Rob Young Piano

The learning of music in amateur orchestras or group settings is fundamental to finding and developing the skills and ability to work well with others. I wanted to reflect on my own experience of playing in amateur groups and the skills it has taught me both in musicianship and in collaboration and partnership.

Recently I have been playing with the Fortismere Community Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra of around 50 players that meets in Muswell Hill on Tuesday evenings. During the recent Autumn term, I embarked on a musical journey of adventure as I learned about the different works of classical composers, absorbed myself in the violin section and appreciated how the part blends in harmonically and musically with the rest of the orchestra.

The music that we studied was from different periods. From the romantic era, pieces included the Karelia Overture by Sibelius and the second symphony by the famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky. The violin part was punctuated by staccato sections, longer slurred quaver passages and fast-moving semiquaver runs. Focussing on my style and its appearance to the audience, I concentrated on synchronising my bowing with the rest of the section, taking care to move my bow in a co-ordinated way with the preceding players. When tackling passages of music of a greater technical level of difficulty, I concentrated in the leading, loudest and most accentuated notes in the passage, emphasising these whilst making sure that I started and finished with the rest of the section.

During the rehearsal time, work with my desk mate was paramount. This included co-ordinating who was to play the top and bottom parts in chordal or diviso sections as well as agreeing the page turns and position changes. The group also experimented with different styles of bowing, including pizzicato, spiccato and col legno sections as well as longer tutti and solo passages. This helped foster a sense of collaboration and developed my skills in working in close partnership with a teammate.

Time management was essential and care was taken in following the natural guidance of the conductor on when to bring us in and take us out of the musical flow. All in all, a fantastic experience was had working with colleagues to develop a strong sense of teamwork, collaboration and mutual support, vital for any workplace situation, and enjoyable conversations after the rehearsal were experienced down at the pub.