by Jack Saunders
Beauty
Evaluate in terms of the “characteristic sound” with attention to resonance
Can you tell a director where a good “sound building” should begin?
Can you recommend QUALITY groups to hear “live” or on recordings?
Do you make an effort to do this?
Stress the importance of meeting the resistance of the instrument by pushing the air THROUGH the instrument (not just INTO it).
Stress the importance of a solid, well defined bass voice as the “foundation” for developing a full, rich band sound.
Control
Are the sounds “covered or “exposed”?
Is a complete level of “intensities” explored, or is the ensemble mostly playing “safe”?
Have the topics of support and correct breathing been presented as they
Apply to controlling sound?
Are the soft parts “weak” and “pale”?
Are all of the inner parts heard or just the lead voices?
Does melody dominate accompaniment?
Do moving voices dominate sustained harmonies?
Do brass, woodwind and percussion all contribute to a balanced sonority or does one section consistently dominate regardless of its appropriate function?
by Jack Saunders
Melodic Line
Do you know the characteristic shortcomings of all the instruments and
What can be done to correct or minimize them?
Evaluate for unison placement, octave placement, and overall placement accuracy in comparison to the functioning lower harmonies.
Chords
Stress the importance of root accuracy, then place the fifth, and finally, the
Third, be aware of the dangers of over blowing final tutti chords—the
Greater number of players involved dictates LOWERING the indicated dynamic level and RAISING the “listening level.”
Individuals
When pointing out individuals with pitch problems, try to “balance” your
Comment with suggestions about embouchure, air compression, tongue
Elevation or relaxation, equipment changes (larger mouthpiece, stiffer reed, etc.)
Sections
Problem sections are best isolated from the full ensemble (sectionals)
And then encouraged, cared for, corrected, and returned to make a more positive contribution.
by Jack Saunders
Accents
Is this where this belongs?
Does the style, length, weights of various accents enhance or detract from the rhythmic accuracy and clarity?
Meter
Does the ensemble represent both duple and triple rhythms accurately or
Is the metric clarity compromised?
Precision
Are notes placed precisely or do they tend to sound more “glossed” or “faked” as the complexity increases? Have you discussed slow, careful?
Practice, sectionals and intelligent use of the metronome as
Recommended techniques useful to developing precision?
Interpretation of
Rhythmic Figures
Are triplets “even” are the figures executed with a 3 to 1(or 2 to
1) relationship?
Does the manner in which figures are interpreted promote good projection, clarity, ensemble, rhythmic security? If not, then what needs to be done (slow practice, sub-diving techniques, use of the metronome, etc.)?
by Jack Saunders
Fluency
Are the performers” comfortable” with the technical demands? Is there a sense of controlled flow and direction or is”panic”and “tenseness” a more accurate description is individual and ensemble discipline and commitment obvious?
Articulation
Is the gamut of styles (legato, staccato, and marcato) evident in the performance?
Are the staccatos light, separated, lifted or just SHORT?
Are the macatos accented and tapered or just “artificially” separated (i.e. hospital clean)?
Are the legatos smooth, connected, sonorous? Have you talked about vocal, singing style?
Are all the notes played the same weight or are the shorter note values also appropriately lighter?
Ensemble
Does the group perform with unity of concept or like many individuals?
If you tell them to “watch” or “listen”, do you tell them to whom they should “watch” or Listen (i.e. the section leader, the conductor, the low voices, the melody, etc.)?
Does the physical set-up of the ensemble promote and encourage “watching” and “listening” or does it limit them?
Accuracy
This should be ASSUMED by the player and musicians BEFORE “music making” can begin. Heaven forbid that we should have to fill the sheet with wrong note, wrong rhythm, wrong entrance, etc. information.
*** *** INTERPRETATION *** ***
by Jack Saunders
Am I listening to “notes” or “music” and what can I do to shift the focus to the latter?
Phrasing
Are the phrases uniform (including releases, breathing, repeat speeds, etc.)?
Are the phrase lengths logical? Do they enhance the music or “chop” it into inappropriate little pieces?
Expression
Do the notes have dir3ection, shape, form, nuance, or are they “mostly just notes”? This is one of the key areas where computers cannot improve or replace us. Promote it. Stress it. Demand it!
Is it accurate (i.e. as indicated on the score)?
Is it appropriate (style, tradition and ensemble maturity enter into the process here).
Is it consistent, or does it vary as the result of technical demands or changes in dynamics?
Is it in the ensemble’s best inters tin terms of talent, maturity, etc.?
Is it consistent or des it suffer from the predictable loud=faster, soft=slower syndrome?
Dynamics
Is a complete range being demonstrated with control and musicality?
Do the students adjust “line importance” WITHIN each dynamic range or are all parts loud in the f sections? (Absence of presence of good balance will greatly answer this question).
Are crescendos, decrescendos being artistically or mechanically interpreted-are they being played when the music dictates them or only when the editor “prints” them?
Style/Tradition
This is more or less an “evaluative summation” of many of the above captions.
Correct interpretation is a CRITICAL point of evaluation.
If the style is inappropriate, try and suggest an artist, conductor, and/or ensemble that perform well in this style as a source of inspiration.