Play Together in Hertfordshire

I've created this Ensemble page to inform parents as I encourage my students in Hertfordshire to play together. 
As a focus in my teaching, I would love to see and hear all my students enjoying the enormous benefits of playing together this year.
Phillip Brunton 

School Groups
Playing in your School Orchestra or Band is a great start to your shared music making journey.  
You will be playing with your friends while contributing to your school's wealth of curriculum and community. 

Music Centre Groups
Your local Music Centre offer excellent ensemble playing opportunities, led by our team of experienced Music Teachers.
Join with your friends and make new friends as you rehearse in a fun and engaging environment for concerts throughout the year. 
Three levels to suit your progression.
Junior Ensembles (approaching grade 1 to grade 3)
Intermediate Ensembles (grades 3 to 5)
Senior Ensembles (grades 5 to 8+)
For a list of ensembles and times in your area, please visit:
Junior/Intermediate:
www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk/music-centres-in-hertfordshire/north-herts-and-stevenage/wind-and-brass.aspx
​Senior:
www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk/music-centres-in-hertfordshire/north-herts-and-stevenage/senior-groups.aspx
For more information and to register for these groups, please visit
​https://www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk/groups-in-hertfordshire/groups-in-hertfordshire.aspx​

Upcoming Regional Music Making Day:

Secondary Wind Band Day - North Herts and Stevenage Region 
For woodwind, brass and percussion students of secondary school age.
Level: grades 3 to 8+ (or equivalent)
Day and time: Monday, 23 October 2023, 10:00am to 3:30pm
Cost: £30 (+ Eventbrite booking fee)
Venue: Stevenage Music Centre, Mobbsbury Way, SG2 0HS
Contact: stevenagemusicenquiries@hertforshire.gov.uk
Book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/secondary-wind-band-day-tickets-723308454057

​I will be there!

County Youth Music Groups
Hertfordshire Music Service offers an exciting season of activities for our Senior Level students.
County Wind Sinfonia
County Youth Jazz
Hertfordshire School's Symphony Orchestra
County Youth Orchestra
​County Brass Band
County Youth Choir
www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk/groups-in-hertfordshire/county-youth-music-groups.aspx

Upcoming Hertfordshire County Youth Wind Sinfonia Course:

For woodwind, brass and percussion students of secondary school age.
Level: grades 5 to 8+ (or equivalent)
Days: 24 -25 October 2023
Further information and application form: https://www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk/groups-in-hertfordshire/county-wind-sinfonia.aspx​

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Ensemble playing:

Joy and Benefits of Shared Music Making

Attending lessons combined with effective practise will lead to improvement in your playing, but you can have far more enjoyment and acceleration in this progress by adding the experience of a shared music making activity.   Based on the principle that the whole (ensemble) is greater than the sum of it’s parts (players), ensemble playing develops team work, social skills, reinforces the learning from your lessons and with first hand experience in rehearsal and performance skills, develops and strengthens key musicianship skills vital for a lifelong enjoyment of music making. 
 
“If I mess up, I’ll look like an idiot…everyone will notice” is a very common thought from students who have hesitated in joining an ensemble.    Yes, you will mess up sometimes, but it will not be noticed, as it you might be in your lessons.  Everyone else around you is experiencing the same difficulties as you work towards building a successful performance together. 

"I find it hard to play with other people" is another familiar reason why students hesitate to join an ensemble.  This just shows that there are important skills that you can still develop in your playing, skills that can be learnt by playing in an ensemble.
 
MyMusicPB resources are here to give you the courage to join an ensemble and help you get the most benefits, success and enjoyment from your shared music making experience.

It is very rare for a student to give up playing once they have joined an ensemble.

What Ensemble to Join?

Getting the most out of your ensemble experience is partly dependant on joining the right ensemble for your instrument, preferred style of music, age, level and experience.
In some countries, music is taught in an ensemble setting such as The Band Method where ensemble skills are developed and appreciated from the start of your learning a musical instrument. 
 
Your instrument will determine what ensemble is available for you to play in.  An orchestra will rarely cater for an electric guitarist, or a jazz ensemble with a violinist although that should never put you off from playing that particular style of music.  The selection of instruments in an ensemble is usually based on the music being played which is why you will occasionally hear a saxophone in an orchestra, but not as a regular playing member.  
 
Junior level ensemble music will cater to students who have learnt a limited number of notes and rhythms.   Junior School ensemble music may cater for all instruments although there are also junior level orchestras, wind bands, jazz bands, rock bands and other ensembles particular to your instrument.   
 
Progression to Intermediate and Senior level ensembles stretch your instrumental and ensemble skills further by playing more difficult pieces alongside more experienced musicians.  Intermediate and Senior ensembles may also give woodwind students the opportunity to play the extended range of instruments such as the bass clarinet, piccolo, cor anglais, baritone saxophone and contrabassoon.
 
Hopefully, you will have an ensemble at School, your local music service and community.   Most Junior and Intermediate ensembles will not require an audition, actively encouraging you to join in.  Progression to Senior ensembles, including county level groups will let you know the require level of proficiency to join and may require an audition. There are a number of Community ensembles that will cater for adult musicians of all levels while being an ideal social activity to meet new people. 
 
Shared music making can also be enjoyed in smaller groups from a duet of two people, trio, quartet and other combinations before a conductor is added.  Getting together with friends to form a group can also be effective in an informal learning environment, as many successful rock bands have done.  
 
A trial can be a great way to start with any ensemble, although I recommend a long enough trial to experience performing in a concert together when you will experience the best part of playing in an ensemble and never look back.

The trumpet is one of the most versatile instruments for ensemble playing. You will hear it in an orchestra, wind band, marching band, jazz band, brass ensemble, as a backing instrument in a blues, rock or pop act and in many other groups.

Intermediate and Senior ensembles may also give woodwind students the opportunity to play the extended range of instruments including the bass clarinet, piccolo, cor anglais,  baritone saxophone and contrabassoon.

Ensemble Playing Etiquette
 
Playing in an ensemble involves working together with other people.  You will want to enjoy your experience, but you will also want to contribute to the quality of the ensemble and the enjoyment of the other members.  
 
MyMusicPB has included some unwritten rules, many that you will learn through the experience of playing in an ensemble. 

• Arrive early enough to set up your instrument and warm up before the rehearsal start time.  Helping set up the ensemble rehearsal space will also be appreciated with chairs, stands and music needing to be set up.
• Put your mobile phone on silent.  Unless it is an emergency, try not to use your mobile phone in the rehearsal. 
• Bring a pencil (2B) and an eraser to your rehearsal to highlight important details in your music.
• Learn how and when to tune your instrument in an ensemble.  Ask your teacher for guidance.   Listen carefully when the tuning pitch is played.  Tune with your best sound and do not play when others instruments are meant to be tuning.  
• Always play with your best sound to blend well with the players around you.  Observe your dynamics, contributing to the right balance of sound in the ensemble. 
• Try not to tap your foot when playing as it may disturb other players around you.  You might find tapping your toes in your shoe a silent alternative as you gradually learn the skill of feeling the beat internally. 
• Listen when you play and also when you do not play.  When the conductor is speaking or other instruments are playing, there is always something you can learn.  
• Count your rests and don’t rely on other players to tell you when it is time to play. 
• Look at the conductor or leader whenever you can.   Both eye contact and observing their style of beat pattern and gestures will be communicating a particular way that they would like you to play.
• If you can take your music home to practise, make note of difficult and exposed sections in the music where you can improve.   
• Play the best you can.  By striving to be better, you may make mistakes, but they will come from a place of trying and others will react just as you would for them. 

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And for the concert:
 

• Know what you are meant to wear.  Dressing the same is linked to playing as a harmonious group.
• Arrive earlier than you would for a rehearsal.   Ask if you do not know what time you are meant to arrive.  Leave plenty of time for travel disruption and parking.
• The performance starts when you step out on stage.   How are you presenting yourself?
• At the end, the ensemble might all stand together, gestured by the conductor or bow together for a smaller group of musicians.

Effective Ensemble Playing 
 
Balance is the key to playing well in an ensemble.  You may be worried about playing your individual part correctly, but it is just as important to learn how to adjust your playing to the sounds around you. 
 
When you first rehearse a piece of music, you may all be sight-reading and most of your focus will be to read through the music without stopping.   A slower tempo can help you get used to the notes and rhythms, while taking note of tricky passages to practise later.  There will be plenty of time to learn the notes before the concert when playing in Junior and Intermediate ensembles.  Senior level ensembles have the advantage of the improved sight-reading skills and practice expectation of its members.
 
Over the course of time in rehearsing towards a concert, the focus with the help of a conductor will lean towards learning how your individual part contributes to the full sound of the piece.  You will learn how your part functions in many different ways throughout the piece and how you need to adjust to the full ensemble sound.   How the composer uses the instruments together is referred to as the orchestration of the piece.

• When you have the main melody, you may need to sing out more.
• When you are the counter melody, you will need to know who has the melody and how your part interplays with it.
• You might be part of the harmonic and rhythmic support of the melody, with a combination of other instruments to create chords with varying rhythmic interest.

 
Other adjustments that you will learn to make include:

• Adjusting dynamics as a group and individual to your part.
• Matching your tuning on particular notes with other instruments (intonation).
• Matching articulation length with other instruments.
• Listening and blending with other instruments to create unique sound colours.
• Adjusting together to a change of tempo or character of the music.
• Reacting to the conductor’s gestures.

 
It takes time and experience to learn these skills, although it will be balanced with the enjoyment that you gain from an improved, shared performing experience.  

Making a mistake is easy hidden in an ensemble.  Trying your best will be well observed.