Augmenting the Orchestral Rehearsal: A Principles-Based Approach to the Orchestral Training of Undergraduate Strings

Abstract

Orchestral rehearsals in college focus exclusively on preparing concert programs. Drawing from the experiences of undergraduate string players and orchestral directors, I argue that this approach is educationally suboptimal because it fails to maximize the college orchestral rehearsal time as an educational space, forgoing the development of long-term skills in favor of learning repertoire. I design, write, and test some examples of a new curricular model which utilizes excerpts from across the orchestral repertoire to teach towards specific themes in orchestral string playing. I identify themes which are more advanced than the basic string techniques featured in other curricular precedents, and which are fundamental to orchestral playing in particular: orchestral dynamics, bow distribution, bouncing bow strokes, special “orchestral” techniques, and the constitution of a string section. I organize information about these topics in a structured way and use excerpts as examples that fit within a broader framework.