Our orchestra is made up of wide and diverse group of people, from students to retirees, playing a range of instruments suitable for a Wind Orchestra. We have three (3) terms each year, with one concert and potentially one workshop each term.

We have a strong management committee with a number of office bearers and auxiliary positions which are appointed by the orchestra members at our annual general meeting. Here are the current holders of these positions:

• President - Scott (Euphonium)

• Vice President/Membership - Lynne (Clarinet)

• Secretary (inc. Membership Register) - Tim (Flute)

• Treasurer - Ross (Flute)

• Management Committee: Steve (Coordinator), Yoko (French Horn)

• Musical Director - Dale Hubbard

• Concert Master - Vacant

• Coordinator - Steve

• Stage Manager - John

• Digital Music Librarian (Purchasing and Data Management) - Scott

• Physical Music Library Team (Printing, Distribution, Storage) - Vacant

• Programming Sub-committee: Janet (Percussion), plus tba

• Comms Officer - Mike

• Hearing Protection Officer - Peter M

• Welcoming - Peter M

• Property Officer - Janet (Percussion)

• Program Editor - Ross

• Raffle Organiser -Angelia

• Social Media - Angelia

• Webmaster - Scott

• Grants Officer - Scott

• Honorary Associate Member - Denis and Marylin Madigan

If you need help with something, one of the above people can assist you - please just ask. :-)

We have two management committee meetings each term, so if you have any issues/questions/suggestions/feedback we would love to hear them, and table them for discussion. Remember, it's your orchestra - you will get out of it what you put in.

Attendance: If you can't make it to a rehearsal/workshop, please email kgwo@kgwo.org.au to advise us.

This has been written in the hope that rehearsals can run more smoothly.  It is hoped that this can also be used as a resource when, on the odd occasion, issues arise in the band.

I have divided Rehearsal Etiquette into 4 parts. 

1  Playing your instrument 

2  Interaction with other members 

3  Interaction with the conductor 

4  Posture and body movement

Playing Instruments.

By far the most important issue is in regard to playing instruments. This is where there are definite absolutes of what should and shouldn't be done in rehearsals.

Don't play your instrument unless you are supposed to!

This means:

1          Tuning.  When it is time to tune, don't practice.  Only play the tuning notes or the notes in the arpeggio/ Concert B flat , D or F

2          Finishing with the conductor. Aim to be the first to finish not the last. Don't finish the phrase etc. 

3          Finish with a good sound. Don't do anything funny when the conductor stops the band - or play flat.  The conductor hears a lot in the sound that is followed by silence.

4          Don't Tune Up during rehearsal.  If you missed the original tune up, wait until the change over between pieces to tune up or re tune. Or just guess which way you should tune your instrument.  If you pull out and it sounds worse then do the opposite.  If I feel the tuning is poor within a section I will stop the rehearsal and tune the section.

5          Don't practice while the conductor is talking or a sub group is playing.  No matter how soft you think you are playing, if you are putting air through your instrument the conductor can still hear you.

The following issues are best dealt with through guidelines- not hard and fast rules.

Interaction with other members.

1              Talking

If one person is allowed to talk then everyone has the right to talk.  Which means everyone has a talk quota.  As a rehearsal can only absorb a certain amount of talking then the more people in the rehearsal the smaller is everyone's individual talk quota.  So the question you have to ask yourself is 'If every one in the band talked as much as I do would the rehearsal be able to function?'  For most of you that answer is 'yes'.  For some of you however that answer is 'no'.   I estimate that 2 minutes is a reasonable talk quota for an individual player in a 2 hour rehearsal. Also the closer you are to the conductor the smaller your talk quota will be for obvious reasons. If you sit in the front row you cannot talk at all. Silence should be the norm in a rehearsal. The need to talk – the exception.

2          Solos and disputes.  

The conductor where possible will encourage sections to sort out parts and solos themselves.  Sometimes the conductor will need to intervene for various reasons.  If you feel the process of working out parts and solos is not working out for you please come to the conductor for help.  In this band there are no section leaders.  All disputes between players should be brought to the conductor and/or president- not dealt with by the players themselves.

3          Interaction with electronic devices

Mobile phones and other electronic devices should be on silent during rehearsals. Texting during rehearsals should only be done in emergency cases or when musicians are on call from their employment situations. Electronic devices should definitely not be used for social media reasons during a rehearsal.

Interaction with the conductor during rehearsal.

 There is a limit to the interactions that a large rehearsal can absorb if a rehearsal is to run smoothly, The following are just guidelines in regard to what works and what doesn't.

Banter  and jokes directed at the conductor or the band as a whole, benefit the whole band and lighten the mood.  Every band needs a class clown to interrupt occasionally.  Jokes directed at the whole band work better than joking around within a section only.

There are lots of musical issues which should be brought up with the conductor during the rehearsal

1          If you think your notes on the page are wrong.

2          If you want the conductor to be clearer with the baton

3          If you would like to go at a different tempo.

4          If you need clarification regarding style/ the articulation needed etc, 

5          If you want to rehearse a particular section or bar again.

6          If the conductor is making errors in her conducting and is not aware of it. 

7          If the conductor is not picking up (hearing) some significant error in playing.

Things that are better left to discussions with the conductor in the break or after the rehearsal are

1          Your opinion on repertoire choice

2          A concern you have for another musician's playing

3          Rehearsal suggestions - which are often very helpful but often out of context when suggested within the rehearsal itself.

4          Suggestions and disagreements regarding style etc.

Posture and body movement

Avoid large (arms and legs) beat like, repetitious movement.  If you don't you inadvertently are providing a competing beat that disturbs both other players and the conductor.  You are also limiting your ability to feel/ see and internally engage with the conductor's beat.  Toes, and the balls of your feet are the only parts of your body that can “beat” in a rehearsal. Movements while playing that are expressive are fine and natural as long as they don't turn into repetitious beating with the body.

Counting Bars

Try to count bars in your head, not out aloud.  It is simply more professional.

Being on time.

I understand that there are members who are simply not able to arrive on time for the rehearsal.  Some can't even get there until the second half .  That's fine.  However for those of you who can get there on time try to remember the saying “ If a musician is on time he or she is late.” You need to aim to be on stage 10 minutes before the rehearsal starts. If you are going to be late you should inform the conductor that you will be.

                                                   Dale