So I thought that concert was a great fun! I was especially impressed with the Rockit! program. Wow. I feel like they should be better known.
I thought our kids from NJSYO Chamber sounded really great too. Honesty, I would have enjoyed it more if they favored a bit more strings in the mixing, but where they had no choice (Eleanor Rigby), I thought you guys really shined!
One thing that got me thinking during this whole process was that, it may not be so bad to rehearse a simple song/piece over and over and over and over and over again until you are sick of it :)
I can see how this can immediately get rid of a few problems. By playing it so many times, you would likely:
1) Memorize the piece - this frees up your eyes from the music, which enables you to see what others are doing, and sometimes, seeing helps your hearing. And obviously, if you can see, you can give each other visual cues too. So memorizing alone, enables to
hear better, and play
better together with your band/ensemble mates.
2) Be comfortable with the notes: When you are comfortable with the notes, you will be able to play them in more than one way - you will be able to approach them differently and thereby become able to create a range of different sounds, giving you a
wider range in expression, and also
better quality of sounds.
I guess I just have to hope you won't get sick of it... but actually, I believe that the better you can play, the more fun it is, so....
Giving me something to think about...
Anyway, in conclusion,
Awesome job!
