Fostering Musical Thinking in Large Ensembles Joe Shively


In band, choir and orchestra classes in our schools, the approach of the teacher has often reflected the approach of a conductor as maestro. While there is much we might emulate about these giants of the podium, we should keep our educational goals in mind and recognize when these goals might sometimes be in conflict with the model provided by those great conductors. Doing so requires that we constantly examine what it means to be a music teacher. For me, this has necessitated the difficult task of letting go of some of our traditions (Shively, 2004). In this article, I discuss one aspect of my continuing effort to rethink my approach in large ensemble settings. I share some experiences from my teaching where I sought to engage my students in musical thinking I hope you can adapt to your own classroom. While the examples I use in this article come from my work with bands, I hope they will resonate with choir and orchestra teachers as well.


The Opportunity to Solve a Musical Problem


We had played (sort of) through Michael Daugherty’s Alligator Alley (Hal Leonard) twice and were starting to rehearse. Few in the band having played a composition written primarily in 5/4, they were having a difficult time getting a feel for it. I had been conducting a standard five-pattern up until this point and I had them conduct the same pattern while we counted measures of five beats. We had done this prior to the first reading in an effort to alleviate some of their anxiety. As we continued to struggle with finding the groove, I gave the ensemble this assignment. “With a partner, try to find a better way for me to conduct this. Is there a conducting pattern that you think better communicates the music?”


Everyone took a minute to try out conducting patterns. After their discussions with one another, I asked for suggestions. The first suggestion was to conduct a 3 pattern followed by a 2 pattern. We tried this and it helped


somewhat. The next suggestion was 2 + 3, which they decided was not right like the 3+2 pattern. A clarinetist raised her hand and told me that the piece was in 4 not 5. Trying not to smile, I responded, “How can it be in 4, the music has a 5/4 time signature?” At this point, she conducted a four pattern that reflected a Dotted Quarter-Dotted Quarter- Quarter-Quarter grouping. Soon we had everyone conducting and singing. Returning to the music with our new pattern, everyone was interested to see how his or her colleague’s idea would work. It was the last time we would have to talk about the rhythmic feel of Alligator Alley. Most importantly, giving the ensemble a chance to problem solve rather than just telling them what to do created ownership resulting in a higher level of engagement. This mindset seemed to spill over into the rehearsal of the rest of our music.


Talking Can Lead to Musical Thinking


In researching how ensemble conductors use their time, Goolsby (1996) and Manfredo (2006) found experienced conductors talk less and have their ensembles perform more. However, the problem may not be in talking, but rather in telling. Performing without detailed direct instruction is likely better than being told what to do, because when students perform with limited verbal feedback they take on a greater level of responsibility for making musical decisions. However, asking the right questions can foster more highly engaged musical thinkers.


So how do we get them thinking during rehearsals? I often start with this rehearsal question (based on thinking routines used in Tishman, 2002):


What is going on in the music and what do you hear or see that makes you say that?


I start with the idea of what they hear, as often this will be something that is beyond just their part. At the same time, however, I don’t want to dismiss


something they see on their own part. This often leads to any number of other questions as our rehearsals progress, For example:


What do we need to do to communicate that to the audience?


What do have to be able to do on your instrument to perform that?


What role do you/does your part play at this point in the music?


What should you expect to see in my conducting gesture?


Where do you need to focus your listening?


How is this the same or different in another piece we are performing or have performed?


We should seek to engage our students in questions that will help them understand not only how what they play is part of a musical whole, but to listen and look beyond that part to more fully understand the music. Of course, questions can be altered to reflect the specifics of a composition and the possibilities are almost limitless.


Meaningful Engagement from the Start


One decision teachers have to make is whether to ask students any questions or give them any information before playing a composition for the first time. I have struggled with this because I wonder whether what I might ask them focuses them too much on what I think is important about the composition. There have been two ways I have gone about “setting the stage” for the first reading. One is their awareness I am going to ask them our basic rehearsal question: “What is going on in the music and what do you hear or see that makes you say that?” after we read it the first time. The other is getting them to consider contextual clues about the composition that might appear on their parts.


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