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I was at a rehersal today, doing a vocal performance and I found a violinist who could play a counter melody, then I found a cellist who could play the base line. The pianist had some fun too keeping everyone together.

I think this area is neglected for pianists a lot in particular. I had a lot of fun, it was very social too. Do any teachers try organising ensembles?

I did this for my last recital, and while I think everyone had fun doing it and it made for a great concert, it was a *lot* of work trying to get everyone together. There was one student who didn't show up for rehearsals and I ended up playing the duet for that student. It was extremely stressful for me, to the point where I decided I wouldn't do that again. If students want to, they've had a taste of it and if they request they can do duets and such, but a whole recital, never again!

I wouldn't mind doing some piano duets and such for group lessons, though. Since I only have 2 pianos and a keyboard, it might be tough having an instrument for everyone to play. There is value, however, in making piano an ensemble thing. Learning to accompany instrumentalists and singers is hard for many, since they're so used to being on their own, but once they get used to it it's a lot of fun.

I do ensembles in my group piano classes regularly, even with my younger kids age 5 or so. I have 10 digitals plus my 'teacher piano'. There is not much music available for 3 and 4 part ensemble playing but it's also fun to take duets and just do 2-part ensembles.

The fun thing about digitals is that you can experiment with different voices so the kids can really hear the different parts. I use Melody Bober's 'Hats Off to You' duet book and match a great instrument voice with the title of the piece: Sombrero Song would be on 'guitar', Pirate Song on 'accordian', Secret Agent Song on 'pizzicato strings', Cowboy Song on 'honky-tonk piano', etc.... Kids love ensemble playing and it's wonderful for teaching how to play in a group setting like band or orchestra.

Investing in a couple of portable keyboards ($100 each) would be worth it.

I think you meant "bass line", Rebekah, not "base line". Not playing baseball!

I'll never forget the hairdresser I had that remembered playing "The Big Bass Singer" only she pronounced bass like the fish. When I said, "You mean "The Big Bass Singer" (with a long A pronunciation), she said, "Ooooh! That makes so much more sense now!"

This is a major weakness in the American system of music teaching. It is private relationship between a teacher and a student.

In Europe music is, in general, taught in municipal music schools or conservatories from a very young age. Piano students play in ensembles with other instrumentalists from very early on.

I agree, but to be more specific that is a weakness of piano teaching, not music teaching.

In the US voice and most other instruments are taught primarily in groups, supplemented by private lessons for a few. Even for adults there are community choirs, bands, and orchestras with a lot of performance opportunities at many skill levels.

Tim, if the subject is teaching, are you saying that these choirs offer learning?

Good question.

In high school, music instruction is group based. Kids take band and choir classes and learn to play an instrument or sing while in an ensemble. Some supplement with private instruction, some do not.

On the adult level the intent is performance rather than instruction, I think. On the other hand, I've learned most of what I know by sitting next to good performers in various groups and paying attention, so for me it has always been a learning environment.

Thanks, Tim. Of course my question naturally goes to the adult end. Music instruction in school was dismal in the 1960's - we didn't even get note names. As an adult the intent is learning and growth. I'm wondering whether instrumental groups might be different from choirs.

My experience is that it would depend pretty much on the individual choir or orchestra. Some I've been involved with lean more towards the always-frantically-getting-ready-for-a-performance-next-month side, others do more in the way of workshops and so on.

Thank you for your responses. I just graduated and did "time to say good bye"The Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brigt man duet

I feel like an idiot, no one in the audience noticed but the ensemble members were lost. I went on off differnt tangents becauseI was so flustered and also because I spent most of the time trying to keep the ensemble together rather than myself. I guess you learn from your mistakes.

The experience was fun I do have to say.

Anyways tell me about funny ensemble messups maybe that will make me feel better

How much time do you have?

Just one, for now: I was accompanying a singer recently in a competition. If she had cut the music into 20 bits and shuffled them then performed them in that order she couldn't have done a more jumbled version of the song. Meanwhile, I was flipping pages back and forth trying to find where she was, playing something all the time. Afterwards she said to me "Was there something wrong? I could see you turning pages out of the corner of my eye."

WOW ... you sound like a great accompanist currawong! I sang the second verse during the first verse which would have been alright if it was just a change of lyrics but the melody was different and the pianist was playingmy melody. The poor violinist was lost and the cellist and pianist kept going while I sang the verse( and they played the chorus). No body noticed though...

After the introduction I sang and glitched then stopped everyone and asked to start again. I apologised to the audienceand everyone approached me saying that mistake was so beautiful. I wondered what on earth they were on about, turns out that they saw sentiment that I was so emotional about graduating and I was so emotionally overwhelmed. Sounds like a mushy touching story.

Thanks for sharing that currawong! I really want to work in an ensemble now, piano and voice is great fun, I loved that, its also very social I ahve to say. IN the proffessional world it proably isnt like that but we all had great fun during rehersal, I shouted drinks for everyone (non alchoholic ofcourse) we spent time looking for page turners. We'd stop each other if we didnt like each others sound.

Great ensemble, everybody's second instrument was piano (apart from the pianist's second instrument). I hope I can get together with them one day, piano, cello, voice and violin .. very nice together.

Keep sharing more if you have the time currawong!

Surprising, isn't it! But true.

The other funny story is not mine, but Gerald Moore's (it's in one of his books, can't remember which one). He was playing Beethoven's Spring sonata with some violinist, and if you aren't familiar with the last movement, it's written in typical Beethoven-in-joky-mood style, with the piano playing on the first beat and the violin chipping in on the next. Anyway, the reviewer of the concert was very scathing about the ensemble and particularly Moore because he "always came in ahead of the violinist".

I once had a soprano from the choir turning my pages. She was so busy singing along that she forgot to turn the page until it was almost too late, and when she did, she sent the entire folder of music onto the floor and flying across the stage.

Fortunately I had played this particular piece a number of times and just kept playing while she hastily picked up the scattered music. I didn't know until that moment how well I knew that accompaniment!

I once attended a viola/piano recital in which the accompanist sneezed quite loudly in the middle of the piece. Violist just kept going, pianist came back in a few beats later.

That's why I always turn my own pages!

I've always feared this - but it's never happened - yet...

WOW! Amazing with what you can do with preparation. I didnt prepare that much (well the other ensemble members worried me more) since i didnt worry as much about myself I startedto sing the wrong parts! Keep 'em rolling, I do feel really good, much better now.

The crowd kept sayig encore! Encore, unfortunately Ididnt do an encore but that was teh first time I ever had people scream and clap and cheer so loudly during the song and after the song (like a football crowd). SO I guess thats what counts ... mistakes are just comical moments to talk about later.

Once when I was performing a Mendelssohn piano trio the violinist, who was a fairly high-profile professional with oodles of experience, simply didn't come in on her first entry. She'd just lost concentration. As it was right near the beginning, she stopped us and we began again. I was relieved, actually - if she could make such a silly mistake, then the rest of us didn't need to feel that perfection was the aim.

Reminds me of the story of Sir Thomas Beecham and Denis Brain - Sir Thomas was conducting, and Denis Brain, the horn player, who was noted for never stuffing anything up, no matter how difficult, made a blooper in rehearsal. Sir Thomas stopped the rehearsal, put down his baton and said "Thank God!"

I have hundreds of stories but this one is true.

I was playing trombone with a very good community wind ensemble, doing the first concert of the season in the park. The conductor had changed his mind about the opening march - half of us got the message and half didn't. So half of us had a Sousa march up and half had a Fillmore. We had a loyal audience so the crowd was pretty good.

Of course the trainwreck was so bad we had to stop. The director was furious; after glaring at us he turned to the audience and apologized. He said in his 25 years of performances this was the first time ever he'd actually had to stop a piece.

Then he glared at us again and angrily hissed, "The OTHER one."

Yup. We all switched. All the Sousa players were now on Fillmore and vice versa. I was young and impressionable, I didn't know a guy could get that mad without stroking out.

Good one, Tim!