Rumman # 1

Mayda Nicole Rumman

Professor

ENC 1101

Monday, November 6th, 2017

Paper 2 Workshop Draft

Orchestra as an Activity System Commented [MR1]: Still not sure about a title, up for
suggestions.

As a violinist, orchestras have always fascinated me. Anytime I heard a symphony, or

was lucky enough to watch a performance, I got emotional and inspired to work hard to become

a part of it. The idea that numerous musicians come together, as one, to create a beautiful piece

was always powerful and empowering to me. I felt, that if I could play a one and a half hour

Shostakovich symphony, then I could do anything. As a child, I was never fond of sports, so

looking up to orchestras was my way of working with a team. My parents felt it was very

important for my sister and I to be a part of a group or team in order to learn those unique skills.

Being a member of an orchestra allowed me to learn so much about the group as a whole, the

people within it, and myself as a musician.

Being a part of any team or activity- there is always a hierarchy of some sort. In terms of

orchestra, there is each instrument section, the first chairs of each section, the concert master,

and of course the conductor. Each role has specific jobs. So, the different instruments have

certain parts they need to play in order to perfect the piece. The first chair of each section is the

one that members look up to, and if something were to go wrong they follow him/her in order to

make sure the entire team is cohesive. After that is the concert master. This man or woman is

seated closest to the conductor and is the leader of the entire orchestra. They help everyone tune
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their instruments, and the first-chair members are able to look up to him/her. In addition, they

automatically get any and all of the solo parts; unless otherwise noted. Everyone in the group

also has specific tools they have available. For example, the oboist in the orchestra is the one that

plays the tuning note that everyone bases their instruments off of. And, of course, the sheet

music is essential and quite necessary for the musicians. On the other hand, when musicians

practice at home, there is a multitude of devices we can use to help us. Figuratively, some tools

we can use are our teachers, a friend, or our ability to multi-task. Especially with the violin, there

is a lot of multitasking- having to count the beat in your head while also using your right hand to

move the bow and your left to place down your fingers in the perfect location to get the correct

intonation. More tools are applications, videos or pictures that allow us to see, watch, and listen

to how we need to perfect our own sound, and then bring it together with the group.

When I was auditioning to be a member of the Florida Young Artists Orchestra, Dr.

Alvaro Gomez (the conductor) asked me- why do you want to be a member of this orchestra? I

was quite caught off guard, but nonetheless I answered the question and replied- I love creating

music at home, but I want to work with a team and create even bigger music to show everyone in

the community. He seemed to enjoy my answer because he smiled at his assistant, told him to

write something down and was able to let me know, immediately, that I was accepted. And that

is when I learned that the immediate objective of any orchestra or musical group is to create

music with friends and entertain the community. Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Chopin,

Tchaikovskythese legends did not create their music so it would die as time went on. They

want groups like FYAO to show it off to the community and have it be heard. And after 4 years

in the orchestra world, I was able to gain musical skills, of course, but life skills as well. I now

know how to work well with a group, and how to listen carefully to others (musically and
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literally). In addition to that, I was able to gain connections and make so many friends through

time. My conductor was able to introduce me to my current violin teacher, and encourage me to

play in my churchs orchestra, and inspire me to start teaching violin. I also was connected to

Kim Castro, who helped me find volunteering locations to fulfill my Bright Futures Scholarship

hours requirements. I was lucky enough to be able to help out behind the scenes with setting up,

cleaning-up, etc. Through these events and experiences, I was able to meet my first violin

student, Victoria, and teach her Suzuki book 1. That truly brought my musical experience full

circle.

I strongly believe that participating in orchestra was able to help me advance much

quicker than I would have without it. Being assigned challenging songs, pushed me out of my

comfort zone, and forced me to practice harder and learn skills that were a little past my level.

For example, when I reached the fourth book in my Suzuki teaching method I had learned so

many techniques, that I was ahead of my peers. And I learned all this, through the many rules we

had in orchestra. For example, keeping a steady tempo is essential especially when you have

other people depending on you or vice versa. Learning this was able to help me immensely when Commented [MR2]: I wasnt sure if I wanted to be super
specific here, and show how each rule helped me with a part
of a certain song or keep it generic. Let me know.
I had piano accompaniment and had to keep the beat steady. The second most important rule that

Dr. Gomez taught us was- if you are playing out tune, just stop playing. Although orchestras

seem enormous, one slip-up can be very obvious and can ruin the atmosphere of the piece. Third,

always make sure to have a pencil, in order to mark notes, measure numbers, or adjust

fingerings. Fourth, whoever is the outside (closer to the edge of the stage) of the pair on one Commented [MR3]: I know, this may be overwhelming.
Let me know if I should take it out all together, or how I can
clarify it.
music stand- plays the top (usually the highest) part of the divisi. Allow me to explain.

According to The New Everyman Dictionary of Music- sixth edition- divisi is defined as, a

direction found in orchestral scores where string parts are intended to be distributed in such a
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way as to play in two or more parts within a single group of instruments who would normally

play in unison. Fifth, and depending on how strict your conductor is- we had to always make

time to arrive 15 minutes before the start of rehearsal so we would have time to set-up, warm-up

and prepare. And last but certainly not least, this rule is more so of an etiquette one learns. When

there is a concert, the 98% of the orchestra is on the stage as the curtains open. Whilst they are

seated, the concert master walks out on their own, and is greeted by the orchestra standing up

and audience applauding. Then once the concert master is seated, then comes the conductor who

is also greeted by the same standing ovation per se. These common manners are unique to

classical music performances, and are learned after experience in the community. And within

this community there is so many different people- family, friends, neighbors, etc. The

community allows us, musicians, to perform our music to someone. And, the community helps

us run the show. Members of the community always volunteered and helped with donations,

fundraising, marketing, planning, etc. Not only that, but the community is also there to give

constructive criticism and request what they would like us to play, and them to hear.

I was a part of orchestra for quite a few years, which allowed me to be a part of as many

parts of it as I could. I was once a member of first violin, then second violin, and even

concertmaster. And, in middle school I experimented with the flute. With the combination of all

aspects of participating in the activity system of orchestra, I was able to learn so much, and apply

it to each and every aspect of the rest of my life. Whether it be high-school, university,

relationships, community work, or, of course, advancing in my music career, I always had my

orchestra capabilities in my pocket. There have even been times when I use orchestra skills to

help me understand topics that are completely different like chemistry or biology. When we

conducted labs in my science classes, I utilized my leadership and team-building skills to come
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to a consensus on our hypothesis and give each student a role in the experiment, in order for it to

run smoothly. And now, in the near future, I hope to audition for the UCF Symphony Orchestra,

and update my skills, as well as gain new connections, and join back in the orchestra world.

From the moment I started violin, participating orchestra was always a goal for me, so being a

member of five orchestras and hopefully six, my goal has been achieved. However, my life-long

dream is to be a member of the London Symphony Orchestra and play the music of the

Nutcracker ballet. But I think I will start with local and then work my way up to global.