SPECIAL ADVICE ON HOW TO PREPARE
FOR SIGHT READING AT CONTEST
By Jeff Phillips
The success of an ensemble in the dreaded “sight reading” room is perhaps more a
reflection of the day-to-day teaching in a program than the evaluation which
takes place on the concert festival stage. While some spend months on their
“festival” selections for these competitions and festivals, the area of sight
reading is often a last minute effort for many, and shows a lack of a systematic
approach to this facet of festival preparation. After adjudicating in the sight
reading room for several festivals throughout the region, here are some “do’s
and don’ts” for directors based on things I’ve actually seen:
- Prepare your students for the sequence of events for the day. Emphasize that the performance is not over when they leave the stage. They
should maintain their stage presence and decorum as they enter the sight reading
room. First impressions are made when a group comes in the door. Groups that
enter the room in a disorganized manner with lots of talking and joking around
almost always perform in a similar manner! Students should understand that this
is a part of their entire day’s performance “package.” The sight reading room should be entered quietly and students need to refrain
from talking while there unless asking specific questions. The same attitude
from the stage should be also be exhibited here. When a director has to ask
students to be quiet or an adjudicator has to wait for students to settle down,
it’s a bad first impression that even the best playing won’t repair.
- Know your region’s rules and regulations for sight reading. While
most are similar, regions may have different time limits, procedures for score
study and discussion, and even who may assist or be in the room with the
students. Participating directors should know these before they come to the
event and not “assume” that these are always the same as “where they taught
previously.” How much time do you have and is it all for general discussion or
is it “x” minutes for the director and “x” for the group? Are parents or other
directors/staff allowed in the room? If there is an assistant director or
additional staff, are they allowed to help with the explanation or performance
of the piece (or organization of percussion)?
- Have a set procedure that you’ve practiced regularly with your ensemble. It is obvious to an adjudicator which groups have done a great deal of sight
reading and which ones are “winging it! Take the discussion of the selection
in order of the piece! Many directors skip from key signatures at the beginning
to tempo markings half way through the piece and then answer a question about a
3rd clarinet fingering and then go back and try and point out the
time signature in the middle section. This type of skipping around causes
students to loose focus and never really zero in on anything. Begin with the
time and key signatures; then proceed through the piece in an organized manner
straight through to the end. Many fine directors keep the students actively
involved mentally by asking rapid-fire questions as they go through the
selection. This is a great way to heighten student awareness, but it takes a
skilled director and this exercise must be done regularly in rehearsals! Don’t
try it that day for the first time or you’ll get bogged down and run out of
time!
- Take them through it! Regardless of the level of student performance,
they’re still “students” and need to be guided through the selection. Don’t
just tell them to look through it on their own and then ask for questions. As
stated in #3, have a procedure. If there is time after YOUR explanation, ask
for student questions.
- Keep it simple. Many directors seem to want to impress adjudicators
with their vast music history and theoretical knowledge. Don’t try it! The
attempt by some directors to use the “correct” musical terms is sometimes
humorous (or frustrating) to an adjudicator when the student’s ask them what
these terms mean (my favorite is a director who stressed the “caesura” several
times and then when he asked if there were any questions, a student asked what
that “railroad tracks thing” meant). Directors also frequently like to analyze
the key signatures and debate “Major or minor” for a few minutes when simply
making students aware of the key/key change will suffice. Keep in mind that
adjudicators are not judging the ability of the director to analyze the piece!
- Avoid analogies that students don’t understand. It’s ok to point out a similarity between a rhythm orarticulation pattern in the sight reading selection and one that the student’s have recently played, but try not to get into things like: “this is just like that song we played on the spring concert last year.” In the “heat of battle,” the students probably won’t get the connection (and some may not have even been in your ensemble then). Also, some directors like to make analogies to other
composer’s works and point out a “typical (fill in the blank) passage/rhythm.” Unless your student’s have played several works by (fill in the blank), they will have no idea what you’re talking about.
- Avoid scolding the students for anything that happened on the concert stage. That part is over. Get on to the next phase of your performance.
Statements such as “you obviously didn’t get that on stage,” or “maybe you can
get it right in here,” aren’t really going to make anyone’s situation better at
that time. It’s time for both you and the students to focus on the matter at
hand!
- Don’t talk or admonish during the actual performance! If a group is
hopelessly lost, an occasional rehearsal letter may need to be called out (if
all is going well, don’t bother! I’ve heard directors do this when the group is
performing wonderfully; it then becomes just a distraction to the students and
the judge). Avoid screaming out over the performance things such as “B natural
clarinets! Not Bb!!!!” If the selection contains different parts with
fermatas, etc. try not to verbally count off the new section. Hopefully, you
wouldn’t do this in a performance, and you should consider the goal of sight
reading to “perform” the first time as you would on stage.
- Get close to the tempos, but allow some room for nerves! Many
directors see “allegro” and quarter note at 128bpm and their hearts beat faster
out of panic. If it’s marked 128 and you take it at 116, I would hope that a
competent adjudicator would accept that. Usually if you start slower, younger
students will be nervous and rush anyway! Then you have an entirely different
problem to solve! This is another area where directors like to show their
expertise with comments such as “ahh, 120, just like a Sousa march.” I wonder
how many students can actually put those similarities together (especially since
school bands don’t seem to be playing as many marches anymore! But that’s
another article!).
- Don’t be afraid to ask the sight reading judge if you have questions. You should be able to seat your group in a similar manner to the way you perform
on stage. If you want to have a one or two minute “warning” during the score
study time, ask for it (some people find this more nerve-racking!).
- When you’re finished, let the judge give the instructions as to how the
music should be collected, exit procedure, etc. Getting all of the music
back and in an easy format to give out to the next group is essential. Some
sight reading rooms are set up so that you exit through a different door than
the one you enter. This usually isn’t meant to ruin your day! It’s usually for
a logistical reason to avoid crowded hallways, etc.
When approached with proper planning and attitude, the sight reading experience
can be a positive one which can benefit you and your students. As with all
aspects of your rehearsals, make it a part of your regular sequence of events!
Jeff Phillips is currently in his 22nd year as a music educator in Tennessee. Phillips teaches band, orchestra, jazz band, and marching Band at Hendersonville
High School in Hendersonville. He is also adjunct professor of trombone at
Belmont University and performs regularly with the Belmont Faculty Brass
Quintet. Phillips is past president of the MTSBOA and former TMEA State Band
Chair. He is President-Elect of the American School Band Directors Association.