Are you planning a challenging repertoire with your ensemble for the spring festival season? Or maybe you and your students are just eager to make music together in a concert setting? Holding a concert ensemble camp during the month of January is a tip Spencer Hannibal-Smith learned from a fellow band director.
Whether you teach concert band, jazz band, orchestra or choir, this is a great way to bring your students back from winter break and ready to jump into the concert setting. Coming off of a marching band season, this really helps students adjust to the new performing environment and gets them familiar with the repertoire you have selected.
Pick a weekend in January (or an afternoon/evening during the week) once school has started back up for your group(s) to meet for an extended rehearsal. If you’re an instrumental teacher, be sure you check your Indoor Percussion and Colorguard rehearsal schedule so you do not overbook your students. Break the rehearsal up into a few different areas of focus such as full ensemble warm-up and technique building, sectionals, group listening and full ensemble rehearsal. Depending on your department funding, consider securing local lesson teachers for each instrument/voice to run sectionals for your students, or investigate if local college students are looking for some teaching experience.
Your students will feel more confident going into your festival season and you’ll feel a little less pressure knowing your students have been set up for success.