Graduate Summer Symphonic Band

Inspired by Orpheus: Collaborative Rehearsal and Performance in the Large Ensemble

Setting

Dr. Peterson introduced the Orpheus method of rehearsing in which the teacher steps

back to create a more student-centered rehearsal (Comenius). In this approach, the teacher

steps back so the students collectively run the rehearsal (Dewey). I believe that this is important

because it helps increase student engagement in making musical decisions such as where to

start, where and why to stop, what sections to rehearse and focus on, what part should play

louder, how to be more expressive with a particular musical line, and so forth. This was a little

awkward at first, but once we became accustomed to the process, it was very refreshing. I can

only imagine that it was difficult for Dr. Peterson to allow us to struggle and problem-solve

together. It was extremely beneficial for us to have this experience because it gave us the

opportunity to construct our own understanding of the piece and the way that the different parts

interact with each other (Piaget). I learned that it can be better for students to develop an

understanding of a concept/skill by struggling with a problem for a while and then finally solving

it themselves, instead of a teacher just automatically jumping in to help (Montessori). It was fun

to play in an ensemble and to help rehearse the piece at the same time. Anyone could give their

input at any given time, and it became much more of a collaborative experience and a unified

effort (Dewey, Vygotsky). It encouraged an analytical and critical listening and put more

ownership on the band members. Instead of waiting for the director to simply give us

instructions for how to play something better, we were able to make those musical decisions

ourselves. I believe that this is an important experience, and that my students deserve to have

this opportunity.

I implemented a rehearsal strategy that was inspired by the Orpheus approach this past

year in my high school Mens Chorus. My students were working on Shenandoah, and I

instructed them to split into their separate parts (tenors and basses) to learn a section of the
piece. I gave them specific measure numbers of the piece to work on, and then I let them split

into their separate section to learn their parts. Then, after a certain amount of time, I asked them

to sing through the section together and decide what they wanted to do to make it sound better.

In order to help them and give them some direction, I asked them a few questions to help guide

their thinking and their rehearsal (Bruner). While, this was not a true Orpheus approach

because the group was split for much of the time and because I was asking them questions, I

created my lesson plans with the purpose and inspiration of the Orpheus approach in mind. I

wanted to give my students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning experience and to

make their own musical decisions without getting a lot of guidance and help from me

(constructivism). They made several comments about enjoying the opportunity to experiment

with varying dynamic changes to come up with a collective decision of how to sing a particular

phrase. I also enjoyed the opportunity to watch them collaborate and experiment with different

musical ideas (Dewey, Vygotsky). It also helped our future rehearsals to be a bit more

collaborative and interactive (even when not following this model). In the future, Id like to try to

step back even further and more often to help them come closer to the idea of the Orpheus

model.