How do you get people to want to practice for an ensemble

[chronolith]

I play in a few groups of fairly wide-ranging skill levels from one end of the group to another. One in particular is trying to raise artistic standards and it has been noted that proper preparation for rehearsals is proving to be an issue. This is an unpaid group, but I would not classify it in the "community" category. Somewhere in between and trying to find itself and maybe carving out a new space.

Lots of sight reading at rehearsal, heads buried in stands (not watching the conductor), no real improvement from one rehearsal to the next, wasting time working on individual stuff rather than working on ensemble stuff, performances squeaking by with a combination of fear, adrenaline rush, luck (good and bad), and abandon.

Now I know that what you work on to prepare a part as an individual is not the same as the work done in rehearsal, but if the individual work does not get done then it ends up happening in the group and we lose valuable time working on blend, shape, and artistry in general (while people circle key signatures, mark bowings and fingerings, and decide where to breath or not).

So how do you get people to want to be better prepared to make the most of ensemble work? How do you effectively and productively build a better standard for musicianship?

[Mark]

In my experience, if your talking about a few individuals, politely ask them to leave. If the majority of the ensemble doesn't care, find another ensemble.

[Tom]

You don't.

This is the universal amateur/community ensemble issue which has many underlying reasons.

My own experience with such groups is that I could either enjoy them "as is" and make a positive contribution to the group myself, or I could leave. They have to want it and they have to find the time & motivation to do it, you can't force that on anyone.

[cctubaneeds]

I have experience with where you are coming from. I play in a very similar ensemble as a performer, and I run an ensemble in the same setting. I make all my money as a Director, and a Band Teacher, does that make me a pro? I don't care...

As a director, I try to be as prepared as possible and make the most out of the time I have with the group and the capabilities they present. The band could play blah level rep but you are beating your head against a wall and they don't practice. Play the music that is at the level that the group gives you, make musical experiences and fun within that. Add one piece that pushes them and give them a taste of what they could do if they put in the effort. Things change slowly, but for me positivity and reality is the key. My group has shown improvment over a years because of this.

As a performer, I have a director like the above. I practice enough... I am one of the mid to upper level players in the group (I also play tuba and bass trombone, so we are often held back by high woodwinds and their abundance of notes), but I do not come in an play every rehearsal flawlessly. We all have music degrees and are playing advanced collegiate rep, but I have a life. I have a job and can't put in more than I do to play in the band. I am sure some of musicians are in a similar place, so the only way to grab them is the make them want it.

Find a way to motivate, and have them want to practice not feel they need to practice. In situations, pro/college/other, they must do better and pressure and demands work. In other situations, it has to be desirable.

So how can you do this as a performer, not a director? Ask your section to do sectionals. Meet with the rest of the group and become friends, from there once a relationship is built talk about your frustrations with lack of prep and find a way to positively inspire change. Change the culture, if you can. Or accept your place and find a way to enjoy yourself.

[roughrider]

I have experience with where you are coming from. I play in a very similar ensemble as a performer, and I run an ensemble in the same setting. I make all my money as a Director, and a Band Teacher, does that make me a pro? I don't care...

As a director, I try to be as prepared as possible and make the most out of the time I have with the group and the capabilities they present. The band could play blah level rep but you are beating your head against a wall and they don't practice. Play the music that is at the level that the group gives you, make musical experiences and fun within that. Add one piece that pushes them and give them a taste of what they could do if they put in the effort. Things change slowly, but for me positivity and reality is the key. My group has shown improvment over a years because of this.

As a performer, I have a director like the above. I practice enough... I am one of the mid to upper level players in the group (I also play tuba and bass trombone, so we are often held back by high woodwinds and their abundance of notes), but I do not come in an play every rehearsal flawlessly. We all have music degrees and are playing advanced collegiate rep, but I have a life. I have a job and can't put in more than I do to play in the band. I am sure some of musicians are in a similar place, so the only way to grab them is the make them want it.

Find a way to motivate, and have them want to practice not feel they need to practice. In situations, pro/college/other, they must do better and pressure and demands work. In other situations, it has to be desirable.

So how can you do this as a performer, not a director? Ask your section to do sectionals. Meet with the rest of the group and become friends, from there once a relationship is built talk about your frustrations with lack of prep and find a way to positively inspire change. Change the culture, if you can. Or accept your place and find a way to enjoy yourself.

Thank you for your well thought out and reasoned response. We face the same difficulties one province to the east of you. I play in three different groups and a brass quintet. Being 60, I am well aware of my strengths and weaknesses as a player and do my best to work on the areas that need attention. Sadly, not every band member will want to spend what they feel are excessive amounts of time preparing for rehearsals and performances. To the OP, enjoy what you do and if you do not, then find another group to play with. Life is much too short to be frustrated at something that a great number of us do as amateur musicians because we love the structure, discipline and great performances!

[Three Valves]

So how do you get people to want to be better prepared to make the most of ensemble work? How do you effectively and productively build a better standard for musicianship?

(1) Have realistic goals for the repertoire.

“Easy” rep sounds great when executed well.

“Hard” rep sounds sucky when poorly executed.

Don’t feature the section that sucks, feature the section that is less-sucky!!

[chronolith]

I thought all Chicagoland musicians sounded like Bud, Jake, Dale, and Jay...??

In their minds they do, by association (proxomity) if nothing else.

[bort]

I once played in an ensemble that I called the "Groundhog's Day Band." Every rehearsal was identical. No improvement. Same parts sounded bad week to week, same dumb mistakes, same, same, same.

But the worst part -- the director did everything the same every week. Same cutoffs, same rehearsal blocks, etc.

In the end, after months(?) or rehearsing, a few things got a little better. But the piece as a whole was awful, because we only rehearsed small chunks and rarely the whole piece. It was awful.

So, I quit.

The next concert cycle, someone asked me "Hey, why did you leave? Are you coming back?"

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How to fix it? If you can't get people to practice, at LEAST they can learn what the piece is supposed to sound like. Get a recording and listen to it, multiple times, between rehearsals. For most of the community band stuff out there, there's NO reason to wait until rehearsal to hear things for the first time, or to go a full week between hearing the piece.

I think that's the great irony of being a musician and facing the difficulties of performing -- it's actually REALLY easy. You KNOW the answers already, and KNOW what it's supposed to sound like. It's very hard to do that a lot of times, but it's not some impossible unknown goal that you are reaching for. But if you don't know the piece, don't practice, don't care... yeah, it's gonna suck.

[kingrob76]

For 5 years, I was President of the Board of a local group here in the DC area that was, at one time, quite prominent and played at a very high level. Over the years, members filtered out and other members filtered in, members aged, and the level of performance started a slow slide. When I took over the group it was on life support and I did everything I could to move it back to a group that musicians like myself (accomplished but never pursued it as a full-time vocation) would want to play with, and I was somewhat successful. I learned a LOT about the various forms of "amateur" groups though, and got a sense of what works and what didn't.

Groups that were largely member-driven usually never improved and over time would find their level which would almost always be that of an average community band. There was no impetus to improve unless the MD pushed hard for it, and even then the results were mixed. From time-to-time these groups will get an influx of talent and improve somewhat but they do eventually seem to find their level again. Change in these kinds of groups is glacial at best, virtually non-existent in many cases.

Groups that were largely MD-driven usually maintained a certain level of performance and depending on the MD could be quite good (or, consistently less-than-ordinary). One of the best amateur groups in the DC area is MD-driven but is also strongly supported by excellent Principal players, and I felt that combination - based on my observations with the quality of performance as the key metric - was very effective. I will note the MD for the group has a reputation of being a real jerk, and that group goes through a lot of players. Fortunately the DC area can support high turnover at the upper levels.

I realized after a few years that improving an amateur group where a handful / large number of players are just content to make it their "monday night group" just isn't feasible. Once it becomes okay for the group to sound poorly in the ears of the members you're better off starting a new group, or moving on, because the level has been set. There are fewer things worse than playing in a group where there are players who other musicians don't want to play with because their skills just aren't there. It drives away players who can improve a group, and it does so in fairly short order.

So how do you get people to WANT to practice, when they normally wouldn't? Unless you are giving them music they desperately want to play well, or paying them for their performance, you really can't. If cleaning house isn't feasible then get your chops together and go audition for another group because that's the real solution you can control.

[chronolith]

Some very valuable stuff here. I appreciate the input.