Three Factors for Successful Growth
by Jane McCormick
Cluster Concerts
I currently teach in the Fort Bend Independent School District (Texas) which has a long tradition of fine band and choral programs. At the request of parents, two string teachers were added to the fine arts staff in 1989. These teachers covered five campuses, offering string classes to sixth and seventh grade students. The program grew quickly, and I was one of two staff members added in 1991. From a modest seven students at each high school, we began an exciting journey -- though it seemed a a bit frantic at times. Numbers at all schools were fairly small, so our big payoff was the cluster concert. At planning meetings we shared information relevant to the concert. Numbers in each section, discussed which school had the strongest leaders in each section and set a rotation of chairs so all schools would be equally visible on stage. Music was chosen which we hoped would challenge as many students as possible. After deciding which director would conduct which piece, bowings were checked and corrected, and scores exchanged.
The large rehearsals were fascinating to watch. The morale of our individual groups soared as they discovered how many orchestra students there were in the district. Their faces lit up when they experienced the incredible sound of a 100-piece string section. Students, parents and teachers went home from the concert with a feeling of accomplishment and excitement about the string program.
In 1993, the orchestras became too large to fit on the stage together, and district-wide cluster concerts became a thing of the past. Clustering eighth graders with the orchestra at the high school they will attend became a reasonable substitute. This year our combined orchestras played at selected elementary schools, businesses, and community events.
Cooperation
As the string program flourished, our band and choral programs have continued to grow as well. I am disappointed at conventions when I hear orchestra directors complaining about colleagues in other areas. I have had many teaching assignments, and at every campus I have worked with wonderful, supportive colleagues. For example, last year our first event was a combined holiday concert in December where each discipline presented a ten-minute performance. The concert concluded with the band, choir, drama, and orchestra departments combining with the audience for a sing-a-long.
All departments combined two months later for the school musical. At the same time, rehearsals began for the first full orchestra performance at contest. The band directors and I shared the rehearsals and conducting duties, and critiqued when not on the podium. I learned a lot about winds, got new ideas for rehearsal strategies and enjoyed going to contest for the first time in eleven years of teaching.
We performed at a dance recital one month after contest, and accompanied one of their selections. Most of my students had never seen their friends in the dance department perform, and they were captivated by the quality of their work. The feeling was reciprocated for the orchestra performance. We received many compliments for that performance right up to the end of the school year.
Patience
There are many problems common to every growing string program. Limited faculty means that some teachers travel to as many as four schools daily. None of the buildings in Fort Bend had been designed with orchestra programs in mind, so we make do with band halls, choir rooms, cafeterias, auditorium stages, and regular classrooms. It is difficult to have a positive attitude under these circumstances, but such problems are normal. Imagination, planning, and flexibility are the tools of any successful teacher -- orchestra teachers just need more than most!
In our case, patience has been rewarded. As the district builds additional schools, each will include orchestra rehearsal space, office space, and storage. Pre-existing buildings are slowly being refurbished and orchestra rooms are being added. It took seven years to get the promise of our own space at the older campuses and construction will not be complete until 1998. 1 am sure that there will be some headaches in the meantime, but I believe it will be worth the wait!
Many factors contribute to the growth of a string program, and there is no clear recipe for success. Cluster concerts, cooperation between departments, and patience are three areas which have proven to be particularly successful for the string teachers in Fort Bend, Texas.
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