Sheet Music for School > Choosing Music for School Ensembles
In my experience, finding the right repertoire for school ensembles can be a huge challenge. Music shops often seem to stock little in the way of good ensemble music, especially for string groups, and websites sometimes give limited detail as to the standard of the piece, the instrumentation and the style, meaning it can be difficult to make choices which will benefit your group.
In schools, one of the biggest challenges to overcome when choosing music to perform is the often wide range of abilities which seem to come together in one ensemble. I have conducted string groups in the past where the ability ranged from Grade 1 to Grade 5 and bands where an 11-year-old had already passed Grade 7 saxophone while most of the others languished on Grade 1 or 2.
So how can we make the right choices when it comes to selecting appropriate repertoire for our young people to play? Well, there are some things I have found useful when looking for new pieces.
There is nothing worse for a child than sitting at the back of a section and only pretending to play what is on the page because they cannot access the music. They have been given a piece of music which is simply too difficult because the person running the ensemble hasn’t fully understood what that child can manage. Because of this, it is always extremely useful to keep full and up-to-date records of the standards of the children in each of your ensembles so that you can allocate parts accordingly. Update them every term to take account of any exams which might have been passed, and also keep details of what other bands or orchestras each pupil plays in outside of school.
String and Band music usually works on a parts system whereby the first violin part is more difficult than the third violin part. This is a fairly failsafe way of ensuring that each child ends up with a part that suits their ability. However, how can we really stretch the children who are technically and musically way ahead of the others? How about looking for pieces which have solo parts or which feature a certain section of the ensemble? What about music which you can adapt from the original arrangement to incorporate a tricky solo or duet? Tackling pieces which require the leader or most advanced member of an ensemble to take on a solo part will stretch their performance skills and also give them a chance to shine.
I tend to buy from websites which can give me lots of information about the pieces. I want to be able to hear the piece and see samples of the score and some of the parts which will give me a good idea of the tune and the rhythmic complexity.
I want a clear indication of the standard and some written information about the style of the piece and the technique required - for example, is it in a difficult or simple key, does it require shifts to different positions for string players, or does the music go over the break in the clarinet part. As I am not an expert in every instrument, there is information that I am not going to gather just from looking at a part or at a sample of the score so it is useful to be told.
What about style? Well, for younger players I try to aim to find pieces which are fun, a bit jazzy (especially if it’s band music) and which have a really catchy melody. I also try to find music which keeps all the players engaged and performing as much as possible so they are not sitting counting lots of bars rest while everyone plays on around them! For older, more advanced string players (usually about Grade 6 upwards) I look for established pieces in the professional repertoire which are not arrangements as this gives them lots of pride in their ability and also introduces them to some of the wonderful string ensemble music which is around. One particular recommendation is the St. Paul’s Suite by Holst – they will love it. There are many very complex and challenging band pieces around which will stretch the older woodwind and brass players – works which require time signature changes, shifts in mood and tempo and which cover the full range of notes available on each instrument.
It drives me mad when music arrives and the most important bass part that forms the crux of the harmony and holds the entire piece together is to be played on the tuba – and isn’t doubled by any other instruments. How many tuba players does the average school have? Not many. So, I invariably end up writing out or adapting the part for trombone or bass guitar which takes up a huge amount of my time. Think about the players in your band when making decisions about music and be careful that the main melody isn’t written for an instrument which doesn’t exist in your group! It helps when composers consider this carefully when writing pieces and provide extra parts in more common instruments so this might be something to look out for. Interchangeable bass parts in several different keys (tuba/trombone treble and bass clef/baritone treble and bass clef/bass guitar), the viola part written out for 3rd violin in treble clef, French horn melodies doubled by the saxophone in band music, music which can stand alone without the double bass part – all these points are extremely useful things to consider and will help your rehearsals go smoothly!
If it’s good to listen to, it will be good to play. Pick pieces where you remember the melody or fun arrangements of popular TV themes or songs. Pick music which will educate your children about lots of different genres and styles and open their minds and ears to new things. Younger groups want to make progress quickly and hear results almost immediately while older, more advanced groups will be prepared to wait and work hard for weeks to achieve the desired effect – so music needs to be chosen accordingly. Make sure every child is challenged appropriately and that most importantly, they enjoy what they are playing!
Sheet Music for School > Choosing Music for School Ensembles