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Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care?

Author: Eileen
Date: 2009-02-11 05:00

Okay, I'm the personnel manager of a community orchestra. My take on this is that when our conductor says "work it out amongst yourselves," that means the expectation is that the 1st and 2nd parts should be split up. So I would say to the other clarinet player something along the lines of "Hey, would you mind if I played 1st on a piece or two to mix it up." If you encounter resistance, approach the conductor (or personnel manager, if the group has one) and explain that you thought you would be playing some 1st parts, you're happy to share parts but the other person rebuffed your suggestions.

We had this problem once with a part-hog flute player. The conductor just stated very calmly but firmly during rehearsal before the entire group that he would like person A to play 1st on X piece and the part hog to play 1st on Y piece. The part hog wasn't happy but the new player was a total ringer and the conductor did not want to lose her.

Sometimes, the existing person will hug the parts initially not so much out of being a hog but out of waiting to see if the new person sticks with it or flakes out half way through rehearsals (sometimes too common in community groups). Perhaps this person fears you might flake because you missed an early rehearsal. If you act in a cool way and prove that you are reliable, you may find the person shoving the difficult first parts your way for the next concert.

Sharing parts has worked well for our group. The 2nd players have an occasional moment to shine and will often really practice hard when given a challenge. A 1st player who runs into work or other conflicts also has the option of stepping down on some parts to lighten the practice/rehearsal load.

By the way, I have a FAQ sheet for new members which explains the no principals situation, asks them to consider both their skill and time available for rehearsal and practice in dividing parts in the first instance and encourages them to approach me or the conductors if there is any issue.

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Date

community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

3dogmom

2009-02-06 02:28

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

EEBaum

2009-02-06 02:34

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Sylvain

2009-02-06 02:47

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Merlin_Williams

2009-02-06 02:54

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

sfalexi

2009-02-06 03:37

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

EEBaum

2009-02-06 04:00

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Johnny Galaga

2009-02-06 04:13

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

EEBaum

2009-02-06 05:01

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

JessKateDD

2009-02-06 05:22

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

BobD

2009-02-06 06:02

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Cindyr

2009-02-06 08:17

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Bassie

2009-02-06 09:53

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Chris P

2009-02-06 10:13

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Noqu

2009-02-06 10:21

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

DavidBlumberg

2009-02-06 10:38

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

3dogmom

2009-02-06 11:21

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Bluesparkle

2009-02-06 15:43

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Hank Lehrer

2009-02-06 16:17

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

EJ

2009-02-06 19:30

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

3dogmom

2009-02-07 15:29

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

tictactux

2009-02-06 21:50

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

EEBaum

2009-02-06 23:38

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

clarionman

2009-02-07 17:37

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

DavidBlumberg

2009-02-07 20:38

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

dgclarinet

2009-02-09 19:36

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Sylvain

2009-02-09 20:52

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Lelia Loban

2009-02-10 12:51

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

xarkon

2009-02-10 21:43

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

dgclarinet

2009-02-10 13:54

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Mario Poirier

2009-02-10 22:04

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

Sean.Perrin

2009-02-11 00:45

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care?

Eileen

2009-02-11 05:00

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

3dogmom

2009-02-11 12:16

Re: community groups - who should be principal and do we care? new

chipper

2009-02-11 14:07

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