Why our band programs need chamber music now more than ever
What does the future of instrumental music education hold for the band world? As I have completed several virtual clinics the past few weeks, this question has never been more in the front of the minds of band directors. Until COVID-19, this question was being asked by those frustrated with recruitment, retention, scheduling, student effort, administrative support, and financial backing within their band program. In a typical year, graduating seniors are finishing final concerts (sadly some to never play again), and directors are revising rosters for next year and well into preparations for the following fall (including marching band). I am not always sure that – unless they are going into music – that we, as directors have been concerned about what happens to band members after they move on from our programs. Now we are faced with an even more stark reality: What is the future of our entire program moving on?
In fairness, orchestra and choir are facing the same hurdles and questions given recent action and reports that have surfaced. It is a question in the educational realm that is being asked: Is it safe for large groups to gather to rehearse, much less perform for an audience? To quote one of my favorite fiction teachers – “To a dark place this takes us.” – but, “Always in motion the future is.” Virtual band productions are wonderful to see, and one can appreciate and applaud the time and technique it took to successfully create such a piece of media. Still, it is not a practical solution. Some of us will return in the fall and be confronted with a safety recommendation that our bands should not meet face to face. What are our choices? What alternatives can we pursue? Chamber music may provide an answer.
While still teaching public school, I had the opportunity to implement a unit of study on chamber music for all students in the band program in grades 7-12. It was challenging to track students, select repertoire, schedule rehearsal space, plan for daily rehearsals, and keep everyone on track towards annual goals. But in the end, the challenge was worth it. Our profession slowly moves towards fall, but many of us do not yet know what the expectation will be for large instrumental ensembles, I present these ideas as an option to sustain our programs and keep students authentically engaged in music.
Why chamber music? In some ways, what we do is rather antiquated and the process we go through to get music ready for performance must be meticulous, sequential, and at points exhaustive to realize the emotion and artistry of the work. It takes time – something an impatient society does not embrace. But in some ways more so than the large ensemble experience, chamber music can demonstrate a higher degree of relevance. Chamber music performances demonstrate the courage, effort and growth of students to put their skills to use in situations that matter.
Chamber music offer students and directors the opportunity to stay connected to the classical tradition, and yet can find ways to explore new styles, new composers, or new genres. Chamber groups are highly mobile and can take the process and product of good instrumental teaching to new places in the community. Chamber music experiences give students a tangible memory of a meaningful way that they can continue to play well past their final concert their senior year. If we are serious as profession about a life-long relationship with music for our students, then giving them skills to play in small groups the rest of their lives is essential.
What do the students gain from a chamber music experience? Chamber music experiences develop musical independence and increase personal responsibilities of students individually to what is on the page. While some aspects of chamber ensemble playing differ from large ensembles, it still means we emphasize playing with exemplary tone, intonation, balance, expression, clarity of articulation. Every musical decision a student makes in a chamber music experience is amplified – including the decision of how well they prepare for rehearsal. Students intimately learn to pay attention to other lines, refine their listening skills, increase confidence in playing, and develop technical and analytical skills that carry over to a larger group.
Trust between members is enhanced and tested. Students find their voice in a chamber group much easier than a larger ensemble, take ownership of musical decisions, and become more invested in their band program. Mentoring and sharing of knowledge between students is more common as part of the rehearsal process. Students have opportunities to take on enhanced leadership responsibilities, and a sense of mutual cooperation towards a shared goal becomes very tangible.
Where do I start? (Strategies for implementation) Obviously every situation, teaching schedule and band room are different. Some is better than none and given the threat of not being able to hold large ensembles in light of current pandemic a chamber music experience for 5-6 students at a time in different rooms might be the best option to keep students engaged and contributing positively.
Use the time you have allotted. Utilize the space that you have available. Percussion clearly may need use of the equipment in the rehearsal hall. A practice room can usually accommodate a group of 3-5 students. Within the time that I had available and the space that was allotted, it may be necessary to set up a schedule within your allotted rehearsal time to ensure each group can meet and rehearse. Consider the following for a 45-minute rehearsal period that starts at 8:58 a.m.:
High School Concert Band Chamber Music Rehearsal Schedule
Room – 9:00-9:20 a.m. – 9:22-9:42 a.m.
Band Room – Percussion Ensemble (9:00) – Brass Choir (9:22)
Practice Room A – Flute Quartet (9:00) – Clarinet Sextet – (9:22)
Practice Room B – Saxophone Ensemble (9:00) – Brass Quintet (9:22)
Students can be placed into traditional chamber groups, like ability groups, peer-mentoring groups, or non-traditional groups. Repertoire can sometimes dictate what the instrumentation has to be, but instrumentation can also make it necessary to shake up the instrumentation. Swapping out a bassoon part because of lacking a player to include a bass clarinet will not destroy the integrity of a woodwind quintet. If students can make musical decisions, and play with accuracy and expression, the impact of the piece will not be lost on an audience. The other aspect of repertoire is that there is wide variety that can be accessed. Flutes can play jazz and clarinets can play Ragtime piano music. Saxophones can experience a Haydn transcription. A low brass quartet can perform the music of Duke Ellington. There are Fillmore marches transcribed for woodwind quintet. Percussion can learn to play on balloons, trash cans, and even with basketballs.
Does assessment work well with Chamber Groups? Truthfully, it works much better than our in-rehearsal evaluations of sections of the band. Every time a chamber group rehearses, a director will gain a much clearer image regarding the progress of each individual player. In addition to evaluation of musical skills and growth, directors can engage students in peer critiques, ask student leaders to help plan rehearsals of individual chamber groups, and use technology to record multiple rehearsals and the eventual performance so students can reflect upon their progress.
What do students think about the Chamber Music Experience? Prior to the first year I utilized a chamber music unit with my band program, I did some research and interviewed several colleagues in the collegiate positions as to their impressions of the value of chamber music experiences. From their statements, scholarly research, and other sources I created an exit survey on the chamber music unit for all my students to take. In addition to rating their level of agreement with nine statements, there were several open-ended questions about the experience to help make sense of the statistical data. You can click here to read a bit more in depth about the results.
Reviewing all the data that came back from the students revealed they perceived improvement in personal performance through the chamber music experience. They recognized ability to improve both tonal, rhythmic, conceptual, and expressive aspects of their performance as an instrumentalist. It was an enjoyable experience for many of the students, and they appreciated having more musical responsibility placed upon them. Many of them were receptive to more performances outside of the school setting. They came to recognize that an enjoyable experience in music is related to their ability to improve their performance in technical, conceptual, and expressive aspects of music, and that they must assume responsibility for making these improvements.
So, What Now? Several national music organizations are actively supporting research to help all music educators understand what possibly awaits the profession in the months to come. There is a probability that some programs based upon their regional location will need to adjust their rehearsal process and ensemble offerings. It may not be what a director or their students wants to see happen. But given the option of altering the ensembles offered or having no music available at all for students, the answer is obvious. Chamber music can be re-injected into the band curriculum across the nation to better serve the musical growth of the students, provide an alternative ensemble option that is more in line with social distancing principles, and keep students engaged in meaningful music making while waiting for a return to normal and concert bands and wind ensembles perform to full concert halls.
