Most people see Orchestra or Band as one single group of people that just play their instruments. What they don’t see is the complex audition process and jockeying for positions behind the scenes. There are many different factors that the directors consider when choosing who to put in which band or orchestra.
In elementary school, almost everyone is in the same orchestra and teachers have to be level with the lowest denominator, but the middle school music program is quite different.
To audition for either band or orchestra, students prepare a solo piece as well as any number of scales that they know. Then they perform the pieces for the audition, where the music directors look for multiple things to assess their skills.
Orchestra Teacher Jacqueline Robertson explained that to audition, students can play any scale of their choice along with a piece of music they’ve prepared.
“When [students] show up to play [their solos and scales]for me, sometimes they’re a little nervous, but usually, I can hear through that,” she explained. “Whatever level they’re playing at, that informs me where they should go.”
Sometimes she also asks them to do a little sight reading, which can help with the determination.
Ms. Robertson looks for many things besides flair and talent.
“I look for posture and technique,” said Robertson. “If students have the correct posture and technique, and it’s clear to me that they play like that regularly, then that’s one indicator.”
She also pays attention to their rhythm, intonation, dynamics, phrasing, and bowings, and identifies how strong they are in these areas. She also tries to get to know the students.
“I get to know a little bit about them even though it’s only a few minutes, so I get to see where they might fit in which orchestra,” she explained.
Robertson also went on to say that she was satisfied with the quality of all of her orchestras, and she thinks that everyone is where they need to be.
Alex H., an eighth grade violinist who is in Chamber, says that the orchestra level is right, but perhaps a bit easy, for him.
“So for our warm-up piece, I believe that is too easy,” he said. “And I feel like Sibelius is just the right level.”
Even within a level, there are still people with varying degrees of skill, so the quality all depends on how hard students try.
“I will be less motivated if the sound is degrading, but I will be more motivated to practice and be with my orchestra if the sound quality is better and the others perform as well as they should,” said Laura N., another member of the Chamber Orchestra.
This goes to show that orchestra (and band) really is a group effort. There are always bound to be less talented people in the music program, and sometimes this can affect the entire orchestra/band. That said, talent is not the only factor that makes a musician good. Other members of the orchestra have mentioned responsibility, readiness, and musical expressivity as important factors.
Mr Frederick, the band director is also very satisfied with the quality of his bands.
“Every year. Every year it gets better. Every single year,” Frederick said.
Although some students may take private lessons and others may not practice as much, he believes that everyone can participate.
“There’s a place for everybody who wants to be in the band here at Longfellow,” he stated.
When Mr. Frederick said that everyone is in the band, that may raise some questions on whether the auditions are too harsh or too loose.
“It’s not too hard or too easy,” said Marcus W., a 7th grader in the Symphonic Band.
The difficulty of each band/orchestra is different, and although there are always varying skill levels, there really is a place for everyone. We found that everyone that we interviewed found the level of their orchestra or band to be a good fit. Both music directors are satisfied with the quality of the different groups. Of course, there are always a few who are slightly behind, but the most important thing is that everyone has to work together in order to make it work.
