Continuing to Build Our Music Performance Culture - How We Learn Best in an Ensemble

The challenge - making learning authentic & rewarding in the music ensemble.

Continuing on from my previous article; "Feedback & Feedforward - Building a Music Practice & Performance Culture", I am continuing to ask the key questions of what makes students WANT to turn up each week, (to ensemble) what makes them actually pick up their instrument at least several times and how can we also engage our parents as learning partners. Santa Sophia Catholic College being a new school, we are trying to build our culture of music performance and my own research interest is in utilising learning technologies, flipped learning and engaging parents as learning partners to move our ensembles and choirs forward - as integral members of the school community and places where students are enthused to create - not just perform together but to compose, produce and perform enthusiastically.

During a very busy week, I was trying to squeeze in some marking and preparation amongst preparing music for upcoming liturgies, whilst one of my senior music students was floating around at a 'loose end' after finishing his exams. I had been trying to find a string ensemble arrangement of Nimrod (Variation IX) from Elgar's Enigma Variations. I was hoping to purchase an arrangement online to save time and work, when suddenly, I came up with an idea to keep my senior music student, Anthony, occupied whilst providing an exciting piece of music for the string ensemble to work on the next day. I was hoping this task would keep the aforementioned music student occupied for at least 24 hours, but 30 minutes later, he appeared at the door and advised me to check his Noteflight to see the arrangement. Sure enough - there it was - very short - but easy to play and ready to print and sightread the following afternoon at rehearsal.

Let's just go back to the previous week. In our previous rehearsal, I shared the recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto by the legendary Jacqueline Du Pres. The emotion and energy of her performance inspired our students in the string ensemble. I am trying to show them the very best of Classical music performance and the 'why' of our learning in playing in an ensemble; but also the dedication required - the 10,000 hours. In the previous rehearsal, we also touched on the Enigma Variations, also by Elgar - and in particular the beautiful chord progression of Nimrod (Variation IX)

Here is the performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

I played this version to the ensemble, then put the music in front of them.

I made this recording and score of my senior student's arrangement yesterday in the studio - I play ALL the parts on the instruments in my studio - 5 x 1st violin, 5 x 2nd violin, 3 x viola, 4 x cello & 2 x double bass. I have to record each track on the instrument; not just copy and paste, so that it sounds like a full string section.

Now that I have recorded the full score, I will make video scores of the individual parts, so that students can listen to their part and read the music and play along.

NOTE: I play and record the whole section on the actual instrument, so that it sounds exactly as it would in a REAL orchestra. Students can hear dynamics, articulation, bowing, vibrato etc - a MIDI recording with the score ONLY shows pitch and rhythm - not expression.

Back to the rehearsal - what we learned

When I first gave the ensemble the music, I split them into sections - double basses, cellos, but kept our one viola with 1st and 2nd violins in the main room. Then after about 20 minutes of separately sight reading the music, brought them all back into the ensemble room.

When we first played it together, I already knew that they would find this slow tempo a big challenge. Here are the challenges (or Need to Knows) that the students discovered (Their own words):

• We found it difficult to "keep together"
• Some notes "sounded wrong" - either students were not observing the accidentals or key signs - or if we were playing slightly slower or faster than the other sections, then notes would "clash"
• "We don't sound as 'strong' (expressive) as the exemplar (The video of the Chicago Symphony)

The Solutions: How do we practise to solve the problems?

After some discussion, we realised that we need to:

• practise the scale and also checking the accidentals and making certain that we place fingers correctly - not "a bet each way" (an expression that I use when violinists place 2nd finger partway between 1st & 3rd - instead of a definite sharp or natural)
• tone production - how we use the bow - weight, length and speed. I have devised scale exercises that we practise as an ensemble to learn how we can generate more tone with more weight, length and speed - and then slower scales to conserve bow when needed.
• LISTEN - to the other parts. In the ensemble, I had the basses, cello and viola parts play together but violins had to follow their part. Then, violin 1's play whilst everyone else follows their part. Drilling this in the ensemble makes the students realise the value of reading their score videos and playing with their parts videos. Also - we listen to and read the full score video; both in the rehearsal and also at home, so that we can hear and read how all the parts work together.
• play to a strict tempo and make certain that we understand the rhythm - through playing with a strict conductor in the rehearsal and with our part video at home.

The Reward: is when we start to sound like the exemplar performance (in this case, the video of the performance by the Chicago Symphony)

Through this process of identifying our learning challenges - both our individual challenges and also, our shared challenges in the ensemble, students begin to take ownership of their learning in the ensemble. When we present them with learning media, they can then see the need to practise scales - slowly and at speed - check their own intonation, learn the rhythm - then when we work together, we support each other in the learning.

We are all looking forward to the end product - that is the reward.

Footnote: Anthony has just received an early offer for a place in the Bachelor of Music - Composition at Sydney Conservatorium (Sydney University) for 2024.