Sectional (not the furniture kind)

After a few weeks off for winter break, GTCYS orchestras are back at work. Rehearsals and sectionals are full steam ahead as we prepare for winter concerts. What’s a sectional, you say? A sectional is a rehearsal in which the full orchestra breaks up into smaller groups by instrument. It’s a chance for violins – or brass, or flutes – to work together on their own to resolve problems and perfect their playing without the distraction of the larger ensemble. Sectionals are usually led by a professional coach who’s an expert performer on a particular instrument.

People sometimes ask if I can play every orchestral instrument – and whether I need to! While I don’t play all instruments, I always try to learn more about how each works. I don’t play double bass, but understanding how it functions helps me as a conductor to know the technical challenges my double bass players face, and what I can demand from them musically. Even if a conductor could play each and every instrument at a virtuoso level, he or she wouldn’t have time in a full rehearsal to give every section the attention it needs. This is especially true for younger orchestras.

In professional ensembles, rehearsals focus on phrasing, sound quality, rhythmic accuracy and balance issues. Technique is important, but orchestra rehearsals aren’t primarily focused on how to play the instruments. It’s considered unnecessary – even insulting! – to give the players mechanical instructions.

Even when rehearsing rudimentary players, conductors should never focus solely on technical issues. Rehearsal time must always be devoted to musical issues, such as how to shape a phrase. Rehearsals that are all about mechanics are – well – mechanical, and they quickly destroy one’s enthusiasm for the glories of ensemble playing.

Here’s an admonition to present and future maestros: When doing the requisite mechanical work with a younger group, be careful to distinguish between what you know and what you think you know. Players want a knowledgeable conductor who is also unafraid to ask the strings “does this bowing work? or to confess to a perplexed flutist “I don’t know how to finger that mega-high C.” A conductor should make sure the flutes – and the strings, and the brass, and the double-bass players too – have the chance to work with a sectional coach to resolve those issues. Then, when full rehearsals recommence, the players have a stronger shot at giving their best technically—which supports the ensemble doing its best musically.