Preparing for a Successful Festival Experience
by William W. Gourley

Now that the fall marching season and Halloween concert are over and as you prepare for the December concert it is a good time to begin preparing your students for a successful band or orchestra festival experience.

When I speak of a successful festival experience I am not necessarily referring to a First Division rating. Granted a great rating is a worthwhile outcome but it is only the cherry on top of the sundae that is the festival experience. Even without it the sundae is very enjoyable.

The real value of festival participation is the opportunity for growth. Students receive affirmation of the skills they have acquired and advice as to how they can enhance and expand their talents from respected educator/adjudicators. They also have the opportunity to hear other ensembles similar to theirs perform.

Assessing the Ensemble

With the first nine weeks of school completed you have had the opportunity to determine the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s ensembles. The primary areas of evaluation should be tone quality, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, and technical facility.

Tone - Are the students able to produce a centered and vibrant tone throughout the developmentally appropriate range of the instrument? Is breath support or bow control sufficiently mastered to maintain a good tone?

Intonation - What keys, chords and ranges are the students able to perform with good intonation? Younger bands may be most comfortable in the keys of BbM, gm, EbM, cm, FM, and dm. Strings may find DM, GM, em, CM, am, and dm the easiest to play in tune.  If the ensemble has not performed enough in other keys either in their concert selections, chorals or scales they will probably not play these keys very well in tune. Similarly, if students have generally played major, minor and seventh chords they will find more exotic tonal colors difficult. And as with keys and chords, when students play in higher or lower ranges than they regularly encounter they have difficulty with intonation.

Rhythm - Do students have a well defined sense of pulse and subdivision of the pulse? What rhythmic figures are they able to perform accurately? Which meters can the ensemble perform? Are triplet figures evenly performed? Has the ensemble mastered the 6/8 style or the dotted eighth sixteenth note pattern?

Technical Facility – The literature and warm-up scales the students use everyday are the ones they will most accurately play. If the finger muscles have not been through adequate repetitions of various scales the students will not be able to accurately place the notes rhythmically. Articulation and bowing styles and fluency must also be considered.

Prioritize Areas of Development

Some may suggest that it might be better to select your music here based upon your assessment of the ensemble so you know what skills you will need to develop. I would not argue with that philosophy providing the ensemble has mastered sufficient skills in the areas mentioned. However, I feel it is better to determine what skills can be sufficiently mastered by festival and then select music that will showcase those attributes. To select music first and hope we can teach the skills required to successfully perform it can often result in failure. For example, basic tone is poor selecting a lengthy slow lyrical composition may be unrealistic when you consider there are two other selections you will need to prepare and there is not enough time to accomplish this.

The most important area to address is great tone quality and along with that intonation. Fortunately you get two for the price of one here. Okay, maybe intonation just doesn’t come free but a lot of it comes along with better tone quality, especially in the winds. It doesn’t matter how accurately the ensemble plays rhythms, notes, articulations, etc. if it doesn’t have a great sound. Your ensemble may just need a minor tune-up to enhance the extreme ranges or more remote tonalities. If the ensemble still has not achieved a vibrant centered tone quality throughout various dynamic levels and in the appropriate ranges you will need to devote more class time to this area instead of working on faster articulation and flying technique.

The next area is rhythmic fluency although this is right up there with tone. There is no such thing as a right note in the wrong place, it is all wrong. At least if you have the rhythm correct you are half right. Before one can play rhythm patterns correctly one needs to have an uncompromising awareness for the pulse and subdivision. This may fix a lot of rhythm reading problems. Often the problem is not knowing how to count a figure but when or where to count it. If the group has a strong sense of pulse you may want to look for rhythmic patterns that need attention. Remember to include note values longer than one beat and rests in your evaluation. Too often students do not play these well and just guess at the appropriate length.

If tone and rhythm abilities are in need of minor work you can devote more time to technical concerns such as finger patterns, shifting, articulation styles, etc. Major, relative minor and chromatic scales need to be constantly reviewed to stay under the fingers just as a basketball player constantly needs to practice free throws. You never know when you will be called upon to use the skill but it is one that always needs to be there.

These basic skills are ones which cannot be fixed in 5-10 minutes of rote teaching. A new rhythm can be rote taught, granted not ideal, in an emergency. Good tone and intonation, precise rhythmic awareness, fluid scale patterns and legato, marcato, etc. are skills that take time to learn. But, great improvement can be made in just eight to ten weeks.

As you determine which areas are in need of improvement be realistic in how much you can address and still allow for sufficient rehearsal time on the literature. If your ensemble has poor tone quality, and does not have a strong rhythmic awareness then it is doubtful you will have time to adequately address many technical issues.

Sight Reading – This was not included in the original assessment procedure because so much of sight reading proficiency is determined by the skill development of those already mentioned.

Selecting Music

Festival is your opportunity to demonstrate -through the performance of the literature –

the skills the ensemble has mastered. The music you select should reflect and showcase your ensemble’s proficiencies not deficiencies. We should not select music because we want our students to learn a certain skill; we should select music that compliments the skills the ensemble possesses.

If the group has not learned to play in a lyrical style in chorale work or something like the Treasury of Scales it is doubtful they will be able to learn it for one tune. So many factors determine lyrical playing. Tone, intonation, subdivision and precise pulse awareness, breath control, and extreme mental focus all go into lyrical playing. Trying to teach all of these in the context of the literature will take too much time from the rest of the literature. Lyrical playing is an essential skill but playing a three to five minute selection that features this style without having already developed it is a recipe for disaster.

First, select three to five compositions from the required list that fit the ensemble’s abilities. Pay particular attention to ranges, key signatures tonalities, and style. A composition that demands your upper brass to play a great deal in their upper range will fatigue them for the rest of the performance. Woodwind parts that are in ranges that the students have not become accomplished will require an inordinate amount of time to refine their abilities. If your ensemble needs to still develop tone and rhythmic abilities it would be wise to avoid selecting music that will require you to spend time developing technical proficiency.

The next step is to select two or three compositions of various styles using the same criteria as you did for the required selection to offer opportunities to put together a program with variety.

Finally, pick a couple marches using the same criteria listed above. The march should not be difficult. Pick ones that will allow the students to learn with relative ease. This will most likely be the first piece you will play at the festival. Selecting a piece that will allow the students to easily play and overcome the initial nerves inherent with festival performances and get used to the acoustics will put them at ease for the rest of their performance. It should be a confidence builder.

Narrowing the Search

The next step is to play the selections. Don’t just read through them. Work out some of the challenging sections guiding the students through the selection. Then try to play through them as much as possible.

You are looking for a few factors.

• The ensemble should be able to successfully sight read 80% of the composition without much difficulty. If you are constantly having to stop and fix things you will need too much time to fix the mechanics of the composition and will never get to the music making. More than likely you will spend so much time fixing notes and rhythms, that tone, intonation and phrasing will never get addressed.
• What pedagogical deficiencies in the ensemble will need to be addressed in the next two to three months to perform the composition? Can these deficiencies be learned within four to six weeks with a minimum of rehearsal time?
• Which compositions seem to be the most appealing to the students?

Create the Program

Program an appealing festival program that contains a variety of styles, forms, tonalities and character within your ensemble’s abilities. Remember this is still a concert performance and you want to keep the audience (adjudicators are part of the audience) engaged in the performance. Playing a march and two concert selections all in EbM does not create a lot of tonal variety. Likewise, choosing two concert selections in ABA form will not provide much variety.

Many music educators like to perform a selection that will “stretch” the ensemble to provide an opportunity for growth. When doing this, just a reminder to assess what areas of musical performance will need to be improved and how much time will this take from refining other elements.

A good blend is:

• An easily playable march that will offer the ensemble an opportunity to get used to the hall, gain confidence and overcome performance jitters.
• A concert selection that offers some opportunity for growth, a “stretch” piece. Placing the more challenging selection second allows the students the chance to play the more difficult piece after having a good experience on the march and while they still are fresh mentally and physically.
• A less demanding concert selection the ensemble can learn with relative ease that contrasts well with the other concert selection. Remember, your students are expending a lot of energy psychologically which affects their physical endurance. This is a good place to put an energetic composition that the students enjoy. It will re-energize them and the audience.

Preparing the Music

During November through January devote a significant amount of rehearsal (20%-30%) addressing the ensemble’s deficiencies. Continue to refine tone, intonation and rhythm skills, expand range and improve style and technical proficiency. Make sure you are working on the skills required to perform the festival music. Sight read at least twice a week beginning with unison studies if you need to and gradually move on to beginning band/orchestra literature. As the ensemble gains confidence and proficiency in sight reading gradually read more difficult literature.

Develop a four week timeline that maps out when you expect to have the various sections of the compositions performance ready beginning in mid to late January (six weeks before festival). The more difficult selection should be the focus of your efforts for the first two weeks and use the march and easier concert piece as a contrast to the difficult demands of the “stretch” piece in rehearsals. Continue to devote time to improving the basic pedagogical aspects of music performance daily and sight read at least five minutes twice a week.

Each rehearsal should include a blend of micro and macro playing. The micro (precision) work should be done just after the warm-up/pedagogical development portion of the rehearsal. The last 20% of the rehearsal should be devoted to playing through larger sections of music and not digging out every mistake. Musicians need the opportunity to hear the overall composition and learn the overall concept of the music which is difficult to do if they are always stopping to correct mistakes.

The four weeks before the festival begin recording the macro sections of the rehearsal at least twice a week and schedule someone to come in to listen to the ensemble during the fourth and fifth weeks. If you have a pre-festival concert try to schedule it five to ten days before the festival. This will allow time to refine any live performance concerns.

Festival Day

Warm-up – The main focus of the warm-up is to relax the students and get the lips, fingers and bow arms moving.

• Treat the warm-up as if it were an everyday class period. Begin with your normal routine. Perhaps a few long tones, scales, tonguing studies and tuning exercise (chord progression, chorale, etc.).
• Do not play through the concert music; just touch a few spots here and there. Play the first few measures of each piece and review any transitions, accelerando, ritardando, etc. sections. Keep it macro and do not start digging into any problems. This will only add to the performance anxiety of the group. Have them sing and finger sections to reinforce style and rhythm and save embouchures.

Performance – If possible do not tune on stage and definitely do not tune individuals on stage. This is a great opportunity to let the adjudicators know where the ensemble weaknesses are. If you feel you must play something play a chord or unison scale. Decide this with your students a couple of weeks in advance and rehearse this. Again, we want the students to be in their normal routine. Throwing out a scale on stage and someone not getting the instructions could cause an awkward moment that will affect the students’ anxiety level. Whatever you play, do it with your best sound.

Sight Reading – This should be treated like any performance situation. If time permits set up the room. This will provide a familiar environment for the students and add to their comfort level. Having the group just fit into a generic set-up creates clutter.

Go through the sight reading routine that you have used in rehearsals. If you have done this on a regular basis the anxiety level will be drastically reduced. In sight reading do not play to avoid making mistakes, play to make music.

Evaluate Other Ensembles – This is an often over looked area. Part of the festival experience should include hearing other ensembles. Create a form for your students to use to evaluate other groups at festival (at least two). These can be handed in when they get back on the bus to return from festival. Here are some suggestions:

• Student’s name
• Ensemble being evaluated
• Selections
• List two things you liked about the performance

After the Festival

After the festival review the adjudicators’ comments. Spend a portion of the rehearsal over the next week or so studying their suggestions. You may want to put these into a PowerPoint presentation or on a handout. Start with the positives. If one of the comments mentions how well the ensemble played a certain section of music play it so they can get an appreciation for how it “feels” when it is going right. Then go to the suggestions for improvement. Spend time rehearsing and implementing suggestions from the adjudicators.

Creating a successful festival experience is more about how we approach it, prepare for it and utilize the information than the medal earned. By focusing our efforts on the goal and not the prize we won’t be disappointed if we don’t get that cherry on top and will be able to enjoy the rest of the sundae without it and have a successful festival experience.