What kind of thought do you put into setting up/ seating your students in chairs for the Guitar En- semble Performance or during rehearsals?
Seating for performance and rehearsal really depends on many factors: the size of my classroom vs. the size of the performance venue. In an ideal world, our seating would be the same in the classroom as it would be on stage. This does not always happen and varies by the number of students that I have in any of my four ensembles.
More and more I have looked for pieces with more than 4 parts. I love it when I find music like Andrew York’s Attic with 9 parts. The piece requires a solo trio in front with two antiphonal guitar choirs in back. This is a case in which the seating is very specific for the piece.
As much ensemble music is written in three to five parts, I try to think of arranging seating position like a standard string orchestra. Guitar 1 = Violin 1, Guitar 2 = Violin 2, Guitar 3 = Viola, Guitar 4 = Cello/bass, Guitar 5 = Bass. In the end, I may adjust placements due to the demands of the music. There is not necessarily a set template for each piece.
Do you have any special rehearsal techniques or exer- cises that you would like to share with readers?
When I hand out a new piece of music, we start with a rough read through. I then send the students to practice rooms for sectionals. I check coach each section and then we return to the classroom to play through again. Once students know their parts, I have the students work in small ensembles with one person per part. This requires each student to fully understand their part and is the best stage for assessment. When students are able to play well in sections and small ensembles, the full ensemble is much stronger.
The guitar attracts a wide range of personalities and back- grounds. I have seen honors students perform side by side with students who are failing all their other classes. By play- ing music from various cultures, students can learn more about themselves and the world around them. The guitar of- fers an outlet for students who are not interested in other activities. KV
Guitar Ensemble Music Web Sites (compiled by Glen McCarthy)
http://www.flatpik.com/Sheet-music-Downloads http://jerrysnyder.com http://www.guitarfoundation.org http://www.gspguitar.com http://www.productionsdoz.com http://classguitar.com
20
http://www.dobermaneditions.com/ http://www.halleonard.com/guitarBass.jsp http://www.fjhmusic.com/guitar.htm http://guitarsessions.com/ http://www.delcamp.net/ http://www.thomaskoenigs.de/ http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/ http://www.leesollory.co.uk/ http://guitarensemblemusic.com/ http://suzukiassociation.org/guitar/ http://www.melbay.com http://www.clearnote.net http://www.daddario.com http://www.classguitar.com/ http://www.alfred.com/
In addition, the following sites offer free ensemble music:
*
http://www.guitardownunder.com *
http://www.derek-hasted.co.uk *
http://www.classicalguitarschool.net/en/ *
http://www.funkybearmusic.com/ *
http://www.freeguitarensemblemusic.com/ *
http://www.forrestguitarensembles.co.uk/
Thomas Amoriello currently teaches guitar classes at Read- ing Fleming Intermediate School in Flemington, NJ where he has introduced the instrument to over 5000 students and counting. He earned his Master of Music in Classical Gui- tar Performance from Shenandoah and is the Guitar Educa- tion Chairperson for the New Jersey Music Education As- sociation. He resides in Lambertville, NJ and you can learn more about Tom by visiting
www.tomamoriello.com.
This article was originally published in the May, 2015 issue of Tempo Magazine, the official publication of the New Jer- sey Music Education Association.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40