Okay, I have my flame suit on!

[tbdana]

I'm sure I'll get burned alive for this, but here goes. This is directed at adults in situations from community groups to professional. Lock and load, readers, I'm about to give you a big fat target. Here we go:

Rehearsal is not the time for you to practice your part. Practice at home. By the time you show up to the second rehearsal you should be able to play your part. Rehearsal is for getting all the parts working together like a well-oiled machine. When you come to rehearsal unprepared you are wasting everyone's time. And that's rude. All the people who came prepared now have to just sit there and twiddle their thumbs while you poop your pants in front of them.

Rehearsal time is for the collective issues, like intros, transitions, endings, getting dynamics and tempo changes together, and learning the art of the piece, not for you to learn the friggin notes. You should come there with the notes down cold, or at the very least have a way to hide your lack of courtesy on the passages you can't nail.

The vast majority of these groups give you paper or digital copies of the music to take home with you, and it's not to line the bottom of your birdcage with it, capisce?

"Oh, but these groups are just for fun!" I get that, but trust me, it's a LOT more fun to sound good and have productive rehearsals than it is to sit there and listen to the second clarinetist figure out which end of the horn to blow in.

"Oh, but he's 75 years old and will never be able to play the part, and this is the only fun he ever gets to have." Okay. But if you must have people like that, at least hide them in some lower part and don't waste rehearsal time with them. In fact, for folks like that, why even have rehearsals? Just have weekly barbecues for socializing and let them all sight read the concert. Apparently it won't make any difference in the performance.

I suppose this mostly applies to amateur and community groups. If you're a professional and this happens, chances are you won't be professional for very long. Heck, in many professional situations you might not get a rehearsal, or only a short rehearsal the day of the gig. I remember getting hired for a famous TV awards show, and the only rehearsal we got before playing for millions of people was about 45 minutes to run intros and transitions. They can get away with that because the musicians take pride in what they do and make sure they can play the stuffing out of their part before they ever show up.

You might not play as well as that pro, but you should take everyone else's time just as seriously as he does. Now close your computer and go practice.

That's my rant!

Ready...aim...fire!

(P.S. This is all intended to be tongue-in-cheek. Sort of.)

[AtomicClock]

Rehearsal is not the time for you to practice your part. Practice at home. By the time you show up to the second rehearsal you should be able to play your part.

Absolutely true, 100%

I think high school band education sets the completely wrong expectation. In January, the spring contest pieces are passed out, and these will be over-rehearsed daily for MONTHS, whether you practice on your own or not. This teaches kids that the way to learn parts is through repetition during rehearsal (at least, that's what I learned).

In many ways, community band is just a continuation of high school band into adulthood.

[LeTromboniste]

100%. Any group I've ever been part of (including amateur and youth ensembles/orchestra when I was in undergrad) that intended to play at a good level, abided by this principle. If a group doesn't, they're not going to keep their best and most motivated players very long, and it's a tough spiral to get out of.

[BGuttman]

I played in a number of groups where we rehearsed the night before and played the concert the next day. You were not allowed to take your part home. Most of the stuff was pretty common band music that most of the members had been playing for at least 50 years and many of them probably had their parts memorized years ago.

I've also been called to sit in with ensembles where one of the regulars was not able to play. Again, sometimes with no rehearsal or minimal rehearsal. Just be as ready as you can be.

I played in several big bands with telephone book sized music folders and the leader might give out the set list as we arrived for the gig. Practice? What?

The one thing that usually upsets me is when we are called onstage for a 1 hour rehearsal prior to allowing the audience into the hall. If you plan to work out differences by then it's really too late.

[AtomicClock]

The one thing that usually upsets me is when we are called onstage for a 1 hour rehearsal prior to allowing the audience into the hall. If you plan to work out differences by then it's really too late.

As much as anything, I think this is to keep musicians from showing up late and not warmed-up.

[CharlieB]

The goal of music should be to create happiness, not stress.
Before I was old enough to vote, I was allowed to join a "town band." It was a motley group of citizens who met to play music to the best of their (sometimes very limited) ability. We marched in the Memorial Day parade, but the march was too strenuous for some of the older folks, so they rode cars to the cemetery where they rejoined the band for the concert performance. We had a trumpet player who really struggled because he had no teeth, but he was given a seat playing third, where his best effort was accepted.
We also had some very accomplished musicians, but they were always a source of helpfulness, never criticism.
The band was an opportunity for local, mostly amateur, musicians to turn off the TV set and enjoy playing music in a group of non-judgemental peers. There were no stress-inducing rules, regulations, requirements or expectations like those listed in above posts. There was only the freedom to enjoy making music with others.

[Kbiggs]

Agreed. And yet…

In community groups, playing the music with a high degree of accuracy and craftsmanship seems to be less important than the joy of making music with friends and acquaintances. If you’re expecting community players who still play at a high school or college level to play things nearly perfectly by the second rehearsal, you’ll be disappointed.

[claf]

I agree 100% with you Dana.
It's okay to have difficulties playing the parts, I don't have a problem with that.
But when you have a 4-days rehearsing session, you don't have time to work your part between rehearsals, and yet 80% of the band haven't even looked at the parts (that we get 1-2 months before).

"Rehearsals are not for learning your part, it is for learning other people's parts".

[elmsandr]

…
The one thing that usually upsets me is when we are called onstage for a 1 hour rehearsal prior to allowing the audience into the hall. If you plan to work out differences by then it's really too late.

Eh, no? Sound checks are good. Especially if the hall is not where you rehearse. Yes, play through all the spots that require good listening across the ensemble… chances are it will sound quite different with the shell in place and the front row now pushed in front of the proscenium.

More of these, please. (But use them productively)
Andy

[robcat2075]

What astonishing bad luck, tbdana!

It seems that every time I look at the forum, yet another player, yet another ensemble, yet another social circumstance has failed to uphold the basic obligations of our civilization.

I know not how you persevere in the face of such remarkable ill fortune.

[tbdana]

What astonishing bad luck, tbdana!

It seems that every time I look at the forum, yet another player, yet another ensemble, yet another social circumstance has failed to uphold the basic obligations of our civilization.

I know not how you persevere in the face of such remarkable ill fortune.

Sarcasm score: 10.0
Virtue signaling score: 11.9

Man, I did everything I could in the thread title and the first paragraph of the OP to give people a way to skip this thread if they wanted to avoid a provocative rant. I also made it clear I expected this kind of response. And, frankly, it was very well done with the callback to the warming up on stage thread. Sweet!

[BGuttman]

…
The one thing that usually upsets me is when we are called onstage for a 1 hour rehearsal prior to allowing the audience into the hall. If you plan to work out differences by then it's really too late.

Eh, no? Sound checks are good. Especially if the hall is not where you rehearse. Yes, play through all the spots that require good listening across the ensemble… chances are it will sound quite different with the shell in place and the front row now pushed in front of the proscenium.

More of these, please. (But use them productively)
Andy

Most of the time I have these types of rehearsals they are just a continuation of what we were doing in the rehearsal space. No adjustments for hall, no adjustments of starts and stops. Just working over the same bad spots we had identified in the practice room. Total waste of time.

[tbdana]

Eh, no? Sound checks are good. Especially if the hall is not where you rehearse. Yes, play through all the spots that require good listening across the ensemble… chances are it will sound quite different with the shell in place and the front row now pushed in front of the proscenium.

More of these, please. (But use them productively)
Andy

Most of the time I have these types of rehearsals they are just a continuation of what we were doing in the rehearsal space. No adjustments for hall, no adjustments of starts and stops. Just working over the same bad spots we had identified in the practice room. Total waste of time.

Perhaps it is a waste of time for you, but maybe there are people that need that last minute work because they still don't have it down and need the recency of a rehearsal to keep it in their heads and get it under their fingers.

But who am I kidding? If they're in that spot they won't get it anyway, so yeah, probably a waste of time.

[BrassSection]

"Oh, but he's 75 years old and will never be able to play the part, and this is the only fun he ever gets to have." Okay. But if you must have people like that, at least hide them in some lower part and don't waste rehearsal time with them. In fact, for folks like that, why even have rehearsals? Just have weekly barbecues for socializing and let them all sight read the concert. Apparently it won't make any difference in the performance.”

Don’t lump all us old farts into the same category! I’m “only” 71, but played in a community band last Christmas. Baritone section. 1 baritone and 2 euphs counting mine. 2 high schoolers and myself. The baritone player seemed to be there to warm the seat. The girl on the other euph was good. 3 practices before the concert. I’m used to using chord sheets, my first full concert with real music in 53 years. I had organized a few ensembles, played every instrument I own in one or another, but only 3 to 4 songs. I wasn’t too bad first concert practice night, only the baritone player was there besides myself. Took folder home and practiced. So did my daughter and grandson. Only 2 at second practice, I was ready to play. Other euph player was there for the final practice. She was ready. End of concert my son confided “I wasn’t looking forward to this. I was expecting mediocre playing from maybe 20 people. Had 92 in the band. Final verdict from son…”That was excellent!!” Tuba section was 3 fellows older than myself. Director well past 80. Except for a couple high school kids everybody was there to do their best.

But I do understand if you can’t play it, either prepare or just don’t play.

[BGuttman]

When I first joined my orchestra there was a nice older gentleman in the bass section who was clearly a step or three behind the rest of them. The orchestra was formed as an extra-curricular activity for employees of a high tech company in the area and invited local music teachers to fill in the sections, and this guy was one of the original engineer-musicians. But he knew his limitations. He probably played one note out of three, but that note was on time and in tune. He was as ready as he could be and was clearly in it to provide his small contribution to a much larger whole. I admire such people who make the best contribution they can without detracting from the whole. Incidentally, he wouldn't have benefitted from that hour long rehearsal before the concert -- he was as ready as he could be when he walked in the door.

[tbdana]

Don’t lump all us old farts into the same category! I’m “only” 71

Oh, I don’t. I’m “only” in my 70th year. I’m an old fart too.

[robcat2075]

And, frankly, it was very well done with the callback to the warming up on stage thread. Sweet!

Is it weird that I can just type in random problems... and you've had them?

[tbdana]

And, frankly, it was very well done with the callback to the warming up on stage thread. Sweet!

Is it weird that I can just type in random problems... and you've had them?

Sorry, I don't understand that reference. Are you just being a dick?

[hyperbolica]

I don't want to be "that guy", but community groups are often more about the social aspect than musical, and it may be unfair to judge them by the standards of professional musicians. Sure, people "should" learn their parts at home and work out ensemble issues at rehearsals, but as you've all pointed out, that's not always what you get.

I played in a community band shortly after I picked up the horn again, about 12 years ago. But several of us started our own group because we didn't like various aspects of the band. I think that's a better reaction. You're not going to improve a lazy community band or lazy community players. But you can set yourself apart with people with the same values. Smaller ensembles are more fun, you get more direct control over the music and gigs you play, hopefully get to play with better players, etc.

[tbdana]

In my area, community bands are predominantly run and peopled (musicianed?) by middle school music teachers. They run the community bands the same way they run their middle school bands, and with the same kind of culture and expectations. For that reason, they tend to "feel" very much like an adult middle school.

Is it the same in other parts of the country/world?

[dwcarder]

As a community player I've experienced a wide variety and it ... really really depends.

In one, a university-sponsored summer wind band, I'd characterize it as mostly existing as part of continuing education program for high school music teachers and a place for grad students to work on a second horn with community players filling the ranks. It operates pretty much as you describe it should with the majority of time in rehearsal devoted to fine tuning the artistry.

In another community band, its a step down in technical capability. The majority of time from the director is really trying to push people to expand, but yes you're going to get some focus on hitting the notes. Some will practice, some won't. The key to making it work is not clustering the best players, and spread them out through the section. I played 3rd part next to a teenager, she got maybe 80% of the notes and we had fun. That was the point. I largely stopped using my trigger as I noticed it would throw off her confidence on her straight tenor.

Both of those are of the format 6 or 7 rehearsals and then a sit-down concert. In my "main" band, we largely exist for playing polka in beer tents and community festivals. It's a big 3-ring binder of material. It's also both the lowest in formality (did I mention beer) and maybe the wildest in individual capability. However, rehearsals are mainly only sight reading, adjusting the arrangements to fit, or maybe refreshing memory on something tricky. It's a lot of time at home to keep up.

[cmcslide]

The symphony in my town used to be a community group, with regular rehearsals on Tuesday nights leading up to the concert weekend. The rehearsals were run by a couple who were retired from New York (including a violinist who had a career playing at the Met) and most of the regular players were either retirees or music teachers. Most didn't get paid, except some ringers to fill the sections and the conductor, who came for concert weekends only. The Tuesday rehearsals were held at a church, and they filled out the orchestra with ringers on concert weekends. When the orchestra changed status and became professional, everybody got paid and the Tuesday rehearsals went away. The players got stronger, but the social aspect of the group went away.

The new professional version of the orchestra had very little overlap with the old community players. In fact, the community players went on to form a new community orchestra, which lasted about a year and a half before funding dried up. What is interesting is that both orchestras, with very little overlap of players, sounded about the same, and both orchestras tackled repertoire of a similar level.

[harrisonreed]

Shot fired!

[StephenK]

I think the first things in a community wind band are knowing the expectations, and everyone enjoying their contribution.
I play in what I think is a pretty decent wind band in the UK (Trinity Concert Band) and most of the players are good to very good, with a smattering of music teachers and ex-military. There are a few who would struggle in parts, but they do work on there parts as best they can, and certainly will not be intimidated or bullied about any shortcomings.
I once (10 years past) was about to start a conversation with one of these with a view to suggesting they try a different band. I quickly discovered they had been in the band since it started 23 years ago, and was probably one of the most important things in their life, and they also contributed in non-musical ways.

[AndrewMeronek]

In my experience, groups where money exchanges hands tend to be better about being prepared. Not just groups that actually find a way to pay its members something for the concerts, but also "pay to play" kinds of groups too.

CAPITALISM!!!