Lesson video

Hi, everybody.

Welcome to the last lesson of this unit.

This is performing and reflecting on our rehearsal journey.

It's from our Playing Together unit where we've been looking at effective ways of rehearsing as part of an ensemble.

You have all worked really hard this term, and so it's delightful now that you get to share and perform your work, and hopefully you're able to watch it back later and realize just all of those skills that you've been developing.

Let's go.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to say that you can use feedback to refine an ensemble performance and you can review the success of all of those rehearsal strategies.

Our keywords for today, that ensemble, just like you, a group of people who perform together.

And a performance is a work that's presented to an audience.

To rehearse, is to practice in order to improve and prepare for that performance.

And when we practice, we're deliberately making that effort, often individually to improve our musical skills.

Now, we know how important it is to warm up now more than ever because we want our performance to be super.

So, we want our minds to be sharp.

We want our voices to be warm and healthy.

And so, we're going to begin by following these warmups.

Here they come.

This warmup is called up, down, go, stop.

When you hear up, stretch both arms into the air.

When you hear down, put both hands on your knees.

When you hear, go run on the spot.

And when you hear stop, strike a pose.

It looks like this.

<v Instructor>Go.

</v> (steps rustling) Stop.

Go.

(steps rustling) Stop.

Up.

Go (steps rustling) Down.

Up.

Down.

(palms smacking) Go.

(steps rustling) Stop.

<v ->Once you've got the hang of it,</v> try doing the opposite of what the instructions tell you.

It looks like this.

<v Instructor>Down.

</v> Go.

Cool.

Stop.

(steps rustling) Stop.

(steps rustling) (chuckling) Go.

Up.

Down.

Up.

(palms smacking) Up, up, up.

Stop.

(steps rustling) Stop.

Stop.

Go.

<v ->Join in with these breathing exercises.

</v> Copy me.

(palms rustling) (exhales sharply) Tss, tss, tss, tss.

(lively melodic music) ♪ 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ♪ <v ->Now miss out number 3.

</v> (lively melodic music) ♪ 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ (gentle lively music) ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2 ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2 ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ (bright upbeat music) ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2 ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2 ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ (bright upbeat music) ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 ♪ ♪ 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 ♪ ♪ 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ ♪ 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2 ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2 ♪ ♪ 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ♪ And then this video is of our warmup called ♪ 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ , 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ and so on.

The additional challenge I would like to give you is as you follow along, omitting number three for a clap.

So, you get ♪ 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 2, 1 ♪ and so on.

All the way to eight and back.

Best of luck and I'll see you when you've done that bit.

(bright lively music) ♪ 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 ♪ Brilliant.

That should have helped with our concentration, with our pitch, and our feeling that steady pulse.

Well done.

There are two learning cycles and the first one is when we're using feedback to refine our ensemble performance.

We take our feedback, how do we make it better still? And then we will be performing enjoyably as an ensemble.

Let's start by using that feedback to refine our performance.

When we play as a group, we want to listen, we want to learn, and we want to improve.

One important ensemble skill is giving and receiving feedback.

That might feel hard to take sometimes if someone's saying, "Well, it's not quite right," but we want to listen because everyone really wants everyone to do their best.

So, as a unit you create the best sound.

Today, we'll record our performance and we'll think about what went well and what we could do to make it even better.

And we'll listen to a different group and we'll share helpful, kind feedback with them.

If we're working as a team, we can refine our piece to get it ready for a final performance.

We're gonna listen to Chris now.

He's the French horn player from Paraorchestra and he is reflecting on what it's like working together in an ensemble.

Here's Chris.

<v ->Working as a team is really important,</v> and you soon learn that you can't just issue an order to somebody, "Oh, you are playing too loud.

Oh, you're playing too sharp or too flat." You have to put it kindly.

And also, remember that it's only your own opinion.

It's not, it's not set down in stone.

So, it's a good way of learning how to get on.

<v ->Now when we perform, we want it to be successful.

</v> We want our whole ensemble to do well.

And these are the ensemble skills we're going to focus on.

We're gonna make sure we keep a steady beat so we're staying in time with each other.

We'll begin and we'll end at exactly the same moment as tight and neat as we can make it.

When we're playing and singing, we'll deliver that with some confidence.

You're good at this.

You've practiced and rehearsed.

You are ready.

And we make sure we're listening to each other in our ensemble and supporting each other so we stay tight and neat as this solid unit.

You will also focus on producing that balance blended sound.

Nothing sticking out.

Nothing sounding too loud in the other.

It's all blended and you're pleased with that overall sound.

What you're going to do now is collect something that you can record on.

Maybe that each ensemble goes one after the other.

But you're gonna record using a tablet and iPad, whatever sort of thing you can use to record the ensemble performance of Egan's "Polka." I would like you to pause here.

The section A is on the next slide.

Then, section B.

Enjoy your performance.

You've totally got this.

If you are waiting for another group and they're recording, you need to be quiet and you might be able to watch and pin some top tips while they are recording.

Off you go.

Now, you might have done this in different ways.

It could be that each group had a device and was able to record their performance, or it could be that you did one after the other.

So, what you're going to do is watch it back either in your group or as a class.

And I want you to think about what improvements you can make just to refine that performance.

Think about this.

Was the sound right with that balance between the instruments? Did you all maintain the steady tempo? That secure sense of pulse where it felt and sounded like you were together.

And were you looking at each other and listening to make sure that performance really was musical and you were all engaged together? So, you're gonna pause here, watch yours, and have a check on that.

Off you go.

As well as us watching it back and listening, it can be really helpful to have feedback from other people.

They can listen and they can watch your ensemble as an audience member and give you some really useful feedback from an audience's point of view.

So, what you'll do is join with another group and then listen to each other's ensemble performance of Egan's "Polka." Now, that could be the one that's recorded.

If you've got your own, you wanna share it and you watch each other's or perform it live to each other.

And then, when you're listening to each other, I want you to be prepared to give some feedback.

You're gonna be thinking about watching theirs.

How did they engage you as a listener? Did it feel easy and comfortable to listen to? Was the ensemble balanced? Were they together? Did you think they were communicating the way they were counting in, the way they were listening and looking to each other? And do you have any suggestions that might help them further improve their performance? To help you out, a couple of sentence starters might be, "Oh, the balance between the two parts was.

." Or "One idea you might try is.

." "You guys seemed most together at this bit." "The use of dynamics was.

." And "One moment that really stood out for me.

." So, it's that mixture of finding those positives and looking where they might want to polish further.

So, join with another group.

Enjoy listening to each other's Egan's "Polka" and share some kind constructive feedback.

Off you go.

Lovely.

Well done.

Now in your ensemble, I would just like you to reflect on that feedback back in your own groups.

Was there anything you think, "I don't quite agree actually.

I wanted it to sound like that or whatever." And other things you thought, "Yes, they're absolutely right.

That bit needs a bit of work or dynamics here, whatever." What are you going to take on board? And the reason you're thinking about that is 'cause you're gonna use that feedback as well as your reflection like when you watched your recorded performance back to plan your final rehearsal.

It could be that you think we need to spend most of our time listening to each other more, or we need to make sure that that little bit, those rhythms there is where it, when it both times it's gone a bit awry.

So, we'll just focus on that bit.

Why don't we have someone keeping a steady pulse to really help us stay in time while we master that bit? Do you know what I mean? So, pause here and plan what bits or what parts or what how you would like to rehearse together for the last bit before your main final performance.

Off you go.

So, in Sam's group, the other group that listened to that Egan's "Polka" suggested why not try having some varying dynamics? At the moment, it's all at one volume.

Could you make some of it louder, some of it quieter, so it's more interesting to listen to? Sam says, "Okay, so when we rehearse in our final rehearsal before that performance, we are gonna practice starting up a bit quieter, getting louder in section B." Brilliant.

Sofia says, "We noticed we weren't quite in time with each other when we started the repeat of each section.

So, we're gonna work on that bit each time we go for that repeat and make sure we're really feeding that steady pulse, and we're just gonna rehearse those bits." Fantastic.

So, whatever it is for you, that's what you are going to work on in your rehearsal.

Make sure you know what that is.

And it's time for our second learning cycle where we get that last rehearsal in, and then our performance.

So, please complete your final rehearsal now.

Refining the things that you in your six decided to work on.

Off you go.

All right.

Now, this performance may be, maybe you're gonna do it in an assembly.

Maybe gonna share it with another class.

Maybe you are going to perform it and send it home to folks at home.

Whoever it's for, make sure that it is performance standard.

When we perform, we're ready to do our best.

Our final preparation is simply making sure we've got it all ready.

Do you have your instruments ready? Your beater ready, if you're using one.

Your claves, do you know where they are? Are they ready and neat? Does it look neat if people are coming in to watch? Do you know how you're going to arrange yourselves so that everyone can see you and you look like this wonderful ensemble of musicians? And do you know when it's your turn to perform? Do you know the order that you're going in? Check on that now and then we'll come back together.

I hope that when you perform, you get that opportunity to feel really proud of yourself 'cause this is a few weeks work that you have built on and improved and improved, which is wonderful.

Your top tips for performance success.

Just stay focused, keep listening, watch everyone.

If anyone makes a mistake, you keep going.

You just make those gentle adjustments in your team.

Stay together.

That person will come back in as soon as they're ready.

And if you feel nervous, you can kind of front it out.

You can act confident.

Put a smile on your face.

You've got this.

Really helps.

And don't worry about being perfect.

Perfect's not really a thing.

It's about doing the best that you can do right now today.

Okay? You're gonna take turns performing your pieces for your class or for any other invited people that are coming to watch.

You've really prepared so well for your performance.

So, I'd like to relax and enjoy it.

Off you go.

Fantastic.

Well done, everyone.

Absolutely super.

You have successfully performed Egan's "Polka" and we've used a range of techniques to get there.

I want to run through them because I want you to be able to use them again on your musical journey.

Remember, when we practice, we practice with purpose.

What is it I'm going to improve now? Isolate those tricky bits.

Work on those.

We repeat those tricky bits until they become easy.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

And we're aiming for accuracy.

That's in our pitch.

When we're singing and playing, in our rhythm, so we're accurate and neat and tight and keeping time.

Our phrasing, our dynamics, the quality of the sound we make.

We wanted to make it the best we can.

So, aim for accuracy.

We chunk it, we practice in sections.

If we know the structure, let's do A, then let's do B, then let's put it together.

We don't need to worry about the whole lot at once.

Take your time.

Be patient.

These things take time.

And keep going.

We need to make mistakes to figure out how we're going to do it better.

Is the environment right? We've got space to concentrate.

Not too noisy.

I can work.

I've got my instrument on a flat surface.

Whatever it is, are you able to do what you need to do? The lovely slowing it down before speeding it up.

Don't try and play super quick straightaway.

Take your time.

We're aiming for accuracy, remember? And then, explore different ways to learn.

You could sing it, you could tap it.

I'm gonna listen to it.

I'm gonna follow the notation.

There's many ways we can explore our learning.

And we've also learned some really effective rehearsal skills together.

We've tried moving about the room in different spaces to see how that worked.

We've worked on specific areas of improvement rather than just running the whole piece from start to finish.

We've experimented with the music.

You sit out and have a listen.

What do we think? Oh yes, it's really good when it's quiet here.

You can make those decisions about how you want it to sound.

That choosing one person not to play is lovely 'cause they can give you some feedback within your team.

Following a leader.

If you're all changing dynamics together, getting it controlled, getting your sound balance, following a leader is a great one.

And stopping to consider how you'll improve next.

Hey, we've played that through.

What bit should we focus on now? You've worked through all of these and it's really impressive.

Quick check.

What do you think is true? Is it A, when I can play my part, I rehearse in my ensemble, working together with the other musicians to play for a performance? Is it practicing my own part is a waste of time if the group rehearsal's coming soon.

Should wait and we all do it together.

Rehearsals are for practicing my own part by myself.

Or D, when I'm practicing, I'm learning my part.

I practice on my own to work on the tricky parts and tidy my playing.

I wonder if there's one or more true statement there.

Have a check through and decide which you think is true and which you think certainly aren't.

I'll give you a moment.

I think you know.

Both A and D.

We can't say that practicing your own part's a waste of time because that's what helped, is helping you get better and more confident for your ensemble playing.

And rehearsals offer everyone to prepare for the performance.

But A, certainly true, and D.

You practice on your own, you manage those tricky parts, tidy your playing, and when you rehearse with your ensemble, you are preparing for that performance.

Just as a last task in this unit, it'd be really useful for you to write a short paragraph just thinking about those practice techniques and the ways that you've rehearsed for your ensemble performance.

I've put four questions which could kind of shape your paragraph.

And it's what practice technique helped you the most? How your ensemble use and your rehearsal time, how did that help you get better? What rehearsal strategies you might have used? What feedback did your group use from yourself or another group? Was that feedback useful? How did it make your performance better? And what would you like to focus on next time to make your ensemble playing even stronger? It's just a quiet, reflective time to realize all of those fantastic skills that you've developed.

Pause here and give that a go.

See you in a bit.

Lovely.

Sometimes having a time like that just to reflect and realize all of those skills that we've developed can help us feel really proud of ourselves.

So, I'm hoping that as you write your piece and have a read of it back, you think, "Gosh, I can feel proud of myself for all of the skills I've developed and the techniques I've tried out." Here's an example.

"The practice strategy that helped me the most was slowing down the tricky parts 'cause that gave me time to think about the rhythm and eventually play it correctly." "As an ensemble, we used our rehearsal time to repeat small sections instead of starting at the beginning every time.

We also counted in together and we watched our leader so that we could stay in time." "The feedback from the other group that helped us notice that our ending was messy, so we practiced finishing at the same moment." "Next time, I want to listen even more carefully so our balance is better and no one part is too loud." Now, each of your pieces of writing are individual to you and the experience that you had as an individual and in your ensemble.

It might be useful to think of having your very own toolbox.

And those different techniques for practicing and rehearsing, you can choose which ones are most effective for you and keep those in your toolbox for next time.

Really well done today.

Just to recap on our learning and we're done.

The most effective rehearsals can be when many different rehearsals strategies are used together to improve our final performance.

Feedback from others and evaluating our own performance are key elements to refining our performance.

Making it shine for an audience.

And that we can reflect on the practice and rehearsal strategies that have helped you, each of you perform successfully in an ensemble.

Really well done, everyone.

What great pieces of work.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Bye for now.