TN Musician Vol. 72, No. 1

PRELUDE - A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
Michael Chester // Stewarts Creek High School
Ensemble instruction teaches creativity
in problem-solving against the backdrop
of group accountability
The holidays are in full swing! I hope that each of you is surviving
and finding time to rest and recharge. Like many of you, I’ve been
in the throes of preparations for holiday concerts. As we’ve been
rehearsing the bands, I’ve been thinking about the real benefits of
ensemble instruction.
It all started this past summer. I found myself consumed by all of
the nostalgia regarding the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission.
While much of the information and film clips surrounding this
historic event were familiar to me, I also found a great deal of footage
and historical perspectives that were new.
I found myself wondering what it would have been like to see the
event live. To be part of the communal experience of coming together
as an entire world to watch what is arguably one of humankind’s
most remarkable achievements, set against a backdrop of civil
unrest during the turbulence of 1969. I’m curious if those of you who
witnessed the event live on television have feelings of nostalgia for
seeing it again some 50 years later. Who would have thought that the
medium of television could bring us together to witness the hope,
dreams, and aspirations of humanity?
We certainly know who the astronauts were that landed on the moon.
We are now learning about some of the other parties involved in this
accomplishment. Many of them were behind the scenes players.
As I listened to the stories and watched a handful of documentaries
on the moon landing, I was struck with just how many people it took
to make this happen. A challenge was dreamed about and proposed.
From there, the problem was identified, and the answers to that
problem relied on an entire team to solve. So many people played a
role in this undertaking, regardless of significance. I would venture
to call this one of the greatest ensemble achievements of humankind.
To achieve this feat, each person was reliant on one another.
Whether it be an individual or a team, each solved their piece of the
puzzle so that the next group and individuals could do their part.
This notion led me to ponder the question: Is this really that far
removed from what those of us who teach ensembles do daily? Do
we not present our ensembles with a challenge? Whether it be new
or unfamiliar music, do we not stretch the cognitive abilities of the
students we teach? Do we not rely on sections of the ensemble to work
together? Do we not ask our students to execute live performance art
under a vast range of variables (some in our control and others not so
much)?
Yet more to the point, as music educators who have the added pleasure
of teaching ensembles, is it not ensemble instruction that demands and
requires an accountability structure to the whole group?
Those who teach ensembles are probably familiar with the antiensemble
rhetoric that has come from the realms of academia. Once
in a while, a paper in a major academic music journal will espouse
the ills of ensemble instruction in the context of today’s generation
of youth.
While I will admit that students have certainly changed (as they
always have and will continue to do so), so too have attitudes and
trends in parenting. Admittedly those of us who teach ensemble
instruction have all heard stories related to tyrants on the podium who
would stop at nothing to reach their desired results. In my opinion,
those are specific outliers. Ensemble instruction teaches creativity in
problem-solving against the backdrop of group accountability. In the
grand scheme of things, ensemble instruction still relies heavily on
the vision of ensemble directors and their ability to convey a vision to
the ensemble. It is then the job of the ensemble director to cultivate
(or if you want to use the term “project manage”) each of the students
and sections to help them succeed. In this regard, ensemble directors
continue to help refine the skills of the ensemble. Students who
participate in this experience keep working on the problem until it is
solved. Every student in an ensemble knows the verbiage “one more
time.” Yet it is this relentless passion for achieving near-perfection
that we hope students will take away. The end goal is for students
to use the skill sets learned from ensemble instruction to apply in
solving some of humanity’s biggest problems.
On the contrary, some would argue that landing a man on the moon
was an incredible waste of resources. Why not put the time, money,
and energy into solving the problems on our own planet instead? In
my opinion, the projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo (and those
that came later), were the essential catalyst that put the problems
of humanity into a different perspective. These ventures opened the
possibility of new solutions to old problems.
We all know that the problems of today are just as complex.
Problem solvers are going to have to rely on a host of skill-sets and
creative thinking in new and exciting ways. Let us not underestimate
that the skills students learn in an ensemble setting may give them
the tools they need to take on these challenges.
As we embark on the dawning of a new decade, I hope that we do
so with a renewed sense of hope for the future. There are so many
accomplishments that we have yet to achieve.
I wish you all the very best this holiday season!
Michael Chester
Managing Editor
6 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2019 | Volume 72, No. 1