Leading an ensemble at any level requires you to be a part of a team. Not just with your students, but also in large part with your colleagues with whom you share student musicians. For those of us at the secondary level, we tend to want a certain level of ability & understanding from our shared students when they arrive in our programs… but at what cost to the “feeder” program? The feeder program doesn’t live to just build our programs, do they? How are we encouraging this relationship, and how are we communicating the goals and expectations we hope to have? Are we doing anything to help build that feeder program and assist our team members, as we are hoping they will assist us? Are we instilling a sense of community and team building in our students so that we can involve them in the entire process? As the feeder program director, what are we doing to ensure we develop musicians who meet our department’s goals and unique needs? For those of us who “feed ourselves,” how can we do that efficiently and

develop a program that helps us? In this presentation, we will discuss scenarios and how to help this relationship flourish so that it is equitable and beneficial for all team members.

Tired of rehearsals that stall instead of surge? This session offers a powerful, low-tech strategy to unleash dynamic ensemble growth by strategically integrating simple audio (or video) recordings into your daily routine. We will move beyond merely recording for archival purposes to employing recordings as a critical reflective tool that significantly boosts student ownership and metacognition. Educators will learn practical, immediately applicable techniques for: Transforming the feedback cycle:

Shifting the focus from teacher-led correction to student self-diagnosis and peer critique. Refining critical listening skills: Training students to be more objective, musical observers of their own and the ensemble’s sound. Creating a cycle of continuous improvement: Structuring rehearsals as a dynamic loop of listening, analyzing, and purposeful re-practicing. You can leave this session with concrete strategies to leverage the power of self-recording, leading to measurable improvement, increased engagement, and a more elevated, thoughtful ensemble sound.

We all heard it in our undergrad or teacher training. You may even do it every once in a while.

But ask yourself, how often do you actually move around your ensemble? How often do you give feedback and directions from another part of your room? Are ALL the students of ALL ABILITIES getting the same learning experience as the students in front of the class? Do you truly hear your group from the players’ perspective? Every spot in the orchestra has a different innate connection to the person leading it. Standing at the podium and leading your groups definitely provides results, we know that. But are you truly connecting with them and getting the results you want as efficiently as possible?