Digital Audio Tech for Developing Ensemble Skills

There’s a definite gap between the music trombonists hope to perform professionally and the music we spend most of our time practicing. The Bordogni etudes, for instance, while essential for the development of legato and a consistent timbre across registers and dynamic ranges, bear little resemblance to the music trombonists are asked to perform in ensembles. The etudes written in a more orchestral style, such as the Sauer and Blazhevich etudes, still fail to address the principal challenge of orchestral playing: adapting to the musicians with whom you share the stage.

The aspiring trombonist is typically asked to develop this skill (or rather, this collection of skills) through participation in school orchestras, chamber ensembles, and ad-hoc reading sessions. These experiences are of the utmost value, but the quality of orchestras vary wildly, offering limited opportunities for development to students who “play beyond” the ensemble’s baseline. Not all schools house effective chamber music programs either, leaving many students without access to consistent chamber coachings and performance opportunities. Ad-hoc orchestral trombone sections are an incredible resource for ensemble skill development, but it can be difficult for these groups to secure rehearsal space, music, and guidance. Even at schools where these factors are not a problem, breaks and emergencies (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) can disrupt a student’s efforts to develop their ensemble skills.

These environments also tend to prioritize immediate results. As a result, students who already possess ensemble skills tend to earn opportunities which will help them develop their skills even further. Students who struggle to perform in ensembles will often find themselves with limited opportunities.

Furthermore, these ensembles are typically concerned with the presentation of impressive and entertaining music, a valuable artistic endeavor, but not the course most conducive to skill development. Even trombone choirs, an ensemble formed specifically in the interest of ensemble-skill development, have turned their attention away from the chorales which initially formed the basis of their repertoire and towards increasingly flashy compositions. As a result, trombone choirs have become another space where immediate results are prioritized over skill development. Material exists for the development of ensemble skills in trombone choirs (such as Bruce Tychninski’s publications), but these are typically relegated to the “warm up” period of an ensemble rehearsal.

There is a longstanding tradition of “music minus one” materials: written etudes or studies with a pre-recorded accompaniment track. I utilize some of these, such as Joseph Alessi’s interactive warmups and “Orchestral Machine” and Mike Davis’s warmups with CD accompaniment, in my own practice and teaching. I love these resources, and I use them with my students. But students can absolutely play alongside these recordings without learning to play WITH the recordings; they can let the track play, perform the accompanying passage, and completely fail to coordinate their playing with the track.

I think we can rethink the technologies we use to help students develop their ensemble skills at home. Students should be encouraged to build their own accompaniments from the ground up by recording the appropriate material and/or inserting and adjusting supportive digital components. Creating environments where students must support their own playing will help them understand their responsibilities in an ensemble environment.

With the widespread availability of Digital Audio Workstations, recording tech, and high-quality recordings, I believe music educators should evaluate the usefulness of recording-enhanced practice strategies. If students multi-track ensemble passages from their repertoire, I believe their understanding of ensemble roles will improve drastically. They can develop their ability to play in tune with other musicians, establish a clear pulse for their colleagues, change their timbre to suit the ensemble, and shape notes in accordance with their colleagues. This belief was the inspiration for my doctoral project, but that document only got me started. I think it’s unreasonable to expect any students to read through that document and follow my recommendations. Soon, I’ll be releasing resources that make the process of practicing with a Digital Audio Technologies simple. At the end of the day, young musicians should be familiar with these technologies. And we, as educators, should help them use this tech to improve their abilities as ensemble musicians.