Orchestra Standards
Grading and auditioning for ensembles is very difficult in music because students develop at different rates, and much of the grading is subjective. One student may start at a very novice level and show great improvement, while another higher level student may put in very little effort and still play stronger than the aforementioned student. It’s also common for higher level students to hit a ‘speed bump’ and improve very incrementally, but still put in amazing effort. All of that being said, the standards listed here show skills that anyone should be able to attain from a beginner to a student preparing to audition for major conservatories. NOT ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO PERFORM AT THAT FINAL CONSERVATORY LEVEL!!!! This is more of a guide to communicate to students and families where their musicianship should be at any given time for their 4 year goals in high school.
Note: These levels are given titles to help guide students towards benchmarks, but they’re really a spectrum. Students may be in one level on a given benchmark but be in another level in another. Also, this is based on the ideal situation. If students haven’t mastered ‘middle school’ benchmarks going into 9th grade, that’s fine – and expected. It just communicates that these skills should be worked on first before moving to high school level benchmarks.
By following these guidelines, students can have a learning plan tailored to their needs. Example scenarios are provided here in more detail. Students, please read through the scenarios and decide which path to work towards. You can always change that pat at any time. I will assess these benchmarks as you achieve them, and you can work at your own pace.
What are the requirements to get into Sinfonia (intermediate) or Chamber (advanced)
There’s no definite answer to that question, but the standards below give some objectivity to the decision. If you finish the Sinfonia requirements, you should be in Chamber, right! Well, probably, but not necessarily. We still have to consider instrumentation and musicality. The Chamber Orchestra is a top level high school concert group, and instrumentation matters. For example, we can’t have 40 violins with only 3 cellos. Therefore, if 40 violins all met the standards, then we’d have to look at more subjective things – who plays the scales more in tune, who phrase better in their sight-reading, who has a more musical vibrato or sense of nuance, etc. Also, even if you ‘check the boxes’ in the listed benchmarks, are you achieving them with Chamber level tone quality, intonation, use of bow, advanced sense of articulation and phrasing etc. These thing take time to develop and may come later than your ability to put the right finger down in the correct general area on the fingerboard (which may give you credit in a scale assessment, for example). Seniority also plays into the decision at this point. This is why if we have a lot of Freshmen on one instrument, we encourage students to learn an instrument of need early on so we don’t run into these problems. Think of a football team. If you’re a great quarterback, but you’re #3 in the school, you’ll probably be on the JV team – but if can be the #2 wide receiver, you’ll have a better chance to make varsity! With all that being said, here’s some rough estimates on what band you’ll play in:
Incoming Freshmen – String ensemble is the default ensemble for Freshmen. All typical 8th grade musicians should start high school here. Advanced 8th graders may audition into the Sinfonia Orchestra. Students who are at the top of their middle school section or audition into the district honor group may be good candidates for this ensemble. Freshmen are typically not placed into Chamber Orchestra. A typical (not advanced) Chamber student is equivalent to an 8th grade All-Southern (SCSBOA) or All-State (CBDA) musician who is taking private lessons. Of course, instrumentation plays a role (i.e. bass players have a better chance to make higher ensembles)
Sophomores – Typically, most Freshmen in string ensemble move to the Sinfonia Orchestra, but newer students may wish to take a 2nd year of String Ensemble so they can continue learning at the appropriate level. Freshmen in Sinfonia or Chamber may be ready for Chamber their Sophomore year or play a 2nd year in Sinfonia as a leader.
Juniors and Seniors – Most Seniors and advanced Juniors play in the Chamber Orchestra – though it’s common for juniors play in Sinfonia 2+ years. The jump from Sinfonia to Chamber is much larger than the jump from String Ensemble to Sinfonia. To make Chamber, students need to not only meet the standards, but also achieve them with a high level of musicality and demonstrate musical independence (strong sight-reading skills). Chamber also has more time commitment than the other 2 ensembles, and student are expected to make this their top commitment when conflicts arise. Families should decide if they can make that commitment before auditioning for Chamber. Sinfonia is an advanced level orchestra that’s appropriate for Juniors and Seniors. Sinfonia is an advanced level orchestra that’s appropriate for Juniors and Seniors to have a high-level significant orchestra experience.
Please review the Orchestra Standards and some example scenarios of 4 year orchestra pathways by clicking the button above. Everybody has their own situation, and you can speak with Mr. McElroy about what plan meets your goals. The important thing is that you are moving forward. These standards will be assessed and recorded, but in terms of grades, as long as students are making progress towards their plan, they can be comfortable that they will get full credit for the ‘music progress’ portion of their grade.