Dear Colleagues,

• Not singing or playing the tempo we indicate;
• The melody is drowned out by the accompaniment;
• Last notes of phrases are accented;
• Entrances are late, especially after an eighth or sixteenth rest.

#1 THE ENSEMBLE DOESN'T TAKE YOUR TEMPO

1. The young musicians don't base their tempo on our preparatory beat;
2. Rather than watching for several beats to make sure they have our tempo, they consider the downbeat a kind of "starting gun" and look down at their music as soon as we've given it.
3. Looking at ourselves: we may have begun without the tempo clearly in mind, or without having counted a few beats to ourselves before starting;
4. We may hesitate before the downbeat, or give the downbeat without moving directly to the next beat.

1. In rehearsal, give preparatory beats for a piece you're working on at different speeds and have the students subdivide that beat out loud: "one-two-three-four." Tell them to continue counting out loud as you then continue conducting for several full measures. As you vary the speed, the students will begin to value the preparatory beat and will continue to count at the right tempo. You'll have to do this several times before they get the idea. Then, begin the piece at different tempi and keep conducting for a few measures. After a few tries, the students will be likely to sing or play your tempo because they've subdivided the preparatory beat mentally and they'll continue to subdivide for the following measures,
2. After you've done this subdivision exercise, ask the students to put their music aside (if they're singers) or turn their music stands around (if they're instrumentalists). This will reinforce the effectiveness of watching your beat for at least a measure or two to get the right tempo…before they look back at their music.
3. Find a spot in the piece where you feel the tempo very, very strongly; frequently, it's not the first few measures. Before you give the preparatory beat, sing that spot to yourself so that the preparatory beat becomes part of music that's already chugging along - in the right tempo. This is a very powerful tool that can create immediate results. Make sure you tell the young musicians what you're doing…and suggest that they do the same.
4. Using a mirror, observe your preparatory beat and downbeat carefully. Do you hesitate slightly between the two? Many directors do, with the result that the ensemble's entrance is tentative, they're not sure where the next beat is, they'll hesitate and, as a result, they'll slow down. The main reason that some directors hesitate before giving the downbeat is the fear that the musicians won't respond right away. In fact, they won't… but this is a positive! If you give your downbeat without hesitation and move right away to the next beat, the ensemble will be slightly behind you - and that's just what you want! Why? Because that way, you'll be able to show what you want in time for them to respond. As my wonderful teacher, David Gilbert, said, "you'll be drawing a map for them to follow."

#2 THE ACCOMPANIMENT DROWNS OUT THE MELODY

1. The musicians aren't familiar in a practical way with the concept of melody and accompaniment; what's more, many consider what they're playing to be the most important (or only!) thing going on;
2. They may not know what the melody sounds like, and don't know who's playing or singing it;
3. Even if they recognize the tune, they don't listen for it; if they can't hear it, they don't know to sing or play more softly until they can;
4. Some musicians are hesitant about "bringing out the melody," especially if they're in sections that don't usually have the tune - the basses (in both chorus and orchestra), or the bassoons, for example;
5. Printed dynamics are frequently the same for all parts (block dynamics) in music of the 18th and 19th centuries…as well as in some music written more recently. It's only in carefully marked scores that dynamics are adjusted for melody and accompaniment, with the carrying power of the different voices and instruments taken into consideration.

1. In your score preparation, note the spots where the accompaniment might drown out the melody; if it happens there (or elsewhere) in rehearsal, stop and say something like, "Those of you who have the melody…don't answer the question I'm about to ask. OK…the rest of you…Who has the melody?"
2. When not every single person shouts out the answer, ask if it's important that those singing or playing the accompaniment know. When they nod, "Yes." repeat the passage so they can listen for it. You may have to do this several times until everyone can answer the question.
3. Once they say they can hear the melody and identify who's playing it, have only the section(s) with the melody sing or play it - this will encourage the melody-people to play out, and will help the accompaniment-people know what to listen for.
4. Then, conduct the accompaniment and ask if the students think they'll be able to hear the melody at the dynamic they've just sung or played. The answer is usually, "No." and so you'll want to repeat the accompaniment until the answer is "Yes." If they don't mark the new (softer) dynamic in their parts (as is often the case), don't continue until they do.
5. Finally, conduct the passage with the full ensemble, then stop and ask those playing the accompaniment if they could hear the melody easily. If not, repeat the passage until they can. Then, start a few phrases before the passage in question so they can apply what they've learned in the context of a larger chunk of music.