Ensemble Skills Exercises
Exercise 1: This exercise works best if the group sits in a circle. Select a melody that is familiar to everyone in the group. It need not be complicated rhythmically, or use extreme registers. A melody that has repeated pitches is desirable. Have all of the members play the melody in unison on instruments of the same range, such as alto recorders. This lets the group adjust to the tuning and tempo. Now, to the proper part of the exercise. A designated member will play the first note of the melody. The person to their left will play the second note. This continues around the circle until the melody ends. The objective is to make the melody sound legato, perfectly in tempo, and perfectly in tune. This exercise is particularly useful training for playing hockets. It is generally useful for working on pitch, attacks, articulation, and tempo.
Exercise 2: Accelerando and ritardando. Again, select a melody that is familiar to everyone in the group and have all of the members play the melody in unison on instruments of the same range, such as alto recorders. Select a member to lead the group while they play. (They will direct with the end of their instrument or with their head.) The goal of the exercise is to follow the changes in tempo that are indicated by the leader. The ability to gradually change tempo in unison is an essential ensemble skill.
More exercises will be posted in the future.
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