Creating a Great In-School Ensemble Program

Recently I attended a presentation by Mitchell Korn, who conducted an in-depth analysis of my orchestra’s educational programs. He had many critically interesting ideas to convey to us musicians, and kept coming back to “professional development.” I think, for most of my colleagues, this conjurs up a vision of a truly boring session with some consultant who knows very little about what happens during one of our in-school ensemble presentations.
I immediately thought of the three-part series that Gary Race wrote for Polyphonic over two decades ago, based on an intensive arrangement he had with the National Symphony. He explains how to put together a great in-school performance, from the beginning planning/brain-storming phase, through the rehearsing and blocking it out phase, to the final polishing and getting it ready for the road phase.
If you’re involved with performing in a small group for young children, you need to take a look at these three articles!
Getting the Show on the Road, Part 1: Ideas
Getting the Show on the Road, Part 2: Preparati0n and Scripting
Getting the Show on the Road, Part 3: Rehearsal and Performance