The all inclusive Flute Choir!! - or not????
Oh dear! What to do about my flute choir???
I have been running my flute choir 'Flauto' for several years now and over that time we have had various standards of players. To begin with all the members were about grade 6 upwards but as we played in more concerts some of my other students who were grade 3 and under asked if they could join. 'Absolutely!' I said and then I find myself writing the occasional part for the beginner players. This was all going very well but then suddenly I had an influx of new players, 4 of which are absolutely wonderful players and the standard has shot up! They sound brilliant!! We have been able to choose some great pieces! The other new joiners, however, are grade 2 on paper but are actually less than this in practise and there are 5 of them.
I always said I wanted to include players of all standards and I definitely have done that, the trouble is some of the new (lower grade players) are not able to play any of the published parts and are struggling to count with the new parts I have written. We only meet for an hour a week and there isn't sufficient time within the rehearsal to concentrate on their part alone. (One of the senior members of the group has offered to give them some individual help however). What do I do? Do I keep the players of all standards and have to suffer the occasional cacophonous harmonies? Do I restrict my group to players of grade 5 and above only?
I have tried to insist that all players practise their parts but I can guarantee this is not being done. If I had time to do 2 ensembles for the 2 different standards I would, but there just isn't enough time!!!!!
I'm worried that the players who are practising their parts and are able to play well are going to become increasingly frustrated with the situation and having so many players on the lower parts is really upsetting the balance of the parts!!!
Help!!!????
I have been running my flute choir 'Flauto' for several years now and over that time we have had various standards of players. To begin with all the members were about grade 6 upwards but as we played in more concerts some of my other students who were grade 3 and under asked if they could join. 'Absolutely!' I said and then I find myself writing the occasional part for the beginner players. This was all going very well but then suddenly I had an influx of new players, 4 of which are absolutely wonderful players and the standard has shot up! They sound brilliant!! We have been able to choose some great pieces! The other new joiners, however, are grade 2 on paper but are actually less than this in practise and there are 5 of them.
I always said I wanted to include players of all standards and I definitely have done that, the trouble is some of the new (lower grade players) are not able to play any of the published parts and are struggling to count with the new parts I have written. We only meet for an hour a week and there isn't sufficient time within the rehearsal to concentrate on their part alone. (One of the senior members of the group has offered to give them some individual help however). What do I do? Do I keep the players of all standards and have to suffer the occasional cacophonous harmonies? Do I restrict my group to players of grade 5 and above only?
I have tried to insist that all players practise their parts but I can guarantee this is not being done. If I had time to do 2 ensembles for the 2 different standards I would, but there just isn't enough time!!!!!
I'm worried that the players who are practising their parts and are able to play well are going to become increasingly frustrated with the situation and having so many players on the lower parts is really upsetting the balance of the parts!!!
Help!!!????
Can someone leave a comment please, it doesn't seem to work! x
ReplyDeleteHi Frances,
ReplyDeleteUnless I clicked on "0 Comments", there was no way for me to leave a comment. Only then did this screen appear.
I left a comment on your LinkedIn page regarding how I would not allow members into the choir who did not do their work nor practice as needed. I would limit my enrollment to those grade 5 or above. The others appear to be negatively affecting your group's morale and your time.
Hope this helps...
Marie Buckner, flutist
My first thought was to spilt into two choirs, but since that is not an option:
ReplyDeleteAuditions! Hold auditions and be willing to say no to some of the beginners, or non-practicers. It is not fair to those who do practice and are skilled to be held back. And if you do your auditions by panel (get a couple of the senior flutists or other teachers to help you), then it avoids some frustration on those who do not get in. It might be very motivating if a student is not quite ready, but know the next audition is in 6 months, so they have a goal to work toward.
Also having to audition gives the lower level players something to work toward. Use a piece of music that you want to play, and let the lower level players audition an easier piece, or allow group auditions of 2-4 people so you can see how they work with other performers.
And yes, take the offer of help to tutor the beginners! What a great opportunity for both the beginner and the senior.
Oh, and you are off to a good start on your blog page!
If you do decide to keep group membership open, have you looked at the music available from wonderfulwinds.com? There are arrangements with parts ranging from easy to advanced and Mel is usually open to re-arranging music to suit whatever your combination of players is.
ReplyDelete