Next week our brass trio will be giving a guest recital and master class at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. I’m looking forward to this performance for a number of reasons, one of them being a chance to catch up with Justin Isenhour, a former classmate from my undergraduate days at Appalachian State University. Dr. Isenhour is now an Assistant Professor of Music at OBU, where he teaches applied low brass and music theory. In addition to our performance, we’ll also be giving a master class on chamber music, with an emphasis on the DIY (Do It Yourself) approach. Though DIY usually refers to home repair and/or renovation, in this case our presentation will focus on how to conduct chamber music rehearsals yourself, without the assistance of a coach. While coachings from a faculty member or other mentor are vital to a group’s development, the majority of the work in any chamber ensemble is conducted in closed rehearsals by the members themselves.

In preparation for this class I put together a one-page flowchart for solving problems in chamber music rehearsals, which you can download below. Although they can’t answer every question, flow charts are a great way to help clarify the decision-making process. Feel free to borrow any or all of the ideas in this chart, and use them in your rehearsals. This chart was created using free online diagram software called Draw.io. It’s a great tool, and very easy to use!

Download the PDF chart here. Chamber Music Flowchart

If you happen to be in the Arkadelphia area we would love to see you at our performance! For more information about the concert, follow this link.