The purpose of the ensemble for a piece is to make the actual band sound closer to the instructor's image.
If the instructor does not have a clear image of the piece, the time spent in the ensemble will be wasted, so it's important to organize and create the feel of the piece in your head beforehand.
First, the instructor should calmly listen to whether each instrument is producing the sound according to the score. According to the score does not only mean pitch and rhythm. Dynamics (Forte, Piano, etc.) and articulation (slurs, staccato, etc.) are also very important.
This time can be shortened if the parts are practiced in advance and the sound is confirmed. It is not very effective to play in an ensemble when each member has not yet practiced enough.
I feel that playing in an ensemble is similar to completing a jigsaw puzzle.
If each piece of the puzzle is accurate, you can eventually complete it by assembling it without rushing, but if there is even one piece with an irregular shape, it will not be completed even if you spend a lot of time.
Gathering students who cannot play the correct pitch or rhythm, or who cannot yet make a sound, is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle with distorted pieces.
Of course, there is an unavoidable tolerance for accuracy, but it is very important to first improve the perfection of each member in preparation for playing in an ensemble.
If each person plays the sound according to the score, the whole will naturally match, so if it does not match, check what is different. You can ask the students to think about what is wrong.
If it is difficult to understand the whole, listen to each part separately. If the students know that the instructor is listening carefully, they will also listen carefully to the sound.
It is a waste of time to go through it over and over again "for now" without checking what is different and how.
Find the parts that don't fit, correct the mistakes, and at the same time, bring the performance closer to your image. Changing the volume of each part and the shape of each note can completely change the feel of the song.
The most frustrating thing about any piece is that you can't hear the melody. Just identify which part is the melody and turn down the volume of the other parts so that the melody can be heard clearly, and the piece will sound much more like a song.
For example, if the melody is in the mid-range of the flute in a band, you will need to make the accompaniment quite quiet. If the melody is in the low part and the accompaniment is in the high range, be careful of the balance. Always pay attention to the volume of percussion instruments, especially the bass drum. I have heard many times at concerts that the entire band is drowned out by the big sound of the bass drum.
The balance between the melody and the accompaniment, whether the melody should be clearly audible and the accompaniment barely audible, whether the accompaniment should be audible and the melody should be a little louder, when two or more melodies are playing at the same time, which melody should be emphasized and how much, etc. are matters of the conductor's preference, personality, and musicality, and there is no correct answer.
However, it seems difficult to create flexible music while still maintaining technical precision.
Of course, a technically perfect band can play a piece musically as they want, but in reality, there are very few bands like that, so they are forced to compromise technically and musically somewhere.
The content of ensemble practice will vary depending on how much accuracy and musicality is required, or conversely, where you are willing to compromise.
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