Chamber Music Rehearsals 1 of 2

- Four Strategies:
- Modeling
- Coaching and giving guided practice/immediate feedback
- Scaffolding
- Fading (lessening teacher assistance)
- Goal: maximize student learning and engagement when playing in chamber ensemble
- First Rehearsal:
- Scan part: key signature, time signature, tempo, dynamics, interesting rhythms, repeats, repetitive melodic material
- Answer music-focused questions: Why composer wrote this? Character? Moods/feelings want to express? Unique aspects?
Challenging sections?
- Analyze and label parts: form, characters of each section, part’s role
- Rehearsal Strategies:
- Pulse: count/clap part in character and dynamic level
- Intonation: scales, triads, understand root-fifth-third relationships in chord
- Shared Leadership: teacher should guide, create chamber music contract/constitution to set guidelines and prevent conflicts over
musical interpretation, take turns deciding who leads next short section, use “listen-play-discuss-decide” technique to address issues
(listen to suggestions, try suggested interpretation/solution, discuss successfulness of approach, decide if liked suggestion
- Have weekly goals logs (pp. 51-53) —> see next page
- NOTES from Lecture: NEED CHAMBER ENSEMBLE OPPORTUNITIES!!!!!!!
- Can sequence instrumentation —> duets, then quartets
- Need to sequence students to being able to play in a chamber ensemble (hard because need to hold own part)
- Analyze parts to see how it fits together, sing/clap/play through both parts (everyone learns both lines)
- For 6th grade band, pick same duet for everyone. Have everyone plays line A, then B —> half plays A, half plays B —> every
other person plays A, then B —> 4 on one side play A, 4 on opposite side play B (narrowing down to people playing)
- Goal: promote independence (become less dependent)
- Can do this after school, in group lessons, or during class
- Can have students find their own music online (books by people who wrote standards of excellence)
- Have a research day to select literature —> be thoughtful, look to see how easy or hard it is, play through parts of it, look at
range, rhythm, melodic content
- Can also give them limited selection to choose from (based on ability to level)
 Chamber Music Rehearsals 2 of 2

- How to manage when rephrasing during class: Walk around, Give everyone a specific task: listen, give feedback, spy, guide/
provide solutions, add accountability (have all groups play at end of class), Have group assessment on each other’s behavior

Citation: Berg, M. H. (2008). Promoting “minds-on” chamber music rehearsals. Music Educators Journal, 95(2), 48–55. https://
doi.org/10.1177/0027432108325870