Music Ensembles and Sustainability: Part 2

In part 1 of this series, we asked the question, “do you want this ensemble to be sustainable?”

In part 2, let’s look at obstacles to sustainability. In reality, there can be a lot of obstacles to sustainability – competition, personnel, funding, management, and the list goes on. Let’s focus on just one – the one that I think is perhaps the most crucial: personnel.

People are what makes an ensemble thrive, but they are also the largest obstacle to the ensemble’s sustainability. Why? Because people change their viewpoints, they change their minds, they move to new cities, they get new jobs. And sometimes, without good planning, ensembles are left in the dust.  How reliant is your ensemble on the actual members? If someone was to leave, could you replace them? If half the ensemble left over the course of a year, could you replace them? Would the ensemble’s identity remain the same? These are all tough questions, but ones we must consider if we want our groups to be sustainable.

Some ensembles have taken a somewhat looser approach to personnel and have a roster of musicians who make up the ensemble, and thus there are backups for various performers. But the ensemble might be a different group tonight than it was last night. Maybe that’s ok.  Or maybe that approach sacrifices some continuity for the sake of giving their members flexibility.  Perhaps it’s a model necessitated by our 21st century culture. What is your ensemble’s model? Does your model provide the members flexibility to pursue other activities? Has the ensemble discussed this and is everyone comfortable with the model?

It’s important that your organization’s model reflects the individuals that are part of the group, and vice versa. And it’s the leaders of the ensemble that are responsible for anticipating personnel changes and making plans to overcome that obstacle. It’s important to be paying attention to your personnel and checking in regularly to get a sense of their plans for the future. You can’t always predict the future, but you can be proactive.