will learn it. As you go through your various learningstrategies and students acquire the informatioru tett them what they juilearned. Do not be afraid to repeat this information over and over tothem within the course of the lesson. Finally, summarize or provide ashort overview of what was covered durinf the crass. The conclusionmay stick with the srudents longer than any other part of the lesson, soallow ample time to bring yourlesson to a definite closure. In additionto a summary of what was learned in the class, your closure can alsopreview the next lesson and inform them of the homework you expectthem to perform by the next session.8. P.lan for and prepare nssessment strategies and procedures to be used as part ofthe lesson plan. Assessment strateEies and procedures will help youensure that students are learning the materials and will also helprnoti_vate students. In any teaching/learning situation that involves instru-mental performance assessment, yott need to include an evaluation ofthe basic instrumental fundamentals such as intonation, rhythmic accu-racy, tempo accuracy, torre quarity, and musicianship. Additionarty forstring performances, techniques such as shifting, vibrato, bowing, andfingering need to be appraiied whereas breathlontrol, tonguing tech-nique, articulation accuracy, and range and control need to be evaluatedamong wind players. prepare both ,,formative,, and ,,summative,, eva\_uations. Formative evaluations are used to provide useful feedback tostudents without, for example, assigning a grade whereas summati'eevaluations are those used to provide u *urr"" for assigning a grade.9. Prepare the final written plan.Have a way of highlighting main parts ofyour lesson and setting off examples, materiahl ant oth"er key items inthe lesson plan.

70' Practicer. work on.delivering your lesson. practice using your supportmaterials, conducting, or whatever is needed for your t""rro" plan. youmust be aware "f .ylu, you are doing and how yo, u." performing atany given moment. You must analyze what students are dtrng and rio.,tf91 are performing at any given moment. Beyond this, you must l.ethinking what is ahead in your lesson. Thus, you need t6 be famiharenough 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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hsson will Preparing For your Orchestra RehearsalA Sample Lesson planClass

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162 STRATEGIES FOR TEACI"{ING STRINGSand kinesthetic modes. Whether you use computer generated sounds andimages, props from home that can be touched or imaged in students' minds,or a variety of recording or playback equipment, your classroom lessons mustbe designed to reach each student in your orchestra.All of these elements must be present to produce effective classroom teach-ing. In addition to the type of information you are presenting and the deliverysystems you might be using to help you teach that information, you shouldalso focus on the manner in which you present your materials. A teacher'sdelivery system can enhance the learning atmosphere and environment andhelp individualize and personalize the learning process for each student.The manner in which the teacher carries himself or herself; the ability ofthe instructor to read student feedback through body language, eye, and facialexpression; the movement of the teacher about the room; his or her nonverbalcues; and vocal delivery and expression are important in ensuring that the con-tent of the lesson is presented in a personalized, stimulating, and motivationalmanner, one that spurs student interest, is directed to individual learning styles,and generates student motivation.

AUDITIONS/TRYOUTSRegardless of how you use the information, you must know how well each ofyour orchestra members plays. An "auditiorr," {)r a "tryout," is one of the mostwidely used methods to determine student performance level. As it will beused here the audition or tryout, whether it is for selection for a group, place-ment in a section, or simply a "challenge" within a section can be conductedin a similar manner. The procedural information provided here should be usedwhen you need to perform any of these functions.As you prepare for your first rehearsal, one of your tasks will be to listento all of your students, place them in an appropriate group, and place themwithin the group. Later in the year you will need to consider "replacing" stu-dents within sections and maybe even into different groups; however, the basicprocedure for the audition/tryout can be the same. When readying yourselffor auditions you need to consider the following:

1. What selections will be performed?2. How long will each tryout be?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.1. What will you say to each student?2. How will you make each student as comfortable as possible?3. How will you handle each particular procedure?4. What guidelines will you enforce when students play?

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Tr PreparingForYour OrchestraRehearsal 163Finally, you need to think how you wish to use the information you get fromyour 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 pairedwith weaker students by stand, placed according to tone quality, techni-cal 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/tryouts/challenges.\,&/hat Materials Should I Include in the Audition?Before you hold auditions, you must decide what you would like to hear yourstudents perform. Because you should already have chosen your music for theyear, you already know the works you would like to perform at the first con-cert. Review each of your selections and choose passages for student prepara-tion and performance. violins will probably perform different passages thanviolas, and violas different passages than cellos, and so on. you need to decidewhether all of your violinists will audition on violin I parts or whether theywill be given a choice to audition on a violin I or violin II part. you may alsowish to have the students prepare a short selection of their own to play for theaudition.For full orchestra situations you may also be auditioning the wind and per-cussion students. Your selection of passages for these players will most likelydiffer from those of the string section and will probably also differ within thLsection itself due to the ways different parts are written for each section. Becauseyou may have only one player per part, the issues of blend and balance maybe more critical.whether you are auditioning a wind or string player, you must select pas-sages 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 audi-tion 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 tongu-ing), and overall control.In addition to selecting prepared passages for your students, consider theperformance of scales and arpeggios. How many scales and arpeggios wouldyou like your students to play, how many octaves, and at whai tempo? whatrhythmic structure, both major and minor, what form(s) of minor, ind withwhat type(s) of bowing or articulation would you like to hear? Should the scalesbe played by memory? should a particular fingering pattern be used to playeach scale (strings), or should alternate fingering be expected (winds)? will yourequire rudiments from your percussion players? If so, which rudiments, at

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IIil61 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STRINGS\\'hat tempo, and so forth? Once you have determined this portion of the audi-tion, r'ou can think about the sight-reading portion of the tryout.A final component of your audition should be sightreading. Good sight-readers are often strong leaders in your orchestra. Individuals who can bothprepare a work and sight-read well should be considered for leadership posi-tions in each section of your orchestra.Horv Long Should the Audition Be?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 areasdiscussed. You should also consider tape-recording each student's performance.Irr this way,youcan review individual performances should questions arise later.Plan the length of each section of the audition. If you want to have a1O-minute audition, determine the length of the warm-up, prepared works/excerpts, scale performance, and sight reading. A suggestion could be 7/2minute for warm-up,31/2 minutes for prepared excerpts and perhaps a por-tion of a prepared work selected by the student, 1 \/2 rrtinutes for scales, and2 7/2 minutes for sight reading. This allows 1 minute to collect needed infor-mation at the beginning of the audition and 1 minute to discuss each of yourstudent's performances at the end of the tryout.In addition to auditioning students on prepared works, scales and arpeg-gios, and sight reading, you may also wish to consider other evaluation mate-rials, especially if the audition is serving for more than one type of group. Theability to improvise may be of importance to you if you have a jazz stringsgroup. If you have a strolling strings, mariachi, or fiddling group, it may beimportant for you to determine students' abilities in each of these areas. Thus,audition materials can include a variety of materials, which may increase thetime for each tryout. Remember that the purpose of your tryouts is to discoverthe playing ability of each student. Once this is determined, you can place stu-dents in various sections or groups with a higher degree of confidence that youare doing what is best for them and for the group.When and \,4,/here Will Tryouts Be Held?Ideally, you will be able to hold your auditions two to three weeks before classesbegin. If this is possible, you will need to contact each of your students. Youcan contact them by mail, telephone, or in person. The purpose of contactingyour students is to inform them of the time and place of the audition, the lengthof the tryout, the music they should be prepared to perform, as well as othermaterials they should be prepared to play such as scales, arpeggios, and sight-reading material. Once the students have been informed and have access to thematerials 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 ofaudition performances as possible. As the director, you want an evaluation thatis not onlv accurate and reliable but that reduces the need for subjective, ratherthan obiecti\-e, assessment. An audition evaluation form with predetermined

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preparingForyour OrchestraRehearsal 165categories and criteria-9an ]relp provide for accurate, reliabre, and objectiveassessment. The items listed in the following provide criteria that can be con_sidered in an audition situation and althougtithe demog*pr,r" informrtion cu.,be deleted for use in a challenge situatioi, the evaruation criteria should beretained.

sight-srth&]-Audition Evaluation FormName

School Date4-;- Address Telephoner*rnrq- City3 Zip CodeE-mail AddressYear in School Instrument

ryE-Mni Croup You Are Auditioning Formf,ff'ira- Do you plan to attend college? _yes _No _Undecided

If yes, do you plan to:Continue in music? _ yes _ No _ UndecidedMajor in music? _ yes _ No _UndecidednfidTm'

Llm5fits Rating Scale:5 = Excellent 4 = Very Good 3 = Cood 2 = Fair 1 = Poor

Category RatingIntonation

Comment:Rhythmic Accuracy and TempoComment:Tone QualityComment:Technique: Strings

Shifting TechniqueVibrato TechniqueBowing TechniqueFingering TechniqueComments:


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166 STRATEGIES FORTechnique: Winds

Breath ControlTonguing TechniqueArticulationRange and Control

Comments:

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Percussion: RudimentsStickingClarityAccuracy

Comments:Scales

Comment:Sight ReadingComment: iltrtrr

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MusicianshipComment:General Comments:Total Score: ttrIII L.

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