Well, it’s December and I’m sure you’re all hastily preparing versions of Jingle Bells and Holiday Sampler before the end of term concert! It’s the time of year where we evaluate what we’ve achieved and look to the future. Did your program grow this year? Did it at least retain its numbers? How many new charts did you purchase? Did you use them all, and were they all good choices for your ensemble? Maybe you attracted some higher level musicians to your ensemble – how do you plan to keep them coming?
But there are some bigger questions too. Is your ensemble where you would like them to be? B grade? D grade? … A grade? Did they succeed at their performances or competitions – even if they didn’t win, did they improve on last year? I’d like you to take a moment to consider your ensemble as it is, and evaluate where you would like them to be in five years’ time. If you are happy with where they are, does that mean no further improvements can be made?
A friend of mine who conducts a community band says he is happy with the band’s level – but needs to improve on other things, such as attendance, numbers, variety of gigs, diversity of instruments (and holding onto those valued double reeds!) So, even though he’s “happy where the band is”, he’s still able to create a 5-year improvement program to address those other things. In business, they say that if you’re not growing, you’re going backwards. Although we can’t keep adding an infinite number of players to our bands, the philosophy that we can always improve something is definitely relevant.
I can help you achieve goals with your ensembles. I am just now approaching the end of a five year plan with my own concert band, and we are now competing nationally at an A grade level. In the 90s I had the same success with the Canberra Youth Wind Ensemble, and with the right combination of repertoire choices, rehearsal techniques, targeted musician management techniques and player coaching, I can help you achieve results with your ensemble – whether you simply want to grow in numbers, or whether you want to make a significant adjustment in their standard.
Creating a 5 year plan is not about simply playing harder music. A D-grade band will not necessarily become A grade by bumping them up a notch every year. In fact, that is almost certain to fail. You need to find a wholistic approach to the improvement of your ensembles through a variety of techniques that address everything from player mindset to stage layout. Consider the Purpose of every choice you make. (There’s that P-word again).
I’d love to hear some ideas about what you have done to improve your ensembles, or achieve your goals. Did you put cookies out at break time, or buy that easy version of We Will Rock You to keep them coming back to rehearsal? If you’re feeling stuck and need some guidance, drop me an email and I’ll see what I could recommend for you.
Whatever you do, enjoy your music!
GG
Thanks for this Geoff, some really insightful comments.