Why play trombone in a chamber ensemble? Here are a few ideas about the wealth of performance and growth opportunities.
There are many
benefits for students participating in chamber music ensembles. It is one of the
fastest ways a student can progress musically and technically on their
instrument. Students are expected to add one more rehearsal to an already full
schedule, but this helps create even better time management and schedule
creation. Additionally, finding time for chamber rehearsals and coaching is an
important skill, one that will follow students through professional life.
Students are expected to rehearse on their own, making the most of their
musical and technical progress without the direct help of a teacher. Teachers help
as much as possible in weekly coaching sessions. However, student groups must have
a plan for successful coaching sessions. Student groups have the option of
learning vast amounts of literature and becoming aware of a whole area of literature
they may not have known. For young students, this can be a liberating
experience that allows for personal growth as well.
These
benefits can also be challenges for some students. Time management is always an
issue, and the way many chamber music programs are set up (often as an
afterthought or minimal degree requirement), many students allow chamber music
to be the first activity to go when schedules become challenging. Another
challenge for chamber music is personnel issues amongst chamber members. Unlike
in a large ensemble, chamber groups have only a few members to focus on and no
specific leader at the front of the group. Students must learn to work together,
even when it is difficult to work together or appreciate the chamber ensemble.
Moments of tension can come from lack of preparation by one or more students,
lack of technical or musical ability and even a lack of interest and
commitment. For the most part, it is important for student groups to learn how
to work through these issues early, because they will continue being issues
throughout their musical career. The most successful student ensembles have
clear expectations for their group and all of the members are in agreement
about the goals each semester.
The
chamber music setting is a great preparation for the various challenges professional
musicians find. These include complexities like finding rehearsal space, a
difficult issue in many overcrowded music facilities. Students must also learn
to quickly adapt to the difference between the rehearsal space (usually a small
practice room) and concert hall. Some student groups will struggle with the
lack of time to prepare in the concert hall. Other groups may struggle with the
variety of concert locations including malls, weddings, graduation ceremonies,
background music at various events and performing with choirs or other large
ensembles. Performing a chop heavy recital with little or no break is a great
learning experience for many students. The must learn how to manage their own
performance including getting to and from the gig, getting gigs to begin,
payment and learning the expectations of the hiring staff. Issues with
obtaining legal music can also be a problem. Many students are not accustomed
to purchasing their own ensemble music and can resist faculty encouragement to
start growing a library of sheet music.
The
experience of chamber music ensembles is very different from those of larger ensembles like band, orchestra and
jazz groups. Students grow quickly as musicians and mature as adults because of
these varied situations chamber music puts them in. This can be different from
the experience of performing in a large ensemble, which picks music for
students and does a substantial amount of practicing in rehearsal. A large
ensemble and solo work both usually have a conductor or teacher specifically
listening for problems and creating solutions for the problems. Student led
chamber groups are responsible for all of this work in addition to performing
at a high level. An additional difference from much of the solo and recital
work students have at the collegiate level is that in chamber music, they
typically choose their own music. This means they must create a way of reading
music to see what they like and make informed decisions about programing for
chamber music recitals. Students may also be expected to learn popular music or
music in varying styles and is expected to alternate between styles quickly
within a performance.
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