Students are placed in ensembles according to age and level. Typically, 8 to 12 students are in each group. Sometimes these smaller groups will be combined to prepare specific pieces for concerts, competitions or festivals.

In a typical class, the students will warm up with tone exercises and scales in the key of the piece they are going to rehearse. Although we do some unison playing particularly with the younger groups, the emphasis in classes is on part playing. Even those students who are not yet reading music because of their age and level, can still play in harmony through the use of rounds (like Frère Jacques) and simple accompaniments to pieces they already know. The more advanced students learn 3- to 8-voice pieces which often include parts for our special flutes (E flat, alto and bass flutes and piccolo). In some classes, students will rehearse their solo repertoire with piano, thus learning correct concert behaviour both as performers and as audience members.

Ensemble classes provide students with the opportunity to play music together, to learn from each other and to acquire additional musical and personal skills in a social setting. My happiest memories of learning the flute weren’t of practicing on my own(!) but of using what I had learned to play in groups with my friends. So often a student will hear another classmate playing a piece and become motivated to learn it, too. Or a student will practice extra hard so that he or she can play First Flute, or one of the special flutes that the school owns.

Playing in groups improves listening skills, intonation, tone and self-reliance. Playing in front of one’s peers improves self-confidence, concentration and ultimately, self-esteem. What never ceases to amaze me is how much fun my students have while achieving these complex and often formidable goals.

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