Post 2/18

After observing at a school and spending some time talking to area band directors this week, I have come to ask myself a question: Should the goal of instrumental music ensembles be to perform music at the highest level possible?

Traditionally, it seems the answer has been yes. I have only ever very rarely been at an ensemble rehearsal in which the entirety of teaching time was not spent rehearsing pieces. In some senses, this seems obvious. A quality ensemble is many things: recruiting tool, point of pride for a school, point of pride for students. However, from underneath all the piles of contest certificates, I sometimes wonder if we are asking ourselves if we are truly teaching our students to be independent musicians.

In my own experiences and in speaking with others, the emphasis in ensembles is always on technique, rhythm, balance, and intonation. These are important skills, but it was and still is rare that I am asked to corrected phrasing or expression when playing in a wind ensemble. From a young age, we teach our students that playing the right notes at the right time is paramount. The results are clear. Our bands are very good at this. But are our students truly musicians or merely experts at executing the band director's instructions?

In order to be a good ensemble musician, one first must at least have some ability to be an independent musician. How can we expect players to understand how their one part fits into the texture of the piece and adjust to play with sensitivity if we gloss over the basics such as how to shape a solo melodic line? Yet many high school players I have heard who can play some technically difficult material more or less lack this musical skill. Ultimately, a lot of band performances probably sound good because the director is able to break down the musical interpretation and teach students to execute these elements in isolation on their own parts. The students may not fully understand the significance of what they are doing.

Our teachers are largely good musicians. They could teach their students to be good musicians. I think the issues may be time and focus in many cases. One director I know said he spent 20% of his total time on rehearsing and 90% of that on technique, but expressed that he felt that he had no other choice because he was obligated to perform with the marching band every week and needed to provide a product. Many concert bands operate the same with regard to concerts and competitions. The whole class becomes oriented around this collective product.

My own experiences and the words of others have led me to think that I might want to consider running my own ensembles in a way that is oriented around the process rather than the product. I want to learn to not get so hung up with the tiny percentage of time my band spends on stage, but rather to use as much of my total time as possible to connect with students in significant way. It is more important that my students learn to be musical and independent than that the group gets a I in competition, and I owe it to students to find a way to teach this.