Playing together as an ensemble
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can play my part confidently within a large ensemble.
Key learning points
- Playing in an ensemble requires a shared sense of pulse, confident part playing and an awareness of the whole sound.
- Practising in parts first can help us to perform our part accurately and confidently as part of an ensemble.
- Successful rehearsal strategies include ‘chunking’, practising the start and thinking about appropriate dynamics.
Keywords
Ensemble - a group of people who perform together
Accompaniment - a musical part that supports the main melody or chant
Dynamics - how loud or quiet the music is
Rehearse - to practise in order to improve and prepare for performance
Common misconception
In an ensemble performance, one part, usually the melody, is the most important part.
In an ensemble performance each part is crucial. Each part adds something different to the final performance such as harmony, melody or rhythmic foundation.
Teacher tip
Enocurage pupils to appreciate how the parts jigsaw together and the effect of the individual parts performed simultaneously.
Equipment
Class set of pitched percussion instruments that can play G C and D.
Licence
Sign in to continue
Our content remains 100% free, but to access certain copyrighted materials, you'll need to sign in. This ensures we’re both staying within the rules.
P.S. Signing in also gives you more ways to make the most of Oak like unit downloads!
