Ensemble Part Assignments by: William W. Gourley

 

One of the main obstacles to a wonderful performance by an ensemble is the lack of clarity in the inner voices. How many times have you heard an adjudicator mention problems with poor intonation, inaccurate movement or a complete lack of presence of the inner voices?

 

Conductors are constantly sermonizing about the importance of every part and nurturing the self-esteem of the third clarinets and trumpets to play as if they had the first part. However, their deeds defy their words, or in the current vernacular, they talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. If the second and third parts are so important why do we relegate them to the weaker performers in the ensemble?

 

When assigning parts most directors use the chair system. Let’s look at a typical clarinet section. The top three play first, the next three or four play second part and the four or five weakest players play third part. There are several rationales for this method.

All three of these rationales tend to reinforce the attitude that the second and third parts are less important than the first part.

 

Even though the first part may have more notes and be in the upper range of the instrument it isn’t inherently more difficult to play than the second or third parts. The inner parts can present their own difficulties due to harmonic structure that often introduces accidentals making intonation a greater challenge to hear than the melody. Also, these parts often present rhythmic “traps” with notes that do not move with the rest of the ensemble. These can create a greater challenge for insecure lesser experienced players.

 

This type of part placement also can hamper the students’ development. A child who was playing first parts in eighth grade has started to develop his/her upper range or is beginning to get comfortable in fourth and fifth position. As a freshman in high school they are often relegated to parts that do not employ these notes and positions causing the student to loose their proficiency since they do not need to call on these skills playing the second and third parts.

 

The double whammy of creating an environment that fosters the idea that second and third parts were suitable for only lesser players and the impediment to the students’ development led me to assign parts based upon more equally balanced sections. I utilized a system that divided the parts up equally among the more advanced performers as well as the developing students and rotated parts throughout the concert.

 

First, I determined the students’ order of proficiency just as one does in the chair placement system of most to least proficient. Then I assigned the students into groups:

Students 8, 9 and 10 may be designated to rotate back and forth between second and third parts to avoid having four players on first and three on the remaining parts. Also, these players may not be proficient enough to handle the first parts. In larger sections it may be necessary to rotate students 8-15 between second and third parts to better balance the section.

 

Another option would be to group the same members in the following manner:

 

Stings can utilize a variation of this by assigning desk partners combining a more accomplished student with a lesser one.

            Desk 1 principal

            Desk 2 is comprised of students 2 and 9

            Desk 3 is comprised of students 3 and 8

            Desk 4 is comprised of students 4 and 7

            Desk 5 is comprised of students 5 and 6

 

Stings could also maintain the desk assignments for students 2-4 and rotate the rest of the students so these leaders can work with more of the section.

 

The next step is to assign parts for each composition. Generally, in every concert there will be various levels of proficiency required to perform the selections. You may want to assign parts based upon the following scenario.

            Most difficult selections:

·        Group A 1st

·        Group B 2nd

·        Group C 3rd

Middle difficulty selections:

·        Group B 1st

·        Group C 2nd

·        Group A 3rd

Least difficult selections:

·        Group C 1st

·        Group A 2nd

·        Group B 3rd

 

Advantages

 

Enhanced Inner Voice Clarity

Grouping students in this manner puts an advanced performer on each part. The less proficient students in the group are able to match their tones, intonation, movement and style to the advanced group or section leader. This enhances the clarity in the inner voices while creating role models on each part.

 

Greater Stylistic Awareness

Generally, style is more apparent in the more melodic first parts. Because the students rotate parts they have a chance to play these parts on a regular basis which enhances their stylistic awareness. This transfers to their performance of the inner voice parts.

 

Continued Pedagogical Growth

Students are encouraged to continue to develop their skills since they do not “fall back” to the third and second parts exclusively when they move from a lower ensemble or the middle school program where they played first parts. Students maintain and enhance their range and technical proficiency.

 

Think of the eighth grade trumpeter playing first parts in a class C middle school band. He/she likely has developed a respectable range to G above the staff. If the student goes back to playing third and second parts for two years in the high school program they probably will not play above fourth line D and, consequently, will have lost control above the fourth line D. If the student had been able to continue to play first parts in the high school band he/she would have expanded their range not to mention technical facility, rhythmic accuracy and stylistic development.

 

Brass Endurance

Since the brass players are rotating parts throughout the concert the section is able to sustain its endurance. The same people are not playing high parts during the entire concert so the fatigue factor is greatly diminished leaving plenty of control and energy for the end of the concert.

 

Improved Vertical Listening

One of the advantages keyboard players have over wind and string players and percussionists is a stronger awareness of the vertical aspect of music. Wind, string and percussion are single line instruments that create a horizontal focus in their approach. They focus on how notes relate to one another in a phrase. Keyboardists are not only concerned with the horizontal aspect of music but the vertical as well. They are constantly balancing the weight of the left hand to the right and matching the accompaniment style to the melody. When students play the various parts in the section they gain a greater awareness and respect for the inner workings of a composition and become more nuanced listeners and performers.

 

Improved Student Participation

The physiological benefits cannot be overlooked. Students are now equal members of the group. They are not, “Just a third trombone.” This tends to equalize everyone’s role in the ensemble emphasizing just how important every part is because we put equal performance ability emphasis on each part. This creates an environment where the student is more vested in the performance of their part whether it is first or third.

 

Using the grouping method also distributes the ability levels around the ensemble rather than isolating them in small groups. In the traditional “best to worst” seating we group all the weaker performers together. Their frustration with their inability to successfully play the parts can cause them to become discipline problems. This can produce an environment of cliques where the group decides to drop the class.

 

When we incorporate the less proficient players in a group with the stronger performers the weaker performers are surrounded by more positive role models. The grouping method also puts the average players next to the top performers in the ensemble invigorating their attitudes and participation. This allows more students to be leaders in a section (cooperative learning) which encourages their investment in the ensemble. In the old traditional seating system there was one leader. That leader ran sectionals for all the parts. In the grouping method there are four leaders, the principal and the three group leaders who can run sectionals.

 

Challenges

The group seating method works best where there is a well designed pedagogical development process included in the class period. If tone, rhythm and technical studies are included in the warm-up process along with regular evaluation of these skills the proficiency discrepancies are reduced. If individuals are not developing their range, or playing in the higher positions on a regular basis then the less experienced musicians are put in the very difficult position of coping with playing in areas with which they have little or no familiarity.

 

There is some disruption during the class when you change selections. Everyone is getting up and playing musical chairs as they move. If the students are moving cases and book bags from chair to chair it can get tedious. It is advisable to ask students not to bring cases and book bags into the rehearsal set-up.

 

When you first implement this plan the number 2-4 players will need to be convinced of the benefits of rotating parts. They have looked forward to the day when they get to play first and suddenly the rules change. You may want to have a trial concert where you implement this practice to ease the students into the new plan. If you are committed to the vital role the inner voices contribute to the beauty of a composition you will be able to convince your students of the benefits. Listen to recordings and guide the students’ ears to listen to aspects of a composition other than the melody.

 

 

Group seating has worked well in the ensembles I have taught from beginners through adult ensembles. Everyone’s attitude improves and the overall ensemble clarity is greatly enhanced. The fuller sonority of the inner voices provides richer and more vivid tonal coloring and nuanced performance. Abandoning the “best to worst” or seniority seating takes a leap of faith in our students and our abilities. When everyone hears the beauty of well played inner voices the merits of group seating will be undeniable.