Developing Musicianship in the Classroom

Mr. Brandt Schneider's article Creating Musical Flexibility Through the Ensemble provides a road map towards developing a music ensemble environment that goes beyond playing notes on a page and plowing through repertoire to perform at concerts and competitions.  In referring to what he calls "repertoire machines," he writes, "This system creates an overemphasis on reading and performing music, a fraction of our national standards."

Reading music.  I've been reading music (like seriously reading music) for my primary instrument for a mere six years.  I recall my first night as a member of university's chorus.  I joined three rehearsals before the Christmas concert.  After fumbling through choral warmups my choir director and soon to be mentor, Don, handed me Vivaldi's Gloria in D major.  To somebody who's sang classical music before, that book looked like Dante's Inferno in Latin; and I, who maybe red music at a 6th grade (genre student) level, was about to attempt to sing it.  Talk about a crash course!  Through the spring semester I picked up reading rate quickly and six short month later I arranged The Cave by Mumford and Sons for the men's a Capella group.

I tell this story because although I can read music and can create really cool arrangement by plugging notes into Finale, I still don't feel fluent in reading music.  My beast friend learned to read music before she could read words.  Many of my colleagues in my classes have been reading music anywhere from two to five times longer than I have.  The overemphasis on reading music Mr. Schnider talks about still makes me feel very self conscious of my own musicianship.

I do believe that reading music is very important and I'm really trying to improve my fluency, but there are many more facets that embody a "good" musician.  Schneider focuses on four key skills to help his students develop into well-rounded musicians.

1. Musical Discipline- The ability to play/sing dynamically and think quickly as a musician.
2. Technique- Having a vast knowledge of one's primary instrument.
3. Theory- Understanding what is happening "both melodically and harmonically" and why it is happening.
4. Composition- The ability to create and arrange music.

I think these skills cover the bulk of one's overall musicianship.  However, I would also like to briefly discuss two more skills that I find important to one's overall musicianship.

Working With Peers- Schneider might categorize this as part of Musical Discipline.  Performing music is seldom a solo affair.  The interaction between members of an ensemble can separate the good bands from the great bands.  Think about the relationship between a bassist and a drummer and how great a band can sound when the two are really locked in the pocket.  Is't one thing to have solid technique, but how well do you blend with the rest of the ensemble?  How well do you collaborate when working with other musicians of different backgrounds and skill levels?

Understanding Performance Space- Understanding where you are playing and who you are playing for is a vital skill for the modern musician.  Teachers can begin to instill this skill in young students by having them listen to the acoustics of different types of rooms and learn to recognize concepts like reverberation.  At a more advanced level, understanding the performance space can mean altering a performance based on acoustics, planning repertoire appropriate for your audience, and knowing what technology may be needed to properly amplify or record your performance and how to use that technology.

As a music teacher I hope to instill all of these skills into my students.  Will they all grow up to be professional musicians?  Probably not.  However, what we can certainly teach our students the importance of learning all the facets of a particular craft.  A great basketball player can be a great shooter, but must also be good at dribbling, playing defense, and know how to execute the team's plays.