Today was a good first day back after a nice rest. The students got a chance to catch up with each other, play some music, and listen to a performance from our student teacher, Mr. Tong. I also placed students in new assigned seats. This is something that I try to do every 9 weeks. The purpose of this blog entry is to to explain why students are given these assigned seats.
I know there is a lot of hype about 1st chair, 2nd chair, last chair, etc. in the orchestra world. Basically, this is like saying 1st place, 2nd place, last place. I do not think this is a healthy way to welcome our young students into the music world. A little bit of healthy competition can produce some nice results, but I have noticed that too much competition for 11- 14 year-olds can often lead to a big ego or low self-esteem. I am not a fan of either of those psychological conditions, so I do not make a big deal out of chair placement. There are 2 different types of seating arrangements that I utilize throughout the year: Daily Rehearsal Seats and Concert Seats.
Daily Rehearsal Seats (90% of the year): Students do not sit in the room based on ability. I try to change up the seating arrangement every 9 weeks for our day to day class time; however, the students are always going to be sitting in their respective sections within the ensemble (ie. violas will always be between the cello and violin section). I try to move students to a chair where they may have not sat before because it will give them a different perspective both aurally and visually in the room. They will get a chance to sit next to somebody new for collaboration and perhaps learn valuable performance techniques through their new stand partner. It also provides a way for me to see fresh faces and hear new tones in front of my conducting stand. I have had 8th graders tell me that in 3 years, this is their first time sitting in the front of the room. It thrills me to give this opportunity to students. The challenge is that there are only 8 chairs in front of the conductor --only 2 chairs for each section, and this does not include bass players!
Concert Seating (10% of the year): When it comes to concert seating, seats are determined based on balance, leadership, and playing ability. Proximity of performers to the audience, instrumentation, and the size of the orchestra all play into balance. I arrange the orchestra so that we can achieve good balance for the audience. The chairs are ordered based on a combination of playing tests and student character. When 2 students have close scores on playing tests, I start to look at classroom behavior, preparation, peer interaction, dedication, etc. We sit in concert seats for about a week before a concert so that we can adjust to the new perspectives of proximity in the room.
Continuing in orchestral playing, chair competition becomes more fierce. Admittedly, it is an element of the professional music world. My attempt is to simply ease my students into this side of music and focus more on the joy and value that music brings us.
