Choosing Repertoire that Inspires and Provides Great Teaching Opportunities: A Rewarding Challenge - Part 2

A.  When considering what constitutes appropriate repertoire selection it is important that we should consider works that:

1. Provide opportunities for encouraging the love and appreciation of music: works that will aid in the nurturing and encouragement of musical creativity, comprehension, expression, inspiration and joy.
   
2. Introduce and reinforce theoretical music concepts and historical context.
   
3. Reinforce interpretive music concepts and expressive performance skills, which are introduced or addressed in the warm-up, technical development and chorale portions of rehearsals.
   
4. Provide opportunities to reinforce technical development, such as manual dexterity, rhythmic vocabulary acquisition, the use of articulations as well as expressive and stylistic considerations.
   
5. Present opportunities for exploring a wide range of human emotion: Works should include passages that present significant opportunities to experiment with expressive note grouping, phrase shape, rhythmic inflection, tempi variations and dynamic contrast. 
   

B.  Examining various evaluation criteria for the purpose of developing a more effective and academically accountable repertoire selection process:  We can begin by exploring the individual work’s compositional elements and related craftsmanship relating to how the works are put together.

1. Does the work exhibit the craftsmanship of a skilled composer/arranger?
   
2. Are the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic elements integrated, transformed, and developed in a skilled way? 
3. Is the form logically conceived? 

• is it expertly scored?
  
• Does the form shape the various elements of the work in a convincing way?
  
• Does the work reflect a historical context in relation to both ‘creative and stylistic’ expression of a specific era?   

   4.  Does the work provide opportunities to employ the use of aural, dexterous and transitive skills?
   5.  Does the work contain the potential for developing musical skills in a sequential way?
   6.  Does the work contain interest for the players, audience etc.?
   7.  Does the work interest you —do you ‘believe’ in the work and, do you really want to conduct it? Why?

C.  Repertoire Choice: Assessing the educational and artistic suitability 

1. Does the work lead towards achieving both technical and expressive educational goals?
2. Select music that inspires, and includes all students in various combinations
3. Coordinate your repertoire with your curriculum
4. Does the work provide for:

• Establishing and maintaining internalised pulse?
  
• Exploring the beginning and ending keys or pitch centres?
  
• Expressive musical interpretation in context: including dynamic contrast, articulations, note-grouping, phrase shape, form and the use of structure, rhythmic inflection)
  
• Opportunities for the stylistic entering and exiting of silence in expressive context
  
• Does the work fall within a standard grading system? i.e. 1 beginning to 6 Advanced? (consider developing your own*) 
  
• The repertoire’s instrumentation requirements? Do you have the required instrumentation as listed in the score? Can instrument substitution be facilitated without comprising the composer’s original intent? 
  
• Are the parts interesting, including the bass line and percussion section parts? Do you have sufficient forces to give a faithful performance of the work? 
  
• Are the technical/musical demands of the work compatible with the overall skill level of the ensemble?
  
• What is the general overall character of the music? 
  

I do hope that you will find these questions leading you to more investigative reflection...

We possess both the privilidge and the responsibility for choosing the foundatioal material for our performance ensembles.   Therefore choosing significant repertoire must form a vital component in a student’s musical education.  It is the interaction, and engagement between the human spirit and music that often initiates the spark of creativity and appreciation of beauty.

We need to the remember the importance of remaining discerning and able to articulate our rationale and defense of the repertoire we use as a critical component of our curriculum.

I do hope that you will find these questions leading you to  more investigative reflection...

In my next installment I plan to continue the discussion of repertoire selection through examining various grading systems and how we can best use them in assisting our repertoire choices.  

Please stay tuned in for my next installment on the importance repertoire choice!